After an absence of almost half a century, the spectre of deflation is once again haunting the corridors of central banks and finance ministries in the industrial world. While preventing or combating deflation poses some unique difficulties not present in preventing or combating inflation, deflation can be prevented and, if it has taken hold, can be overcome, using conventional instruments of monetary and fiscal policy. These include open market purchases of government securities and monetary financing of government deficits caused by expansionary fiscal measures. Base money-financed tax cuts or transfer payments – the mundane version of Friedman's helicopter drop of money – will always boost aggregate demand. Unconventional monetary and fiscal measures are also available. These include open market purchases of private and foreign securities, negative nominal interest rates (through a carry tax on currency) and temporary tax measures aimed at shifting private consumption from the future to the present, by tilting the intertemporal terms of trade. An example is a cut in VAT today coupled to the credible commitment of a VAT increase in the future. Deflation results from a combination of bad luck and poor economic management, including the failure to coordinate monetary and fiscal policy. Sustained unwanted deflation is evidence of policy failure. Both the knowledge and the tools exist to prevent unwanted deflation. JEL Classification: E31, E62, E63, F41.


While surrounded by the Axis powers in World War II, Switzerland remained democratic and, unlike most of Europe, never succumbed to the siren songs and threats of the Nazi goliath. This book tells the story with emphasis on two voices rarely heard. One voice is that of scores of Swiss who lived in those dark years, told through oral history. They mobilized to defend the country, labored on the farms, and helped refugees. The other voice is that of Nazi Intelligence, those who spied on the Swiss and planned subversion and invasion. Exhaustive documents from the German military archives reveals a chilling rendition of attack plans which would be dissuaded in part by Switzerland's armed populace and Alpine defenses. Laced with unique maps and photos, the book is organized into four units. The first, A War of Words and Nerves, depicts how the Swiss mobilized an active"spiritual defense" of their country. Chapters describe jokes and slurs the Swiss devised to characterize the "Nazi pigs," the use of the press and cabaret as weapons against totalitarianism, and the role of Swiss newsreels in building the spirit of resistance. German prewar subversion plans are also revealed. The second unit, To Resist to the Death, concerns military preparations. Swiss soldiers recall an epoch when every day could have been "the day" when all hell would break lose and they would meet the enemy. Blitzkrieg plans against Switzerland devised by the German Wehrmacht in 1940 are described in detail. Switzerland was an armed camp with countless fortifications, against which the Axis could have attempted access with extreme costs in blood. In Switzerland, Jews -- like all other citizens -- were in arms, and Jewish officers served in the highest levels of the Swiss army. Struggle for Survival: Food, Fuel and Fear, the third unit, presents oral histories of daily life during the war with its shortages, alarms, and rumors. The role of women in the military and the economy are probed. A chapter on the refugee crisis investigates whether Swiss officials played a role in Germany's adoption of the"J" stamp on Jewish passports, how Switzerland became a lifeboat for refugees, and how asylum policies were liberalized as the persecution of Jews escalated. Espionage and Subversion, the fourth and final unit, covers strategic issues and intelligence activities. German attack plans and bickering in the Gestapo about who would rule a conquered Switzerland persisted. One chapter focuses on Davos, where the Swiss struggled against a Fifth Column and which became a safe haven for American airmen whose crippled bombers made it to Swiss territory. The last chapter profiles Switzerland as America's window on the Reich -- how Allen Dulles and his OSS spied on the Nazis, at times with help from Swiss Intelligence. Halbrook's other books include the award-winning Target Switzerland: Swiss Armed Neutrality in World War II, which was published in five languages.


