Background: Vision tests are used in concussion management and baseline testing. Concussions, however, often occur months after baseline testing and reliability studies generally examine intervals limited to days or one week. Our objective was to determine the one-year test-retest reliability of these tests. Methods: We assessed one-year test-retest reliability of ten vision tests in elite Canadian athletes followed by the Institut National du Sport du Quebec. We included athletes who completed two baseline (preseason) annual evaluations by one clinician within 365±30 days. We excluded athletes with any concussion or vision training in between the annual evaluations or presented with any factor that is believed to affect the tests (e.g. migraines). Data were collected from clinical charts. We evaluated test-retest reliability using Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and 95% limits of agreement (LoA). Results: We examined nine female and seven male athletes with a mean age of 22.7 (SD 4.5) years. Among the vision tests, we observed excellent test-retest reliability in Positive Fusional Vergence at 30cm (ICC=0.93) but this dropped to 0.53 when an outlier was excluded in a sensitivity analysis. There was good to moderate reliability in Negative Fusional Vergence at 30cm (ICC=0.78), Phoria at 30cm (ICC=0.68), Near Point of Convergence break (ICC=0.65) and Saccades (ICC=0.61). The ICC for Positive Fusional Vergence at 3m (ICC=0.56) also decreased to 0.45 after removing two outliers. We found poor reliability in Near Point of Convergence (ICC=0.47), Gross Stereoscopic Acuity (ICC=0.03) and Negative Fusional Vergence at 3m (ICC=0.0). ICC for Phoria at 3m was not appropriate because scores were identical in 14/16 athletes. 95% LoA of the majority of tests were ±40% to ±90%. Conclusions: Five tests had good to moderate one-year test-retest reliability. The remaining tests had poor reliability. The tests would therefore be useful only if concussion has a moderate-large effect on scores.


This study investigates the performance persistence of 78 mutual funds of Pakistan for the period 2009-2015. The sample period is divided into two sub-periods, based on movement of KSE 100 index closing value. A skilled manager is a manager who can outclass the market consistently during both sub-periods. This study first estimates outer performance, selectivity, market timing and volatility timing skills using Capital Asset Pricing Model. The results show absence of persistence regarding Jensen alpha, selectivity and market timing skill. The study is making novel contribution by investigating persistence in volatility timing skill. The result reveals week evidence of persistence for volatility timing skill under four-index model.


The use of impedance and neural response telemetry measurements through stimulation and recording of electrical signals can facilitate device fitting and parameter adjustments, especially in young children. However, the detailed configuration of electrical impedances and current distributions around the electrode array is unknown and has not been able to be determined using standard impedance telemetry measures. We therefore attempted to improve the impedance measurement procedure
by applying a more detailed model of electrical impedances of stimulation and recording electrodes within the cochlea and by developing more sophisticated measurement protocols to identify the model parameters in a given implant subject. In particular, the modiolar currents, the portion of the currents assumed to be responsible for activating the neural elements, are determined and evaluated.
Their predictive value for device fitting parameters is being investigated and first results have been obtained by a series of postoperative and intraoperative measurements,
which will allow us to estimate changes of the modiolar current distributions over the first weeks after implantation.
This approach is mainly based on a published patent, and makes use of the Nucleus Matlab Toolbox and the Nucleus Implant Communicator (NIC) software. The ultimate goals of a refined model and more specific impedance measurements are
semiautomatic fitting and of programming parameter update procedures for CI users with varying electrical stimulation conditions.


The protection and the sustainable management of soil resources in Africa are of paramount importance, particularly in the context of the uncertain impact of climate change and the increasing pressures of human activities. From the perspective of a policy-maker interested in topics such as food security and land degradation in Africa, this situation requires up-to-date and relevant soil information at regional and continental scales. To provide timely and reliable information on soils at synoptic scales, moderate and coarse spatial resolution satellite data offer many possibilities. The paper reviews how a range of multispectral, thermal infrared, passive microwave and active microwave spaceborne sensors can be used in the delineation of soil units, as well as in the assessment of some of their key properties and threats to soil functions from pressures such as water and wind erosion, landslides and salinization. The paper shows that remotely sensed data can be used for mapping soils in Africa but often need to be combined with ancillary data and field observations in order to be effective. Remote sensing is shown to be a key component of the emerging discipline of digital soil mapping.


Abstract In a 'post-truth' era in which personality and opinion trump evidence and reason, the need for frankness in debates about the use and boundaries of science and policy is high. We welcome the reflective and nuanced approach to behavioural science in policy-making in Sanders, Snijders and Hallsworth's (2018) piece. Despite our support for the approach in this paper, we suggest that there are deeper issues than are currently acknowledged. Our critique tackles three issues: the empirical, the normative and the political. In the first section, we examine what counts as 'behavioural' and how this label is used to legitimate a range of policy activities. We then look at randomised controlled trials in the next section, highlighting the extra-scientific dimensions of the empirical 'What Works' revolution. Finally, we question some ontological assumptions that drive empirical research and its translation into policy, asking where the collective is to be found in behavioural public policy.


Blooms of the toxic dinoflagellate Karenia brevis are common on the West Florida Shelf (WFS), yet little is known of the relationships between zooplankton and K. brevis. A comprehensive analysis was undertaken to examine 1) perturbations in zooplankton community composition within K. brevis blooms 2) the contribution of zooplankton ammonium and phosphate excretion to K. brevis bloom nutrient requirements, and 3) the role of zooplankton grazing in K. brevis bloom termination. Prior to undertaking the first portion of the study, an examination of the perturbations in the normal zooplankton assemblage within K. brevis blooms, it was first necessary to define the normal zooplankton assemblage on the WFS. To this end, a seasonal analysis of abundance, biomass and community composition of zooplankton was undertaken at 6 stations on the WFS. Monthly sampling was conducted for one year at the 5, 25 and 50- m isobaths.
Two major groups in community composition were observed at the near shore (5-m and 25-m) and offshore (50-m) stations. Considerable overlap was seen in community composition between the 5-m to 25-m and 25-m to 50-m isobaths, but little overlap in community composition was observed between the 5-m and 50-m isobaths. Of the 95 species identified, only 25 proved to be important (>90%) contributors to community composition. Near shore, important contributors were Parvocalanus crassirostris, Penilia avirostris, Paracalanus quasimodo, Oithona colcarva, Oikopleura dioica, Centropages velificatus and Pelecypod larvae. As distance offshore increased, important contributors to community composition were Euchonchoichiea chierchiae, Clausocalanus furcatus, Oithona plumifera, Oithona frigida, Oncaea mediteranea, Calaocalanus pavoninius, Oithona similis, and Gastropod larvae.
Variations in abundance and biomass between non-bloom and bloom assemblages were evident, including the reduction in abundance of 3 key species within K. brevis blooms. One potential source of nutrients to support K. brevis blooms may be zooplankton regeneration of nutrients. To test this hypothesis, ammonium and phosphate excretion rates of several West Florida Shelf copepods (Labidocera aestiva, Acartia tonsa, Temora turbinata, and Paracalanus quasimodo) were measured and prorated to a 24-hour day. These excretion rates were then extrapolated to other West Florida Shelf zooplankton, combined with available literature excretion rates for some taxa, and applied to zooplankton abundances found for K. brevis blooms on the West Florida Shelf in 1999 and 2001. Ammonium excretion rates were found to be inadequate to support all but 104 cells l-1 of K. brevis, though phosphate excretion rates were adequate to support even 106 cells l-1 of K. brevis.
Grazing assessment was conducted for three common zooplankton species that were found within two K. brevis blooms, A. tonsa, P. quasimodo, and L. aestiva, using 14C labeled K. brevis cells. Grazing rates were then applied to the zooplankton community and grazing assessed. Grazing pressure was occasionally heavy,…


Abstract The current study objective was to develop a revised version of the Measure of Criminal Social Identity (MCSI) with an increased number of indicators to more reliably capture three MCSI dimensions. Dimensionality and construct validity of the Measure of Criminal Social Identity – Revised (MCSI-R) was examined among a sample of systematically selected inmates (N = 2192). Four competing models of the MCSI-R were specified and tested using Mplus with weighted least squares with mean and variance adjustment estimation. Bifactor model with three meaningful factors (cognitive centrality, in-group affect and in-group ties) while controlling for the general factor was the best fit for the data. Good composite reliability of the three MCSI-R dimensions was established. The three subscales of the MCSI-R evidence differential predictive utility for prisonization, number of incarcerations, self-esteem and violent offending. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.


The papers in this volume were given at a conference held at the Warburg Institute in 2006 to consider the philosophy of al-Farabi alongside other intellectual developments of his time together with a wide range of other figures and traditions from the period. The volume initially focuses on the group of Peripatetics working in Baghdad with al-Farabi's teacher Abu Bishr Matta and his student Yahya ibn 'Adi who worked in the Aristotelian tradition. Other papers look at thinkers working in the Neoplatonic tradition transmitted by al-Kindi's circle, such as al-'Amiri, Ibn Farighun and al-Isfizari. "The Epistles of the Brethren of Purity" provide compelling evidence of the fusion of Neoplatonism and Greek science with contemporary Islamic religious thought. Neoplatonic ideas also appear in the symbology of Isma 'ili thought at this time.


