Speaking has a very important social role in human life since by speaking human beings can interact and communicate ton each other. Speaking has grown since the beginning of human nature from childhood according to their age level. However, reality shows that there are still some children who face difficulty in speaking. They are unable to express themselves through speaking so that they become slow speakers, they cannot say words and sentences in accordance to their age level. N childhood, speaking is not always used to communicate but speaking can also be used as a medium to play. One of the games played is simulated games. By using this games, a child can utilize their speaking ability since they are required to speak speaking by sing
their thinking and feeling that they have by using their vocabularies they have and arrange it into sentences. Therefore, the writer conducts a research to find out whether or not simulated games can influence play group students aged 30-4 years. This study is conducted in As –Sakinah play group using those children in B class as the researched subjects about 17 students aged 3-4 years. In B class in morning shift we have 8 students as the control group and those 9 students in class B in afternoon shift serve as the experimental group. The data collection method is in the form of speaking test given in pre and post test given to both group as well. From the data analysis done, it is found out that there is significant difference (t= 5.199;Sig=0.000<0.01) in their pre test score and post test score shown in the speaking ability test in experimental group compared to the result of pre-test and post test in control group. Here the experimental groups are considered to have better speaking ability (Xe = 19.56) compared to control group (Xk= .25). Therefore, it can be concluded that there is a significant influence of simulated games toward the speaking ability of play group students aged 3-4 years.


In 1928, the late Francis Wayland Thurston published a scandalous manuscript in purport of warning the world of a global conspiracy of occultists. Among the documents he gathered to support his thesis was the personal account of a sailor by the name of Gustaf Johansen, describing an encounter with an extraordinary island. Johansen`s descriptions of his adventures upon the island are fantastic, and are often considered the most enigmatic (and therefore the highlight) of Thurston`s collection of documents. We contend that all of the credible phenomena which Johansen described may be explained as being the observable consequences of a localized bubble of spacetime curvature. Many of his most incomprehensible statements (involving the geometry of the architecture, and variability of the location of the horizon) can therefore be said to have a unified underlying cause. We propose a simplified example of such a geometry, and show using numerical computation that Johansen`s descriptions were, for the most part, not simply the ravings of a lunatic. Rather, they are the nontechnical observations of an intelligent man who did not understand how to describe what he was seeing. Conversely, it seems to us improbable that Johansen should have unwittingly given such a precise description of the consequences of spacetime curvature, if the details of this story were merely the dregs of some half remembered fever dream. We calculate the type of matter which would be required to generate such exotic spacetime curvature. Unfortunately, we determine that the required matter is quite unphysical, and possess a nature which is entirely alien to all of the experiences of human science. Indeed, any civilization with mastery over such matter would be able to construct warp drives, cloaking devices, and other exotic geometries required to conveniently travel through the cosmos.


The Presence Information Data Format Location Object (PIDF-LO)
specification provides a flexible and versatile means to represent
location information. There are, however, circumstances that arise
when information needs to be constrained in how it is represented. In
these circumstances, the range of options that need to be implemented
are reduced. There is growing interest in being able to use location
information contained in a PIDF-LO for routing applications. To allow
successful interoperability between applications, location information
needs to be normative and more tightly constrained than is currently
specified in RFC 4119 (PIDF-LO). This document makes recommendations
on how to constrain, represent, and interpret locations in a PIDF-LO.
It further recommends a subset of Geography Markup Language (GML)
3.1.1 that is mandatory to implement by applications involved in
location-based routing. [STANDARDS-TRACK]


Studies on effect of
 different hosts on biology of Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) carried
 out under laboratory conditions at 26±2°C and 65±5% R. H. indicated
 that the incubation period of eggs of C. carnea females feeding on
 different hosts as larvae was significantly (P 0.001) different
 from each other. The order of larval period on different prey
 species was Sitotroga cerealella Aphis gossypii henacoccus
 solenopsis mixed host diet Pectinophora gossypiella
 Helicoverpa armigera.The maximum (100%) and minimum (50%) survival
 to adult stage was recorded on S. cerealella and P.gossypiella as
 hosts. The highest fecundity per female (503.3±9.17) and fertility
 (85.61±0.68) of eggs were recorded for females reared on S.
 cerealella eggs as a larval diet. C. carnea larvae consumed maximum
 amount of food when feeding on S. cerealella eggs followed by A.
 gossypii. The insects reared on artificial diet laid more eggs which
 were significantly more fertile than the eggs of insects feeding on
 S. cerealella. Survival to adult stage was also significantly higher
 for those insects feeding on artificial diet as larvae. Larval
 density had significant (P 0.001) effect on larval and pupal
 duration, pupal weight and percent adult emergence. When C. carnea
 was reared on different temperature regimes, 26°C was found to be
 the optimum temperature regime with significantly higher pupal
 recovery, adult emergence, fecundity and fertility of eggs.
 Experiments conducted at lower temperature regimes for extending the
 shelf-life of C. carnea indicated that duration of storage and
 temperature significantly affected egg survival. No egg survived
 when stored at 5°C. Egg stored at 7 and 9°C had 66.0 and 71.52%
 survival and all eggs were killed when stored for more than one
 week. Lower temperature had negative effect on survival of first
 instar C. carnea. Second and third instar C. carnea larvae showed
 better survival at lower temperature during storage compared with
 first instar. Compared with eggs and larvae, pupal stage of C.
 carnea was more sensitive to lower temperature regimes. Duration of
 storage and temperature adversely affected fecundity of females and
 fertility of eggs.
 Larval mass-rearing methods indicated that rearing of individual
 larva in plastic tubes yielded highest larval survival and percent
 adult emergence compared with other two methods. Different
 concentrations of various proteins in the artificial adult diet of
 C. carnea had a significant (P 0.001) effect on fecundity and
 fertility of eggs. The highest fecundity (785.12±25.75) and
 fertility (89.23±0.36) of eggs was recorded for adults feeding on
 diet containing Nu lure (5.0 ml diet-1). Among all colours tested,
 C. carnea females preferred black colour as a substrate for
 egg-laying and laid the highest (91.00%) eggs. C. carnea laid
 highest number of eggs when a sex ratio of 1: 3 (male: females) was
 maintained. Radiation of C. carnea larvae and pupae affected the
 biological parameters. Larval period were extended when larvae were
 irradiated as first, second and third instars at 5 Gy. At higher
 dose levels, the biological parameters were affected negatively.
 Toxicity of insecticides against eggs of C. carnea varied
 significantly. Spinosad was non-toxic causing no egg mortality,
 abamectin was slightly toxic causing 2.5% mortality, while methomyl
 was highly toxic insecticide causing 26.25% mortality at field
 application dose rate. When C. carnea larvae and adults were exposed
 to insecticides, methomyl was found the most toxic and spinosad the
 least toxic insecticides.
 C. carnea egg cards were released in cotton (cv. NIAB-78) field for
 population management of sucking insect pests. Aphid, Aphis gossypii
 population reduction in predator released treatments was significant
 (P 0.001). By the end of season predator was able to cause 76.13
 and 75.02% population reduction of aphid during 2005 and 2006,
 respectively. Release of C. carnea cards in cotton crop
 significantly (P 0.001) reduced the population of jassid, Amrasca
 devastans; thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis and whitefly, Bemisia
 tabaci. The level of population reduction varied between different
 pest species. Population reduction was 83.70 and 76.07% for jassid;
 37.59 and 60.32% for thrips and 51.84 and 44.08% for whitefly during
 2005 and 2006, respectively. Release of C. carnea egg cards also had
 a significant effect on resident population of C. carnea in predator
 released treatments compared with control treatments. When C. carnea
 larvae were released in field cage study, third instar larvae were
 significantly (P 0.001) more effective than first and second
 instars in reducing sucking insect pest population in cotton.


In this paper I analyze the theory of legitimacy at the core of John Rawls' political liberalism. Rawls argues that a political system is well grounded when it is stable. This notion of stability embodies both pragmatic and moral elements, each of which constitutes a key desideratum of Rawlsian liberal legitimacy. But those desiderata are in tension with each other. My main claim is that Rawls' strategy to overcome that tension through his theory of public justification is ultimately unsuccessful, because the account of consensus it envisages is unstably placed between the extremes of moralized redundancy and pragmatic free-for-all. In other words, what counts as consensus is either regulated too tightly, or not enough.


The Canadian real estate investment trust (REIT) industry began in the early 1990s and, over the past twenty years, the legislative landscape governing REITs has changed dramatically. This dissertation examines how REIT legislation has progressed in Canada and the effects it has had on the industry as a whole. After examining the basic characteristics of a REIT, an overview of the legislative evolution is presented. This thesis argues that recent legislation has been successful in allowing REITs to flourish, with 48 public equity REITs now trading in Canada comprising a market capitalization of over CAD $50 billion. A thorough examination of the current REIT sector is conducted, drawing comparisons to the markets generally, income trusts, and the real estate sector. Little legal academic research has been done on this topic and this dissertation seeks to fill a gap in the legal literature concerning income trusts as a whole.


