The arctic is exposed to a wide range of pollutants which originate from industrialized areas located in temperate regions. Halogenated organic contaminants (HOCs) are of special concern due to their persistency and ability to bioaccumulate. Consequently, animals high in the food chain, such as marine seabirds, are prone to accumulate high levels of these compounds. The HOCs are known to increase the formation of free radicals through metabolism and thereby jeopardise the balance between pro and antioxidant forces, which could lead to oxidative stress and therefore sever biological cell dysfunctions. The antioxidant system of kidney tissue of arctic seabirds has previously not been investigated as an organ for measuring effects of HOCs. In this study, single antioxidant parameters were measured in kidney tissue of three species of seabirds to investigate their species specific differences in antioxidant defences. The antioxidant parameters, catalase and glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and total glutathione levels, revealed different species-specific antioxidant strategies in common eider, kittiwake and northern fulmar which are related to abiotic and biotic factors. In addition an experimental study was performed on herring gull chicks to assess the cause-effect relationship of exposure to HOCs, following parental transfer during feeding ,and fasting on the total oxidative scavenging capacity (TOSC) of their kidney tissue The TOSC assay provides an antioxidant scavenging profile, showing that exposure to HOCs significantly decrease the TOSC towards hydroxyl radicals and that exposure and fasting significantly increase the TOSC towards peroxynitrite and peroxyl radicals. We can conclude that parental transfer of HOCs to bird chicks can lead to biological effects in kidneys and effects are different between non fasting and fasting treatment. Finally, TOSC can be used as a biomarker on effects of HOCs in birds.


This article will focus on an ongoing process of Jerusalem's contested urban space during the last decade namely the immigration of Palestinians, mostly Israeli citizens, to "satellite neighbourhoods", i.e. Jerusalem's colonial neighbourhoods that were constructed after 1967. Theoretically, this paper attempts to discuss neighbourhood planning in contested cities within the framework of geopolitics. In more details, we will focus on the relevance of geopolitics to the study of neighbourhood planning, by which we mean not merely a discussion of international relations and conflict or of the roles of military acts and wars in producing space. Rather, geopolitics refers to the emergence of discourses and forces connected with the technologies of control, patterns of internal migrations by individuals and communities, and the flow of cultures and capital.


Latin America has traditionally been a raw material supplier since colonial times. In this paper, we analyze mineral exports from an exergoecology perspective from twenty countries in Latin American (LA-20). We apply material flow analysis (MFA) principles along with the concept of the exergy replacement cost (ERC), which considers both quantity and thermodynamic quality of minerals, reflecting their scarcity in the crust. ERC determines the energy that would be required to recover minerals to their original conditions in the mines once they have been totally dispersed into the Earth's crust, with prevailing technology. Using ERC has helped us identify the importance of certain traded minerals that could be overlooked in a traditional MFA based on a mass basis only. Our method has enabled us to determine mineral balance, both in mass (tonnes) and in ERC terms (Mtoe). Using indicators, both in mass and ERC, we have assessed the self-sufficiency and dependency of the region. We have also analyzed the mineral exports flows from Latin America for 2013. Results show that half of the mineral production from LA-20 was mainly exported. High-quality minerals, such as, gold, silver, and aluminum were largely exported to China and the United States. Extraction of high-quality minerals also implies higher losses of natural stock and environmental overburdens in the region.


Bukharin completed this work in 1914; it represented an attempt to grapple with the Austrian School of political economy, as represented chiefly by Eugen von Bohm-Bawerk. Bukharin interprets the school as reflecting the social position of the rentier stratum of the capitalist class, which tends to view the economy from the point of view of consumption rather than production. But this is merely the introduction to a close consideration of the theory of marginal utility as contrasted with the labor theory of value which formed the starting point of both Marxism and classical economics. His discussion, therefore, while it does not deal with the many changes and refinements of neoclassical economics, does contrast, in polemical form, Marxism with the fundamental premises of modern academic economics. His discussion of "subjective" and "objective" value definitions, in particular, will help clarify for many the essential differences that distinguish Marxist political economy from other schools.


Organisms of the order Chlamydiales comprise a group of obligate intracellular pathogens of ever-growing importance and number. Over the past six years, comparative analyses of complete chlamydial genome sequences have provided an explosive amount of data that have led to important new hypotheses regarding the molecular origins of Chlamydiales. It was surprising that Chlamydiales had many proteins that were similar to plant proteins targeted to the chloroplast. Protease-like activating factor (CPAF) is unique to Chlamydiales and likely critical to host adaptive immunity. Many of the gene differences identified are clustered into discrete regions including the replication termination region terminus or the plasticity zone (PZ), the two clusters plus PmpD of polymorphic membrane proteins (Pmp), the transmembrane head (TMH)/Inc protein cluster, and the biotin biosynthetic operon. Some of the most interesting data on Inc proteins has come from Chlamydiales genomic comparisons, where 20 open reading frames were identified for the genus Chlamydia. Studying the genetic variability of multiple genes encoded by chlamydial genomes has resulted in insights into the molecular evolution of this organism. Researchers have focused on the comparative genetics of genes with sufficient genetic variation or those with specialized structural or housekeeping functions. From these studies, a number of findings are revealing the mechanisms by which Chlamydiales diverge.


Two sets of experiments, each consisting of a semantic priming task and a discrimination task, investigated the proceedings of lexical information in the neglected visual field. In the semantic priming task, subjects made lexical decisions to target words preceded by lateralized word primes; in the discrimination task, they indicated which of two words corresponded to a target word presented to the left visual field (LVF) or right visual field (RVF). The first set of experiments indicated that although patients were unable to discriminate words presented in the LVF, they showed significant priming when LVF primes were followed by semantically related targets compared to unrelated targets. The second set of experiments further examined the nature of this priming effect by comparing priming in a condition in which primes were semantically related to the target word (e.g., TEA-CUP) and a condition in which primes were unrelated to the target word, but orthographically similar to a related prime (e.g., PEA-CUP). This experiment replicated the previously established semantic priming effects and demonstrated significant negative priming for targets preceded by LVF primes that were orthographically similar to a semantically related word. Again, patients performed at chance in the forced-choice discrimination task when targets were presented in the LVF These findings indicate that semantic processing of neglected lexical information is based on fully specified perceptual and orthographic information. A lateral inhibitory mechanism is proposed that maximizes the probability, albeit unsuccessfully, that neglected orthographic information will reach awareness.


In this work, an application of a design of experiments approach for the optimization of an isoniazid assay on a single-area inkjet-printed paper-based analytical device (PAD) is described. For this purpose, a central composite design was used for evaluation of the effect of device geometry and amount of assay reagents on the efficiency of the proposed device. The factors of interest were printed length, width, and sampling volume as factors related to device geometry, and amounts of the assay reagents polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), NH4OH, and AgNO3. Deposition of the assay reagents was performed by a thermal inkjet printer. The colorimetric assay mechanism of this device is based on the chemical interaction of isoniazid, ammonium hydroxide, and PVA with silver ions to induce the formation of yellow silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The in situ-formed AgNPs can be easily detected by the naked eye or with a simple flat-bed scanner. Under optimal conditions, the calibration curve was linear in the isoniazid concentration range 0.03-10 mmol L-1 with a relative standard deviation of 3.4% (n = 5 for determination of 1.0 mmol L-1). Finally, the application of the proposed device for isoniazid determination in pharmaceutical preparations produced satisfactory results.

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Abstract. This paper investigates the latest version 1.07 SABER (Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry) tropical ozone from the 1.27 μm as well as from the 9.6 μm retrieval and temperature data with respect to day time variations in the upper mesosphere. The processes involved are compared to day time variations of the three-dimensional general circulation and chemistry model HAMMONIA (Hamburg Model of the Neutral and Ionized Atmosphere). The results show a good qualitative agreement for ozone. The amplitude of daytime variations is in both cases approximately 60% of the daytime mean. During equinox the daytime maximum ozone abundance is for both, the observations and the model, higher than during solstice, especially above 0.01 hPa (approx. 80 km). The influence of tidal signatures either directly in ozone or indirectly via a temperature response above 0.01 hPa can not be fully eliminated. Below 0.01 hPa (photo-)chemistry is the main driver for variations. We also use the HAMMONIA output of daytime variation patterns of several other different trace gas species, e.g., water vapor and atomic oxygen, to discuss the daytime pattern in ozone. In contrast to ozone, temperature data show little daytime variations between 65 and 90 km and their amplitudes are on the order of less than 1.5%. In addition, SABER and HAMMONIA temperatures show significant differences above 80 km.


Since the discovery of REM-sleep, modern empirical dream research has made considerable advances in making dreaming a subject of scientific interest. To allow for quantification and interpretation of dream material, it is necessary that at first the dreamer him or herself is able to reach an optimal notion of the experienced dream. This means predominantly seeing and memorizing dream imagery. This individual experience is mainly preverbal and is secondarily converted into speech to become communicable. The dreamer's capacity to observe dream imagery and the question as to whether there is a possibility to improve dream imagery perception, have been themes of minor interest in modern dream research. Among Ancient Egyptian texts there are a number of dream reports, which document an interest in observing dreams. Even larger is the corpus of the night literature that deals with themes of an otherworldly, nighttime reality, the so-called Duat. There are etymologic and textual hints that these assertions on a complex, nightly meta-reality in the Egyptian culture are especially related to the hours of the late night, the peak of REM-sleep and the phase of highest dream recall. This paper develops the hypothesis that the Ancient Egyptian culture appreciated dream experience as a reality deserving high attention; and that the Egyptians deduced cultural knowledge from dream experience, intended for individual and collective, cultural application. Raising the perception of pictorial logic in dreams may be of interest for dream research as well as for improving cultural capacities, inasmuch as a dream-wake-continuum may be realized.