We introduce the blind subspace deconvolution (BSSD) problem, which is the extension of both the blind source deconvolution (BSD) and the independent subspace analysis (ISA) tasks. We examine the case of the undercomplete BSSD (uBSSD). Applying temporal concatenation we reduce this problem to ISA. The associated `high dimensional' ISA problem can be handled by a recent technique called joint f-decorrelation (JFD). Similar decorrelation methods have been used previously for kernel independent component analysis (kernel-ICA). More precisely, the kernel canonical correlation (KCCA) technique is a member of this family, and, as is shown in this paper, the kernel generalized variance (KGV) method can also be seen as a decorrelation method in the feature space. These kernel based algorithms will be adapted to the ISA task. In the numerical examples, we (i) examine how efficiently the emerging higher dimensional ISA tasks can be tackled, and (ii) explore the working and advantages of the derived kernel-ISA methods.


: Fisheries that selectively harvest males have the potential to diminish the reproductive success of females due to reductions in the transfer of sperm and seminal fluid during mating. The purposes of this study were to investigate variation in sperm and seminal fluid quantities obtained during mating in mature female blue crabs Callinectes sapidus in Chesapeake Bay, USA, and to model potential effects of sperm reduction on lifetime brood production. We explored variation in sperm and seminal fluid quantity with respect to (1) season, (2) location, (3) operational sex ratio (OSR), (4) relative time since mating, and (5) fertilization, and used this information to model brood production. Mature female blue crabs were obtained from targeted or long-term collection efforts. Crabs were characterized by carapace condition, presence of a sperm plug (hard-ened seminal fluid), and presence of egg masses or egg remnants. They were dissected and processed to determine the quantity of stored sperm and spermathecae weight. Sperm quantity, but not spermathecae weight, of recently mated females varied seasonally and spatially, and was pos-itively correlated with OSR. Females received as many as 3 × 10 9 sperm during mating, which declined to an average of 8 × 10 7 sperm before fertilization of the first brood. Both model simulations and estimates of sperm used for fertilization derived from sperm counts of females with and without evidence of spawning indicated that a reduction in lifetime brood production (sperm limitation) is likely in individual female blue crabs if they survive to a second spawning season. sperm stores, sperm use during fertilization, and other mechanisms of sperm loss.


In the plate tectonic theory, crust generated at mid-ocean ridges is disposed beneath the continents at convergent margins. The first half of the theory is firmly substantiated by seemingly uncontrovertible evidence for generation of ocean crust. Consequently, crustal disposal is often assumed per se. The absence of early Mesozoic and older crust in the ocean basins is a strong indication that ocean crust is indeed disposed, but the processes of this disposal are poorly known. Structural models of convergent margins are largely deduced from what are presumed to be ancient convergent margins and subaerially exposed collision zones. The structure of modern convergent margins is observed in marine seismic reflection records most of which have poor resolution (50–100 m) even in the zone 1–5 km below the sea floor. Geological structure commonly featured in models or cross-sections of the large volume of rock lying between that detected in seismic reflection records and the seismically delineated Benioff Zone are necessarily based more on inference than observation (e.g. Hamilton 1977). One model has been used extensively to guide interpretation. This model involves an imbricate stack of thrust sheets lying above a master thrust, which is the interface between material being added to the upper plate and the top of the downgoing slab (e.g. Coates 1962; Seely et al. 1974; Karig & Sharman 1975). It has since been discussed and applied by many authors, and the necessary concepts were recently summarized by Dickinson & Seely (1979). We will refer to this model as the


Abstract Objectives Most research about outcomes following postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) has focused on immediate outcomes. There are fewer studies investigating longer-term maternal morbidity following PPH, resulting in a significant knowledge gap. This review aimed to synthesize the evidence about the longer-term physical and psychological consequences of primary PPH for women and their partners from high income settings. Methods The review was registered with PROSPERO and five electronic databases were searched. Studies were independently screened against the eligibility criteria by two reviewers and data were extracted from both quantitative and qualitative studies that reported non-immediate health outcomes of primary PPH. Results Data were included from 24 studies, of which 16 were quantitative, five were qualitative and three used mixed-methods. The included studies were of mixed methodological quality. Of the nine studies reporting outcomes beyond five years after birth, only two quantitative studies and one qualitative study had a follow-up period longer than ten years. Seven studies reported outcomes or experiences for partners. The evidence indicated that women with PPH were more likely to have persistent physical and psychological health problems after birth compared with women who did not have a PPH. These problems, including PTSD symptoms and cardiovascular disease, may be severe and extend for many years after birth and were more pronounced after a severe PPH, as indicated by a blood transfusion or hysterectomy. There was limited evidence about outcomes for partners after PPH, but conflicting evidence of association between PTSD and PPH among partners who witnessed PPH. Conclusion This review explored existing evidence about longer-term physical and psychological health outcomes among women who had a primary PPH in high income countries, and their partners. While the evidence about health outcomes beyond five years after PPH is limited, our findings indicate that women can experience long lasting negative impacts after primary PPH, including PTSD symptoms and cardiovascular disease, extending for many years after birth. PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020161144


A generalization of the Albanese variety to the case of a singular projective variety X over an algebraically closed field k is given in [ESV], where H. Esnault, V. Srinivas and E. Viehweg constructed a universal regular quotient of the Chow group CH0(X)deg 0 of 0-cycles of degree 0 modulo rational equivalence. This is a smooth connected commutative algebraic group, universal for rational maps from X to smooth commutative algebraic groups which factor through a homomorphism of groups CH0(X)deg 0 ��! G(k). Suppose now that in
addition k is of characteristic 0. Interpreting this algebraic group as a generalized 1-motive in the sense of Laumon [L], we may ask for the dual 1-motive. The intention of these notes was to describe the functor which is represented by the dual 1-motive. This forms the main
result of this work. The notion of dual 1-motive allows to treat the problem in a more general way: We consider certain categories of rational maps from a projective variety to commutative algebraic groups (the category of rational maps factoring through CH0(X)deg 0 is a special case). A necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of an object of such a category satisfying the universal mapping property is given, as well as a construction of these universal objects via their dual 1-motives. In particular, this provides an independent proof of the existence and an explicit construction of the universal regular quotient for algebraically
closed base field of characteristic 0.


The use of mechanistically based models to simulate the solution concentrations of heavy metals in soils is complicated by the presence of different sorbents that may bind metals. In this study, the binding of Zn, Pb, Cu, and Cd by 14 different Swedish soil samples was investigated. For 10 of the soils, it was found that the Stockholm Humic Model (SHM) was able to describe the acid-base characteristics, when using the concentrations of "active" humic substances and Al as fitting parameters. Two additional soils could be modeled when ion exchange to clay was also considered, using a component additivity approach. For dissolved Zn, Cd, Ca, and Mg reasonable model fits were produced when the metal-humic complexation parameters were identical for the 12 soils modeled. However, poor fits were obtained for Pb and Cu in Aquept B horizons. In two of the soil suspensions, the Lund A and Romfartuna Bhs, the calculated speciation agreed well with results obtained by using cation-exchange membranes. The results suggest that organic matter is an important sorbent for metals in many surface horizons of soils in temperate and boreal climates, and the necessity of properly accounting for the competition from Al in simulations of dissolved metal concentrations is stressed.


Somatic point mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1/2 (IDH1/2) confer a gain-of-function in cancer cells resulting in the accumulation and secretion of an onco-metabolite, R (-)-2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG). High levels of 2HG have been shown to inhibit α-KG-dependent dioxygenases including histone and DNA demethylases, which play a key role in regulating the epigenetic state of cells. Recently, ex vivo treatment with AGI-6780, a potent IDH2 R140Q inhibitor induced cellular differentiation of leukemic blast cells isolated from primary human AML patient samples harboring an IDH2 R140Q mutation. These data provided the first evidence that inhibition of mutant IDH2 can reverse the block in cellular differentiation conferred by high levels of 2HG and could provide a therapeutic benefit to patients. AG-221 is a potent and selective inhibitor of the IDH2 mutant enzyme and is currently being evaluated in a first-in-human study entitled: A Phase 1, Multicenter, Open-Label, Dose-Escalation, Safety, Pharmacokinetic, Pharmacodynamic, and Clinical Activity Study of Orally Administered AG-221 in Subjects with Advanced Hematologic Malignancies with an IDH2 Mutation. The compound has been demonstrated to reduce 2-HG levels by >90% and reverse histone and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) hypermethylation in vitro, and to induce differentiation in leukemia cell models. We evaluated the efficacy of AG-221 in a primary human AML xenograft model carrying the IDH2 R140Q mutation. This is an aggressive model with mortality from AML consistently occurring by day 80, following tail vein engraftment. Results show that AG-221 is able to potently reduce 2HG found in the bone marrow, plasma and urine of engrafted mice. Treatment also induced a dose dependent, statistically significant, survival benefit where all mice in the high dose treatment group survived to the end of study. We also saw a dose dependent proliferative burst of the human specific CD45+ blast cells followed by cellular differentiation as measured by the expression of CD11b, CD14 and CD15 and cell morphology. Furthermore, the onset of differentiation correlated with survival, whereas mice that died in the low dose groups failed to show signs of cellular differentiation. These data provide strong preclinical in vivo evidence that AG-221 may have clinical benefit for IDH2 mutant patients through the reduction of 2HG and the induction of blast differentiation. Citation Format: Kate Ellwood-Yen, Fang Wang, Jeremy Travins, Yue Chen, Hua Yang, Kim Straley, Sung Choe, Marion Dorsch, Sam Agresta, David Schenkein, Scott Biller, Michael Su. AG-221 offers a survival advantage in a primary human IDH2 mutant AML xenograft model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3116. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3116


Stimulated Brillouin scattering was recently observed in nanoscale silicon waveguides. Surprisingly, thermally-driven photon–phonon conversion in these structures had not yet been reported. Here, we inject an optical probe in a suspended silicon waveguide and measure its phase fluctuations at the output. We observe mechanical resonances around 8 GHz with a scattering efficiency of 10 − 5 m − 1 and a signal-to-noise ratio of 2. The observations are in agreement with a theory of noise in these waveguides as well as with stimulated measurements. Our scheme may simplify measurements of mechanical signatures in nanoscale waveguides and is a step towards a better grasp of thermal noise in these new continuum optomechanical systems.