Studies which confirmed the huge urban housing and infrastructure deficits in Lagos, Nigeria have often considered urban housing in isolation from its infrastructure. This paper analysed the link between infrastructure development and sustainable housing through the comparative case-studies of three housing sectors in Lagos megacity. The study stressed the importance of infrastructure to human and economic development, with the objective of determining the sustainability of urban housing development in the context of neighbourhood infrastructure provision in the study area. It analysed the state of physical and social infrastructure especially as they relate to urban housing, distinguishing between public, organized private and popular housing sectors. Primary data were obtained from an on-going research project on the Lagos megacity, complemented by secondary data from related literature. The paper identified the associative factors for the housing deficit and those implicating deficiencies in infrastructure development, to include: one-off and ad-hoc approaches to housing problems; inappropriate implementation of housing and urban policies; inaccessibility and high costs of lands; under-investment in infrastructural expansion; poor maintenance and upgrading culture; systemic failures in mortgage schemes for home-ownership; and problems related to urban governance. The paper offered recommendations of options to consider in addressing the issues of housing and infrastructure deficits. It concluded on the need for housing developments that enhance mixed neighbourhoods, cost-efficient infrastructure management, and an integrated approach to resolving the deficit challenges in the built environment.


In its well-known judgment in Waite and Kennedy, (1) the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the jurisdictional immunity of international organizations may depend upon the availability of "reasonable alternative means" to protect effectively the rights of staff members in accordance with Article 6(1) of the European Convention of Human Rights, which guarantees the right to a fair trial. Some national courts (particularly in Europe) have considered the availability and adequacy of alternative dispute settlement mechanisms provided by international organizations to hear cases filed by their staff. While national courts have, in general, found that the mechanisms provided by international organizations are adequate, there have been a number of notable exceptions. (2) The Siedler litigation in the Belgian courts is well-known. The Belgian Cour de Cassation upheld the findings of the lower courts that the procedure of the Appeals Commission for the Western European Union (WEU) did not offer all of the guarantees inherent in the notion of a fair trial, and concluded that the limitation on the access to the normal courts by virtue of the jurisdictional immunity of the WEU was incompatible with Article 6(1) of the European Convention. (3) The Belgian courts had identified several deficiencies; for example, there were no provisions for the execution of the Commission's judgments or public hearings; the publication of decisions was not required; the members of the Commission were appointed by the intergovernmental organ of the WEU for a period of two years, which created an unduly close link between the Commission and the organization itself; and it was not possible to challenge members of the Commission. It is safe to say that the new system of justice in the United Nations would satisfy the requirements of the most critical national courts. I will attempt a quick review of the justice mechanisms of other international organizations in light of some of the deficiencies identified by the more critical national courts. Some objections need not detain us long. The objection regarding the lack of provisions on enforcement would not seem to be problematic; when organizations establish independent judicial bodies, there seems to be no reason to spell the obligation on organizations to give effect to decisions of such bodies. Similarly, while it can hardly be argued that judgments should be published, there is hardly any evidence to suggest that the administrative tribunals do not publish their decisions. Other objections do, however, warrant our attention. As judicial organs, administrative tribunals must be independent from the organization. The statutes of many administrative tribunals (such as those of the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)) state that they shall operate independently. One would have thought that such provisions should not be necessary; the judges hardly need to be reminded of their independence. However, some judicial bodies appear to have attached importance to such provisions. In Waite and Kennedy, the European Court of Human Rights attached importance to Staff Regulation 33[section]1 of the European Space Agency, which provided that the Agency's Appeals Board is "independent of the Agency," in ruling that Article 6(1) of the European Convention had not been violated. Similarly, in B v. European Patent Organization, the German Constitutional Court stated that the "status and principles of procedure" of the Administrative Tribunal of the International Labour Organization (ILOAT) satisfied "the international minimum standard of fundamental procedural fairness and the minimum rule of law demands of the [German] Basic Law" because, inter alia, the ILOAT decides cases "on the basis of its legally defined jurisdiction and by way of a proper legal procedure," and the statute of the ILOAT provides that "its judges are under a duty to be independent and free from bias. …


Both individual and public witnessing have always been integral to the process of living through catastrophe. Writing, and particularly literature, is a powerful form of witnessing. Reading José Saramago's Blindness (1995) in tandem with Orhan Pamuk's The While Caste (1985), this essay engages with the concept of witnessing, extending and deepening the way we might think about witnessing in a novel way in times of epidemics and pandemics. By reading these texts as narratives of plagues and epidemics at large, this essay aims to expand and challenge the association between witnessing and speech, between witnessing and sight through a critical attention to the role of affect, vitality, human and nonhuman materiality, and other communicative modes in these novels. While representing pandemics and epidemics, both Saramago and Pamuk, I argue, represent life, death, and the relation between self and other "beyond the human," with powerful implications for our contemporary understanding of history, community, and politics. Thereby, these texts create dynamic, and unorthodox narrative strategy for relating to, connecting with, and narrating other and more-than-human worlds, affected by heteronomy amid contagion.


ABSTRACTFrom September 1995 to April 1996 we studied interactions among dogs, people, and the environment in Boulder, Colorado. Data on behavioral disturbances by off-leash dogs who were accompanied by a person were collected with respect to dog-dog and dog-human interactions, dog-wildlife encounters, dogs trampling vegetation, and dogs entering and disturbing bodies of water. A questionnaire also was administered. Behavioral data showed that off-leash dogs generally did not travel far off trail, that when they did it was for short periods of time, and that they rarely were observed to chase other dogs, disturb people, chase wildlife, destroy vegetation, or enter bodies of water. Results from analyses of the questionnaire (skewed toward non-dog owners) showed that dog owners and non-dog owners agreed that people were more disruptive to the environment than dogs and that unruly people were more problematic than unruly dogs. We conclude that the well-being and interests of dogs should not summarily and dism...


The concept of sustainable rural development comprises three aspects - social, economical and ecological. They are supposed to act in synergy, but, at the same time, these aspects are supposed to be competitive. Agriculture, as a traditional activity of rural economy, contributes to the sustainable development of rural areas only if there is an adequate resources management. If not, there will be a significant degradation of rural environment. These are the reasons why sustainable agriculture development is emphasized since it maximizes productivity and minimizes negative effects on nature and human resources. In this context, one should observe the connection between agriculture and tourism existing in the EU, where the application of sustainable agricultural development concept produces external effects connected to biodiversity protection and environment in rural areas. These become a good foundation for the development of rural and ecotourism. EU enlargement induced diversification of support programmes that EU gives to the candidate countries, as well as to those who are just entering the process of stabilization and association to the EU. Through cross-border cooperation projects, many goals can be accomplished, among which aspiration for promotion of sustainable economical and social development in border regions is one of the leading. Knowing that these regions are usually passive and underdeveloped, the projects of cross-border cooperation could induce development of those activities in local economy, which could bring better living conditions and economic prosperity on the one hand, and protection of environment on the other. Examples of this kind of projects in Serbia can usually be found in rural and ecotourism development.


We are concerned with reasoning about the behavior of assemblies of components from models of components and their patterns of interaction. Behavioral models of assemblies are "composed" from behavioral models of components; the (composed) assembly model is then mapped to one or more reasoning frameworks, each suitable for a particular kind of analysis. Information relevant to each reasoning framework must be faithfully rendered in the assembly model, and it must be preserved under interpretation to the reasoning framework. Our concern in this paper is the faithful rendering of concurrency. Our approach makes use of information provided by components and extracted from static assembly topologies to faithfully model real concurrency. The result is more effective analysis.


This paper analyzes major changes in the regulation of the financial sector in Europe over the last three decades. Focusing on the pattern of change across five countries (Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain), the paper identifies two major periods of regulatory change: first, the shift away from postwar patterns of credit regulation in the 1970s and 1980s, and second, the intensification of state supervisory powers and the introduction of new regulatory structures from the 1990s to the present. In both cases, the authors point to the way in which different models of financial sector regulation affect the political consequences of macro-economic policy for political elites as an explanation for choices that governments have made in the regulatory arena. More specifical-ly, while regulatory change in the first period may be largely explained by the way in which dif-ferent postwar models of credit regulation impinged upon a government's political ability to im-pose disinflation, choices in favor of different regulatory structures in the second period (single regulator in Britain and Germany versus multiple regulators in the other countries) can be related to differences in the area of pension reform. By focusing on the political implications that differ-ent modes of financial regualtion can have for elected officials in the context of different macro-economic scenarios, the authors offer an explanation of regualtory change that differs from ac-counts which emphasize the primacy of financial market forces in driving such change.


REQUISITE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: PERCEIVED IMPACT UPON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND SCHOOL CLIMATE IN A MAGNET MIDDLE SCOOL by Elizabeth P. Rosner Parental involvement is considered important to a child's education, whether it is working closely with the teacher to aid student learning or volunteering for participation in after school activities. This grounded theory study focuses on stakeholders' perceptions of requisite parental involvement in a magnet middle school. The three tenets of grounded theory include: the emergent theory from the categories of data; the premise that participants' behavior has an underlying pattern that will emerge; and assurance that the participants, not the researcher, are the focus of the study. Data was collected from document analysis, interviews with administrators, teachers, a staff member, a community volunteer, and parents; as well as data collected from surveys of parents and teachers from the school. The survey data is both quantitative and qualitative. The data set for this research was comprehensive: 301 pages of correspondence, 48 pages of transcribed interviews, and 18 surveys. The surveys were submitted by both parents and teachers. The 6 teacher surveys submitted represent a return rate of 33.3%; the 12 parent surveys yielded a return rate of 5%. The five concepts that emerged from the data are: Regard, Team, Volunteer Opportunities, Propinquity, and Needs. The results indicate that social and economic capital informs requisite parental involvement in a magnet middle school, and its perceived impact upon student achievement and school climate. REQUISITE PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT: PERCEIVED IMPACT UPON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND SCHOOL CLIMATE IN A MAGNET MIDDLE SCOOL by Elizabeth P. Rosner