Multiple generations of pseudotachylyte within granulite-facies orthogneiss (northern Norway Caledonides) are cut by ultramylonitic shear bands that contain the mineral assemblage garnet + clinopyroxene + plagioclase + quartz. Mineralogic thermobarometry yields pressure ( P ) = 950 ± 150 MPa at temperature ( T ) = 625–675 °C for equilibration conditions of the ultramylonite assemblage, requiring minimum depths of 35 ± 5 km for coseismic slip that generated pseudotachylyte. These depths are well below the base of the standard seismogenic zone (15–20 km). Ambient temperatures are 200–300 °C higher than those commonly cited for the onset of ductile creep in quartzofeldspathic rocks, but they are similar to those in modern intraplate settings of higher than average heat flow that have experienced deep crustal earthquakes. The occurrence of overprinting mylonites and pseudotachylytes requires tens of kilometers of dynamic downward rupture propagation from the brittle-frictional regime into the ductile regime. Plastic instabilities do not explain the relationship between ultramylonites and mylonitized pseudotachylytes in this setting.


The Next Generation Air Traffic Management system (NextGen) is a blueprint of the future National Airspace System. Supporting NextGen is a nation-wide Aviation Simulation Network (ASN), which allows integration of a variety of real-time simulations to facilitate development and validation of the NextGen software by simulating a wide range of operational scenarios. The ASN system is an environment, including both simulated and human-in-the-loop real-life components (pilots and air traffic controllers). Real Time Distributed Simulation (RTDS) developed at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, a suite of applications providing low and medium fidelity en-route simulation capabilities, is one of the simulations contributing to the ASN. To support the interconnectivity with the ASN, we designed and implemented a dedicated gateway acting as an intermediary, providing logic for two-way communication and transfer messages between RTDS and ASN and storage for the exchanged data. It has been necessary to develop and analyze safety/security requirements for the gateway software based on analysis of system assets, hazards, threats and attacks related to ultimate real-life future implementation. Due to the nature of the system, the focus was placed on communication security and the related safety of the impacted aircraft in the simulation scenario. To support development of safety/security requirements, a well-established fault tree analysis technique was used. This fault tree model-based analysis, supported by a commercial tool, was a foundation to propose mitigations assuring the gateway system safety and security.


Watermelon (Citrulluslanatus), Bitter Gourd (Memordica charantia) and ginger juice (Zingiber officinale) were formulated to a blend in different proportion (v/v) as T1 (90:05:05), T2 (80:10:10), T3 (80:15:05) and T0 (100:00:00) respectively. Sensory analysis and Physico‐chemical analysis were evaluated. Marginal changes in pH, Total Soluble Solids (TSS), acidity and vitamin C were observed. The results of the analysis of Vitamin C analysis content gave 74.91 mg/ 100 ml in standard watermelon juice, 58.11 mg/ 100 ml in T1, 53.72 mg/ 100 ml in T2, 40.62 mg/ 100 ml in T3 respectively. Titrable acidity of all blends increased (0.21-0.47) and pH of the juice decreased progressively during the storage period. This may be due to the fermentation process which generally took place during storage period and presence of lactic acid reducing micro‐organism in the juices. The mean overall acceptability scores up to 7 for T2 sample were observed. In microbial analysis, total plate count and total yeast and mould count, was analyzed up to 30 days with every 10 days interval counting and showed that microbial activity was very low on first day but it was gradually increased till 30 days of storage period to 27 x 10. These values were within the safe limit for juices, as they have not exceeded the standard values of 10cfu/ml. This indicated that the pasteurization (80oC for 3 min.) of the samples was efficient and the product was safe for consumption by consumer. However the shelf life of prepared beverage was established within 30 days.


Monomeric anthocyanins are the main contributor of colour in young red wines. To study the importance of monomeric anthocyanins to the wine colour, 41 wines of Vitis vinifera L. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Gernischt and Merlot were examined. Seven monomeric anthocyanins were isolated and applied as standards in HPLC analysis. Multiple linear regression (MLR) and partial least squares regression (PLSR) were performed to relate and validate the correlations between the monomeric anthocyanins and CIELab colour parameters. Malvidin-3-O-glucoside (Mv3g) was the most abundant anthocyanin in all tested wines, but not the anthocyanin that showed the highest correlation with the colour parameters evaluated. L*, b* and h were shown to be correlated significantly with mainly the anthocyanins for Cabernet Sauvignon, L* with the anthocyanins for Cabernet Gernischt and h with the anthocyanins for Merlot. MLR and PLSR both successfully predicted the colour from the anthocyanin composition of the wine. Delphinidin-3-glucoside (Dp3g), malvidin-3-O-acetylglucoside (Mv3ac) and Dp3g were the most important monomeric anthocyanins contributing to the prediction of the wine colour of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Gernischt and Merlot respectively. Different grape varieties had profound influences on the correlation of wine colour with anthocyanin composition.


The NCI-60 human tumor cell line panel has been used in a broad range of cancer research over the last two decades. A landmark 2013 whole exome sequencing study of this panel added an exceptional new resource for cancer biologists. The complementary analysis of the sequencing data produced by this study suggests the presence of Propionibacterium acnes genomic sequences in almost half of the datasets, with the highest abundance in the leukemia (RPMI-8226) and central nervous system (SF-295, SF-539, and SNB-19) cell lines. While the origin of these contaminating bacterial sequences remains to be determined, observed results suggest that computational control for the presence of microbial genomic material is a necessary step in the analysis of the high throughput sequencing (HTS) data.


Abstract Posturography has been used in the evaluation of patients with vestibular disorders. Aim To evaluate balance control with the Balance Rehabilitation Unit (BRUTM) posturography in patients with Menière's disease. Study design Prospective case-control. Material and Method 30 patients diagnosed with Menière's disease and a control group consisting of 40 healthy matching individuals in relation to age and gender, were submitted to a balance function evaluation by means of a Balance Rehabilitation Unit (BRUTM) posturography. Results Comparing patients with Menière's disease and the control group, we found significant differences between the values of the sway speed in the static force plate, down optokinetic stimulation (p=0.038) and horizontal visual vestibular interaction (p=0.049); and of the ellipse area in the static force plate, eyes closed (p=0.001); left optokinetic stimulation (p=0.007); down optokinetic stimulation (p=0.003); horizontal visual vestibular interaction (p=0.003); and vertical visual vestibular interaction (p=0.028). Conclusion The postural control assessment with the Balance Rehabilitation Unit (BRUTM) posturography enables the identification of sway speed and ellipse area abnormalities in patients with Menière's disease.


Abstract. Extremely severe and persistent haze occurred in January 2013 over eastern and northern China. The record-breaking high concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) of more than 700 μg m−3 on hourly average and the persistence of the episodes have raised widespread, considerable public concerns. During that period, 7 of the top 10 polluted cities in China were within the Hebei Province. The three cities in southern Hebei (Shijiazhuang, Xingtai, and Handan) have been listed as the top three polluted cities according to the statistics for the first half of the year 2013. In this study, the Mesoscale Modeling System Generation 5 (MM5) and the Models-3/Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) modeling system are applied to simulate the 2013 severe winter regional hazes in East Asia and northern China at horizontal grid resolutions of 36 and 12 km, respectively, using the Multi-resolution Emission Inventory for China (MEIC). The source contributions of major source regions and sectors to PM2.5 concentrations in the three most polluted cities in southern Hebei are quantified by aiming at the understanding of the sources of the severe haze pollution in this region, and the results are compared with December 2007, the haziest month in the period 2001–2010. Model evaluation against meteorological and air quality observations indicates an overall acceptable performance and the model tends to underpredict PM2.5 and coarse particulate matter (PM10) concentrations during the extremely polluted episodes. The MEIC inventory is proven to be a good estimation in terms of total emissions of cities but uncertainties exist in the spatial allocations of emissions into fine grid resolutions within cities. The source apportionment shows that emissions from northern Hebei and the Beijing-Tianjin city cluster are two major regional contributors to the pollution in January 2013 in Shijiazhuang, compared with those from Shanxi and northern Hebei for December 2007. For Xingtai and Handan, the emissions from northern Hebei and Henan are important. The industrial and domestic sources are the most significant local contributors, and the domestic and agricultural emissions from Shandong and Henan are non-negligible regional sources, especially for Xingtai and Handan. Even in the top two haziest months (i.e., January 2013 and December 2007), a large fraction of PM2.5 in the three cities may originate from quite different regional sources. These results indicate the importance of establishing a regional joint framework of policymaking and action system to effectively mitigate air pollution in this area, not only over the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, but also surrounding provinces such as Henan, Shandong, and Shanxi.