The boundary between state and federal authority over the electricity sector is in flux. A host of new technologies is rapidly changing how electricity is generated and consumed. At the same time, state and federal regulators are adopting novel laws and regulations to cope with these changes and to address other priorities, such as reducing carbon pollution from the electricity sector. Together, these technological and regulatory changes have called into question the basic division between state and federal jurisdiction over the electricity sector that has persisted since Congress passed the Federal Power Act ("FPA") in 1935. As a result, in cases across the country, courts are wrestling with the question of whether the FPA preempts many of these novel state regulations.This Essay examines whether those cases were properly brought in federal court in the first place. Last year, the Supreme Court concluded, for the first time, that the Constitution's Supremacy Clause is not a private right of action. Instead, the Court held, a party may bring a preemption claim directly in federal court only when permitted to do so by the putatively preemptive federal statute. This Essay applies that holding to the FPA. In doing so, it provides the first serious attempt to examine whether a private party may bring an FPA preemption claim in federal court or is instead required to make its case first to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the agency that administers the FPA.


Worldwide, extreme poverty is often concentrated in spaces where people and property are not safe enough to sustain effective markets, and where development assistance is dangerous – and might even induce violence. Expanding governance by coercively taking control of territory may enable markets and development programs, but costs to local residents may exceed benefits, especially if that expansion is violent. We estimate for the first time whether a large counterinsurgency program improves welfare. We exploit the staggered roll-out of the Philippine "Peace and Development Teams" counterinsurgency program, which treated 12% of the population between 2002 and 2010. Though treatment temporarily increased violence, the program progressively reduced child malnutrition: by 10% in the first year, and by 30% from year three onwards. Improved nutritional status was not due to increased health and welfare expenditures, but instead to improved governance. Treatment effects are comparable to those of conventional child health interventions, though conventional programs are likely infeasible in this setting. Rebels apparently react to treatment by shifting to neighboring municipalities, as malnutrition worsens there – with statistically significant 'treatment' effects of similar size. Thus overall program effects are close to zero. These findings invite an evidence-based discussion of governance expansion, an extensive margin of development.


This performance incorporates fictional biography, parody of the branding of contemporary dance and discourse on the nature of volition in an investigation of the role of egoistic desire within the aspirations of the avant-garde artist/performer. It is a parody hoping to transcend its comedic effects and invoke an aesthetic appreciation of the play of flow in the performer; to achieve the sublime by way of the 'ridiculous' attempt to dance like a child of four by a man of forty-three. It employs the popular theatrical forms puppetry, narrative and clowning to subvert the prevalent supposition that 'entertainment' and 'art' are incompatible forms of cultural production, with the proposition that the comedic register is a legitimate mode of research within creative practice that facilities particular communicative possibilities. Its synthesis of populist cultural forms with fine art aesthetics seeks to subvert the modernist (mis)appropriation of the construct of progress within evolutionary processes, and interrogate the value and function of originality in cultural production.  Synopsis
An electrical fault during a gala performance leads a renowned dancer to the shocking realisation that his effortless brilliance simply leads spectators to more deeply comprehend their own inadequacies. This insight prompts a dramatic change of career into the police force, and the search for a quasi-religious dance practice that transcends egoistic desires through the active pursuit of humiliating experiences. A chance encounter with an immigrant hula-hoopist leads to a romantic entanglement that is to test to the limit the cathartic power of his new dance practice.


The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were implemented scientific literacy, shifting the focus from teacher-centered to student-centered learning (NGSS Lead States, 2013). One result of this shift has been the increased use of project-based learning where learners can discover their own knowledge through a series of problem-solving tasks and projects. Student-developed models (i.e., three-dimensional models) is an application of projectbased learning that has Krajcik & Merritt, 2012). This study investigated the effectiveness of utilizing student-developed models among middle school students to create a deeper understanding of key concepts (i.e., analyzing and interpreting data, constructing explanations, and engaging in arguments from evidence) to improve scientific literacy. The study used a quantitative nonequivalent two-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. The treatment group participated in designing, testing, and redesigning a student-developed model car made from various household materials. The control group participated in standard science instruction (i.e., laboratory experiments, online interactives, and note taking). After a Motion, the data was analyzed using independent and paired t-tests. The data concluded a statistically significant difference for the treatment group when compared to the control group. Future studies should measure motivation, as the engagement from the treatment group could have been a determining factor in the founding results.