Background: Anemia is a common problem with serious consequences in older person but is often overlooked despite considerable evidence that low hemoglobin levels indicate physiologic decline in these patients. Multiple studies demonstrate that anemia is an independent risk factor for increased morbidity and mortality, and decreased quality of life in community-dwelling older persons. Increasing functional deterioration is associated with decreasing hemoglobin concentration in an inverse and linear manner. Aim: to assess the prevalence of anemia in free-living elderly subjects living in an urban community of Meet Abbad-Nabaroh, Dakahlia. Egypt and its impact on their functional level. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was done including 93 elderly ≥ 60 ys old, both males and females recruited from Meet Abbad-Nabaroh, Dakahlia, Egypt. All subjects underwent a complete medical history taking, clinical evaluation then blood hemoglobin level was measured, and anemia was defined according to the World Health Organization definition of anemia (hemoglobin level less than 13 g per dL [130 g per L] in men and less than 12 g per dL [120 g per L] in women). Results: The study revealed that the prevalence of anemia is 15.05% among the studied participants (14.5% among the male group and 16.1% among females), 14% had mild anemia and 1% had moderate anemia, with significant increase with age as there was significant difference (p = 0.042) between the different age groups of the studied participants, also history of blood loss and anemia showed positive significant correlation (p-value = 0.001), and highly significant correlations between intake of non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAID) and anemia (p-value = 0.000). The impact of anemia on functional status and risk of fall respectively showed significant difference between anemic and non anemic as regards instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) (p = 0.007), and timed up and go test (p-value = 0.01), also there is significant correlation between anemia and mini mental state examination (MMSE) (p-value 0.046) with worse performance among the anemic ones. Conclusion & Recommendation: anemia represents a health problem of significance among the community dwelling elderly with bad drawback on their functional level; their need for health & community services has a financial impact so this problem needs more assessment for better prevention and treatment.


The thesis at hand is subdivided into parts. In the first part we study the thermodynamics and structure of water adsorption on graphene and noble metal surfaces. The second part of this thesis is dedicated to surface damage caused by grazing incidence ion bombardment of graphene on Ir(111). Both parts are completed by a comparison of the various sample systems.

We study the structure and stability of the first water layer on Pt(111) by variable temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. Two structures observed previously by diffraction techniques are imaged for coverages at or close to completion of the wetting layer. At 140K only a (√37x√37)R25.3° superstructure can be established, while at 130K also a (√39x√39)R16.1° superstructure with slightly higher molecular density is formed. In the temperature range under concern the superstructures reversibly transform into each other by slight changes in coverage through adsorption or desorption. The superstructures exhibit a complex pattern of molecules in different geometries. We find that a high Pt step edge density considerably increases the long range order of the equilibrium superstructures, presumably due to the capability of step edges to trap residual adsorbates from the surface. Passivating the step edges with CO or preparing a flat metal surface leads to the formation of disordered structures, which still show the same structural elements as the ordered ones. Coadsorption of Xe and CO proves that the water layer covers the metal surface completely. Moreover, we determine the two-dimensional crystal structure of Xe on top of the chemisorbed water layer which exhibits a Xe-Xe distance close to the one in bulk Xe and a rotation angle of 90° between the close-packed directions of Xe and the close-packed directions of the underlying water layer. CO is shown to replace H2O on the Pt(111) surface as has been deduced previously. Finally, a so far not understood restructuring of the adlayer by an increased tunneling current has been observed.

We present experimental data regarding the wetting behaviour and structure formation of water on Ir(111). Studying the thermodynamics of water adsorption and pointing out the possibility to form a wetting layer, we perform a coverage dependent analysis of the sub-monolayer regime. We show that water molecules form planar, polar clusters upon adsorption. A continuous water layer forms out of the cluster phase for Θ>0.5ML. The molecular arrangement is nearly identical to the wetting layer observed on Pt(111). The water growth mode changes from wetting to non-wetting for Θ>1ML as the closed water monolayer is hydrophobic. For both Pt(111) and Ir(111), we demonstrate that tunneling of electrons into the antibonding state or from the bonding state of H2O leads to dissociation of the molecules and a corresponding reordering of the adlayer into a (√3x√3)R30°-structure.

An analogous study is carried out for water adsorption on a graphene covered Ir(111) surface. We show that water dewets graphene at 20K and forms three-dimensional, electronically insulating clusters aligned in the Gr/Ir(111) moire for Θ=3ML. Higher coverage results in coalescence and the formation of an amorphous adlayer. The occurence of this structure can be promoted by an increase of the adsorption temperature above 100K.

By combining ion beam experiments and atomistic simulations we study the production of defects in graphene on Ir(111) under grazing incidence of low energy noble gas ions. Low fluences are chosen to make the damage patterns of individual ions visible. We demonstrate that the ions are channeled in between graphene and the substrate, giving rise to chains of vacancy clusters, and control the defect structure via tuning of the bombardment parameters. Combining our experiments on thermal stability of defects and density functional theory calculations, we discuss the atomic structure of defects in detail and show that their edges are bending down towards the substrate to saturate dangling bonds by the metal surface. With the onset of vacancy cluster mobility around 800K, the vacancies sense formation energy differences within the graphene moire supercell, which paves the way towards the formation of a graphene nanomesh.

In order to realize this struture a transition from isolated ion impacts towards a defect density in the magnitude of one per moire cell has to be accomplished. We discuss the sample morphology and thermal evolution of the damage patterns following prolonged ion exposure. We show that the temperature during bombardment is of great importance to drive the carbon vacancies to these sites, where the formation energy is lowest, and thus allow for an immediate reconstruction of the graphene layer. Elaborating appropriate parameters for the formation of a high quality nanomesh regarding ion energy and fluence, we give an experimental realization of this structure.


The need for antiviral therapies for papillomavirus infections is well recognized but the difficulties of reproducing the infectious cycle of papillomaviruses in vitro has hindered our understanding of virus-cell interactions and the regulation of viral gene expression during permissive growth. Recent advances in understanding the temporal expression and function of papillomavirus proteins has enabled consideration of a targeted approach to papillomavirus chemotherapy and in particular the inhibition of viral replication by targeting the E1 and E2 proteins. There are in vitro culture systems available for the screening of new chemotherapeutic agents, since significant advances have been made with culture systems which promote epithelial differentiation in vitro. However, to date, there are no published data which show that virions generated in vitro can infect keratinocytes and initiate another round of replication in vitro. In vivo animal models are therefore necessary to assess the efficacy of antivirals in preventing and treating viral infection, particularly for the low-risk genital viruses which are on the whole refractory to culture in vitro. Although papillomaviruses affect a wide variety of hosts in a species-specific manner, the animals most useful for modelling papillomavirus infections include the rabbit, ox, mouse, dog, horse, primate and sheep. The ideal animal model should be widely available, easy to house and handle, be large enough to allow for adequate tissue sampling, develop lesions on anatomical sites comparable with those in human diseases and these lesions should be readily accessible for monitoring and ideally should yield large amounts of infectious virus particles for use in both in vivo and in vitro studies. The relative merits of the various papillomavirus animal models available in relation to these criteria are discussed.


The novelty of the notion that amenities could be an important mobility magnet takes us back to the beginning of what would be a historically lengthy, sustained post–World War II period of prosperity. New industries and urban landscapes were blossoming in the previously peripheral states of California, Florida, and Arizona, whose populations in the decade of the 1940s increased by a net of 53 percent, 50 percent, and 46 percent, respectively (Ullman 1954, 121). Their climatological charms were starting to attract a wave that would reshape the American urban, economic, and political landscape. Seven years after the publication of Edward Ullman's classic article, my family became part of the midwestern migration that followed the defense industry to sunny Southern California. The notion that 'climate and legend' could motivate an industry as mighty as the U.S. military to choose to relocate and prosper there seemed farfetched (Ullman 1954, 120). But, as Ullman began his article, the times were unleashing a revolutionary prosperity.


This study aims to explore whether human intentions to move or cease to move right and left hands can be decoded from spatiotemporal features in non-invasive EEG in order to control a discrete two-dimensional cursor movement for a potential multidimensional brain–computer interface (BCI). Five naïve subjects performed either sustaining or stopping a motor task with time locking to a predefined time window by using motor execution with physical movement or motor imagery. Spatial filtering, temporal filtering, feature selection and classification methods were explored. The performance of the proposed BCI was evaluated by both offline classification and online two-dimensional cursor control. Event-related desynchronization (ERD) and post-movement event-related synchronization (ERS) were observed on the contralateral hemisphere to the hand moved for both motor execution and motor imagery. Feature analysis showed that EEG beta band activity in the contralateral hemisphere over the motor cortex provided the best detection of either sustained or ceased movement of the right or left hand. The offline classification of four motor tasks (sustain or cease to move right or left hand) provided 10-fold cross-validation accuracy as high as 88% for motor execution and 73% for motor imagery. The subjects participating in experiments with physical movement were able to complete the online game with motor execution at an average accuracy of 85.5 ± 4.65%; the subjects participating in motor imagery study also completed the game successfully. The proposed BCI provides a new practical multidimensional method by noninvasive EEG signal associated with human natural behavior, which does not need long-term training.


In their work on the development of welfare states in Europe and America, authors like Peter Flora and Arnold Heidenheimer (1981), Hugh Heclo (1985), and Francis Castles (1989) argued that there exits a trade-off between government investment in public education versus spending for social policy. We explore this "trade-off" thesis and the relationship between public education and social programs for 18 democratic industrial nations since the 1960s, with a special consideration of the German case. Our results indicate a strong association between educational policies and social programs in these nations and we find evidence of a "trade-off." More specifically, the types of welfare states Esping-Andersen (1990) describes - liberal, conservative, and social democratic - are correlated with particular profiles for educational policy. Certain types of welfare regimes exhibit a tendency to choose between educational opportunities or social insurance programs as alternative policy strategies.