In 1973, Theodosius Dobzhansky--one of the leading contributors to the Neo-Darwinian Synthesis--wrote in The American Biology Teacher that "... nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution" (Dobzhansky, 1973). Since then, a variety of scientific professional societies and science-education reforms have stressed the importance of teaching evolution in public schools. For example, the National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) has declared that "Teaching biology in an effective and scientifically honest manner requires classroom discussions and laboratory experiences on evolution" (NABT, 2002), and the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) encourages biology teachers "... to use evolution as the organizing theme in teaching biology" (NAS, 1998). Most biology teachers I've talked with claim that they comply with these guidelines; that is, they report that they emphasize evolution in their classrooms. However, for several years students in my introductory biology classes have scored disproportionately lower on evolution-related questions on a first-day-of-class exam than they do on questions about other biological topics. If teachers are, in fact, emphasizing evolution in their classes, why do so many entering freshmen know so little about the subject? I tried to answer this question by surveying Minnesota high school students and teachers about the teaching of evolution. Evolution should be taught effectively in Minnesota. Indeed, the Minnesota K-12 Framework for Science (2003), which Lerner (2000) evaluated as "good," states that "The focus of instruction in life science for all students at the high school level is on developing an understanding of cell structure and function, the relationship of matter and energy in biological systems, heredity, biological evolution, the behavior and interdependence of organisms and apply their understandings in a variety of situations" (p. 3192). The Framework also includes the National Science Education Standards (which discuss natural selection, similarities among organisms, common descent, and the age of Earth; National Research Council, 1996) and a curriculum entitled Life Sciences on Location 9-12 that includes natural selection and competition (p. 3-193). Similarly, Minnesota's Graduation Standards--High School Level require that all high school graduates "... understand biological change over time," including biodiversity and natural selection (p. 3-199). Minnesota's evolution-education standards are supported by the Minnesota Science Teachers Association, whose Board of Directors endorsed the position statement of the NABT (see above) and National Science Teachers Association (National Science Teachers Association, 2004). Clearly, there is strong and consistent administrative support for the teaching of evolution in biology classes of Minnesota's public schools. Creationism (e.g., "intelligent design") is explicitly rejected by the Minnesota Science Teachers Association and NABT, and is not included in Minnesota's science-education standards. In this study I tried to answer several questions related to these issues. For example, do high school biology teachers claim that they emphasize evolution in their classes? If so, to what extent? Do students agree? That is, do students believe that their biology teachers emphasize evolution? If so, to what extent? Methods Surveying Teachers I used the survey shown in Table 1 to understand teachers' and students' views of the teaching of evolution in Minnesota's public schools. To avoid the low return rates that have typified many evolution-related surveys (e.g., 29% in Ohio; see Zimmerman, 1987), I surveyed 107 randomly-selected Minnesota biology teachers who attended 1) the National Science Teachers Association convention held in Minneapolis, MN from October 30 through November 2, 2003, and 2) the Tenth Annual Biology-Life Sciences Teachers Conference held in St. Paul, MN on December 12, 2003. …


The field of academic theology is presently maintaining the following about the
critical thought of the Scottish thinker John Baillie (1886-1960): (1) Baillie's so-called
"mediating theology" does not have a concept to contribute to contemporary Christian
thought; (2) Baillie's concept of "mediated immediacy" is important primarily for
Baillie's thought in his Our Knowledge of God (1939); (3) mediated immediacy's logic
about knowledge of God is severely convoluted. Received positions which support the
field's marginalization of mediated immediacy's contemporary relevance in particular,
they come with a concession: (4) the field's confusion about mediated immediacy's
meaning—this, as evidenced in over 75 years' worth of competing interpretations about
mediated immediacy's logic, in particular.
This thesis centers primarily on Baillie's concept of mediated immediacy, taking
as its primary aim the resolution of research issues (1-4). In doing so, it demonstrates that
previous research has underestimated: the staying power of Baillie's mediating theology
in general, mediated immediacy's importance for Baillie's mediating theology in
particular, and mediated immediacy's potential as a contribution to contemporary
Christian thought. Along the way, it resolves several research issues which have been
occasioned by perennial confusion about the logic of mediated immediacy's normative
epistemology and descriptive epistemology in particular. Research contributions about
the logic of mediated immediacy's epistemology per se, these derive from three
additional research contributions: a diachronic trace of the development of Baillie's
mediating theology (Baillie research has sought a comprehensive and cogent ordering of
Baillie's non-systematically articulated critical thought; this thesis provides it, by
identifying Baillie's espistemic and apologetic preoccupations across his critical thought's
roughly 35-year development); a modeling of mediated immediacy's logic (previously
absent in a research corpus whose literature ahs been replete with confusion), that logic's
expression in what is found to be, contrary to the thrust of previous research, a concept of
mediated immediacy that serves at least four functions for Baillie's mediating theology;
and, a comprehensive and rigorous critical evaluation of mediated immediacy's epistemology (also previously absent in Baillie research literature), a multi-disciplinary
evaluation of it's logic (from contemporary philosophical-epistemological, empiricalpsychological
and theological-epistemological perspectives), included. An evaluation
warranted by the multi-disciplinary scope of Baillie's mediating theology, as well as by
Baillie's employment of his rather versatile concept of mediated immediacy, this
evaluation considers mediated immediacy's now robustly evaluated logic's consequences
for core aspects of Baillie's mediating theology, including Baillie's ideas of knowledge of
God, divine action, divine revelation and religious experience.
The definitive work on John Baillie's concept of mediated immediacy, this thesis
is essential for those with an interest in John Baillie's critical thought. Amongst other
things, the thesis challenges positions widely held by John Baillie research. For example,
it demonstrates that a nascent form of mediated immediacy existed in Baillie's thought
before the concept's first explicit mention in the mediating theologian's 1939 publication
Our Knowledge of God. Here is a novel interpretation in the research. Furthermore,
whereas previous research has rightly observed that Baillie's critical thought gravitates
toward the problems of revelation and knowledge of God in general, this thesis
demonstrates that Baillie's mediating theology focuses on one problem in particular—
across the roughly 35-year span of its development: the problem of the epistemological
relationship between direct knowledge and indirect knowledge for knowledge of God. In
addition, this thesis demonstrates that Baillie's latter mediating theology (post-1939)
provides a stronger doctrine of the Holy Spirit than that found in Baillie's earlier critical
thought.
This thesis may also be of value to persons with broader interests, including the
epistemic interplay between aspects of philosophy of religion, philosophical theology,
and empirically-based interpretations of the phenomena of religious experience.


We group the issues raised in the commentaries into five major sections. In the first, section R1, we consider some of the antecedents to dynamic systems (DS) in psychology, biology, anthropology, and primatology and note the key changes that have occurred in DS over the past ten years. Next, in section R2, we explain the ways in which co-regulation differs markedly from interactional synchrony, focusing in particular on the creation of meaning inherent in co-regulated communication. The following section (R3) clarifies the challenge that DS poses to Cartesian assumptions about the nature of communication and contrasts this position with behaviorism. In the next section (R4) we reject the notion that IP and DS may be, in fact, compatible paradigms. Finally, we explain the exciting future we envision for using DS to facilitate consideration of evolutionary questions, particularly those concerning the comparative evolutionary development of socio-emotional dynamics between partners (section R5).


Sorting is a fundamental problem in computer science, and the strict sorting usually means a strict order with ascending or descending. However, some applications in reality don't require the strict ascending or descending order and the approximate ascending or descending order just meets the requirement. Graphics processing units (GPUs) have become accelerators for parallel computing. In this paper, based on the popular CUDA parallel computing architecture, we propose high performance approximate sort algorithm running on multicore GPUs. The algorithm divides the distribution interval of input data into multiple small intervals, and then uses the processing cores of GPUs to map the data into the different intervals in parallel. Finally by combining the small intervals, we can make the data between the different intervals in order state and the data in the same interval is disorder state. Thus we can get the approximate sorting result and the result is characterized by a general order but local disorder. By utilize the massive core of GPUs to parallel sort data, the algorithm can greatly shorten the execution time. Radix sort is the fastest GPUs-based sorting and the experimental results show that our approximate sort algorithm is two times as fast as the radix sort and far exceeds all the GPUs-based sorting. Keywords—sorting, parallel computing, high performance, GPUs, CUDA


"Renaissance Self-Fashioning "is a study of sixteenth-century life and literature that spawned a new era of scholarly inquiry. Stephen Greenblatt examines the structure of selfhood as evidenced in major literary figures of the English Renaissance More, Tyndale, Wyatt, Spenser, Marlowe, and Shakespeare and finds that in the early modern period new questions surrounding the nature of identity heavily influenced the literature of the era. Now a classic text in literary studies, "Renaissance Self-Fashioning" continues to be of interest to students of the Renaissance, English literature, and the new historicist tradition, and this new edition includes a preface by the author on the book's creation and influence. "No one who has read [Greenblatt's] accounts of More, Tyndale, Wyatt, and others can fail to be moved, as well as enlightened, by an interpretive mode which is as humane and sympathetic as it is analytical. These portraits are poignantly, subtly, and minutely rendered in a beautifully lucid prose alive in every sentence to the ambivalences and complexities of its subjects." Harry Berger Jr., University of California, Santa Cruz"


We study the relationship between participation in free trade agreements (FTAs) and the sustainability of democracy. Our model shows that FTAs can critically reduce the incentive of authoritarian groups to seek power by destroying protectionist rents, thus making democracies last longer. This gives governments in unstable democracies an extra motive to form FTAs. Hence, greater democratic instability induces governments to boost their FTA commitments. In a dataset with 116 countries over 1960-2007, we find robust support for these predictions. They help to rationalize the rapid simultaneous growth of regionalism and of worldwide democratization since the late 1980s.