Plant diversity loss can alter higher trophic‐level communities via non‐random species interactions, which in turn may cascade to affect key ecosystem functions. These non‐random linkages might be best captured by patterns of phylogenetic diversity, which take into account co‐evolutionary dependencies. However, lack of adequate phylogenetic data of higher trophic levels hampers our mechanistic understanding of biodiversity relationships in species‐rich ecosystems. We used DNA barcoding to generate data on the phylogenetic diversity of lepidopteran caterpillars in a large‐scale forest biodiversity experiment in subtropical China. We analysed how different metrics of lepidopteran phylogenetic diversity (Faith's PD, MPD, MNTD) and taxonomic diversity were influenced by multiple components of tree diversity (taxonomic, functional, phylogenetic). Our data from six sampling periods represent 7,204 mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences of lepidopteran larvae, clustered into 461 molecular operational taxonomic units. Lepidopteran abundance, the effective number of species (irrespective of the focus on rare or common species) and Faith's PD and MPD (reflecting basal evolutionary splits), but not MNTD (reflecting recent evolutionary splits), significantly increased with experimentally manipulated tree species richness. Lepidopteran MNTD decreased with increasing tree MNTD. Path analyses showed that tree phylogenetic and functional diversity explained part, but not all of the effects of tree species richness on lepidopteran diversity. Importantly, tree diversity effects on lepidopteran diversity were to a large extent indirect, operating via changes in lepidopteran abundance. Synthesis. Our study shows that evolutionary dependencies determine the response of herbivore communities to changes in host plant diversity. Incorporating a wider range of diversity metrics both at the level of producers and consumers can thus help to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the functional consequences of biodiversity change across trophic levels. Moreover, the dependence of trophic linkages on herbivore abundances underlines the need to address the consequences of current declines in insect abundances for ecosystem structure and functioning.


In the history of education it has long been discussed that single-sex and coeducation are the two models of education present in schools. With the introduction of parallel schools over the last 15 years, there has been very little research into this 'new model'. Many people do not understand what it means for a school to be parallel or they confuse a parallel model with co-education, due to the presence of both boys and girls within the one institution. Therefore, the main objective of this research is to analyse the various parallel models in Australia and the USA as a means to decipher a definition of what parallel education is. This study reflects a qualitative paradigm, encompassing standardised openended interviews which allowed participants to discuss their perceptions and experiences with parallel secondary schools. The chosen participants are key people responsible for the development or running of such schools. As a case-study driven research, the intention was to investigate the different structures of parallel schools, why they were developed and how each of these structures function. As independent schools, each school researched is at liberty to develop its own structure of parallel education; however, the findings of this study suggest that there are two key features that define a parallel school and a third feature that is common to most of them. In defining a parallel school, the case-studies reveal that both a single-sex and co-educational classroom environment alternating throughout its structure, as well as a co-educational community, are key aspects of a parallel school. Another important feature although it does not appear to be as critical, is the presence of one overseeing administration and a separate girls and boys school. This study also suggests that the previous literature discussions of single-sex and co-educational advantages and disadvantages should now include parallel schools as a separate and third model. This is mainly as the research suggests this third model is able to provide both a single-sex and co-educational environment which appears to support the advantages of both single-sex and co-educational schools whilst diminishing the disadvantages.


The paper addresses the problem of information asymmetry between a regulator and the polluting firms and proposes a very simple mechanism where the regulator is free to choose, without communicating in advance to the firms, between two instruments: an effluent fee or a standard: as a result in a real world setting this uncertainty might induce firms to a truthful revelation. Moreover, under the assumption of linear marginal abatement or marginal social damage functions, in many cases the resulting optimal behaviour might be an under reporting for some firms and an over reporting for others so that the resulting marginal aggregate benefit function might be not so far from the true one and the aggregate pollution level attained by the mechanism not so far from optimal.


1. Extravascular albumin in carcass, skin and gut of rats was extracted and the albumin content estimated by several methods. Assay by electrophoresis on acrylamide gel, by immunodiffusion and by radioimmunoassay were in essential agreement. The method used previously, precipitation with antibody followed by alcohol-TCA extraction, underestimates the amount of albumin in tissue extracts, because extraction from the antibody precipitate is not complete. This method is valid, however, for specific activity determination. 2. Normal rats contain from 500 to 650 mg of albumin per 100 g body weight. Of this, 20–25% is in the circulation, 35–40% in the carcass (mainly but not exclusively muscle), 20–25% in skin and 10% in gut. 3. The extracellular water of muscle, carcass, skin and gut was estimated from the distribution of mannitol and sulphate. With the exception of gut, both methods agreed closely. Extracellular, extravascular water constitutes about 23% of the body weight of 150–200 g rats. The extracellular water in muscle is about 20% and in skin, 40%. In gut the extracellular water cannot be estimated reliably by these compounds. 4. Muscle contains about 3·5 mg/g of extravascular albumin; skin and gut, 7–8 mg/g. The concentration of extravascular albumin in extracellular water of muscle and skin is 1620 mg/ml, or 5060% of the concentration in plasma. In the small intestine the concentration of albumin is higher, possibly similar to that in plasma. 5. In rats with severe aminonucleoside nephrosis, body albumin was depleted to 100–200 mg/100 g. Of this, 15–25% was in plasma, 50% in carcass, and about 15% in skin. Ascitic fluid contained only a few mg of albumin. 6. The specific activity of extravascular albumin of tissues was followed after intravascular injection of 125 I- or 131 I-labelled albumin. The specific activity of carcass albumin increases rapidly, becoming equal to that in plasma after less than 2 days. The specific activity of albumin in skin increases much more slowly and becomes equal to that of plasma after 4 days. Labelling of albumin of gut is even slower. The specific activities in tissue never exceed that in plasma. 7. In severely nephrotic rats, specific activities in carcass and skin become equal to that in plasma within 2–3 days and remain equal thereafter. Specific activity of albumin in ascitic fluid increases to reach values as much as sixteen-fold those in plasma. 8. The extravascular pool, as calculated by multicompartmental analysis from the slopes and intercepts of the plasma curve, is about equal to that in plasma and in severely nephrotic rats is less than that in plasma. Discrepancies between calculated and observed extravascular albumin masses is by a factor of 3 in normal rats and 10 or more in severely nephrotic rats. 9. Specific activity of extravascular albumin as calculated from multicompartmental analysis is 1·5 times that in plasma in normal rats and at least six times that in plasma in severely nephrotic rats. Actually, the specific activities in extravascular and vascular albumin ultimately become and remain equal. 10. It is concluded that the multicompartmental model of vascular pool exchange with one or two extravascular pools is not valid for rats and probably not for other animal species.


Part 1 :

Mucopolysaccharidosis type II (MPS II) is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by the deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme iduronate 2 sulphates (Ids). The inactivity of this enzyme results in the progressive accumulation of heparan and dermatan sulfates within the lysosomes of various tissues and organs, with consequent cellular degeneration. Patients affected by the severe form of MPS II are characterized, in addition, by a devastating involvement of the central nervous system. The MPSII mouse model reproduces the features of MPSII patients. The characterization of brain phenotype of mouse MPS II showed a progressive GAGs accumulation in almost all the regions of the brain, an increase in inflammation and severe neurodegeneration. Moreover, behavioral tests, showed a deficit in learning and motor coordination. Up to now, the only treatment for MPS II patients is the enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with the systemic infusion of Ids enzyme; however, this treatment only obtains amelioration of visceral defects, but not of neurological ones. To this aim, we developed a new protocol of ERT to treat both, visceral and neurological defects. Importantly, we were successful in having the infused Ids enzyme reaching the brain with a good rescue of the CNS phenotype and behavioral performances. Among the ERT protocols tested, the one using low Ids concentration, was effective on young and adult MPS II mice.

Part 2:
Growing evidence suggest comorbidity between diabetes mellitus (DM) and Alzheimer's disease (AD); indeed, diabetic patients show increased risk of developing AD and cognitive deficits, while, AD patients show impaired insulin function and glucose metabolism. However, the molecular mechanisms linking these two disorders are still not fully understood. Here, we hypothesize that DM induces tau hyperphosphorylation generating the cognitive decline observed in AD. Interestingly, our results show that induction of type 1 DM by streptozotocin (STZ) administration in WT mice support our hypothesis showing, in these mice, tau hyperphosphorylation, decreased activity of the Insulin Receptor (IR)/PI3K/AKT pathway and increased phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), a kinase strongly involved in the pathogenesis of AD. At the behavioral levels, WT-STZ mice showed learning and memory deficits. Importantly, when type 1 DM was induced in knockout mice lacking tau proteins (here referred as mtauKO STZ), the behavioral and cellular phenotypes found in WT-STZ mice were not observed. Associated with these cognitive deficits, WT-STZ mice displayed a significant decrease of synaptic markers. Overall, our results indicate that tau phosphorylation is a critical and essential molecular mechanism underlying the link between DM and AD.


This thesis argues that the creation of buildings with the potential of functional and physical change over time is inextricably linked to what can be labelled as 'frameworks of uncertainty' – i.e. those tools of architectural theory and design that predict, enable and manage the accommodation of controlled changes. To this purpose, the differing contexts of British and Japanese post-war architecture, and more specifically the work of Cedric Price and Arata Isozaki, are investigated as instrumental in understanding this friction between fixity and freedom within architectural design. An interest in systems thinking and a performative conception of built form prompted Price to talk of 'Calculated Uncertainty', a phrase that conveys the paradox involved in any attempt to control loosely defined spaces. In Japan, this paradox was culturally longstanding due to a spatiotemporal conception of the built environment as an ever-changing entity. Isozaki, who today is mainly known in Western countries for his postmodernist buildings, in fact founded his first two decades of practice upon the application of cybernetics, interactive artistic/urban performances, and a profound knowledge of traditional Japanese architecture. The thesis is divided into three parts. The first presents a situated architectural history of the 1960s and 1970s through the clarification of relevant terms in the English and Japanese languages such as flexibility, interaction, ma and kaiwai. In the second part, Price and Isozaki are individually analysed within this context through their theories, design research, modes of representation and built projects. The final part offers a critical discourse on 'frameworks of uncertainty' based upon a series of arguments extracted from the two case-studies. Thus the thesis aims to provide a better understanding not only of Price's and Isozaki's influential work but also of those significant theoretical and design tools that attempt to balance control and change in today's architectural practice.