Orbit (02/11/2017)  Modelling tick abundance using machine learning techniques and satellite imagery Recently, focus on tick-borne diseases has increased as diseases such as Lyme disease and tickborne encephalitis have become more widespread and represent a real health problem in many parts of Europe. Effective control and prevention of these diseases requires a better understanding of the factors affecting the vectors. There is a great need for analyses and models that can predict how vectors and their associated diseases are distributed now and possibly in the future. As a part of the ScandTick Innovation project, we surveyed and collected ticks at approximately 30 sites in each of Denmark, southern Norway and south-eastern Sweden. At each site we measured presence/absence and relative tick abundance using northand eastfacing line transect, where number of larvae, nymphs and adult females and males were counted at eight 50 m transects. We used the data obtained along with environmental satellite images to run Boosted Regression Tree machine learning algorithms to predict overall distribution (presence/absence of ticks) and relative tick abundance of nymphs and larvae in southern Scandinavia. For nymphs, the predicted abundance had a positive correlation with observed abundance and the spatial variation found corresponded well with known abundance and distributions of ticks in Scandinavia, with higher abundance and more widespread distribution in Denmark compared to Norway and Sweden. Because abundance was strongly correlated with forested habitats the risk areas were much larger in Sweden and Norway compared to Denmark. In both the Norwegian and Swedish regions, abundance was markedly higher nearer the coastline. Presence of larvae was much more clustered in the observed data, which was also reflected in the predicted abundance and distribution maps for the region. Whereas the predicted distribution of larvae was mostly even throughout Denmark, it was primarily around the coastlines in Norway and Sweden. Abundance was fairly low overall except in some fragmented patches corresponding to forested habitats in the region. Machine learning techniques allow us to predict for larger areas without having to perform extensive sampling all over the region in question. The results from these models can be used in epidemiological models and can help us determine areas under risk of disease transmission and help us interpret human incidence data. Next step will be to analyze the collected ticks for pathogens and using the same machine learning techniques to develop prevalence maps of the ScandTick region.


World is facing numerous environmental challenges, one of them being the increasing pollution both in the atmosphere and landfi lls. After the goods have been used, they are either buried or burnt. Both ways of disposal are detrimental and hazardous to the environment. The term biodegradation is becoming more and more important, as it converts materials into water, carbon dioxide and biomass, which present no harm to the environment. Nowadays, a lot of research is performed on the development of biodegradable polymers, which can "vanish" from the Earth surface after being used. In this respect, this research work was conducted in order to study the biodegradation phenomenon of cellulosic and non-cellulosic textile materials when buried in soil, for them to be used in our daily lives with maximum effi ciency and after their use, to be disposed of easily with no harmful eff ects to the environment. This research indicates the time span of the use life of various cellulosic and non-cellulosic materials such as cotton, jute, linen, fl ax, wool when used for the reinforcement of soil. The visual observations and applied microscopic methods revealed that the biodegradation of cellulose textile materials proceeded in a similar way as for non-cellulosic materials, the only difference being the time of biodegradation. The non-cellulosic textile material (wool) was relatively more resistant to microorganisms due to its molecular structure and surface.


Crystal methamphetamine, also known as "ice" or "crystal meth," is a potent psychostimulant drug that can cause irreversible physical and psychological damage to users (Halkitis, 2009). This qualitative research investigated the lived experiences of users, the background of their addiction, and the effects of using this drug. Six men between 31 and 39 years of age participated in the research. Three main themes emerged from the data: context, aftermath, and recovery. Respondents identified an inability to cope with dysfunctional family environments and negative social influences as the main causes of their crystal methamphetamine addiction, which resulted in significant adverse effects on their physical and mental health, relationships, occupation, and behaviour. They expressed a need for integrated and family focussed services, as well as a decriminalised approach towards crystal methamphetamine usage to help individuals and their families in the recovery journey.


ABSTRACT Nostalgia is an important concept in the study of heritage tourism, especially as a push factor, but less attention is devoted to how nostalgia influences place attachment and vice versa, especially in relation to both individual and collective community experiences. While place attachment has been discussed in the context of second homes, nostalgia has received little attention, with none directed specifically at historic second home communities or those which had recently experienced a disaster. Therefore, this paper presents an analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted among second homeowners in Ocean Beach, New York, which is a century-old second home community with a rich local heritage that was hit by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The findings show that the respondents display different aspects of nostalgia, in particular endo- and meso- nostalgia. This work conceptualizes meso-nostalgia as an umbrella term for the previously discussed nostalgias which focus on the gray area between personal and collective memories. The findings also show the respondents' deep connection to the second home landscape, but there was a marked difference between respondents with inherited second homes and those who had purchased them wherein inherited homeowners' nostalgia was closer to those of permanent residents in previous studies.


The influence of arsenate and phosphate levels in water on the formation of arsenic-containing lipids (arsenolipids) and water-soluble arsenicals by a unicellular marine alga was investigated by exposing Dunaliella tertiolecta to five regimes of arsenic and phosphate, and determining the biosynthesized organoarsenicals with HPLC/mass spectrometry. Under all conditions, the major arsenolipid produced by D. tertiolecta was the novel phytyl 5-dimethylarsinoyl-2-O-methyl-ribofuranoside (AsSugPhytol546) representing ca. 35-65% of total arsenolipids. The new compound contains a phytol aglycone and a methoxy group replacing a sugar hydroxyl - two structural features not previously observed for arsenolipids. Minor arsenolipids were several previously reported arsenosugar phospholipids (AsSugPLs, in particular AsSugPL958 and the previously unknown AsSugPL978), the relative quantities of which increased with increasing phosphate exposure, and an arsenic-containing hydrocarbon (AsHC360), which remained unaffected by the different treatments. The relative amount of total arsenolipids produced by D. tertiolecta remained remarkably constant (ca. 45% of total As) and independent of the culture conditions. In contrast, with rising As-concentrations we observed an increase of hydrophilic arsenicals, which were dominated by arsenate and arsenosugars. The results highlight a possible major difference in arsenic biochemistry between macroalgae and unicellular algae with potential implications for how various algae handle their natural arsenic exposure in the world's oceans.

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We are interested in supervised metric learning of Mahalanobis like distances. Existing approaches mainly focus on learning a new distance using similarity and dissimilarity constraints between examples. In this paper, instead of bringing closer examples of the same class and pushing far away examples of different classes we propose to move the examples with respect to virtual points. Hence, each example is brought closer to a a priori defined virtual point reducing the number of constraints to satisfy. We show that our approach admits a closed form solution which can be kernelized. We provide a theoretical analysis showing the consistency of the approach and establishing some links with other classical metric learning methods. Furthermore we propose an efficient solution to the difficult problem of selecting virtual points based in part on recent works in optimal transport. Lastly, we evaluate our approach on several state of the art datasets.


Purpose: This paper aims to analyse the challenges of lean manufacturing implementation in the remanufacturing industry. The research was undertaken in three types of remanufacturing company, torque converter, gearbox, and jet engine remanufacturers. This paper describes the characteristics of remanufacturing companies and compares them with the best practice company adopting lean manufacturing best practice: Toyota Motor Company. Through a comparison of the characteristics of the manufacturing environment, macro, and external condition, the challenges of adopting lean manufacturing are identified.Design/methodology/approach: This study utilised a case study method to analyse qualitative data collected from interviews, observations, and focus group discussions. Although case studies are typically used in inductive research, this study followed a deductive approach.Findings: The analysis demonstrated that remanufacturing companies experience challenges due to contextual differences to the benchmark company. The research found that there are some practices that are embedded in remanufacturing companies, but that the companies do not realise that these are lean manufacturing practices. On the other hand, there are a number of external factors that are beyond the remanufacturers' control that hinder the adoption of lean manufacturing. In addition, the aftermarket business of remanufacturers has resulted in a number of distinctive macro condition characteristics that make the adoption of lean manufacturing more complex.Practical implications: Successfully addressing barriers to lean manufacturing adoption might enhance the performance of remanufacturing process. This is because the business of remanufacturing is not value creation, but capturing value from used products.Originality/value: This paper contributes to existing literature examining lean production in remanufacturing companies. It is novel in the sense that it is the first study examining lean production in the remanufacturing industry from organisational and managerial perspectives.


We introduce a technique for augmenting neural text-to-speech (TTS) with lowdimensional trainable speaker embeddings to generate different voices from a single model. As a starting point, we show improvements over the two state-ofthe-art approaches for single-speaker neural TTS: Deep Voice 1 and Tacotron. We introduce Deep Voice 2, which is based on a similar pipeline with Deep Voice 1, but constructed with higher performance building blocks and demonstrates a significant audio quality improvement over Deep Voice 1. We improve Tacotron by introducing a post-processing neural vocoder, and demonstrate a significant audio quality improvement. We then demonstrate our technique for multi-speaker speech synthesis for both Deep Voice 2 and Tacotron on two multi-speaker TTS datasets. We show that a single neural TTS system can learn hundreds of unique voices from less than half an hour of data per speaker, while achieving high audio quality synthesis and preserving the speaker identities almost perfectly.