The industrial robot's principal advantage over traditional automation is programmability. Robots can perform arbitrary sequences of pre-stored motions or of motions computed as functions of sensory input. This paper reviews requirements for and developments in robot programming systems. The key requirements for robot programming systems examined in the paper are in the areas of sensing, world modeling, motion specification, flow of control, and programming support. Existing and proposed robot programming systems fall into three broad categories: guiding systems in which the user leads a robot through the motions to be performed, robot-level programming systems in which the user writes a computer program specifying motion and sensing, and task-level programming systems in which the user specifies operations by their desired effect on objects. A representative sample of systems in each of these categories is surveyed in the paper.


In this paper we present a model for simulating language change in an expanding speech population using evolutionary game theory, in order to comment on earlier assumptions about linguistic transmission and change in language shift situations. It has largely been assumed that when a group shifts from one language to another, first generation second language (L2) speakers introduce the changes that are stabilized in the second generation of first language (L1) speakers (Fishman 1991: 9; Thomason and Kaufman 1988). Our empirical point of departure is the ongoing language shift from Bantu languages to Portuguese in Angola, which has occurred mainly after independence in 1974. We believe that a realistic model for linguistic innovation and spread needs to include transmission within generations as well as between them and should consider interaction between L1 and L2 varieties. Our computational model attempts to simulate the growth of the Portuguese speaking population in Angola since 1974, as well as the introduction and spread of a possibly contact related linguistic variant (using omission of preposition in locative phrases as an example). The population grows by recruitment of L2 speakers and birth of L1 speakers. For the linguistic feature the simulation starts with the original variant fixed. We add the probability of some individuals introducing the new variant and then allow individuals to interact and update their probabilities of using one variant or the other. By varying the weight for different kinds of interactions and population growth rates for L1 and L2 speakers, the simulation enables us to formalize hypotheses concerning the conditions required for the spread of the new linguistic variant. The outcomes of the simulations will later be compared to data from Cabinda in northern Angola that will be collected in June 2014.Preliminary results indicate that at least one of the following two conditions needs to be fulfilled for a variant introduced by L2 speakers to spread: (i) recruitment rate of L2 speakers exceeds birth rate for L1 speakers; (ii) L1 speakers are equally influenced by interactions with L2 and L1 speakers. If birth rate of L1 speakers exceeds recruitment rate for L2 speakers and L1 speakers are less influenced by interaction with L2 speakers than with L1 speakers, the new variant does not spread in the population.


The performance of a linear multigrid method using four smoothing methods, called SCGS (Symmetrical Coupled GauBeta-Seidel), CLGS (Collective Line GauBeta-Seidel), SILU (Scalar ILU), and CILU (Collective ILU), is investigated for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations in general coordinates, in association with Galerkin coarse grid approximation. Robustness and efficiency are measured and compared by application to test problems. The numerical results show that CILU is the most robust, SILU the least, with CLGS and SCGS in between. CLGS is the best in efficiency, SCGS and CILU follow, and SILU is the worst.


Over the past two decades, a growing number of Christians in England have gone to court to enforce their right to religious liberty. Funded by conservative lobby groups and influenced by the legal strategies of their American peers, these claimants — registrars who conscientiously object to performing the marriages of same-sex couples, say, or employees asking for exceptions to uniform policies that forbid visible crucifixes — highlight the uneasy truce between law and religion in a country that maintains an established Church but is wary of public displays of religious conviction. This book charts the changing place of public Christianity in England through the rise of Christian political activism and litigation. The book explores the ideas and contested reception of this ostensibly American-inspired legal rhetoric. It argues that legal challenges aimed at protecting "Christian values" ultimately jeopardize those values, as moralities woven into the fabric of English national life are filtered from their quotidian context and rebranded as the niche interests of a cultural minority. By framing certain moral practices as specifically Christian, these activists present their religious convictions as something increasingly set apart from broader English culture, thereby hastening the secularization they seek to counter. The book offers a unique look at how Christian politico-legal activism in England simultaneously responds to and constitutes the religious life of a nation.