Bio-mimetic robots can interact with groups of animals in bio-hybrid systems to study their behaviour by producing calibrated stimuli and by analysing their responses. Integrating a group of robots into a group of animals to mimic their behaviour is challenging, both in terms of robotic hardware design and robot control. In particular, the robots must be able to react in real-time to the animal changes of behaviour. This implies the need to adequately track and identify animal behaviour. In this paper, we present a novel framework to control several bio-mimetic robots to integrate into groups of fish. Our framework is able to track the position of the fish and robots in real-time. The robots are driven by a bio-mimetic model of fish behaviour from the literature. We show that our multi-robot system can successfully integrate into groups of fish with closed-loop interactions between the robots and the fish.


In 2006 the EU decided to abandon its moratorium on negotiating new free trade agreements. Since then, numerous negotiations have been started. In particular, the EU joined in the scramble for preferential market access in Asia, starting bilateral negotiations both with individual countries, as in the case of India and South Korea, and with regional subgroupings, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In this paper, we use a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to assess the effects of the possible agreements between the EU and the Asian countries. We want to evaluate the impact of the free trade agreements by themselves, their mutual compatibility as well as their relations with the larger agenda of multilateral trade liberalization. As a matter of fact, regional trade agreements are controversial in economics, not simply because of the classic (so-alled 'Vinerian') view that they can sometimes reduce trade by diverting it, rather than creating it, but also because of the unresolved disagreements over when a regional trade agreement is likely to precede, rather than preclude, more global agreements.


In this article, we offer a contribution to the emerging debate on the role of citizen participation in food system policy making. A key driver is a recognition that solutions to complex challenges in the food system need the active participation of citizens to drive positive change. To achieve this, it is crucial to give citizens the agency in processes of designing policy interventions. This requires authentic and reflective engagement with citizens who are affected by collective decisions. One such participatory approach is citizen assemblies, which have been used to deliberate a number of key issues, including climate change by the UK Parliament's House of Commons (House of Commons., 2019). Here, we have undertaken analysis of a citizen food assembly organized in the City of York (United Kingdom). This assembly was a way of hearing about a range of local food initiatives in Yorkshire, whose aim is to both relocalise food supply and production, and tackle food waste. These innovative community-based business models, known as 'food hubs', are increasing the diversity of food supply, particularly in disadvantaged communities. Among other things, the assembly found that the process of design and sortation of the assembly is aided by the involvement of local stakeholders in the planning of the assembly. It also identified the potential for public procurement at the city level, to drive a more sustainable sourcing of food provision in the region. Furthermore, this citizen assembly has resulted in a galvanizing of individual agency with participants proactively seeking opportunities to create prosocial and environmental change in the food system.


Industrial applications of fuel cell technologies offer a major research opportunity.
To realise the goal of practical commercial applications of this developing technology
will involve the integration of the latest developments in electrical, fluid and
chemical engineering systems. Although each field is well developed in its own
right, the novel concept of combining these technologies within computational models
offers the potential for new understanding and design procedures to be created.
This multi-disciplinary approach would offer new insights into the fundamental
physical phenomena, as well as creating tools that can be used for designing fuel
cells and is the major focus of the research described in this thesis. Power storage fuel cells are the subject of this research. This particular fuel cell is a
bipolar stack with two, single phase, liquid electrolytes. A review of the current techniques
highlighted the need to address the study of the loss mechanisms present in
the fuel cell. The prediction of short circuits created by the electrically conductive
fluids required an electrical model. The power consumed driving the fluid system
compelled a fluid dynamics model. These were combined within this work, to optimise
the geometrical properties of this type of fuel cell based on general chemical
kinetic and operating parameters. In order to satisfy the operating requirement of
even distribution of reactants to the active areas, a finite-volume technique based on
a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code was developed. This enabled the prediction
of the transport processes for fluid flow, electrical energy transfer and chemical
species conversion throughout the fuel cell. The complexity of the multi-disciplinary
CFD method required the use of parallel computers to reduce the lead times. The CFD approach is employed best studying small sections of the fuel cell system
highlighting important phenomena. This research has already influenced design variations
and has guided the direction of additional research, namely ways of electrically
isolating the fluid without interrupting the flow. This work has successfully
demonstrated that computational modelling can predict fuel cell electrochemical
phenomena in a fraction of the time and cost of experimental procedures. This
research is being used to benefit the design process and further the exploitation of
fuel cell technologies. Finally, by extending the research into porous media and two
phase flow these techniques could be applied to all types of fuel cell.


The main objective of this study is to evaluate functions of the items changing with the gender and educational level in the List Learning and the Picture Naming subtests in the Repeatable Battery Assessment of Neuropsychological Status. The study was implemented on 315 volunteers consisting of 157 women and 158 males in the 20-79 age group with three different educational levels (107 graduates of primary school, 102 graduates of high school, and 106 graduates of university). Logistic Regression method was used to determine the items that included differential item functioning (DIF). As a result of the analyses, DIF was encountered in the Picture Naming that could cause bias in several items in levels B and C based on the gender and education variables. Although DIF was not found in the List Learning based on the gender variable, DIF was found in some items based on the education variable.


Cardiomyopathies are classified according to distinct morphological characteristics. They occur relatively frequent and are an important cause of mortality and morbidity. Isolated ventricular non-compaction or non-compaction cardiomyopathy (NCCM) is characterized by an excessively thickened endocardial layer with deep intertrabecular recesses, reminiscent of the myocardium during early embryogenesis. Aims Autosomal-dominant as well as X-linked inheritance for NCCM has been described and several loci have been associated with the disease. Nevertheless, a major genetic cause for familial NCCM remains to be identified. Methods and Results We describe, in two separate autosomal-dominant NCCM families, the identification of mutations in the sarcomeric cardiac beta-myosin heavy chain gene (MYH7), known to be associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), restricted cardiomyopathy (RCM), and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Conclusion These results confirm the genetic heterogeneity of NCCM and suggest that the molecular classification of cardiomyopathies includes an MYH7-associated spectrum of NCCM with HCM, RCM, and DCM.


and Implications There are no approved drug treatments for analgesia use in lame swine, and the identification and validation of robust, repeatable pain measurements is fundamental for the development of effective analgesic drug regimens and management strategies for use in lame pigs. Induction of lameness allows for controlled evaluation of lameness pain in animals because preand post lameness measurements can be taken from the same animal, thereby reducing the confounding effects of individual differences. The objective of this study was to determine if a transient clinical lameness could be produced in sows using a distal interphalangeal joint space injection of Amphotericin B. Six clinically normal crossbred sows weighing approximately 171 kg were purchased from a commercial producer in Iowa and housed in individual pens at Iowa State University. Sows were randomly allotted to one of three treatments, two sows received 1 ml sterile saline control (CO), two sows received 10 mg amphotericin B in a 1 ml volume (LO) and two sows received 15 mg amphotericin B in a 1ml volume (HI). Sows were assessed for lameness while walking and standing based on a five point and data was collected using a GAITFour gait analysis walkway system. Data will be presented descriptively. All sows were scored as 0 at the onset of the trial for lameness. At 24 h post injection, the average lameness scores were 2.75, 2.00, and 0.50 for the HI, LO and CO sows respectively. The CO sows' average returned to 0 at 72 h post injection, HI sows' average returned to 0 at 144 h, and LO sows' average score returned to 0 at 192 h post injection On the GAITFour system, the total number of sensors activated (SEN) decreased for the amphotericin treated feet suggesting a smaller footprint and pressure was shifted to the non-treated foot at 48 h post injection. These changes resolved by 144 h post injection. It was demonstrated using this "proof of concept" pilot study that injection of 10 or 15 mg of amphotericin B in the distal interphalangeal joint of the medial claw of the rear foot causes clinical lameness in sows that is distinguishable from their pre-treatment gait by observational lameness score, and objective GAITFour measurement. Additionally, this lameness spontaneously resolved in this study by 192 h post injection.


A comprehensive model of a linear compressor for electronics cooling was previously presented by Bradshaw et al. (2011). The current study expands upon this work by first developing methods for predicting the resonant frequency of a linear compressor and for controlling its piston stroke. Key parameters governing compressor performance – leakage gap, eccentricity, and piston geometry – are explored using a sensitivity analysis. It is demonstrated that for optimum performance, the leakage gap and frictional parameters should be minimized. In addition, the ratio of piston stroke to diameter should not exceed a value of one to minimize friction and leakage losses, but should be large enough to preclude the need for an oversized motor. An improved linear compressor design is proposed for an electronics cooling application, with a predicted cooling capacity of 200 W a cylindrical compressor package size of diameter 50.3 mm and length 102 mm.


There is not much deep and overarching criticism about Sevim Burak though she is a very prominent author in Turkish literature. However, Sevim Burak discusses conflictual and critical subjects in detail with her short stories, plays and an uncompleted novel. Sevim Burak is an interesting author not only due to the controversial subjects she raises, but also with her different and non-traditional writing style which challenges the grammatical structure of the language and with the different constructions of the texts consisting of both written and visual materials. In this thesis, Sevim burak"s works are interpreted through the uncanny. Departing from Freud"s definition of the uncanny as "the return of the repressed", the analysis of the works is developed benefiting from the frameworks offered by Lacan, Derrida, Dolar and Royle. The characters and spaces are analyzed through the themes of the double, being buried alive, the transgression of the boundary between life and death, and the return of the dead, which can be considered as the basic themes of the uncanny. In this thesis, based on the basic description of the uncanny as the return of the repressed, it is argued that the uncanny enables the expression of recurrent problems or conflicts of the characters about ethnicity, gender, and religious affiliations that are supposed to be repressed or kept hidden.