Background: The hygiene level of the premise reflect the safety and quality of the food served in the food services kitchen and the poor sanitary condition can contribute to food poisoning outbreaks. Recently, many food poisoning cases reported from food services sector and most of the cases are from institutional food services. These premises sometimes are graded as clean or very clean which can be questioned, mostly at institutions such as schools. Objectives: The aim of this research is to establish mathematical models using multiple linear regression (MLR) technique to determine the food safety level and premise grading of active caterers in Pahang State, using artificial neural network. Methods: In this research, the premises have been categorised into 3 categories namely institutional, event caterers and premise at Rest and Rescue Area (RnR) along the East Coast Highway. A total of 268 premises were involved in this study with 139 (51.87%) institutional, 63 (23.51%) event caterers and 66 (24.63%) RnR. The instrument used in this research is based on the official risk based premise inspection form currently used by Ministry of Health Malaysia. The important focusing items in the inspection form are process control, building and facilities, equipment and utensils, cleaning and maintenance, as well as food handler's requirements. These items consist of a total thirty (31) elements with respected weight age score based on risk to food safety. In this research, stepwise method is used where several significant models will be developed. Results: The results show that the best and significant model is the 33rd model where the independent variables explain 100% of the dependent variables (R-square=1.00, p-val=0.00). Conclusion: As a conclusion, it is expected that this system will help the related authorities by confirming national standards and create more uniformity in catering inspections. In the future, it is suggested that the result can be improved by revising Part A: Process Control, in the Malaysian premise inspection form where the elements should be elaborated more details by comparing to the ones used in other countries


Online social dynamics based on human endeavours exhibit prominent complexity in the emergence of new features embodied in the appearance of collective social values. The vast amount of empirical data collected at various websites provides a unique opportunity for the quantitative study of the underlying social dynamics in full analogy with complex systems in the physics laboratory. Here, we briefly describe the extent of these analogies and indicate the methods from other science disciplines that the physics theory can incorporate in order to provide an adequate description of human entities and principles of their self-organisation. We demonstrate the approach on two examples using empirical data regarding knowledge-creation processes in online chats and questions-and-answers. Specifically, we describe the self-organised criticality as the acting mechanism in the social knowledge-sharing dynamics and demonstrate the emergence of the hyperbolic geometry of the co-evolving networks that underlie these stochastic processes.


While United Nations peacekeeping missions were created to keep peace and perform post-conflict activities, since the end of the Cold War peacekeepers are more often deployed to active conflicts. Yet, we know little about their ability to manage ongoing violence. This article provides the first broad empirical examination of UN peacekeeping effectiveness in reducing battlefield violence in civil wars. We analyze how the number of UN peacekeeping personnel deployed influences the amount of battlefield deaths in all civil wars in Africa from 1992 to 2011. The analyses show that increasing numbers of armed military troops are associated with reduced battlefield deaths, while police and observers are not. Considering that the UN is often criticized for ineffectiveness, these results have important implications: if appropriately composed, UN peacekeeping missions reduce violent conflict.


OBJECTIVE
We investigated the significance of a change in retinol binding protein (RBP4) levels in the plasma of patients with coronary heart disease complicated with hyperlipidemia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
66 cases of coronary heart disease (CHD) patients in Cardiovascular Department of our Hospital from December 2014 to December 2015 were selected. Based on the diagnostic criteria of hyperinsulinemia, patients were divided into a CHD Group with 35 cases and a CHD-Hyperinsulinemia Group (CHD-H group) with 31 cases. 35 healthy adults who had a physical examination in our hospital medical center during the same period were selected as the control group.

RESULTS
Changes in fasting plasma glucose (FPG), uric acid (UA), high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), free fatty acid (FFA), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), insulin, RBP4 and HOMA-IR were measured in the plasma of the subjects of the 3 groups, and the correlation of RBP4 levels and other indicators were analyzed. UA, hs-CRP, TG and HDL-C in the CHD group and the CHD-H group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p<0.05), in which the UA level of CHD-H group was higher than that of CHD group (p<0.05). The level of LDL-C in CHD group was higher than that in control group (p<0.05); FIns, 2h PIns, HOMA-IR and RBP4 of CHD-H group were significantly higher than those of the control group and CHD group (p<0.05); 2h PIns and HOMA-IR are independent related factors of RBP4.

CONCLUSIONS
The level of BRP4 in plasma of CHD patients with high insulin was increased. BRP4 was also found to participate in the occurrence of insulin resistance, which may indicate its role as a potential biomarker which identifies cases of insulin resistance of CHD patients and is worth further study.


Abstract The Lichfield Permo-Triassic Sandstone aquifer is a strategic groundwater resource for the UK West Midlands. However, the flows of a number of streams have been heavily affected by abstraction. The catchment of one of these, the Leamonsley Brook, is under-drained by the Hanch Tunnel, a 5 km-long water transfer tunnel that is more than 150 years old. The Hanch Tunnel was excavated below the water-table for its entire length and is only partly lined. Regional-scale simulation of the aquifer was undertaken using a version of the USGS MODBRNCH code, which had been previously adapted to enable simulation of both open channel and pressurized pipe flow systems (the 'Adit Code'). This paper reports on the simulation of the Hanch Tunnel, with an emphasis on the representation of this tunnel, and its effects on the groundwater flow in the Leamonsley Brook catchment. Critical aspects to consider when implementing the Adit Code are identified and discussed. The value of the application of the Adit Code for options appraisal to resolve the low-flow conditions of the Leamonsley Brook is explored.


Measurements of He, 3He/4He, Ne and 13 other components (H2, HD, D2, CH4, H2O, HDO, D2O, N2, CO, C2H6, O2, Ar, and CO2) in four samples of gas from SRI International (SRI) are reported. Three samples were collected from SRI Case-type stainless steel cells containing ~10 g of Pd/C catalyst initially loaded with ~3 atm D2 at ~200°C, and the fourth sample (not identified) was stated to be a control. Case and the SRI researchers have claimed to observe 4He in concentrations of ~100 parts per million (ppm) and up to 11 ppm, respectively, produced in these cells via the fusion reaction D + D = 4He + 23.8 MeV. Others found no evidence for 4He addition that cannot be readily explained by leaks from the atmosphere into the SRI cells. One sample appears to be identical in composition to air, and the other three have been seriously affected by leak(s) into and from the SRI cells. The rare gas "forensic" evidence includes 3He/4He ratios and He and Ne concentrations that are almost identical to air values. The samples also show high N2 (a primary indicator of air), low O2, and high CO and CO2 due to reaction of incoming atmospheric O2 with C in the catalyst. In two samples, the original D2 (or H2) has almost completely disappeared by outflow through the leak(s). These results have obvious implications concerning the validity of the excess 4He concentrations claimed by Case and the SRI researchers.


Perihilar cholangiocarcinoma (pCC, also known as a Klatskin tumor) is the most common type of cholangiocarcinoma (CC). Preoperative biliary drainage (PBD) is indicated for pCC patients with acute cholangitis or patients who need portal vein embolization (PVE). However, the routine performance of PBD in other patients with pCC is still controversial. The current study retrospectively examined patients with pCC who did not undergo PVE and who did not have cholangitis who were seen at this Hospital to assess the advantages and disadvantages of PBD. This study also sought to find an optimal value of total bilirubin (TB) to indicate performing PBD. Between 2009 and 2014, after excluding patients with acute cholangitis and PVE, patients who had undergone hepatectomy for pCC were enrolled in this study. First, the surgical outcomes and postoperative outcomes were compared between PBD group and direct surgery group. Second, ROC curve analysis of a subgroup of patients was performed to find the best cut off value of TB for indicating the PBD. Third, the costs for patients, including the total charges and the charges per day were compared between the two groups. Subjects were 218 patients in total. Fifty-five patients underwent PBD. This group had a longer operative time [390 (210-700) vs. 360 (105-730) min, p = 0.013], and a longer hospital stay [20 (9-48) vs. 17 (6-93) days, p = 0.007], but underwent vascular resection and reconstruction less often [8 (14.5%) vs. 50 (30.7%), p = 0.019]. Mortality and morbidity were comparable between the two groups. ROC curve analysis of a subgroup of patients indicated that the cut-off value for total bilirubin was 218.75 μmol/L (12.4 mg/dL). The total hospital charges and the charges per day did not differ significantly for the two groups. Disadvantages of PBD were a longer operating time and a longer duration of hospitalization, but the short-term surgical outcomes and hospital charges of PBD group were comparable to the direct surgery group. PBD should be considered for patients when the diagnosis is still suspicious of pCC. Based on the current data, the optimal cut-off value for preoperative TB was 218.75 μmol/L (12.4 mg/dL) to indicate PBD for patients with pCC.