We report on several experiments on the optimal allocation of ownership rights. The experiments confirm the property rights approach by showing that the ownership structure affects relationship-specific investments and that subjects attain the most efficient ownership allocation despite starting from different initial conditions. However, in contrast to the property rights approach, the most efficient ownership structure is joint ownership. These results are neither consistent with the self-interest model nor with models that assume that all people behave fairly, but they can be explained by the theory of inequity aversion that focuses on the interaction between selfish and fair players.


The Emergency Response domain is a highly challenging domain, requiring the active collaboration of several experts and authorities on the one hand and largescale data analysis on the other. This poses significant challenges in sharing and analysing highly dynamic data describing highly evolving situations. This paper provides a brief summary for the first workshop in the SAFE workshop series. The workshop is aimed at bringing together analysts, practitioners, researchers and enthusiasts and provides a discussion ground for practical problems, solutions and projects that exploit Semantic Web, Linked Data analytics for Emergency Response. Following a round of thorough reviews, four papers are accepted and a keynote will complement the paper presentations along with a few discussion sessions.


Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the association between different anthropometric parameters and metabolic profile in an overweight, adult, black Kenyan population. Methods: An opportunity sample of 245 overweight adult Kenyans (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2) was analysed. A score of metabolic profile (metabolic Z-score) was constructed on the basis of levels of plasma lipids, blood pressure, blood glucose and serum insulin. Linear regressions using metabolic Z-score as outcome and six anthropometric variables (waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, visceral adipose tissue (VAT), abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue, arm fat area and arm muscle area) separately as independent variables were carried out. Results: Mean age of study participants was 42.1 years (SD = 9.6) and 26.5% of the participants were men. The median BMI was 28.6 kg/m2 (Q1 = 26.3; Q3 = 31.3). Of the six anthropometric variables tested, WC and VAT thickness had the strongest negative association with the metabolic profile (β = 0.17 (0.09; 0.24) and 0.15 (0.08; 0.23), respectively). Conclusions: WC and VAT thickness were the strongest anthropometric predictors for the metabolic profile in overweight adult Kenyans. WC is useful in clinical practice for the diagnosis of metabolically unhealthy fat accumulation in an African setting.


Preliminary results are presented from ongoing research on spatial variability of fire effects on soils and vegetation from the Black Mountain Two and Cooney Ridge wildfires, which burned in western Montana during the 2003 fire season. Extensive field fractional cover data were sampled to assess the efficacy of quantitative satellite image-derived indicators of burn severity. The objective of this study was to compare the field burn severity measures to the digital numbers used to produce Burned Area Reflectance Classification (BARC) maps. Canopy density was the field variable most highly correlated to BARC data derived from either SPOT Multispectral (XS) or Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) imagery. Among the other field variables, old litter depth and duff depth correlated better with the satellite data than did old litter cover. Ash cover correlated most poorly. Old litter cover correlated better with the satellite data than did exposed mineral soil or rock cover, but combining the mineral soil and rock cover fractions into a single inorganic cover fraction improved the correlation to a comparable level. Most field variables, with the notable exception of ash, tended to vary more at low and moderate severity sites than at high severity sites. Semivariograms of the field variables revealed spatial autocorrelation across the spatial scales sampled (2  130 m), which the 20 m or 30 m resolution satellite imagery only weakly detected. Future analyses will be broadened to quantify burn severity characteristics in other forest types and to consider erosion processes, such as soil water infiltration following fire.


This article argues that system‐wide excellence in student learning is attainable at reasonable cost, using education policies differing from conventional market‐oriented reform strategies prevalent in many other countries. In this respect, Finland is an example of a nation that has developed from a remote agrarian/industrial state in the 1950s to a model knowledge economy, using education as the key to economic and social development. Relying on data from international student assessments and earlier policy analysis, this article describes how steady improvement in student learning has been attained through Finnish education policies based on equity, flexibility, creativity, teacher professionalism and trust. Unlike many other education systems, consequential accountability accompanied by high‐stakes testing and externally determined learning standards has not been part of Finnish education policies. The insight is that Finnish education policies intended to raise student achievement have been built upon ideas of sustainable leadership that place strong emphasis on teaching and learning, intelligent accountability, encouraging schools to craft optimal learning environments and implement educational content that best helps their students reach the general goals of schooling.