This article examines how women organise themselves in community structures to claim socio-economic rights through participation. The discussion is based on case study research undertaken in Khayelitsha, Site C, where women involved in income-generating projects (IGPs) have also been involved in a dual strategy, trying to improve their living conditions through active engagement. The article looks at the intermediary institutions, the South African national Civics Association (SANCO) and the Khayelitsha Development Forum (KDF), which mediate the participatory spaces for engagement created by local government, and how these organisations serve ordinary men and women from the townships in terms of helping them to attain a better quality of life.


The infiltration inlet facilities on the side of the road along with the sewage system have been constructed two decades ago in highly urbanised residential area in Tokyo. Possible release of heavy metals from the infiltration inlet was studied by analysing sediment samples in different vertical depth. Seven heavy metals (Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb) were measured. The heavy metal contents in sediment decreased with depth. The low content of heavy metals at the bottom sediment compared to the top indicated possible release of heavy metals from the inlet sediment. The heavy metals speciation study showed that the order of the extractability/mobility in the sediment in acid exchangeable fraction was Zn and Mn>Co>Ni>Cu >Cr and Pb. The mobility order in road dust also followed the similar pattern. In reducible fraction (metal oxide bound) Ph was the most mobile in the sediment while the other metals mobility order was not similar. In oxidisable fraction (organic and sulfide bound) the order was different for the sediment and road dusts. The residual fraction contained 18 to 83% heavy metals. The presence of heavy metals in acid exchangeable, reducible and oxidizable fractions indicated a future possibility of their release to the underlying soil and the groundwater.


Synopsis The estuarine sediments of Flandrian age which comprise the Claret Formation in the Bothkennar area can be divided into bedded, mottled and laminated facies on the basis of primary sedimentary structures, frequency of silty laminae and the nature and extent of bioturbation. The mottled facies can be further subdivided by the style of bioturbation. The facies are very similar in overall particle size distribution and mineralogy. Biogenic traces occur in all the facies and have been tentatively matched to organisms present in the modern infauna Equation ()of the Firth of Forth. The succession of facies has been controlled by the fall of relative sea-level since the Flandrian maximum and records an emergent sequence from sub-tidal (probable water depth around 20 m) to inter-tidal. In the Bothkennar area four local subdivisions can be recognized in the Claret Formation, which reflect changes in sedimentary environment consequent on the reduction in water depth.


The Burmese Way to Socialism paved the way for the massive growth of the hmaung-kho in Myanmar. Hmuang-kho, the author's term for all illegal economic activities in the country, accounts for more than half of Myanmar's economy and has altered the economic, political and social landscape. A creation of the postliberation government, the hmuang-kho survived British trade restrictions. When the Revolutionary Council that took over in 1962 exerted control over the economy, the hmaung-kho sector flourished as state-run public stores drove Myanmaris poor to the black market. Later, the hmaung-kho provided more than just unavailable basic goods. It had given Myanmaris unemployed jobs and legally employed with additional income. It also contributed to the culture of corruption within the bureaucracy and higher government. These contributed in firmly establishing the hmuang-kho as both as a way of life in Myanmar and a better alternative to the Burmese Way to Socialism.


The massive globalization of production led by large firms in industrialized countries, combined with the policy shift in developing countries toward export-oriented growth, has meant that economic development has increasingly become synonymous with "economic upgrading" within global production networks (GPNs), that is, moving into higher productivity and higher value-added aspects of production and export. There is much research on economic upgrading in global production networks, connecting economic growth and economic upgrading to international trade performance. There has been less analysis of what such upgrading means for living standards, including wages, work conditions, economic rights, gender equality and economic security. In this paper, we refer to improvements in these aspects of economic and social life as "social upgrading". This paper reviews the ways in which economic and social upgrading in GPNs are measured. In this paper we focus mainly on developing countries. In the process we also scrutinize the theoretical connection between these two dimensions of upgrading within GPNs.


Peter York, co-author of the 80s bestseller, The Sloane Ranger Handbook, charts the progress of the dream of grandeur and aspiration in London - part of a series of twelve books tied to the twelve lines of the London Underground, as Tfl celebrates 150 years of the Tube with Penguin. It is also available in a boxset. "Authors include the masterly John Lanchester, the children of Kids Company, comic John O'Farrell and social geographer Danny Dorling. Ranging from the polemical to the fantastical, the personal to the societal, they offer something for every taste. All experience the city as a cultural phenomenon and notice its nature and its people. Read individually they're delightful small reads, pulled together they offer a particular portrait of a global city". (Evening Standard). "Exquisitely diverse". (The Times). "Eclectic and broad-minded ...beautifully designed". (Tom Cox, Observer). "A fascinating collection with a wide range of styles and themes. The design qualities are excellent, as you might expect from Penguin with a consistent look and feel while allowing distinctive covers for each book. This is a very pleasing set of books." ("A Common Reader blog"). 'The contrasts and transitions between books are as stirring as the books themselves ...A multidimensional literary jigsaw". (Londonist). "A series of short, sharp, city-based vignettes - some personal, some political and some pictorial ...each inimitable author finds that our city is complicated but ultimately connected, full of wit, and just the right amount of grit" (Fabric Magazine). "A collection of beautiful books". (Grazia). Peter York is one of the UK's leading strategic researchers. As Peter York, the writer, author and broadcaster on social styles and trends, he writes regularly for the Independent and other broadsheets. His books include co-authoring the 80s bestseller The Sloane Ranger Handbook and Dictators' Homes. His latest BBC documentary, 'The Rise and Fall of the Ad-Man', was shown on BBC2 in 2011. He is a Visiting Professor of the University of the Arts London. His latest book Jim Lee: Arrested will be published in May 2012.


I reached for my favorite black pen, eager to begin my annual career development plan—three pages of boxes and lines detailing my vision of what lies ahead after I graduate with a Ph.D. Each of the previous 3 years, I had confidently completed the form in pen. But as I prepared to fill out the form for the fourth time, I hesitated. I had changed during graduate school, and I had to ask myself, "Can I be sure I will stick to the plan?" Having a clear path had offered such reassurance as I worked through the highs and lows of grad school. But this time, I decided, I would set aside the pen and complete the plan in pencil.

![Figure][1]

ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT NEUBECKER

> "I was hesitant to change my life's blueprint yet again."

My fixation on planning began as a high school freshman. My principal gave an inspirational speech about the importance of a 5-year plan, and I was sold. Once I created my plan, the rest would be easy—I just had to stick to the straight and narrow path I had set for myself. In permanent ink, my 14-year-old self wrote that I would channel my passion for science into a career as a pharmacist. I signed the document and confidently submitted it to my homeroom teacher, who promised to return it to me on the final day of senior year.

Four winding years later, I was horrified to open the envelope. I still loved science, but I had discovered a passion for doing research and now envisioned a future in the lab. Embarrassed that my plans had changed and unsettled by learning that the path to satisfaction was not as clear as I had hoped, I ripped up my 5-year plan and buried the pieces in the trash. I promised myself I would not make such a mistake again. The next time I made a plan, I would execute it flawlessly.

Each of my first 2 years as an undergraduate, I recorded my progress against a new plan: After finishing my bachelor's degree, I would enroll as a Ph.D. student in the same pharmacology lab where I was already conducting research. I completed my annual progress report—in pen. Then, I discussed it with my faculty mentor, and we both signed it in permanent ink. Having a detailed blueprint, verified by a mentor I looked up to, made me feel secure in my future.

I was hesitant to change my life's blueprint yet again. But as I prepared to fill out my annual progress report with my favorite black pen for the third and final time as an undergrad, just 9 months before graduation, I realized that I wanted to broaden my horizons. I still hoped to get a Ph.D.—but in basic biology instead of pharmacology.

To my surprise, my faculty mentor praised me for realizing that it was time to make a change, as opposed to blindly sticking to my earlier path. But he insisted that I be precise about my new direction: What would I study, and in which lab?

I eagerly devised a new plan. I was comfortable giving up plan A—but if I was going to switch to plan B, it needed to be as clear and detailed as before.

Today, though, in the fourth year of my Ph.D. program, I don't have a plan A or even a firm plan B. I filled out my most recent career development plan in pencil, smudged it by erasing and changing entries, and left a number of boxes blank. I may yet pursue an academic career, as I had written with such confidence in previous years. Perhaps I will become a scientific editor. Or maybe I will end up going some other direction I haven't yet considered.

To be entirely honest, not knowing what my future holds is a little uncomfortable. It is hard to give up knowing—or thinking I know—exactly what I want to do and how I will get there. But I'm grateful to have room to grow and develop in unexpected directions. So my new mantra is "be flexible, embrace change and uncertainty—and always write in pencil."

 [1]: pending:yes


We report on the experimental demonstration of a fast reconstruction method for multiview fluorescence diffuse optical tomography by using a wavelet-based data compression. We experimentally demonstrate that the use of data compression combined with the multiview approach makes it possible to perform a fast reconstruction of high quality. A structured illumination approach, guided by the compression scheme, has been adopted to further reduce the acquisition time. The reconstruction algorithm is based on the finite element method, and hence is suitable for samples of any arbitrary shape.