Objective: To examine the factors responsible for the disparity in HIV prevalence between young men and women in two urban populations in Africa with high HIV prevalence. Design: Cross-sectional survey, aiming to include 1000 men and 1000 women aged 15-49 years in Kisumu, Kenya and Ndola, Zambia. Methods: Participants were interviewed and tested for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Analyses compared the marital and non-marital partnership patterns in young men and women, and estimated the likelihood of having an HIV-infected partner. Results: Overall, 26% of individuals in Kisumu and 28% in Ndola were HIV-positive. In both sites, HIV prevalence in women was six times that in men among sexually active 15-19 year olds, three times that in men among 20-24 year olds, and equal to that in men among 25-49 year olds. Age at sexual debut was similar in men and women, and men had more partners than women. Women married younger than men and marriage was a risk factor for HIV, but the disparity in HIV prevalence was present in both married and unmarried individuals. Women often had older partners, and men rarely had partners much older than themselves. Nevertheless, the estimated prevalence of HIV in the partners of unmarried men aged under 20 was as high as that for unmarried women. HIV prevalence was very high even among women reporting one lifetime partner and few episodes of sexual intercourse. Conclusions: Behavioural factors could not fully explain the discrepancy in HIV prevalence between men and women. Despite the tendency for women to have older partners, young men were at least as likely to encounter an HIV-infected partner as young women. It is likely that the greater susceptibility of women to HIV infection is an important factor both in explaining the male-female discrepancy in HIV prevalence and in driving the epidemic. Herpes simplex virus type 2 infection, which is more prevalent in young women than in young men, is probably one of the factors that increases women's susceptibility to HIV infection.


Abstract. The Amazonian rainforest is a large tropical ecosystem, which is one of the last pristine continental terrains. This ecosystem is ideally located for the study of diel and seasonal behaviour of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) in the absence of local human interference. In this study, we report the first atmospheric BVOC measurements at the Amazonian Tall Tower Observatory (ATTO) site, located in central Amazonia. A quadrupole proton-transfer-reaction mass spectrometer (PTR-MS), with seven ambient air inlets, positioned from near ground to about 80 m (0.05, 0.5, 4, 24, 38, 53 and 79 m above the forest floor), was deployed for BVOC monitoring. We report diel and seasonal (February–March 2013 as wet season and September 2013 as dry season) ambient mixing ratios for isoprene, monoterpenes, isoprene oxidation products, acetaldehyde, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), methanol and acetonitrile. Clear diel and seasonal patterns were observed for all compounds. In general, lower mixing ratios were observed during night, while maximum mixing ratios were observed during the wet season (February–March 2013), with the peak in solar irradiation at 12:00 LT (local time) and during the dry season (September 2013) with the peak in temperature at 16:00 LT. Isoprene and monoterpene mixing ratios were the highest within the canopy with a median of 7.6 and 1 ppb, respectively (interquartile range (IQR) of 6.1 and 0.38 ppb) during the dry season (at 24 m, from 12:00 to 15:00 LT). The increased contribution of oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) above the canopy indicated a transition from dominating forest emissions during the wet season (when mixing ratios were higher than within the canopy), to a blend of biogenic emission, photochemical production and advection during the dry season when mixing ratios were higher above the canopy. Our observations suggest strong seasonal interactions between environmental (insolation, temperature) and biological (phenology) drivers of leaf BVOC emissions and atmospheric chemistry. Considerable differences in the magnitude of BVOC mixing ratios, as compared to other reports of Amazonian BVOC, demonstrate the need for long-term observations at different sites and more standardized measurement procedures, in order to better characterize the natural exchange of BVOCs between the Amazonian rainforest and the atmosphere.


PRIMARY OBJECTIVE
The goal of this investigation is to examine the prevalence of poor subjective sleep in patients with a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and examine the relationship between subjective sleep quality and postconcussive symptoms (PCS), above and beyond the typical demographic and psychological distress variables.

RESEARCH DESIGN
Individuals with a history of mTBI completed online questionnaires. Regression analysis was utilized to determine if subjective sleep quality would predict PCS severity, above and beyond demographic variables and psychological distress.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES
Individuals with a history of mTBI (n = 158) completed surveys online. Sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and PCS with the Neurobehavioral Symptom Inventory (NSI). Demographic information was collected and psychological distress was measured using the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18).

MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS
In this sample, 92% of patients with mTBI reported poor sleep. Sleep quality significantly accounted for the variance in PCS, above and beyond demographics, time since injury and psychological distress (p < 0.001), although only a small amount of the variance in PCS was explained.

CONCLUSIONS
Results indicate that poor subjective sleep quality is a significant problem in those with mTBI. While sleep is associated with PCS severity, psychological distress is a more potent predictor.


The Swift gamma-ray burst satellite is an excellent facility for studying novae. Its rapid response time and sensitive X-ray detector provides an unparalleled opportunity to investigate the previously poorly sampled evolution of novae in the X-ray regime. This paper presents Swift observations of 52 Galactic/Magellanic Cloud novae. We included the X-Ray Telescope (0.3–10 keV) instrument count rates and the UltraViolet and Optical Telescope (1700–8000 Å) filter photometry. Also included in the analysis are the publicly available pointed observations of 10 additional novae the X-ray archives. This is the largest X-ray sample of Galactic/Magellanic Cloud novae yet assembled and consists of 26 novae with Super Soft X-ray emission, 19 from Swift observations. The data set shows that the faster novae have an early hard X-ray phase that is usually missing in slower novae. The Super Soft X-ray phase occurs earlier and does not last as long in fast novae compared to slower novae. All the Swift novae with sufficient observations show that novae are highly variable with rapid variability and different periodicities. In the majority of cases, nuclear burning ceases less than three years after the outburst begins. Previous relationships, such as the nuclear burning duration versus t2 or the expansion velocity of the eject and nuclear burning duration versus the orbital period, are shown to be poorly correlated with the full sample indicating that additional factors beyond the white dwarf mass and binary separation play important roles in the evolution of a nova outburst. Finally, we confirm two optical phenomena that are correlated with strong, soft X-ray emission which can be used to further increase the efficiency of X-ray campaigns.


Sionna is a GPU-accelerated open-source library for link-level simulations based on TensorFlow. It enables the rapid prototyping of complex communication system architectures and provides native support for the integration of neural networks. Sionna implements a wide breadth of carefully tested state-of-the-art algorithms that can be used for benchmarking and end-to-end performance evaluation. This allows researchers to focus on their research, making it more impactful and reproducible, while saving time implementing components outside their area of expertise. This white paper provides a brief introduction to Sionna, explains its design principles and features, as well as future extensions, such as integrated ray tracing and custom CUDA kernels. We believe that Sionna is a valuable tool for research on next-generation communication systems, such as 6G, and we welcome contributions from our community.


For many years early childhood educators have expressed concerns about the loss of unstructured play time for children [1] and the United Nations identified "The Child's Right to Play" as one of the rights children should have [2]. Evidence from brain development research shows close parallels between the course of brain development and play development during the early childhood years. Bergen [3] and therapeutic connections between mental health and play experiences also have been stressed [4]. However, this consistent, long-term support by child-oriented organizations, educators, developmental psychologists, and early childhood researchers for children's right to have freely chosen play experiences has not prevented a gradual loss of play time for most children in this society. Now that pediatricians and other medical personnel also are raising their voices about this concern, perhaps parents, school personnel and the broader society will begin to be concerned about the increasing void of child-directed play time in the lives of many of today's children and act to restore that important experience.


This paper presents a novel variational inference framework for deriving a family of Bayesian sparse Gaussian process regression (SGPR) models whose approximations are variationally optimal with respect to the full-rank GPR model enriched with various corresponding correlation structures of the observation noises.
Our variational Bayesian SGPR (VBSGPR) models jointly treat both the distributions of the inducing variables and hyperparameters as variational parameters, which enables the decomposability of the variational lower bound that in turn can be exploited for stochastic optimization.
Such a stochastic optimization involves iteratively following the stochastic gradient of the variational lower bound to improve its estimates of the optimal variational distributions of the inducing variables and hyperparameters (and hence the predictive distribution) of our VBSGPR models and is guaranteed to achieve asymptotic convergence to them.
We show that the stochastic gradient is an unbiased estimator of the exact gradient and can be computed in constant time per iteration, hence achieving scalability to big data.
We empirically evaluate the performance of our proposed framework on two real-world, massive datasets.


Abstract. Ozone is a tropospheric pollutant and plays a key role in determining the air quality that affects human wellbeing. In this study, we compare the capability of two hypothetical grating spectrometers onboard a geostationary (GEO) satellite to sense ozone in the lowermost troposphere (surface and the 0–1 km column). We consider 1 week during the Northern Hemisphere summer simulated by a chemical transport model, and use the two GEO instrument configurations to measure ozone concentration (1) in the thermal infrared (GEO TIR) and (2) in the thermal infrared and the visible (GEO TIR+VIS). These configurations are compared against each other, and also against an ozone reference state and a priori ozone information. In a first approximation, we assume clear sky conditions neglecting the influence of aerosols and clouds. A number of statistical tests are used to assess the performance of the two GEO configurations. We consider land and sea pixels and whether differences between the two in the performance are significant. Results show that the GEO TIR+VIS configuration provides a better representation of the ozone field both for surface ozone and the 0–1 km ozone column during the daytime especially over land.