In this paper we provide a bijective proof of a theorem of Garsia and Gessel describing the generating function of the major index over the set of all permutations of $[n]=\{1,...,n\}$ which are shuffles of given disjoint ordered sequences $\pi_1,...,\pi_k$ whose union is $[n]$. The proof is based on a result (an "insertion lemma") of Haglund, Loehr, and Remmel which describes the change in major index resulting from the insertion of a given new element in any place in a given permutation. Using this lemma we prove the theorem by establishing a bijection between shuffles of ordered sequences and a certain set of partitions. A special case of Garsia and Gessel's theorem provides a proof of the equidistribution of major index and inversion number over inverse descent classes, a result first proved bijectively by Foata and Schutzenberger in 1978. We provide, based on the method of our first proof, another bijective proof of this result.


Cold atom devices permit the exploration of novel forms of quantum transport that are difficult or impossible to realize in traditional electron transport setups. Under the action of an external driving, long-term coherent atom motion can be quite sensitive to the initial switching conditions even in the presence of interactions [1]. If the driving violates spaceand time-inversion symmetry simultaneously, then coherent motion of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a given direction can be induced [2], as has been recently observed [3]. For weak driving, this coherent quantum ratchet stems from the interference between firstand second-order processes, as revealed by precise analytical work [4]. A different scenario is that of a leaking condensate passing through an interface which separates regions of subsonic and supersonic flow. On the supersonic (normal) side of the event horizon, we find the bosonic analog of Andreev reflection in superconductors [5]. On the other hand, the analog of Hawking radiation is emitted into the subsonic side, even at zero temperature. We study a double barrier structure which is predicted to emit resonant, highly non-thermal Hawking radiation [6]. [1] C. E. Creffield and F. Sols, "Controlled Generation of Coherent Matter Currents Using a Periodic Driving Field", Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 250402 (2008). [2] C. E. Creffield and F. Sols, "Coherent Ratchets in Driven Bose-Einstein Condensates", Phys. Rev. Lett. 103, 200601 (2009). [3] T. Salger, S. Kling, T. Hecking, C. Geckeler, L. Morales-Molina, and M. Weitz, "Directed Transport of Atoms in a Hamiltonian Quantum Ratchet", Science 326, 1241 (2009). [4] M. Heimsoth, C. E. Creffield, and F. Sols, "Weakly driven quantum coherent ratchets in cold-atom systems", Phys. Rev. A 82, 023607 (2010). [5] I. Zapata and F. Sols, "Andreev Reflection in Bosonic Condensates", Phys. Rev. Lett. 102, 180405 (2009). [6] I. Zapata, M. Albert, R. Parentani, F. Sols, "Resonant Hawking radiation in Bose-Einstein condensates", arXiv:1103.2994.


Riparian forests with oaks, ashes and elms, now highly fragmented and rare in Europe, are considered hotspots for ecosystem services. However, their capacity to provide pollination seems to be quite low, although reports from in-situ research supporting this view are scarce. Our goal was therefore to thoroughly assess their pollination potential based on multifaceted field measurements. For this, we selected six test sites with well-developed riparian hardwood forests, located in the agricultural landscape along the middle Vistula River in Poland. We used seven indicators relating to habitat suitability (nesting sites and floral resources) and pollinator abundance (bumblebees and other Apoidea) and propose a threshold value (AdjMax) based on value distribution and Hampel's test to indicate the level of pollination potential for this type of riparian forest. The obtained AdjMax for bumblebee density was 500 ind. ha−1, for Apoidea abundance—0.42 ind. day−1, while for nectar resources—200 kg ha−1. We demonstrate that the investigated small patches of the riparian hardwood forest have a higher pollination potential than reported earlier for riparian and other broadleaved temperate forests, but the indicators were inconsistent. As forest islands in the agricultural landscape, riparian hardwood forests play an important role in maintaining the diversity and abundance of wild pollinators, especially in early spring when there is still no food base available elsewhere.


Since the publication of the still very valuable Biblioteca historica de la filologia by Cipriano Munoz y Manzano, conde de la Vinaza (Madrid, 1893), our knowledge of the history of the study of the Spanish language has grown considerably. It has been the purpose of BICRES I (from the early beginnings to 1600), published in 1994, to bring together already available bibliographical information with the more recent research findings, scattered in many places, books and articles and published during the past one hundred years. BICRES II (covering the 1601–1700 period) followed in 1999. Now, the third volume, arranged according to the same principles as those guiding the preceding volumes and covering the years from 1701 to 1800, has become available. Years of research in the major libraries of Spain and other European countries have gone into this new bibliography in order to offer, in an as exhaustive as possible fashion, a description of all Spanish grammars and dictionaries, histories of the Spanish language as well studies devoted to particular facets of its evolution during the 18th century. Bibliografia cronologica de la linguistica, la gramatica y la lexicografia del espanol , volume III (BICRES III) brings together in chronological order more than 1,500 titles. Access to the bibliographical information is facilitated by several detailed indexes, such as an author index, a short title index, and a listing of places of production, of printers and publishers, and also an index of the physical location of the books described.


This title was shortlisted for the 2015 Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards - Nonfiction Book of the Year. Eamon de Valera is the most remarkable man in the history of modern Ireland. Much as Churchill personified British resistance to Hitler and de Gaulle personified the freedom of France, de Valera personified Irish independence. From his emergence in the aftermath of the 1916 rebellion as the republican leader, he bestrode Irish politics like a colossus for more than fifty years. On the eve of the centenary of the Irish Revolution, one of Ireland's most eminent historians explains why Eamon de Valera was such a divisive figure that he has never - until now - received the recognition he deserves. This biography reconciles an acknowledgement of de Valera's catastrophic failure in 1921-22, when his petulant rejection of the Anglo-Irish Treaty shaped the dimensions of a bloody civil war, with an appreciation of his subsequent greatness as the statesman who single-handedly severed the ties with Britain and defined nationalist Ireland's sense of itself.


Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder affecting women of reproductive age. Oligomenorrhoea and amenorrhoea are cardinal symptoms of PCOS but the effectiveness and acceptability of current conventional treatments for regulating menses remains questionable and other treatments need to be explored. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is widely used for PCOS in China and in the UK. This PhD aimed to explore the role of CHM for PCOS-related oligomenorrhoea and amenorrhoea in UK primary care. I conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis which included 4 methodologically-poor quality randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Preliminary results appear to suggest CHM is likely to be safe, with few adverse effects, and have a potential benefit on testosterone and luteinising hormone. A Delphi study with CHM practitioners was conducted which resulted in 85 items being included within good clinical practice guidelines for CHM treatment of PCOS. These guidelines were used to inform the protocol for an RCT. My initial RCT protocol involved a feasibility study in primary care comparing three treatments: standardised CHM plus usual care, placebo plus usual care and usual care alone. Unfortunately the CHM manufacturer experienced difficulties obtaining documentation in a timely manner, necessitating a protocol revision. A feasibility study was finally conducted in private practices successfully recruiting 40 women who were randomised to either standardised CHM or individualised CHM. Study results suggest both standardised and individualised CHMs are safe and acceptable, and both have similar clinically important benefits on menstrual status in PCOS. My findings suggest further research into CHM for PCOS-related oligo-and amenorrhoea is warranted. I have demonstrated that rigorous CHM RCT evidence can benefit by consulting CHM practitioners to maximise model validity. Clinical data from the feasibility study provides effect size estimates and pilot data that will facilitate planning for a larger-scale definitive study.


Product reliability and its environmental performance have become critical elements within a product's specification and design. To obtain a high level of confidence in the reliability of the design it is customary to test the design under realistic conditions in a laboratory. The objective of the work is to examine the feasibility of designing mechanical test rigs which exhibit prescribed dynamical characteristics. The design is then attached to the rig and excitation is applied to the rig, which then transmits representative vibration levels into the product. The philosophical considerations made at the outset of the project are discussed as they form the basis for the resulting design methodologies. It is attempted to directly identify the parameters of a test rig from the spatial model derived during the system identification process. It is shown to be impossible to identify a feasible test rig design using this technique. A finite dimensional optimal design methodology is developed which identifies the parameters of a discrete spring/mass system which is dynamically similar to a point coordinate on a continuous structure. This design methodology is incorporated within another procedure which derives a structure comprising a continuous element and a discrete system. This methodology is used to obtain point coordinate similarity for two planes of motion, which is validated by experimental tests. A limitation of this approach is that it is impossible to achieve multi-coordinate similarity due to an interaction of the discrete system and the continuous element at points away from the coordinate of interest. During the work the importance of the continuous element is highlighted and a design methodology is developed for continuous structures. The design methodology is based upon distributed parameter optimal design techniques and allows an initial poor design estimate to be moved in a feasible direction towards an acceptable design solution. Cumulative damage theory is used to provide a quantitative method of assessing the quality of dynamic similarity. It is shown that the combination of modal analysis techniques and cumulative damage theory provides a feasible design synthesis methodology for representative test rigs.


Two common Fourier imaging algorithms used in ground penetrating radar (GPR), synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and frequency-wavenumber (F-K) migration, are reviewed and compared from a theoretical perspective. The two algorithms, while arising from seemingly different physical models: a point-scatterer model for SAR and the exploding source model for F-K migration, result in similar imaging equations. Both algorithms are derived from an integral equation formulation of the inverse scalar wave problem, which allows a clear understanding of the approximations being made in each algorithm and allows a direct comparison. This derivation brings out the similarities of the two techniques which are hidden by the traditional formulations based on physical scattering models. The comparison shows that the approximations required to derive each technique from the integral equation formulation of the inverse problem are nearly identical, and hence the two imaging algorithms and physical models are making similar assumptions about the solution to the inverse problem, thus clarifying why the imaging equations are so similar. Sample images of landmine-like targets buried in sand are obtained from experimental GPR data using both algorithms.