This work describes a method for representing knowledge in production systems which makes use of the conflict set. This permits a rich description of task situations, and allows the use of control productions to effect conflict resolution. A set of extensions to the OPS5 production system is described which facilitates the implementation of this approach within OPS5. This extended system is then used to implement a multi-level, goal-directed production system for the construction of expert systems, CAMERA, in which control information is automatically built from the actions of an expert trainer. This control information consists of sequencing and goal information which is interactively extracted from the trainer by CAMERA, and generalized by DISC, which models generalization as the process of finding 'discriminating' features, which are those features of a situation that cause a particular method to be chosen, and then constructing a description of those features. When solving a task, CAMERA examines only the discriminating features specified in the generalized control rules. Thus, instead of matching all the productions against the working memory, CAMERA considers only the relevant rules. Experiments with the system are described.


In the last half-century the application of scientific advances in irrigation has been largely confined to the developed countries. In the vast irrigated areas of Asia, progress in the adoption of new technology has been disappointing except for the introduction of new crop varieties. The massive expansion in the total irrigated area of Asia has been largely based on traditional technology. The world is waking up to this technological gap and beginning to analyse its causes. The current gap is illustrated by the fact that irrigated cereal yields in Asia are less than half those of the U.S.A. or Australia. In Africa, the gap is even wider. It is argued that many recent technologies, including those of micro-irrigation, systems analysis and automatic control structures, are not applicable to Asia and Africa. We have to research new ways of applying them and we need to expand the science of irrigation in more appropriate forms. Among the needs for scientific advance considered in the paper are improved water management, use of saline groundwater, lower cost methods of subsoil drainage and improved management technology involving wider and better use of communications and management information systems. The paper examines these and other issues and suggests high-priority topics and strategies for research and development.


Abstract New generations of distributed systems are opening novel perspectives for logic programming (LP): On the one hand, service-oriented architectures represent nowadays the standard approach for distributed systems engineering; on the other hand, pervasive systems mandate for situated intelligence. In this paper, we introduce the notion of Logic Programming as a Service (LPaaS) as a means to address the needs of pervasive intelligent systems through logic engines exploited as a distributed service. First, we define the abstract architectural model by re-interpreting classical LP notions in the new context; then we elaborate on the nature of LP interpreted as a service by describing the basic LPaaS interface. Finally, we show how LPaaS works in practice by discussing its implementation in terms of distributed tuProlog engines, accounting for basic issues such as interoperability and configurability.


The traditional approaches to dangerous persons have been crime and commitment. The criminal law punishes responsible actors, and the civil law confines the mentally ill. These approaches leave a gap: The state cannot substantially restrict the liberty of responsible actors until they have committed a crime. In response to this gap, the criminal law's boundaries have expanded to include preparatory offenses and early inchoate conduct that are deserving of only minimal, if any, punishment in attempt to incarcerate the dangerous. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court's effort to articulate a test of mental disease warranting involuntary confinement of sexual predators has failed to draw a principled distinction between the ordinary criminal and the mentally ill. This Article argues that rather than contorting the criminal or commitment models, there is a theoretical justification for substantial liberty deprivations of responsible, but dangerous, actors. Drawing on the concept of "liability to defensive force" from the self-defense literature, this Article argues that just as a culpable attacker's own conduct grounds a defender's right to response, a dangerous actor who begins a course of criminal conduct grounds the state's right to stop him. This Article articulates what conduct is sufficient for "liability to preventive interference" as well as what the forms of preventive interference could be. In addition, this new form of liability is assessed in terms of constitutional implications, the civil-criminal divide, and practical considerations.


Understanding the relationship between seedling nitrate uptake rate (NUR) and mature plant NUR will benefit the selection of turfgrass cultivars for high NUR. Seedling NUR as affected by initial mowing is particularly important during turfgrass establishment. The primary objectives of this study were to determine NUR of individual Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) seedlings, to correlate seedling morphological characteristics with NUR, and to ascertain the relationship between seedling NUR and mature plant NUR. Thirty days after seeding, roots of seedlings were placed individually in a polystyrene cup filled with 2 mL of a nutrient solution containing 0.6 mM nitrate, which was replaced at 24-h intervals for 20 d. After the total leaf and total root length and area were determined, each seedling was planted in silica sand and maintained as a miniature turf for five additional months before NUR was determined in a 130-mL growth vessel. Seedling NUR was 10 to 60 nmol h -1 per seedling, decreased sharply to <10 nmol h -1 per seedling following the first clipping to remove 1/3 of the leaf blades by length. One week after the first clipping, NUR gradually increased to levels above 10 nmol h -1 per seedling. After seedlings were placed in deionized water for 24 h, NUR during the subsequent 24 h was stimulated, but the magnitude of stimulation differed among cultivars. We found significant among-cultivar and within-cultivar differences in seedling NUR, and significant and positive correlations between seedling NUR and seedling size. At the whole plant level, the correlation between seedling NUR and mature plant NUR was positive but generally not significant at P = 0.05.


The objective of this study is to discover what other universities are doing to address pre-service teacher dispositions. Many universities have utilized assessment tools and policies directed toward student dispositions which can be very useful for institutions who have not yet begun the process of evaluating disposition traits in their candidates. This analysis can be most beneficial to departments and colleges who are looking for research based practices during their own implementation phases of policy creation geared toward assessment of pre-service teacher dispositions. The research will be most useful for any educator working with pre-service teachers. This data can be used as one component within educational programs to help candidates become the most effective teachers possible. Further, all educators can benefit from this study by recognizing both positive and negative dispositions in their own instruction with students. This can be a powerful self-reflection strategy to support any teacher's professional development. The literature research will identify that many institutions are already using student disposition characteristics as a powerful instructional tool when preparing candidates for the profession. Further, the literature suggests two key components that will be of focus within the review and used to bolster the reasoning behind the study. First, this will validate the analysis of what dispositions are and how they are understood, while supporting the need for disposition evaluation. Second, the literature will identify the premise that dispositions are difficult to assess because of the fact that pre-service teacher dispositions are rather subjective in nature.


CONTEXT
Chronic low back pain (CLBP) often presents with a dysfunction in deep abdominal muscles activity during standing tasks. Although some studies indicated that deep abdominal muscle activity improved during some functional tasks following stabilization exercise (SE), there is no study to evaluate the effect of SE on lateral abdominal muscles thickness during standing postural tasks.

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was (1) to evaluate the lateral abdominal muscles thickness in the participants with CLBP while standing on a balance board and (2) to compare the effects of SE and a general exercise (GE) program on the lateral muscles thickness changes.

METHODS
This was a between-groups, triple-blinded randomized controlled trial design. In total, 40 females with CLBP were randomly assigned into 2 groups:  GE (control group) and supervised progressive SE (experimental group). Diagnostic ultrasound imaging was used before and after the intervention to measure lateral abdominal muscles thickness during standing on 2 different levels of platform in the Biodex Balance System. Visual analog scale and Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire were used to evaluate changes in pain intensity and disability.

RESULTS
The results indicated significant increases in transverse abdominis muscle thickness during all standing tasks (P = .02) and significant decreases in pain intensity and disability following SE intervention (P < .001). However, the lateral abdominal muscle thicknesses were not changed after GE intervention while standing postural tasks (P > .05). The GE group revealed only significant decreases in pain intensity after intervention (P = .03).

CONCLUSION
Supervised progressive SE improved the activity of deep abdominal muscles in standing postural tasks in the patients with CLBP.


By way of introduction to Alas and Alack ( Joseph De Grasse, US, 1915), the conference organizers asked me to explain in fifteen minutes or less "what historiographic sources do and don't tell us about 'gender' in the silent motion picture studio." This irresistible prompt offers several intriguing puzzles. Is it well worth considering, for example, how exactly information becomes a "historiographic source." It is also clear that the silent motion picture studio merits renewed investigation. But one cannot speak of everything all at once. I take a clue from the quotation marks singling out "gender" and infer that this term is more vexed than the others, and therefore of greater interest. Without purporting to develop a major statement about "gender" in relatively few words, I can illustrate through my own research two points I take to be axiomatic. First, what sources tell us about "gender" is a function not of the sources themselves but of our methods of interpretation. As every English speaker knows, whether "man" means "male person" or "everyone" depends on how you read it. Second, gender presumes a conceptual relation: when a source tells us about "gender," it tells us that something or someone is "gendered" and also, if only by implication, that something or someone else is differently gendered. The list of possible something elses is very long, insofar as cultures use gender distinctions to classify and hierarchize not only persons and things but also places and practices. In illustrating these two axioms- that interpretive methods prepare us to detect gender and that gendered objects come in relational sets-I provide some concrete information about what I asked and learned about gender in the course of my research on the Universal Film Manufacturing Company in the 1910s. To begin, then, with "gender." I think it safe to say that the quotation marks testify to three closely related problems. They indicate, first, that "gender" remains a theoretically contested term, pointing to a legacy of argument about the culture-nature distinction, about systems of cultural differences and the relations among them, about the relationship between performing a gender and being assigned one, and so on. The inverted commas also mark "gender" as a historically contingent category, such that sources of information from the past might change our sense of what gender is or does in a particular time and place. Finally, in acknowledging that "gender" is a contested and variable category, the punctuation around it addresses a community of interpreters for whom usage of the term continues to seem important despite, or perhaps because of, theoretical differences and differences of historical interpretation.1 To the theoretical and historiographical challenges inherent in the term, then, we may add the political matter of what we hope to gain from a history of gender in the silent motion picture studio. I think we might hope for an empowering understanding of institutions as historical actors capable of changing gendered practice. The research on Universal reported in Universal Women did not find any major alternatives to a binary organization of gender into masculine and feminine terms.2 It did find a good deal of variation in what those terms might connote, in the intensity with which they were applied to persons and practices, and thus the degree to which they regulated who did what at the studio. Those variations in how gender norms regulated work, I show, were not mandated by particular individuals. Neither did they simply trickle down from "the culture" or "the industry." Rather, they resulted from cascades of decisions made by differently empowered constituents of the studio as an institution. My book explains what decisions led the studio to employ a relatively large number of women as directors from its beginnings in 1912 through 1919, and then why it reversed that practice, such that new additions to its directors' ranks would be men. …