In this paper we consider the scattering of a plane acoustic or electromagnetic wave by a one-dimensional, periodic rough surface. We restrict the discussion to the case when the boundary is sound soft in the acoustic case, perfectly reflecting with TE polarization in the EM case, so that the total field vanishes on the boundary. We propose a uniquely solvable first kind integral equation formulation of the problem, which amounts to a requirement that the normal derivative of the Green's representation formula for the total field vanish on a horizontal line below the scattering surface. We then discuss the numerical solution by Galerkin's method of this (ill-posed) integral equation. We point out that, with two particular choices of the trial and test spaces, we recover the so-called SC (spectral-coordinate) and SS (spectral-spectral) numerical schemes of DeSanto et al., Waves Random Media, 8, 315-414 1998. We next propose a new Galerkin scheme, a modification of the SS method that we term the SS* method, which is an instance of the well-known dual least squares Galerkin method. We show that the SS* method is always well-defined and is optimally convergent as the size of the approximation space increases. Moreover, we make a connection with the classical least squares method, in which the coefficients in the Rayleigh expansion of the solution are determined by enforcing the boundary condition in a least squares sense, pointing out that the linear system to be solved in the SS* method is identical to that in the least squares method. Using this connection we show that (reflecting the ill-posed nature of the integral equation solved) the condition number of the linear system in the SS* and least squares methods approaches infinity as the approximation space increases in size. We also provide theoretical error bounds on the condition number and on the errors induced in the numerical solution computed as a result of ill-conditioning. Numerical results confirm the convergence of the SS* method and illustrate the ill-conditioning that arises.


In most cases, current Internet architecture treats content and services simply as bits of data transported between end-systems. While this relatively simple model of operation had clear benefits when users interacted with wellknown servers, the recent evolution of the way the Internet is used makes it necessary to create a new model of interaction between entities representing content. In this paper we study the limitations of current Internet and propose a new model, where the smallest addressable unit is a content object, regardless of its location. © 2010 The authors and IOS Press. All rights reserved.


Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG) has historically been very successful in developing resistance to each antimicrobial used to treat it and is now in the top three antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threats described by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.1 Dual therapy with ceftriaxone and azithromycin was introduced in 2011 in the attempt to delay further resistance and this is particularly important as these two antimicrobials are the last reliable options available.2 Worryingly, the emergence of multidrug-resistant gonorrhoea is quickly becoming a reality due to treatment failures, even after dual therapy in the UK and USA.3 ,4 Treatment failures mostly occur in pharyngeal infection. It is now widely accepted that pharyngeal gonorrhoea largely contributes to both the transmission of gonorrhoea and the development of AMR and is a key target area in the control efforts. Furthermore, recent studies suggests that viable gonococci can be isolated from saliva, prompting a re-evaluation of gonorrhoea transmission and control strategies.5

With this in mind, and with no effective vaccine, a new approach to the treatment and control of gonorrhoea should be considered. Antiseptics for example would be an option, perhaps targeting pharyngeal infection in the first instance as topical treatment. The notion of antiseptics for the prevention or …