The most traditional methods of fastening such as bolts or rivets have been used for
decades. However, these cause stress concentrations and premature failure in materials,
while adhesive bonds spread the load more evenly over the surface, facilitating a lighter
and cheaper overall structure. That is the main reason why adhesively bonded joints are
increasingly used in aerospace and automotive industries.
The single lap joint (SLJ) with metallic or composite flat plates is the most common
mainly due to its simplicity and efficiency. However, one major drawback associated to
this joint is the occurrence of shear and peel stress concentrations at the end of the
adhesive layer. This leads to joint premature failures at the ends of the overlap.
The main objective of the present project is to use an adhesive functionally modified
and cured by dielectric heating. This allows a more uniform stress distribution along the
overlap and would permit to work with much smaller areas, reducing considerably the
weight of the structure and give more reliable joints.
In the present project two ways to obtain graded joints were tested. The first way was to
obtain a graded cure of the adhesive using different local concentrations of microwave
absorbing particles (carbon black) along the overlap. The particles interact with the
magnetic field and heat the adhesive. The second way was to use the carbon black to
reinforce the adhesive and obtain graded mechanical properties along the overlap and
cure isothermally by dielectric heating.
Then, a preliminary experimentation was done in order to determine the viability of
main objectives. The results proved the impossibility to perform a graded joint by a
graded cure of the adhesive. This is due to several factors such as the conductivity of the
adherends or the non uniformity of the magnetic field. Therefore, the second
methodology proposed to achieve a graded joint was followed. The effect of carbon
black in the adhesive properties was studied and graded joints were manufactured and
tested.
Finally, the results obtained were discussed and analyzed. Bulk tensile tests showed an
improvement of the ductility as function of carbon black concentrations. Thus, graded SLJs were manufactured using a high local concentration of carbon black at the end of
the overlap. This made the adhesive more ductile and a higher joint strength was
obtained due to the lower stress concentrations.
Also, a failure prediction was done. For graded joints the analytical model used gave
accurate predictions. However, for the joints with uniform properties the predictions
were too much different and several hypotheses were proposed to explain this.


While there are a number of tested rubrics in circulation, our task was to intervene in a particular situation: the lead professor was concerned because her graduate teaching assistants held negative views about student performance on the lab reports. GTAs found poor products frustrating, and admitted that their grading was thus superficial and provided no feedback to students. Specifically, GTAs did not feel equipped to evaluate writing and, as a result, simply graded on steps completed in the lab process. We have a rubric now for an Introduction to Zoology lab that could be submitted here as a pretty darn good rubric for other instructors to use. But the intent of our "Tips and Tools" is to describe the actual creation of the rubric. We believe the active "real time" development of the rubric carried as much or more value than the finished product.


Two physical methods (centrifugation and ultrasonication) and 3 chemical methods (extraction with EDTA, extraction with formaldehyde, and extraction with formaldehyde plus NaOH) for extraction of EPS from alga-bacteria biofilm were assessed. Pretreatment with ultrasound at low intensity doubled the EPS yield without significant modification of the composition of EPS. Extraction with EDTA or extraction with formaldehyde plus NaOH increased yield by about 1 order of magnitude compared with other methods. However, the protein and polysaccharide content in EPS prepared with EDTA or formaldehyde plus NaOH were low. Two fluorescence peaks belonging to protein-like peaks and 2 fluorescence peaks belonging to humic acid-like substances were found in 3DEEM fluorescence spectra of all the EPS samples prepared using different methods. Fulvic-like fluorescence was detected only in the EPS extracted with formaldehyde plus NaOH. Location of, and fluorescence intensity at, each peak were clearly affected by the extraction methods. Dialysis was also found to be an important factor influencing the yield, composition and fluorescence characteristics of EPS.


While Africa's partnership with China has undeniably led to a jump in trade and investment, especially over the past two decades, many on the continent remain concerned about the relationship's lack of equality. This issue is particularly striking during the triennial Forum on China–Africa Cooperation summit, when dozens of African leaders gather to meet a single Chinese counterpart. Calls for bolstering African decision-making power in interactions with China are common in the China–Africa space. This paper argues that for Africa to increase its agency – that is, its ability to make independent decisions and strengthen its bargaining power – the continent first needs to unpack the nature of African decision-making in the China–Africa relationship. What does agency mean in this relationship, and how can Africa improve its bargaining position in relation to China? This paper explores these questions by thinking through how African agency has been conceptualised in the past, and comparing those ideas of agency with two real-world case studies: China's relationship with the AU, and Africa's relationship with China's Belt and Road Initiative.


ABSTRACT The behaviour of disiloxane 1 towards a set of Lewis acids (LA) and Lewis bases (LB) forming complexes through its oxygen and silicon atoms, respectively, was studied at the MP2/aug′-cc-pVTZ level of theory, exploring a wide variety of non-covalent interactions. Disiloxane is a moderate electron acceptor and a good electron donor, exhibiting in the latter case binding energies up to almost −100 kJ/mol with BeCl2. Cooperativity effects were also analysed by looking at ternary 1:LA:LB complexes. Shorter intermolecular distances than in the corresponding binary complexes and a negative contribution of the three-body term to the binding energy indicate that the non-covalent interactions allowed by disiloxane through its acid and basic centres cooperate between them to reinforce both donor–acceptor pairs. These effects are particularly strong in complexes involving beryllium and triel bonds, but are also relevant for complexes containing hydrogen bonds.


Abstract It may be inevitable in the design and analysis of most high temperature components (such as power industry pipe work) that variations in load and/or temperature will occur in normal operation. This presents complications in the prediction of the response of such components due to potential hardening or softening effects caused by the accumulation of plastic strain. Furthermore, interactions between hardening (or softening) behaviour and creep may be observed, particularly in high temperature applications. In this paper, the Chaboche model is described as it has the potential to represent this type of behaviour. An optimisation procedure for fine tuning material constants is developed and presented. This is a key step as the determination of initial estimates requires several assumptions to be made. Several potential pitfalls in optimisation procedures are described and addressed, mainly through the application of experimental data cleaning as a pre-processing procedure. This removes unavoidable experimental scatter that inhibits optimisation. Investigations into the effects of variations in the initial conditions on optimised material constant values and the number of data points selected on computational times are made to aid in the application of similar optimisation procedures. The superior fitting given by the implementation of an optimisation procedure is verified by applying it to the results of strain controlled cyclic tests of a P91 steel at 600°C.


This paper presents the development and simulation of a dynamic inverse resilient control (DIRC) system that can recover a general aviation aircraft that has sustained damage to a lifting surface in flight, and is now asymmetrical. A new set of differential equations of motion for the aircraft are derived that account for the asymmetries of the aircraft and for the dynamic effects of the shift in the center of gravity away from the original body centered axis. The typical symmetric force and moment coefficient buildup is altered to include the influences of asymmetric lift, drag, and control deflection. For the simulation, a Raytheon Bonanaza F-33C fly-by-wire testbed is selected since it has been used in both flight and simulation testing for prior Wichita State University research. Geometric, mass, and aerodynamic properties for the damaged aircraft are determined with conceptual design techniques. The DIRC consists of an inverse controller with decoupled flight controls and an adaptive system to correct the command signals for a damaged aircraft. Modeling errors between the inverse control and the actual aircraft are large. Adaptive Bias Correctors, a simplified neural network, are applied to adapt the controller to the modeling errors between the undamaged symmetric based inverse controller and damaged asymmetric aircraft. Adaptation happens fast enough to limit the bank angle excursion and bring the aircraft back to wings level flight. Simulations are performed with a MATLAB/Simulink R ©and a full 6DOF model of the aircraft. Tests show that for losses to the left wing, the DIRC can recover the aircraft until the available control authority is unable to counteract the asymmetric moments.


Objectives: Areca nut chewing habit has been associated with submucous fibrosis. However the pathogenic mechanism involved in developing OSF with areca nut is not clear .Therefore we assumed that OSF may be due to trauma caused by areca nut particles and thereafter is a result of repair. A study was done to investigate the possible pathogenic mechanism of fibrosis in OSF as a result of trauma from the chewing of areca nut to oral mucosa.
Study Design : The sample of this study was categorized into 2 groups .group I had 28 subjects with OSF and had habit of chewing areca nut .and group II had 31 subjects with traumatic fibrosis (TF).
Results: Fibrosis and blanching of oral mucosa was present in both OSF (100%) and TF (58%), but was generalized in OSF and localized in TF. Restricted mouth opening (93%) and xerostomia (54%) was seen only in It was found OSF .Histopathologically most of the epithelial and connective tissue changes were similar in both OSF and TF except epithelial atrophy in OSF (16%) which increased with its severity and juxtaepithelial hyalinization which was observed in all cases of OSF (100%) Conclusion: This study concludes that possible repair mechanism can take place in the connective tissue of both OSF & TF leading to fibrosis.


Diana Kennedy, culinary historian and cookbook author, explains regional Mexican cuisines to a global audience. L. Peat O9Neil interviews Kennedy and the wide-ranging discussion covers organic agriculture in Mexico, the effects of NAFTA on small farmers, rural activists and the diversity of Mexico9s agricultural produce. Kennedy comments on chefs in Mexico City and contemporary Mexican cooking. Kennedy notes that progress in sustainable agriculture is slow in Mexico because of government disinterest and corruption. Kennedy discusses her many visits to the state of Oaxaca, where organic product branding as "Fair Trade organic" first was applied. Her current book project is focused on Oaxaca9s regional recipes from remote areas of the state. Kennedy fosters all aspects of sustainable living. Other sources quoted include Pablo Span, a farmer-hotel owner in San Cayetano, Michoacan; and Salvador V. Garibay, a consultant with the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) based in Frick, Switzerland. Garibay works on organic agricultural projects in Mexico and Central America.