Progressing from a state controlled economy to a fully liberalized market economy takes considerable efforts. Depending on the specificities of the markets and the sectors regulated, the opening of markets to competition can take different forms. Competition on the market is considered to be the traditional form of competition. Certain economic sectors, however, are not prone to this traditional form of competition, specifically in situations where natural monopolies seem to be the only viable solutions. This is where competition for the market can be a good substitute. Competition for the market implies that a bidding process is organized to select the operator, which will be allowed to serve demand on a given market for a given time. Going through this bidding process is meant to introduce market mechanisms or, in other words, ex ante competition. As such, competition for the market contributes to put competitive pressure on monopolists, which is beneficial to consumers and users not only in terms of price and service quality, but also in terms of adjustment between supply and demand and access to information. Experience has shown, however, that several factors can hinder the expected benefits derived from competition for the market. In light of these difficulties, the French Competition Authority de la concurrence has developed solutions to unleash the full potential of competition for the market. Naturally, once markets are liberalized, comes the time for regulation through enforcement actions as well as continued advocacy efforts toward government, incumbent operators and new market players.


Coming of age in children s fiction often means achieving maturity through the experience of trauma. In classics ranging from Old Yeller to The Outsiders, a narrative of psychological pain defies expectations of childhood as a time of innocence and play. In this provocative new book, Eric L. Tribunella explores why trauma, especially the loss of a loved object, occurs in some of the most popular and critically acclaimed twentieth-century American fiction for children. Tribunella draws on queer theory and feminist revisions of Freud s notion of melancholia, which is described as a fundamental response to loss, arguing that the low-grade symptoms of melancholia are in fact what characterize the mature, sober, and responsible American adult. "Melancholia and Maturation" looks at how this effect is achieved in a society that purports to protect youngsters from every possible source of danger, thus requiring melancholia to be induced artificially. Each of the book s five chapters focuses on a different kind of lost object sacrificed so as to propel the child toward a distinctively gendered, sexual, ethical, and national adulthood from same-sex friends to the companionship of boy-and-his-dog stories, from the lost ideals of historical fiction about the American Revolution to the children killed or traumatized in Holocaust novels. The author examines a wide spectrum of works including Jack London s dog tales, the contemporary realistic novels of S. E. Hinton, and Newbery Medal winners like "Johnny Tremain "and" Bridge to Terabithia." Tribunella raises fundamental questions about the value of children s literature as a whole and provides context for understanding why certain books become required reading for youth. Eric L. Tribunella is assistant professor of English at the University of Southern Mississippi. His articles have been published in "Children s Literature Association Quarterly, Children s Literature in Education, The Lion and the Unicorn: A Critical Journal of Children s Literature, "and "Children s Literature." "


A new non-intrusive polynomial chaos (PC) method is applied to quantify the uncertainties that exists at different scales of a fiber reinforced (FRP) composite to obtain the stochastic effective material properties as well as the responses: stresses and displacements of a composite structure. The inherent uncertainties in matrix and fiber properties at micro-level and the uncertainties in geometric properties-ply orientation and ply thickness- at component/macro level are used to obtain random responses. To account for the propagation of the uncertainties, a new approach known as "Polynomial Chaos Decomposition with Differentiation (PCDD)", which is based upon the differentiation of basis orthogonal polynomials as well as sensitivity calculation of the response is implemented that requires 50 % samples of the wellestablished PC methods. The sensitivities in PCDD are also calculated using a new technique known as 'ModFFD', which is a higher order finite difference. The multiscale modeling presented here consists of two stages. In the first stage, the PCDD is implemented to obtain the stochastic model of effective material properties of a graphite-fiber/epoxy-matrix FRP composite using Halpin Tsai micromechanics model. In the second stage, the stochastic model of effective material properties is used along with the uncertain geometric properties to determine the response behavior of a laminate. The responses of a composite plate are generated by commercial finite element analysis software for PCDD analysis. The results are then compared with the 50,000 LHS samples, which illustrates the computational advantage of implementing this new method for UQ in multi-scale modeling of a FRP laminate.


Abstract We analyze how leniency affects cartel pricing in an infinitely repeated oligopoly model where the fine rates are linked to illegal gains and detection probabilities depend on the degree of collusion. A novel aspect of this study is that we focus on the worst possible outcome. We investigate the maximal cartel price, the largest price for which the conditions for sustainability hold. We analyze how the maximal cartel price supported by different cartel strategies adjusts in response to the introduction of (ex-ante and ex-post) leniency programs. We disentangle the effects of traditional antitrust enforcement, leniency, and cartel strategies on the maximal cartel price. Ex-ante leniency cannot reduce the maximal cartel price below the price under antitrust without leniency. On the other hand, for ex-post leniency, improvement is possible and granting full immunity to single-reporting firms achieves the largest reduction in the maximal cartel price. To reduce adverse effects under both leniency programs, fine reductions to multiple-reporting firms should be moderate or absent. Finally, ex-post leniency should provide less generous fine reductions to multiple-reporting firms, which is supported by the current practice in the US and the EU.


The Consumer Price Index (CPI) estimates the change in prices over time of the goods and services U.S. consumers buy for day-to-day living based on price quotes selected from probability samples. The goal of our research is to determine how accurately the current CPI sample and indexes reflect reality. For our research, we calculate superlative price indexes from Nielsen's scanner data, which we assume to represent the real universe of commodities data. We then compare the Consumer Price Indexes for selfrepresenting areas at the expenditure class level to our superlative price indexes derived from Nielsen's scanner data.


The Secure Shell (SSH) is a protocol for secure remote login and other
secure network services over an insecure network. This document
describes the SSH transport layer protocol, which typically runs on
top of TCP/IP. The protocol can be used as a basis for a number of
secure network services. It provides strong encryption, server
authentication, and integrity protection. It may also provide
compression. Key exchange method, public key algorithm, symmetric
encryption algorithm, message authentication algorithm, and hash
algorithm are all negotiated. This document also describes the
Diffie-Hellman key exchange method and the minimal set of algorithms
that are needed to implement the SSH transport layer protocol.
[STANDARDS-TRACK]


Language teaching to migrant workers in The Netherlands needs an improvement in two ways. Apart from various problems with regard to the environment in which the teaching of Dutch to foreign workers takes place, this type of language training also suffers from serious inadequacies in the linguistic and methodological field.This paper discusses a few of these latter problems pertaining to both the teacher and the learner, i.e. the foreign worker.With regard to the -- usually unpaid and voluntary -- teacher, we point out such factors as- inexperience with the teaching of a second language and the consequen-ces of such a situation- disparity between the language of the teacher and the dialect/sociolect of the environment in which the foreign worker finds himself; a dispa-rity because of the socio-cultural gap between the two- discrepancy between certain features in the teacher's dialect and those of the standard language in the teaching method- use of 'foreigner talk' in the class situation With regard to the learner we diseuse euch matters as - expectation of the foreign worker when learning the language of his new country of residence; an expectation which to a great extent diffe, from what can objectively be defined as learning objectives- lack of contact with speakers of Butch resulting in a low level of oral proficiency by the foreign worker- problems relating to 'Pidgin'--DutchThe language department of Netherlands Centre Foreigners is engaged in developping language materiale for migrant workers and their families, in particular for those who are speakers of 'Pidgin'-Dutch.Certain preliminary considerations concerning this teaching method are dis-cussed.


The dielectric relaxation behaviour of a series of cyclic and linear poly(dimethylsiloxanes) with overline nn in the range 28 to 99 has been studied, as a function of temperature (142.0K-157.5K) and frequency (12-105Hz). Activation energies for the -relaxation process, Davidson-Cole empirical distribution factors, , and mean-square dipole moments per repeat unit, , have been calculated. Differences in values of H_act reflected restricted dipolar rotation for the cyclic structures, compared to the linear structures, over the range of molecular weights studied. The dielectric relaxation behaviour of a series of linear oligomers of methyl phenyl siloxane, with n in the range 4 to 10, a series of linear fractions of poly(methyl phenyl siloxane), with overline n_n in the range 31 to 1370, and a cyclic oligomer of mehyl phenyl siloxane, with n = 10, has been studied as a function of temperature (155.5K-264.0K) and frequency (12-105Hz). Activation energies for the -relaxation process, Davidson-Cole and Cole-Cole empirical distribution factors, and , respectively, and mean-square dipole moments per repeat unit have been calculated. The reduced flexibility of short methyl phenyl siloxane chains, compared to dimethyl siloxane chains, was apparent from a comparison of dipole moment ratios. The dilectric relaxation behaviour of poly(methyl hydrogen siloxane) and poly(n-hexyl methyl siloxane) has been studied as a function of temperature and frequency. A polysiloxane liquid crystal has been synthesised and its dielectric relaxation behaviour has been studied, as a function of temperature and frequency, in the liquid crystalline phase and below T_g. Poly(p-phenylene vinylene) and related oligomers have been synthesised and characterised by a variety of experimental techniques. The Kerr effect of two oligomeric fractions, in solution in PPG 2025, has been measured. The electrical conductivities of the undoped and I_2-doped polymer and oligomers have been measured.