The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) has mapped the full sky in Stokes I, Q, and U parameters at frequencies of 23, 33, 41, 61, and 94 GHz. We detect correlations between the temperature and polarization maps significant at more than 10 σ. The correlations are inconsistent with instrument noise and are significantly larger than the upper limits established for potential systematic errors. The correlations are present in all WMAP frequency bands with similar amplitude from 23 to 94 GHz and are consistent with a superposition of a cosmic microwave background (CMB) signal with a weak foreground. The fitted CMB component is robust against different data combinations and fitting techniques. On small angular scales (θ < 5°), the WMAP data show the temperature-polarization correlation expected from adiabatic perturbations in the temperature power spectrum. The data for ℓ > 20 agree well with the signal predicted solely from the temperature power spectra, with no additional free parameters. We detect excess power on large angular scales (θ > 10°) compared to predictions based on the temperature power spectra alone. The excess power is well described by reionization at redshift 11 < zr < 30 at 95% confidence, depending on the ionization history. A model-independent fit to reionization optical depth yields results consistent with the best-fit Λ-dominated cold dark matter model, with best-fit value τ = 0.17 ± 0.04 at 68% confidence, including systematic and foreground uncertainties. This value is larger than expected given the detection of a Gunn-Peterson trough in the absorption spectra of distant quasars and implies that the universe has a complex ionization history: WMAP has detected the signal from an early epoch of reionization.


SETTING
Five districts in Malawi.

OBJECTIVE
A new oral anti-tuberculosis treatment regimen with different directly observed treatment (DOT) choices in the initial phase of treatment was introduced for new patients in the five districts. The objectives were to determine 1) the site of DOT during the initial phase of treatment, and 2) the effectiveness of the new regimen.

DESIGN
Prospective data collection on all tuberculosis (TB) patients registered in a phased approach between 1 July 1997 and 31 December 1998, including site of DOT option in initial phase of treatment, 2-month and 8-month treatment outcomes, 2-month sputum smear conversion in smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients and in-patient hospital bed days.

RESULTS
There were 6335 new patients: 2671 (42%) with smear-positive PTB, 2211 (35%) with smear-negative PTB and 1453 (23%) with extra-pulmonary TB. The site of the initial phase of treatment was determined in 5790 patients: 1759 (30%) received DOT from guardians, 1465 (25%) from a health centre, 753 (13%) as out-patients from the hospital TB ward and 1813 (32%) remained in hospital. Eight-month treatment completion was 67% for smear-positive PTB patients, 51% for smear-negative PTB patients and 56% for extra-pulmonary TB patients. Two-month outcomes and 8-month treatment outcomes for all out-patient sites of supervision were satisfactory, except that a higher proportion of smear-positive PTB patients under guardian DOT failed to smear convert at 2 months. Over two-thirds of patients received ambulatory treatment out of hospital during the initial phase.

CONCLUSION
The new treatment strategy, tested in five districts, was associated with a reduction in hospital bed days and satisfactory treatment outcomes. The results of these studies were vital in helping the National TB Control Programme make an informed decision about phased expansion of the strategy countrywide.


The Case of Laryngeal Lipoma
Laryngeal lipoma is a pathology that is quite rarely encountered. Within laryngeal benign tumors, it has an incidence of approximately 1%. Lesions, big ones, may necessitate a tracheotomy due to causing obstruction of the respiratory tract or making intubation difficult. In this study, the case of a 64-year old man with laryngeal lipoma is discussed. The lesion was 2 x 1.5 centimeters on the aryepiglottic fold and presented as a stalked and dynamic mass. The patient received a direct laryngoscopy, without needing a tracheotomy.
The histopathology of laryngeal lipoma cases, clinical evaluation and approaches to treatment will also be discussed.


1. In tethered flight in a wind tunnel fruit-flies adjust lift and thrust by shifting the horizontal component of the lower extreme wing position. The upper extreme wing position is nearly constant. 2. Stroke angle and stroke plane are fully interdependent parameters. 3. Angle of attack varies along the length of the wing; no length-wise twisting occurs. 4. Angle of attack varies with flying speed; pitch is unchanged as speed is increased. 5. These characteristics suggest that the flight machinery of fruit-flies is considerably simpler than that of larger flying animals.