Understanding the spatial and temporal scales at which environmental variation affects populations of plants and animals is an important goal for modern population biology, especially in the context of shifting climatic conditions. The El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) generates climatic extremes of interannual variation, and has been shown to have significant effects on the diversity and abundance of a variety of terrestrial taxa. However, studies that have investigated the influence of such large-scale climate phenomena have often been limited in spatial and taxonomic scope. We used 23 years (1988-2010) of a long-term butterfly monitoring data set to explore associations between variation in population abundance of 28 butterfly species and variation in ENSO-derived sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) across 10 sites that encompass an elevational range of 2750 m in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. Our analysis detected a positive, regional effect of increased SSTA on butterfly abundance (wetter and warmer years predict more butterfly observations), yet the influence of SSTA on butterfly abundances varied along the elevational gradient, and also differed greatly among the 28 species. Migratory species had the strongest relationships with ENSO-derived SSTA, suggesting that large-scale climate indices are particularly valuable for understanding biotic-abiotic relationships of the most mobile species. In general, however, the ecological effects of large-scale climatic factors are context dependent between sites and species. Our results illustrate the power of long-term data sets for revealing pervasive yet subtle climatic effects, but also caution against expectations derived from exemplar species or single locations in the study of biotic-abiotic interactions.


During the nineties, significant reorganization of the Russian domestic and international environmental policy took place. Together with broader opportunities for institutional innovations in the environmental sector, the specifics of changes in economic, social and political systems, and instability of their major parameters during transition imposed constraints on institutional capacity building in environmental protection. Many of the newly introduced instruments of environmental management, most of them copied from the West, were significantly modified and deformed under such impacts: they had produced non-standard outcomes, and their effectiveness appeared to be lower than predicted at the start of reforms at the beginning of 1990s. This article analyses major success and failures in environmental policy implementation in Russia during the last decade, and outlines main features in approaches of the new government to institutional reorganization. Further developments are to demonstrate to what extent it would succeed in fostering economic growth in ways that protect the environment.


Machine learning for asset management faces a unique set of challenges that differ markedly from other domains where machine learning has excelled. Understanding these differences is critical for developing impactful approaches and realistic expectations for machine learning in asset management. We discuss a variety of beneficial use cases and potential pitfalls, and emphasize the importance of economic theory and human expertise for achieving success through financial machine learning.


Commercial property lending has been the main reason for defaults during most financial crises, bothinternationally and in New Zealand. With the commercial property market recovering strongly, this article reviews the structure of the New Zealand market and its relationship to financial stability. A key conclusion is that risks in commercial property have declined since the global financial crisis (GFC) because less leverage is being used to fund new purchases and developments.


Closing images of films are used to maintain a status quo. Thus images of a happy ending 'mend' our critical experience of the world by washing audiences in the escapist glow of cinema light, hiding the chains with flowers. I Am Legend (2008) is an example of how a happy ending sanitises the cinema exit, neutralising subversive images before the audience leaves. Contrasting the Hollywood tradition with the critical tradition, this chapter lists ways in which a young scriptwriter can consciously choose his/her own use of images. Most Hollywood scriptwriting gurus encourage film students to use techniques which 'hypnotise' the audience with emotional catharsis. Instead, this chapter helps film students to break the mould of this canon.


The multifunctional protein, β‐catenin, has essential roles in cell adhesion and, through the Wnt signaling pathway, in controlling cell differentiation, development, and generation of cancer. Could distinct molecular forms of β‐catenin underlie these two functions? Our single‐molecule force spectroscopy of armadillo β‐catenin, with molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, suggests a model in which the cell generates various forms of β‐catenin, in equilibrium. We find β‐catenin and the transcriptional factor Tcf4 form two complexes with different affinities. Specific cellular response is achieved by the ligand binding to a particular matching preexisting conformer. Our MD simulation indicates that complexes derive from two conformers of the core region of the protein, whose preexisting molecular forms could arise from small variations in flexible regions of the β‐catenin main binding site. This mechanism for the generation of the various forms offers a route to tailoring future therapeutic strategies.


: We conduct and analyze two large surveys of hypothetical annuitization choices. We find that allowing individuals to annuitize a fraction of their wealth increases annuitization relative to a situation where annuitization is an "all or nothing" decision. Very few respondents choose declining real payout streams over flat or increasing real payout streams of equivalent expected present value. Highlighting the effects of inflation increases demand for cost of living adjustments. Frames that highlight flexibility, control, and investment significantly reduce annuitization. A majority of respondents prefer to receive an extra "bonus" payment during one month of the year that is funded by slightly lower payments in the remaining months. Concerns about later-life income, spending flexibility, and counterparty risk are the most important self-reported motives that influence the annuitization decision. The findings and conclusions expressed


This short Country Report, a result of a larger infoDev-supported Survey of ICT in Education in Africa, provides a general overview of current activities and issues related to ICT use in education in the country. The data presented here should be regarded as illustrative rather than exhaustive. ICT use in education is at a particularly dynamic stage in Africa; new developments and announcements happening on a daily basis somewhere on the continent. Therefore, these reports should be seen as "snapshots" that were current at the time they were taken; it is expected that certain facts and figures presented may become dated very quickly.


We introduce the Anatomy of Resistance Campaigns (ARC) dataset, which records information on 1,426 organizations that participated in events of maximalist violent and nonviolent contention in Africa from 1990 to 2015. The ARC dataset contains 17 variables covering organization-level features such as type, age, leadership, goals, and interorganizational alliances. These data facilitate new measurements of key concepts in the study of contentious politics, such as the social and ideological diversity of resistance episodes, in addition to measures of network centralization and fragmentation. The ARC dataset helps resolve existing debates in the field and opens new avenues of inquiry.


Therapeutic human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines for cervical cancer depend on a competent immune system to be effective. However, cancer patients are often found to be immunosuppressed, which could be attributable to prior radiation, chemotherapy, or the tumor burden itself. This study investigated whether pelvic radiation or cisplatin treatment affected the efficacy of an HPV vaccine and how long these effects lasted. Mice were given pelvic radiation, 2 Gy/day to a total dose of 45 Gy, or 5 mg/kg/week of cisplatin for 3 weeks. Mice were then immunized with an HPV-16 peptide vaccine between 0 and 16 weeks after their treatment. An ELISPOT analysis revealed that a reduced level of peptide-specific, IFNgamma-producing spleen cells was present in immunized mice treated previously with pelvic radiation or cisplatin compared with immunized mice that had not been treated. However, when mice were challenged with HPV-16-expressing tumor cells, immunized mice developed no tumors, regardless of prior treatment, whereas nonimmunized mice did develop tumors. Our results suggest that pretreatment with pelvic radiation or cisplatin alone does not prevent the induction of an effective immune response by a peptide vaccine. These data will have important implications for immunotherapeutic treatment of pretreated cancer patients, especially in the adjuvant setting when immunosuppression by tumor burden would be low.


The classic treatment of the cutaneous leishmaniosis consists on the injection of 15-20 ampoule of Glucantine what causes serious secondary effects. This fact justifies the search of new medications what motivated the present investigation. The objective was to evaluate the leishmanicidal activity of the methanolic extracts (ME) of the white, red, purple and black ecotypes of Lepidium peruvianum Chacon (at present Lepidium meyenii Walp.) about the growth of Leishmania braziliensis peruviana in vitro. The promastigotes reached the logarithmic phase to the fifth day of cultivation at 27 oC in the two-phase Columbia medium with 15% of defibrinated sheep blood and they faced, for separate, with the ME to concentrations of 50, 100, 200 and 400 μg/ml. The recounts were made daily with camera Neubauer. The maximum decrease of promastigotes (17.41% of viability) took place to the second day for the purple ecotype with the concentration of 400 μg/ml. The leishmanicidal effect would be related with the imidazolic alkaloids, glucosinolates, flavonoids, tannins and saponines present in the ME. The conclusion is that only ME of the white and purple ecotypes presents leishmanicidal activity, at second day of culture.


The Basic Services for the Urban Poor (BSUP) sub-Mission of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) sought to address the needs of some of the lowest-income and most vulnerable urban dwellers in Indian cities. The promise was that these residents would receive 'a garland of 7 entitlements' – security of tenure, affordable housing, water, sanitation, health, education and social security in low-income settlements in the 63 Mission cities. We researched the outcomes of the BSUP in five Indian cities (Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Pune and Visakhapatnam), which were selected because of their diversity. They presented a wide range of socio-economic contexts and economic development and also differed in the nature and extent of civil society involvement in BSUP programming.
The research findings analysed outcomes of the BSUP interventions and addressed the significance of State capacities, commitments and vision for urban development for these outcomes. The analysis then considered the 'drivers of capacity, commitment and vision'. The vision (or idea) of urban development emerged as a significant indicator of outcomes. In practice, the BSUP became a housing programme. The extent to which informal settlement upgrading was preferred over resettlement and site redevelopment with the construction of medium-rise apartments made a significant difference to the satisfaction of residents. Also important, and particularly exemplified by experiences in Pune, was willingness to work with civil society organisations, incorporating their expertise and skills. However, these were not present in all cities. Residents in Bhopal and Visakhapatnam may face particular affordability challenges due to high levels of debt incurred through participation in the BSUP.
In summary, BSUP experiences and outcomes provide evidence of the significance of vision capacity and commitment. While in part these are determined by levels of economic and institutional development, they are also influenced by government willingness to collaborate with civil society agencies with appropriate experiences and skills.