A broad class of convex optimization problems can be formulated as a semidefinite program (SDP), minimization of a convex function over the positive-semidefinite cone subject to some affine constraints. The majority of classical SDP solvers are designed for the deterministic setting where problem data is readily available. In this setting, generalized conditional gradient methods (aka Frank-Wolfe-type methods) provide scalable solutions by leveraging the so-called linear minimization oracle instead of the projection onto the semidefinite cone. Most problems in machine learning and modern engineering applications, however, contain some degree of stochasticity. In this work, we propose the first conditional-gradient-type method for solving stochastic optimization problems under affine constraints. Our method guarantees O(k^{-1/3}) convergence rate in expectation on the objective residual and O(k^{-5/12}) on the feasibility gap.


In order to explore the dynamics of soil properties and identify critical soil indicators that can explain most of the variation of soil properties due to prescribed burning at different intensity levels during the recovery stage of forests in subtropical China, an experiment was conducted in humid subtropical forests located in Hunan of China. In the experiment, no burning (control), and low, moderate, and high intensity fires were designed; soil samples under the burning intensities were collected; and soil properties including bulk density (BD), pH, soil organic matter (SOM), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), total potassium (TK), and soil water repellency (SWR) were measured. Moreover, Pearson correlation analyses among the soil properties and principal component analysis under the burning intensities were carried out, and statistically significant differences of the soil sample means were also tested at the significant level of 0.05. The results showed that the increase of the burning intensity led to significant increases of BD, pH, and SWR; significant decreases of SOM; and no changes of TN, TP, and TK. Most of the correlation coefficients did not differ significantly from zero under the control, and the correlations became stronger and significant as the burning intensity increased. Some of the correlations even changed the signs. As the burning intensity changed from the control, low, and moderate to high, the critical soil indicators shifted from SOM, TN, and TP to BD, pH, and SWR.


Spatial-wise dynamic convolution has become a promising approach to improving the inference efficiency of deep networks. By allocating more computation to the most informative pixels, such an adaptive inference paradigm reduces the spatial redundancy in image features and saves a considerable amount of unnecessary computation. However, the theoretical efficiency achieved by previous methods can hardly translate into a realistic speedup, especially on the multi-core processors (e.g. GPUs). The key challenge is that the existing literature has only focused on designing algorithms with minimal computation, ignoring the fact that the practical latency can also be influenced by scheduling strategies and hardware properties. To bridge the gap between theoretical computation and practical efficiency, we propose a latency-aware spatial-wise dynamic network (LASNet), which performs coarse-grained spatially adaptive inference under the guidance of a novel latency prediction model. The latency prediction model can efficiently estimate the inference latency of dynamic networks by simultaneously considering algorithms, scheduling strategies, and hardware properties. We use the latency predictor to guide both the algorithm design and the scheduling optimization on various hardware platforms. Experiments on image classification, object detection and instance segmentation demonstrate that the proposed framework significantly improves the practical inference efficiency of deep networks. For example, the average latency of a ResNet-101 on the ImageNet validation set could be reduced by 36% and 46% on a server GPU (Nvidia Tesla-V100) and an edge device (Nvidia Jetson TX2 GPU) respectively without sacrificing the accuracy. Code is available at https://github.com/LeapLabTHU/LASNet.


Mid-ocean ridge topography is modeled as the flexural response to loads using a thin plate approximation and setting thermal structure of the lithosphere to allow, but not require, a region of rapid cooling near the axis. Loads on the lithosphere arise from the presence of low-density melt, densification due to cooling with distance from the ridge axis, and thermal contraction stresses. We find two end-member classes of temperature and melt structure that can produce axial high topography and gravity observed at the East Pacific Rise (EPR). One class is very similar to previous models, requiring a narrow column of melt extending to at least 30 km depth within the mantle and lithosphere which cools and thickens very gradually with distance from the ridge axis. The other is a new class, predicting lithosphere which cools rapidly within a few kilometers of the axis and then slowly farther from the axis, with melt which is contained primarily within the crust. The latter solution is consistent with tomography and compliance studies at the EPR which predict rapid crustal cooling within a few kilometers of the axis that is attributed to hydrothermal circulation. This solution also allows the melt region to be coupled to crustal thermal structure and requires no melt anomaly within the mantle. Model fits predict 0–30% melt in the lower crust, depending on how temperatures are distributed within the lithosphere and the degree to which thermal contraction stresses are assumed to contribute to topography. The model generally predicts a wider axial high for lithosphere which is thin over a wider region near the axis. This is consistent with previous correlations between large cross-sectional area of the high and indicators of higher melt presence or a warmer crustal thermal regime. For a slightly slower rate of lithospheric cooling at distances more than ∼5 km from the axis the model predicts a trough at the base of the axial high. Such troughs have been previously observed at the base of the high on the western flank of the southern EPR, where subsidence rates are anomalously low. Finally, thick axial lithosphere reduces the amplitude of the high, making it sometimes difficult to distinguish from long-wavelength subsidence. This morphology is comparable to that of some intermediate spreading ridges, where topography is relatively flat, suggesting a transition from fast to intermediate style morphology.


This essay offers a new reading of a pivotal and controversial novella, "Gan" ("The Wild Geese," 1911), by major modern Japanese writer Mori Ōgai. Scholars (such as Dennis Washburn and Shiokawa Tetsuya) have argued that Ōgai's formal experimentation and aesthetic ideals led him to discover deep flaws in the novel's capacity for mimesis. I agree, but not with their conclusions that he therefore abandoned the form. On the contrary, I suggest that it was the very power of the novel to hold competing conventions of representation in tension, and to work through the epistemic and ethical problems of perspective raised by the act of narration itself, that also epitomized the strengths of the genre for Ōgai. His work throughout his career engages readers in moving stories of ethically complex interactions, while at the same time demanding a reflexive critical consciousness that disrupts the very illusion of mimesis on which those stories depend for their effects. In "Gan" and other works, Ōgai does not merely fail to produce an aesthetically coherent world in the process of telling an ethically unsatisfying story. Rather, he explores the ethical and aesthetic limits of the conventions of novel narration itself, with unnerving success. "Gan" represents a culmination of his critical explorations of the ethics of novel form, and not the radical break from his former methodologies that has been theorized. This essay examines the method of self-conscious critique gai employs in "Gan" to suggest its benefits as a model for contemporary ethical criticism in Western academia. Ōgai's reflexive experimentation in this work shuttles readers between absorption in novelistic pathos and reflection on its ethos, exploring both the possibilities and limitations of immanent ethical self-critique in the novel. Rather than taking up "Gan" as an object of ethical inquiry, then, I propose that we compare its reflexive mode of self-critique with the methods employed by ethical criticism today. Contemporary theories of literary ethics in the West often turn to the novel for its representations of alterity — its compelling portraits of others. They generally share a tacit assumption that the novel presents a site of immersive experience whose powerful pathos requires critical intervention to elucidate in ethical terms. Attending to the "ethics of self-consciousness" in modern Japanese novels might help Western critics rethink these assumptions, while at the same time it may revise conventional wisdom about Ōgai's career trajectory.


A reduction in capacity of the neuromuscular system associated with exercise can occur from a wide range of physiological and psychological factors. Many researchers have investigated neural activation during exercise, or the effects of muscle damage associated with eccentric exercise, but few have studied the prolonged effects of a bout of eccentric exercise on strength and motom<Juron excitability. Eleven male and female subjects (aged 20-43 years) were tested to detennine the effects of a fatiguing bout of eccentric exercise upon maximal isometric plantarflexion strength, motomeuron excitability, and neural activation of the soleus (SOL) and medial gastrocnemius (MG). The exercise consisted of two hours on a calf raise machine, the only the right leg perfonning eccentric repetitions, with three sets of 60 repetitions at 60% of the concentric one repetition maximum (lRM). Hoffman reflex (H-reflex), evoked responses, maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) torque, voluntary root mean squared electromyography (nnsEMG), Creatine Kinase (CK), and the Achilles tendon reflex (T -reflex) were tested immediately prior to, immediately post, and l, 24, 48 and 72 hours post exercise. Results indicated that there were significant (R < 0.05) decreases of 18% and :.!.3% in MVC torque and SOL rmsEMG respectively following the fatiguing protocol. There were also significant declines of 31% in the SOL H-reflex, 25% in the SOL Hmax:Mmax (the ratio of the maximum H-reflex to the maximum Mresponse ), as well as a 21% decline in the amplitude of the evoked twitch. There were no significant decreases in the M-response or T-reflex, or in any of the variables of the control leg, following the exercise bout. The reduced voluntary torque and EMG suggests that the force loss was due to a decreased neural drive. The decline in the H-reflex following exercise indicates a reduction in the excitability of the a-motomeuron pool (since altered M-waves suggest no impainnent in neuromuscular propagation). The change in strength may in part be due to alterations in spinal excitability, but other factors must also contribute since the correlation between the two (although significant) is relatively weak (~ = 0.2). The lack of change in the T-reflex may suggest that, with the combined effect of a decrease in spinal excitability and increase in spindle responsiveness and/or muscle compliance, which in part compensate for the decline in a-motorneuron excitability, the resultant net change was zero. Result suggests that alterations in motor drive associated with fatiguing eccentric exercise probably represent a combination of the modulatory effects of a number of inputs (both excitatory and inhibitory) to the cr-motomeuron.