Entkunstung is a term coined by philosopher Theodor W. Adorno to describe the
disintegrating influences of mass culture on the production and reception of modern art. It
characterises what he understands as the fate of art in the 20th century, the dissolution of
boundaries between its media as well as between art and other cultural productions.
In my thesis I discuss this process not as a fate but rather as an enabling principle of artistic
production since the beginning of the 20th century. I delineate a history of Entkunstung, a
history of artists who attempted to desert the field of art in reconstructing its means and
materials in accordance with the popular culture of their time and its schemes of production.
Starting from the productivist artistic approaches of the Russian Revolution and their
understanding of art's possible dissolution into a general characteristic of a revolutionized
form of industrial labour, I proceed to discuss the practices of a group of architects, artists and
critics who introduced practices of popular culture into the arts in Western Europe in the early
1950s. The London-based Independent Group's exhibitions, discussions and works, I argue,
operate as actualizations of the practices of Russian Productivism in an altered political and
economic context. The figure of "actualization" (from Walter Benjamin's Arcades Project) is
a central methodological principle of my project. Benjamin introduces it to critique historical
narratives of progress and replace them with the notion of history in flux, a web of figures in
actualization. He suggests that historical moments are never sublated within their aftermaths
but reappear in unresolved and still open aspects. I consider the actualisations of Productivism
in, first, the affirmation of American popular culture in the Independent Group, and second, in
the "dematerialising'" practices in American Conceptual art in the 1960s. Where Production
Art sought to assimilate artistic to industrial practices, and the Independent Group explored
the implications of consumerist models for art production, certain Conceptual practices aimed
at disassembling art into a set of practices and performed gestures, into an action in and also
outside of art.
The thesis seeks to assemble the fragments of a history of Entkunstung, a history of artistic
models for the end of art.


Gillespie's Stochastic Simulation Algorithm (SSA) provides an elegant simulation approach for simulating models composed of coupled chemical reactions. Although this approach can be used to describe a wide variety biological, chemical, and ecological systems, often systems have external behaviors that are difficult or impossible to characterize using chemical reactions alone. This work extends the applicability of the SSA by adding mechanisms for the inclusion of external events and external triggers. We define events as changes that occur in the system at a specified time while triggers are defined as changes that occur to the system when a particular condition is fulfilled. We further extend the SSA with the efficient implementation of these model parameters. This work allows numerous systems that would have previously been impossible or impractical to model using the SSA to take advantage of this powerful simulation technique.


Graph-based models require aggregating information in the graph from neighbourhoods of different sizes. In particular, when the data exhibit varying levels of smoothness on the graph, a multi-scale approach is required to capture the relevant information. In this work, we propose a Gaussian process model using spectral graph wavelets, which can naturally aggregate neighbourhood information at different scales. Through maximum likelihood optimisation of the model hyperparameters, the wavelets automatically adapt to the different frequencies in the data, and as a result our model goes beyond capturing low frequency information. We achieve scalability to larger graphs by using a spectrum-adaptive polynomial approximation of the filter function, which is designed to yield a low approximation error in dense areas of the graph spectrum. Synthetic and real-world experiments demonstrate the ability of our model to infer scales accurately and produce competitive performances against state-of-the-art models in graph-based learning tasks.


This paper is devoted to the study of the mechanical, thermal properties and non-isothermal crystallisation kinetics of polypropylene and polypropylene/single-walled carbon nanotubes (PP/SWNTs) nanocomposites. The results of tensile testing measurements show that the modulus of nanocomposites is greatly enhanced 82% compared with neat PP. Moreover, the elongation at break of nanocomposites decreased obviously with incorporation of SWNTs in PP matrix. The dynamic mechanical thermal analysis as well as tensile testing experiments showed the same results. Thermogravimetry analysis results showed that SWNTs enhanced the decomposition temperature of nanocomposites in comparison with PP matrix. The results obtained from differential scanning calorimetry showed that incorporation of SWNTs reduced the crystallinity but has increased on crystallisation temperature of PP. The non-isothermal melt crystallisation data were analysed according to Avrami model. The values of crystallisation half-life indicated that the crystallisation rate increased with the increasing of cooling rates for PP and PP/SWNTs nanocomposite.


The capability of the generalized interpolation material point (GIMP) method in simulation of penetration events is investigated. A series of experiments was performed wherein a shaped charge jet penetrates into a stack of aluminum plates. Electronic switches were used to measure the penetration time history. Flash x-ray techniques were used to measure the density, length, radius and velocity of the shaped charge jet. Simulations of the penetration event were performed using the Uintah MPM/GIMP code with several different models of the shaped charge jet being used. The predicted penetration time history for each jet model is compared with the experimentally observed penetration history. It was found that the characteristics of the predicted penetration were dependent on the way that the jet data are translated to a discrete description. The discrete jet descriptions were modified such that the predicted penetration histories fell very close to the range of the experimental data. In comparing the various discrete jet descriptions it was found that the cumulative kinetic energy flux curve represents an important way of characterizing the penetration characteristics of the jet. The GIMP method was found to be well suited for simulation of high rate penetration events.


Computational models play an important role in framing our existing knowledge. Such a formal framework is capable of testing scientific hypotheses about biological systems. Increased numbers of annotated models are being developed in order to facilitate communication, search, comparison, retrieval, and validation. A key part of model description relies on consistent representation of information which has been addressed through structured file formats and community guidelines. As we move towards a more comprehensive representation of modelrelated information, it becomes ever more important to understand how this information is most easily integrated in order to satisfy complex use scenarios. Here, we review key model-related data and emerging methods for facile integration and analysis. More effective approaches for knowledge representation are essential to decrease the time and efforts involved in data integration and create new opportunities for model-based science.


As very large scale integration (VLSI) circuit speed rapidly increases, the inductive effects of interconnect lines strongly impact the signal integrity of a circuit. Since these inductive effects make the signal integrity problems much more serious as well as intricate, they become one of the critical issues in today's high-speed/high-density VLSI circuit design. In this paper, a generalized traveling-wave-based waveform approximation (TWA) technique is presented which can be accurately as well as efficiently employed for the signal integrity verification of the inductively dominated (moderate Q) multicoupled RLC transmission line system. The technique is composed of three steps. First, the signals in the multicoupled (n-coupled) transmission line system are decoupled into n-isolated eigen-modes (i.e., basis vectors). Next, the slow-transient low-frequency characteristics of the system response are determined, approximately, in the frequency-domain by using the dominant poles of the basis vectors. Finally, the fast-transient high-frequency characteristics of the system response are calculated in the time domain by using the traveling wave characteristics of the basis vectors. It is shown that the time-domain responses of the multicoupled RLC transmission line system can be accurately as well as efficiently modeled with the generalized TWA technique. Then, in inductance-dominant multicoupled interconnect networks, switching-dependent signal integrity, i.e., signal delay, crosstalk, ringing, and glitches are investigated extensively with the proposed technique.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To examine how attentional fatigue changed from the time of simulation to four months after the completion of radiation therapy and to investigate whether specific variables predicted initial levels and trajectories of attentional fatigue.

DESIGN
Descriptive, longitudinal study.

SETTING
Two radiation therapy departments.

SAMPLE
73 women with breast cancer who received primary or adjuvant radiation therapy.

METHODS
Participants completed questionnaires prior to, during, and after radiation therapy. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical linear modeling were used for data analysis.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES
Attentional fatigue; demographic, clinical, and symptom characteristics.

FINDINGS
Large amounts of interindividual variability were found in the trajectories of attentional fatigue. At baseline, higher levels of attentional fatigue were associated with younger age, not working, a higher number of comorbidities, and higher levels of trait anxiety. The trajectory of attentional fatigue improved over time for women with higher body mass index at baseline.

CONCLUSIONS
This study is the first to identify predictors of interindividual variability in attentional fatigue in women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy. The predictors should be considered in the design of future correlational and interventional studies.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Nurses could use knowledge of the predictors to identify patients at risk for higher levels of attentional fatigue. In addition, nurses could use the information to educate patients about how attentional fatigue may change during and following radiation therapy for breast cancer.


Industry requires educational institutions as providers of labor to continue to optimize the learning process on material that is in harmony with existing cases in the industrial world. The Industrial Engineering Study Program of Sebelas Maret University Surakarta (PSTI-UNS) has sought these demands by implementing integrated practice learning with the learning factory concept approach. Identification of design needs was obtained after observations and evaluations of the learning process on PTI Practicum 3. This study contains requirements in designing tools to accommodate lab work in linear PTI Practicum manuals. The tools needed include storage, hand trolleys, storage racks, and work stations. The selection of the work station concept was carried out with Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with specified selection criteria. The criteria for selecting a tool for practicum facilities include the suitability of learning objectives, material


Rare association rule mining has received a great deal of attention in the recent past. In this research, we use transaction clustering as a pre-processing mechanism to generate rare association rules. The basic concept underlying transaction clustering stems from the concept of large items as defined by traditional association rule mining algorithms. We make use of an approach proposed by Koh & Pears (2008) to cluster transactions prior to mining for association rules. We show that pre-processing the dataset by clustering will enable each cluster to express their own associations without interference or contamination from other sub groupings that have different patterns of relationships. Our results show that the rare rules produced by each cluster are more informative than rules found from direct association rule mining on the unpartitioned dataset.


It is a research priority to identify modifiable risk factors to improve the effectiveness of childhood obesity prevention strategies. Research, however, has largely overlooked the role of child temperament and personality implicated in obesogenic risk factors such as maternal feeding and body mass index (BMI) of preschoolers. A systematic review of relevant literature was conducted to investigate the associations between child temperament, child personality, maternal feeding and BMI and/or weight gain in infants and preschoolers; 18 papers were included in the review. The findings revealed an association between the temperament traits of poor self‐regulation, distress to limitations, low and high soothability, low negative affectivity and higher BMI in infants and preschool‐aged children. Temperament traits difficult, distress to limitations, surgency/extraversion and emotionality were significantly associated with weight gain rates in infants. The results also suggested that child temperament was associated with maternal feeding behaviours that have been shown to influence childhood overweight and obesity, such as using restrictive feeding practices with children perceived as having poor self‐regulation and feeding potentially obesogenic food and drinks to infants who are more externalizing. Interestingly, no studies to date have evaluated the association between child personality and BMI/weight gain in infants and preschoolers. There is a clear need for further research into the association of child temperament and obesogenic risk factors in preschool‐aged children.