This Study provides a definition of cost-effective Earth observation missions, information about background material and organizational support, shows the cost drivers and how to achieve cost-effective missions, and provides a chapter dedicated to training and education. The focus is on the status quo and prospects of applications in the field of Earth observation. Finally, conclusions and recommendations are summarized in terms of
• more general facts that drive the small satellite mission activities,
• outcomes from the background material used in the study which show that good work have been done before and the lessons learned process started soon after beginning of the small satellite activities,
• additional outcomes of the study which go beyond the information of the background material, and
some visions concerning the future of cost-effective Earth observation missions.


169 Considering all man-made structures in karst areas, dams, reservoirs and tunnels are the most vulnerable in relation to induced subsidence and caverns. Reservoirs that are located entirely or partially on karstified rocks covered with unconsolidated sediments are especially subsidence-prone. As a consequence of induced subsidence a number of reservoirs in karst areas failed and were never fully filled . Such subsidence formation is very damaging because the development is unpredictable and practically instantaneous. Reservoirs in karst areas may fail to fill despite an extensive site investigation programs and sealing treatment. Every problem is unique and past experiences are never repeated. This review focuses on the meaning and consequences of selected prominent examples, but the conclusions reached are valid for subsidence problems related to man-made structures in general.


Network administrators face a security-critical dilemma. While they want to tightly contain their hosts, they usually have to relax firewall policies to support a large variety of applications. However, liberal policies like this enable data exfiltration by unknown (and untrusted) client applications. An inability to attribute communication accurately and reliably to applications is at the heart of this problem. Firewall policies are restricted to coarse-grained features that are easy to evade and mimic, such as protocols or port numbers.

We present SENG, a network gateway that enables firewalls to reliably attribute traffic to an application. SENG shields an application in an SGX-tailored LibOS and transparently establishes an attestation-based DTLS channel between the SGX enclave and the central network gateway. Consequently, administrators can perfectly attribute traffic to its originating application, and thereby enforce fine-grained per-application communication policies at a central firewall. Our prototype implementation demonstrates that SENG (i) allows administrators to readily use their favorite firewall to enforce network policies on a certified per-application basis and (ii) prevents local system-level attackers from interfering with the shielded application's communication.


Voice quality is known to be an important factor for the characterization of a speaker's voice, both in terms of physiological features (mainly laryngeal and supralaryngeal) and of the speaker's habits (sociolinguistic factors). This paper is devoted to one of the main components of voice quality: phonation type. It proposes neural representations of speech followed by a cascade of two binary neural network-based classifiers, one dedicated to the detection of modal and nonmodal vowels, and one for the classification of nonmodal vowels into creaky and breathy types. This approach is evaluated on the spontaneous part of the PTSVOX database, following an expert manual labelling of the data by phonation type. The results of the proposed classifiers reaches on average 85 % accuracy at the framelevel and up to 95 % accuracy at the segment-level. Further research is planned to generalize the classifiers on more contexts and speakers, and thus pave the way for a new workflow aimed at characterizing phonation types.


1. Beladi Mousavi SS, Hossainzadeh M, Khanzadeh A, Hayati F, Beladi Mousavi M, Zeraati AA, et al. Protective Effect of Forced Hydration with Isotonic Saline, Potassium Chloride and Magnesium Sulfate on Cisplatin Nephrotoxicity: An Initial Evaluation. Asia Pac J Med Toxicol 2013;2:136-9. 2. Yao X, Panichpisal K, Kurtzman N, Nugent K. Cisplatin nephrotoxicity: a review. Am J Med Sci 2007;334:115–24. 3. Sastry J, Kellie SJ. Severe neurotoxicity, ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity following high-dose cisplatin and amifostine. Pediatr Hematol Oncol 2005;22:441–5. 4. Beladi Mousavi SS, Alemzadeh-Ansari MJ, Alemzadeh-Ansari MH. Long-term survival of patients with end-stage renal disease on maintenance hemodialysis: a multicenter study in Iran. Iran J Kidney Dis 2012;6:452-6. 5. Beladi Mousavi SS, Beladi Mousavi M, Hayati F, Talebzadeh M. Effect of Intranasal DDAVP in Prevention of Hypotension during Hemodialysis. Nefrologia 2012;32:89-93. 6. Feily A, Dormanesh B, Ghorbani AR, Moosavi Z, Kouchak M, Kouchak M, et al. Efficacy of topical cromolyn sodium 4% on pruritus in uremic nephrogenic patients: A randomized doubleblind study in 60 patients. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther 2012;50:510-3. 7. Beladi Mousavi SS, Alemzadeh Ansari MJ, Cheraghian B. Outcome of Patients on Hemodialysis in Khuzestan, Iran. NDT Plus 2011;4:143-4. 8. Tamadon MR, Beladi-Mousavi SS. Erythropoietin; a review on current knowledge and new concepts. J Ren Inj Prev 2013;2:119-21. 9. Beladi Mousavi SS, Sametzadeh M, Hayati F,Fatemi SM. Evaluation of acquired cystic kidney disease in patients on hemodialysis with ultrasonography. Iran J Kidney Dis 2010;4:223-6. 10. Beladi Mousavi SS, Tavazoe M, Hayati F, Sametzadeh M. Arterio-Venous fistula recirculation in hemodialysis: causes and prevalences. Shiraz E-Med J 2010;11:219-24. 11. Ciarimboli G, Ludwig T, Lang D, Pavenstädt H, Koepsell H, Piechota HJ, et al. Cisplatin nephrotoxicity is critically mediated via the human organic cation transporter 2. Am J Pathol 2005; 167:1477-84. 12. Portilla D, Safar M, Shanon M, Penson R, Palevsky P, Sheridan A. Cisplatin nephrotoxicity. Available from: http://ultramedica.net/Uptodate21.6/contents/UTD.htm?29/8/29833?sour ce=see_link Dear editor With great interest, we have recently read the published article by Beladi Mousavi et al. entitled "The protective effect of hydration with Isotonic Saline, KCl and MgSo4 on Cisplatin nephrotoxicity" in your most valuable journal (1). The author evaluated the possible effect of hydration with isotonic saline, KCl and MgSo4 on prevention of cisplatin nephrotoxicity among patients with various malignancies who received cisplatin at a dosage of at least 50 mg/m combined with other chemotherapy agents. According to the results of the study, the prevalence of cisplatin-induced renal impairment has decreased and hydration with isotonic saline has a protective effect against cisplatin nephrotoxicity (1). Cisplatin is a potent antineoplastic agent which is currently used in the treatment of broad spectrum of malignancies. However, the use of cisplatin is limited because of cisplatin nephrotoxicity which can be progressive in a significant percent of patients (2,3). The most important clinical manifestation of cisplatin nephrotoxicity is acute and chronic renal impairment which can be associated with significant morbidity and mortality among these patients (4-10). Hypomagnesaemia, hypokalemia, salt wasting, Falconry syndrome and thrombotic microangiopathy with features of the hemolytic-uremic syndrome or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura are other manifestations of cisplatin nephrotoxicity which have also occurred in a significant percent of cases (11). Therefore, measures for prevention of cisplatin-induced renal impairment must be used in all of the patients who are candidates for cisplatin administration (11,12). The results of Beladi Mousavi et al. are interesting. According to the results of the study, the prevalence of acute renal failure resulting from this drug among patients, who were well hydrated with isotonic saline before and after the cisplatin injection, is 6.6 percent which is significantly less than the reported prevalence of cisplatin nephrotoxicity among the patients who are not hydrated (1). However, the results of the study are limited due to short duration and small number of patients enrolled in the study. In addition, the study didn't have a control group and; therefore, in order to gain a better evaluation of preventive effect of isotonic saline, a multicenter clinical trial with long duration, large number _____


Although several investigations have noted an association between eating disorders and dissociative disorders, little work has addressed the treatment of patients with both conditions. As an inpatient service focused on severely-ill eating disorder patients, it became necessary to diagnose and treat concomitant dissociative disorders. We describe a cognitive-behavioral inpatient program developed and specifically adapted to treat eating disorder patients with dissociative disorders. Patients were identified by self-report measures (the Eating Disorder Inventory and the Dissociative Experiences Scale) and clinical interviews. Specificeatingsymptoms linked to post-traumatic stress or conversion disorders were approached with stimulus control and hierarchical desensitization. Individual and group cognitive therapy as well as diary techniques addressed irrational beliefs common to both disorders. Skill enhancement through relaxation training, anxiety management, and anger management, initially tailored for the eating disorder patient, required adaptation for dissociativepathology. Addressing both disorders reduced eating pathol ogy whereas inattention to dissociative symptoms led to continued disturbedeating and purging. Identification and treatment of dissociative pathology may improve treatment outcome in the treatmentresistant eating disorder patient.


Australian First Peoples hyperincarceration is concomitant with the trauma of historical and contemporary colonisation in perpetuating social dysfunction. Ongoing colonisation has been sustained by research that does not respect First Peoples epistemology, axiology, and ontology. Given this, the impact of prison quality and the potential association with First Peoples imprisonment and recidivism has been inadequately researched. Therefore there is a need to examine prison quality as experienced by Australian First Peoples. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualise a decolonising prison quality research method that is respectful of and culturally sensitive to Australian First Peoples. The proposed method interfaces First Peoples yarning with Appreciative Inquiry. Underpinning the proposed method is that all researchers, First Peoples or non-Indigenous, are attuned to cultural awareness and sensitive to the engagement process. When yarning is interfaced with Appreciative Inquiry and the latter is modified in consultation with First Peoples input, the proposed research method empowers research participants, potentially contributing to de-colonisation.