The Biblioteca Malatestiana was founded in 1452 by Malatesta Novello, lord of Cesena. Since then not only its architecture, but also its furniture and manuscripts have been perfectly preserved. Therefore visitors can still admire its manuscripts in their original setting. In order to meet the educational needs of pupils and students for many years we offered special events, including guided tours and laboratories, specifically designed for primary schools, secondary schools and universities. Since 2014 we joined the Associations of Friends of the Malatestiana Library in organizing lectures concerning individual manuscripts, which during the lectures were exposed to the audience. Since 2016 visitors can get an experience of the ordinary maintenance and conservation treatment of manuscripts: once a month from March to June they have the opportunity to look at book and paper conservators at work. Besides, we experimented special guided tours for blind persons, who were allowed to touch the various parts of manuscripts (i.e. the chain, the cover, the two sides of the parchment leaves).


The E6AP ubiquitin-protein ligase (E3) mediates the human papillomavirus-induced degradation of the p53 tumor suppressor in cervical cancer and is mutated in Angelman syndrome, a neurological disorder. The crystal structure of the catalytic hect domain of E6AP reveals a bilobal structure with a broad catalytic cleft at the junction of the two lobes. The cleft consists of conserved residues whose mutation interferes with ubiquitin-thioester bond formation and is the site of Angelman syndrome mutations. The crystal structure of the E6AP hect domain bound to the UbcH7 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2) reveals the determinants of E2-E3 specificity and provides insights into the transfer of ubiquitin from the E2 to the E3.


Pre-eclampsia is an important and serious condition affecting 2-8% of pregnancies worldwide and carries with it significant associated risk of morbidity and mortality for both mother and child. It is characterised by new onset hypertension after the 20th week of gestation with accompanying proteinuria. Resolution of symptoms should occur following delivery.
Several pathophysiological mechanisms are common to both pre-eclampsia and cardiovascular disease, and the link between pre-eclampsia and cardiovascular disease later in life has been established. While the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of pre-eclampsia are complex, endothelial dysfunction is a key component. Increased arterial stiffness and hypertension have also been documented. Endothelial dysfunction has been shown to extend beyond childbirth, into the postpartum period. Studies evaluating endothelial dysfunction at even longer time-points following an affected pregnancy have produced conflicting results. Results from biomarker studies have supported the concept of endothelial dysfunction throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period, but as more time elapses between index pregnancy and biomarker sampling, these results also vary. Cardiac imaging and electrocardiographic studies have also contributed to knowledge about the normal physiology of pregnancy and changes which are associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy during pregnancy, the postpartum period and beyond.
The main focus of this thesis was to investigate the possible mechanisms behind the link between pre-eclampsia and future cardiovascular disease. The aim was to investigate women who were free from cardiovascular disease for any evidence of subclinical vascular damage long-term following a pre-eclamptic pregnancy. Overall women recruited to this study would be older than women who participated in the majority of previously published studies on this theme.
Before embarking on the investigation of subclinical vascular damage in women with a history of pre-eclampsia, a link was confirmed between a history of pre-eclampsia and cardiovascular disease up to 30 years from time of index pregnancy. This was accomplished using record-linkage in a large Scottish cohort; the Generation Scotland Family Health Study (GS:SFHS). Following on from this, ECGs available in women with and without a remote history of pre-eclampsia in the GS:SFHS cohort were assessed for any obvious differences. There was a more leftward shift in the QRS-axis in these women and a trend towards a longer corrected QT interval (QTc) which approached statistical significance, but after adjusting for other co-variates, pre-eclampsia did not independently predict QTc. Investigations for subclinical vascular damage were carried out by means of non-invasive vascular function studies in women recruited from three different cohorts (blood pressure clinics, GS:SFHS and the previous Proteomics in Pre-eclampsia (PIP) study of women during pregnancy). Time since index pregnancy varied between 1-30 years. Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) was performed to assess for endothelial dysfunction, pulse wave analysis (PWA) and pulse wave velocity (PWV) assessed arterial stiffness, and carotid ultrasound was performed to establish whether there was any evidence of atherosclerosis. After adjusting for other co-variates, I was able to demonstrate the presence of endothelial dysfunction many years after pregnancy in women with a history of pre-eclampsia in comparison with those who experienced a normotensive pregnancy. There was also a significantly higher presence of carotid plaque in women with a history of pre-eclampsia. To investigate whether the findings from the vascular study translated to findings in biomarker studies of women with a history of pre-eclampsia in comparison with controls, samples from the vascular studies cohort and from the wider GS:SFHS cohort were used. Markers of inflammation, angiogenesis, cardiac damage and collagen turnover were studied. A significantly higher vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was detected in women with a history of pre-eclampsia.
Pre-eclampsia is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and endothelial dysfunction is evident later on in life. Larger studies are required to further investigate the vascular and biomarker results, and studies including more thorough cardiac assessment (such as echocardiography) in this population should also be considered. The studies described found no evidence of one single component to explain the relationship between pre-eclampsia and cardiovascular disease later in life. This is not unexpected as pre-eclampsia is a complex condition with multiple contributing factors and it is likely that the increased cardiovascular risk later in life is likewise multifactorial in origin.


Inappropriate fertilization practices in regions where livestock manure exceeds crop requirements may causes pollution by NH 4 + -N during snowmelt. Annual and seasonal NH 4 + -N losses were evaluated for three consecutive years from 45 m 2 corn (Zea mays L.) and timothy (Phleum pratense L.) and red and white clover (Trifolium repens L.) erosion plots that had annually received the recommended chemical fertilizer rates of 180 and 55 kg N ha -1 , respectively, plus hog manure at twice those rates. Total N applications for corn and forage were 540 and 165 kg ha -1 except for a check plot receiving only fertilizer. The hog manure was surface-applied in three different ways: all in the fall, all in the spring, and in a split application with about one-half in each season. Corn plots receiving fall-applied manure were immediately rototilled while plots receiving spring-applied manure were rototilled prior to planting. Each plot was equipped to collect runoff and drainage water separately throughout the whole year. Total NH 4 + -N losses in both runoff and drainage water from autumn application were greater than for the two other application methods for corn and the forages. Plots receiving chemical fertilizer plus hog manure had a significant increase in NH 4 + -N losses as compared with the plots receiving fertilizer only. Due to the fall manure effect, NH 4 + -N loads increased by three-fold after the first year (1.11-3.43 kg ha -1 ), by 1.46 times between the first and the second year, and by 1.14 times between the second and third year for corn when compared with the fertilizer only treatment and exceeded the standard of 0.5 mg L -1 for raw water. Similar trends were measured for the forages. Most NH 4 + -N was lost during the autumn and winter periods for corn. For both crops, there was an increase in loss from fall to winter and a decrease both from winter to spring and from spring to summer


We introduce a new kind of expectation transformer for a mixed classical-quantum programming language. Our semantic approach relies on a new notion of a cost structure, which we introduce and which can be seen as a specialisation of the Kegelspitzen of Keimel and Plotkin. We show that our weakest precondition analysis is both sound and adequate with respect to the operational semantics of the language. Using the induced expectation transformer, we provide formal analysis methods for the expected cost analysis and expected value analysis of classical-quantum programs. We illustrate the usefulness of our techniques by computing the expected cost of several well-known quantum algorithms and protocols, such as coin tossing, repeat until success, entangled state preparation, and quantum walks.


Asia, the Pacific Islands and the coasts of the Americas have long been studied separately. This essential single-volume history of the Pacific traces the global interactions and remarkable peoples that have connected these regions with each other and with Europe and the Indian Ocean, for millennia. From ancient canoe navigators, monumental civilisations, pirates and seaborne empires, to the rise of nuclear testing and global warming, Matt Matsuda ranges across the frontiers of colonial history, anthropology and Pacific Rim economics and politics, piecing together a history of the region. The book identifies and draws together the defining threads and extraordinary personal narratives which have contributed to this history, showing how localised contacts and contests have often blossomed into global struggles over colonialism, tourism and the rise of Asian economies. Drawing on Asian, Oceanian, European, American, ancient and modern narratives, the author assembles a fascinating Pacific region from a truly global perspective.


Nutrient enrichment in oligotrophic tropical waters is considered one of the main causes for coral reef degradation. In the present study, the impacts of net-pen fish-farming in the Gulf of Eilat, Red Sea, on coral biology were evaluated by investigating survival, growth and gonad development in 2 common branching coral species. From 10 Acropora eurystoma genotypes (colonies) 200 branches were collected and suspended for 7 mo from PVC plates adjacent to a commercial fish farm. They grew 3 times faster than a similar set of branches taken from the same 10 colonies and suspended on PVC plates at a non-enriched reference site. The increase in branch weight and volume was 2.7 and 4.3 times greater, respectively, at the fish farm than at the reference site. Survival rates were 100% at both sites. Nubbins of Stylophora pistillata deployed on plates at the 2 sites initially (first 4 mo) grew more rapidly at the reference site, but after 13 mo, the vertical extension levels were significantly larger at the fish-farm site (19.2 ± 6.1 vs 16.3 ± 4.6 mm, respectively). The average number of oocytes polyp -1 and the number of polyps with developing testes in mature S. pistillata colonies were significantly higher at the fish farm than at the reference site. It is suggested that nutrients released from intensive mariculture may not necessarily lead to the demise of coral reefs, as is commonly presumed.