The Polar Regions play an important role in the global processes of our planet, from climate change to sea level rise,
protection from UV (ultraviolet) radiation to uptake of carbon dioxide. In addition, their scientific importance, extraordinary beauty and
adventurous history provide perfect ingredients for both education and public outreach.Polar examples provide an excellent way to
transmit basic concepts about a wide range of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines. The IPY
(International Polar Year) brought educators and scientists together and provided the incentive for the formation of the PEI (Polar
Educators International), an organization encouraging the exchange of ideas between educators and researchers and enhancement of the
profile of polar education on the international scene. Educators must be adequately informed about current scientific polar research and
have the confidenceto teach it to students. Scientists have the knowledge and data to explain these complexities, but may lack the
communication skills to make the subject accessible to non-technical audiences. The development of this new network between polar
educators and scientists has the potential to break down walls that restrict international collaboration and understanding, provide
educators with topical and reliable information and share best practices internationally in an effective way.


Before introducing the articles comprising this issue of Martial Arts Studies , this editorial first undertakes a sustained reflection on the question of whether the emergent field of martial arts studies might be regarded as trivial. In doing so, it explores possible rationales and raisons d'etre of the field in terms of a reflection on the legitimation of academic subjects, especially those closest to martial arts studies, from which martial arts studies can be said to have emerged. The first draft of this reflection was originally written by Bowman in response to certain reactions to his academic interest in martial arts (hence the occasional use of the pronoun 'I', rather than 'we'), but Judkins proposed that the piece form part of this issue's editorial, because of the importance of thinking about what this 'martial arts studies' thing is that we are doing, what the point of it may be, and whether or not it may be trivial.


New Zealand has two endemic widow spiders, Latrodectus katipo Powell, 1871 and L. atritus Urquhart, 1890. Both species face many conservation threats and are actively managed. The species status of the Latrodectus spiders of New Zealand was assessed using molecular (COI, ITS1, ITS2) and morphological methods and with cross-breeding experiments. Latrodectus katipo and L. atritus were not found to be reciprocally monophyletic for any of the gene regions or morphological traits. Other than colour, which is variable, there were no morphological characters that separated the two species, which cross-bred in the laboratory and produced fertile eggsacs. Colour variation is clinal over latitude and correlates significantly with mean annual temperature. We conclude that L. atritus is a junior synonym of L. katipo. An example of introgression from the Australian species L. hasseltii Thorell, 1870 was also detected and its conservation implications are discussed.


This study was carried out to determine the species of the subfamily Agathidinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in the Marmara region of Turkey. Samples were collected from 47 localities between 1985 and 1997. A total of 16 species were determined. The results revealed that Agathis fulmeki Fischer and Bassus linguarius (Nees von Esenbeck) are new records for the Turkish fauna. Agathis malvacearum Latreille, A. lugubris (Foerster, 1862) and Baeognatha armeniaca Telenga are new records for the Marmara region. A. syngenesiae Nees von Esenbeck, A. umbellatarum Nees von Esenbeck, A. nigra Nees von Esenbeck, A. breviseta Nees von Esenbeck, A. assimilis Kokujev, A. rufipalpis Nees von Esenbeck, A. fuscipennis (Zetterstedt), A. melpomene Nixon, A. anglica Marshall, Bassus tumidulus (Nees von Esenbeck), and Disophrys caesa (Klug) were already known in the Marmara region. A. syngenesiae Nees von Esenbeck, A. umbellatarum Nees von Esenbeck, and A. anglica Marshall are common species in the Palearctic region.


Abstract : A well-known problem within the service-oriented architecture (SOA) community is the need to establish effective SOA governance procedures to enable an organization-wide SOA initiative. A number of organizations and vendors address this problem through SOA governance frameworks that provide models, procedures, and tools for SOA governance. Many of these SOA frameworks are general purpose because they are intended to be useful for a diverse customer base. However, while designed for a wide customer base, vendor SOA frameworks tend to be narrowly focused to work with the specific tools of the vendor. A critical problem for an organization when implementing SOA governance is to customize vendors' offerings to its specific technological and management context. In this technical note, a lightweight and extensible technique is proposed, one that employs scenarios to tailor existing SOA governance frameworks to the specific needs of an organization.


This volume addresses a gamut of questions of interest to teachers of young second language learners. Why do immigrant children leave their home countries, and what are their journeys to the United States like? How do young children adjust to the new culture? What sort of dynamic prevails in immigrant families? What are young immigrants' schooling experiences like? What are language learning processes like in young children? The first part of the book contains an overview of recent ethnographic, sociological, and psycholinguistic research concerned with answering these questions. The second half of the volume focuses on classroom practice. Gordon provides an extensive overview of activities that have been proven to be effective with young language learners. Practical recommendations contained in these pages flow directly from the classroom. Gordon describes innovative second language lessons developed and implemented by ESL teachers who work with language learners enrolled in primary grades. The book places special emphasis on those instructional strategies that stir young language learners' interest while stimulating their linguistic and cognitive development.


Research studies have shown that if science is taught through inquiry using both handson and minds-on instruction, the theory of science-based learning would be the best method to teach students with disabilities (Luckner & Carter, 2001). In the field of Deaf education, it is well known that for a majority of students who are Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing (D/HH), American Sign Language (ASL) is their primary language with its own syntax and grammar. The English language is, in actuality, a Deaf student's second language. With this in mind, students who are Deaf are functionally English-language learners (ELLs) or limited English proficient learners. Looking at students who are D/HH as actual ELLs, it would seem logical to research what has been used as best practices in teaching Hearing ELL students. Sutman (1993), Barrera, Shyyan, & Liu (2008), Echevarria (2005), and McCargo (1999) all came to the conclusion that exposure to hands-on, inquiry based science helped facilitate the acquisition of language and the development of cognitive skills to hearing Englishlanguage learners. If ELLs are successful in learning English through a science-based curriculum, can students who are D/HH do the same? This mixed methods research study gathered data to validate the need to use a science-centered curriculum to support reading comprehension with 4 th and 5 th grade students at a school for the Deaf in a northeastern, urban region of the United States. Findings from this action based phenomenological research study included an increase in vocabulary retention in science, as well as an increased trend line of correct responses during English Language Arts (ELA) classes. Along with this quantitative data, qualitative data was collected supporting the perspectives of both teachers and students in this mixed methods study. Six teachers and four students were interviewed that met the criteria of this study and concluded SCIENCE BASED EDUCATION FOR STUDENS WHO ARE DEAF vi that motivation and experiential learning through the lens of science increased students' ability to retain information, as well as word identification, compared to an English-centered curriculum.


Color information is an important tool for diagnosing melanoma. In this study, we used a hyper-spectral imager (HSI), which can measure color information in detail, to develop an automated melanoma diagnosis system. In recent years, the effectiveness of deep learning has become more widely accepted in the field of image recognition. We therefore integrated the deep convolutional neural network with transfer learning into our system. We tried data augmentation to demonstrate how our system improves diagnostic performance. 283 melanoma lesions and 336 non-melanoma lesions were used for the analysis. The data measured by HSI, called the hyperspectral data (HSD), were converted to a single-wavelength image averaged over plus or minus 3 nm. We used GoogLeNet which was pre-trained by ImageNet and then was transferred to analyze the HSD. In the transfer learning, we used not only the original HSD but also artificial augmentation dataset to improve the melanoma classification performance of GoogLeNet. Since GoogLeNet requires three-channel images as input, three wavelengths were selected from those single-wavelength images and assigned to three channels in wavelength order from short to long. The sensitivity and specificity of our system were estimated by 5-fold cross-val-idation. The results of a combination of 530, 560, and 590 nm (combination A) and 500, 620, and 740 nm (com-bination B) were compared. We also compared the diagnostic performance with and without the data augmentation. All images were augmented by inverting the image vertically and/or horizontally. Without data augmentation, the respective sensitivity and specificity of our system were 77.4% and 75.6% for combination A and 73.1% and 80.6% for combination B. With data augmentation, these numbers improved to 79.9% and 82.4% for combination A and 76.7% and 82.2% for combination B. From these results, we conclude that the diagnostic performance of our system has been improved by data augmentation. Furthermore, our system suc-ceeds to differentiate melanoma with a sensitivity of almost 80%. (Less)


Abstract This paper reports on a research study conducted in Mauritius between June and July 2009. The aim of this research was to investigate the use of Indian ancestral languages in the domestic domain by the younger generations. The data were collected in the field by means of a questionnaire and interviews from a quota sample of secondary school population from an Indian background. An outline of the social and linguistic situation is given, followed by a concise account of the methodology and fieldwork. Finally, the results are analysed within the framework of language maintenance and language shift in a multilingual context and discussed with reference to an earlier study carried out by the author in the mid-1990s. The results show that although the ancestral languages are steadily declining and being replaced by Creole and French in the domestic domain, they are nevertheless still being maintained by the older generations and through favourable educational policies. Language choices and attitudes reveal that the study of ancestral languages at secondary level is perceived as 'not useful' and 'cumbersome' especially in this technological era, where a good command of English and French are associated with upward social mobility and academic success.


We study a dynamic version of Meltzer and Richard's median-voter analysis of the size of government. Taxes are proportional to total income, and they are used for government consumption, which is exogenous, and for lump-sum transfers, whose size is chosen by electoral vote. Votes take place sequentially over time, and each agent votes for the policy that maximizes his equilibrium utility. We calibrate the model and its income and wealth distribution to match postwar U.S. data. This allows a quantitative assessment of the equilibrium costs of redistribution, which involves distortions to the labor-leisure and consumption-savings choices, and of its benefits for the decisive voter. We find that the total size of transfers predicted by our political-economy model is quite close to the size of transfers in the data.