Natural gas production from some Rotliegend reservoirs in the Netherlands and North Germany has triggered seismic events after the affected sites had undergone a significant decrease in pore pressure. Recent seismic events in North Germany have caused negligible structural damage but major public concern in a region of low historic seismicity. In a first order approach, the pore pressure depletion of deep reservoirs is accompanied by stress changes that superimpose on pre-production and far-field stresses and potentially question the strength of pre-existing fault planes. Basic analytic models can explain how first, the production-induced differential increase of effective vertical and horizontal stress components within the reservoir, and second the compensation of reservoir contraction by compatibility stresses in the reservoir surroundings, can lead to the reactivation of pre-existing faults during depletion. These analytic approaches fail however to account for the mechanical stratigraphy and structural complexities occurring in reality.
In this study, general characteristics of Rotliegend gas fields were depicted in 2D Finite element models in order to improve the quantitative understanding of production-induced seismicity and identify geological parameters that may favour the occurrence of seismicity in North Germany. The tendency towards normal faulting was investigated for a parameter space of reservoir depth, reservoir thickness, mechanical and hydraulic properties and compartment geometries. Distinct features of the local geology such as a varying thickness of viscoelastic salt in the overburden and offset reservoir compartments were addressed by three basic model settings whereby a graben setting served as a reference scenario. The consolidation procedure of the FE- multiphysics tool ABAQUS was used to solve the fully coupled poroelastic equations, requiring the establishment of a modelling strategy first. Herein the Biot-coefficient, that commonly assumes values inferior to one in solid rocks, constituted a crucial model parameter. In the numerical procedure, the evaluation of failure and output of Terzaghi effective stress ignored the Biot-coefficient at first glance. It is however shown that the coefficient scales with total stresses and governs the magnitudes of both effective stress concepts, the Biot-Willis effective stress, reflecting the direct poroelastic stress-strain relation, and Terzaghi effective stress determining the yield of porous rock formations under large confining pressures. A second crucial feature, the deterministic model fault was depicted by contact surfaces that capture the discontinuous character of real faults and allow for relative displacements. In the poroelastic modelling, sealing faults invoke continuity constraints that, along with an inconvenient definition of failure stress, lead to the introduction of the fault-loading parameter SSR, used for the comparative evaluation of fault-loading in different model variations. Identified critical fault-loading patterns were in a second modelling campaign allowed to dissipate by means of dynamic slip, whereby the implementation of slip-rate weakening friction and the consideration of dynamic stresses in ABAQUS explicit captured essential characteristics of dynamic rupture.
Several factors that may favour production-induced seismicity in North Germany were identified in the modelling. First, individual parameters such as large reservoir thickness, large Biot-coefficients of the reservoir, shallow reservoir position, a large stiffness contrast between caprock and reservoir and in particular the effect of viscoelastic evaporites in the overburden, exerting a non-homogeneous load and inhibiting stress redistribution, are factors favouring the reactivation of the graben-bounding fault. Second, intra-field compartmentalizing faults are found a more likely location for seismic events than the graben boundary. Particularly production scenarios that deplete either both of two offset compartments, or the footwall compartment, exert a strong loading on the fault. Furthermore, partly-juxtaposed reservoir compartments constitute a preferential geometric setting for fault reactivation. A favoured reactivation of steeply dipping faults (> 60°) in all models reflects a dominant contribution of compaction-strains to fault-loading and contrasts with tectonic concepts. The fault reactivation potential on the graben boundary is found to be highest at the upper reservoir level and a narrow interval above it. For the intra-field setting, rupture initiates at the lower level of the fault section bounding the footwall compartment. Rupture generally propagates either downwards or simultaneously up– and downwards. Thereby, the interplay of the overall stress state and the initial acceleration can favour or inhibit slip propagation but the isotropic stress state within the salt and the tendency for reverse faulting below the reservoir pose ultimate geologic barriers to the propagation of rupture. The final rupture pattern depends predominantly on the geological setting and its local stress state, whereas the effect of the simulated depletion scenarios is hardly distinguishable.
Bulk formation strain is shown to be ambiguously expressed by two different effective stress concepts, moreover, the modelling results reveal a strong sensitivity on the representation of the fault. These findings of the study highlight specific challenges of the modelling of reservoir geomechanical problems. Reviewing the model results, a single dominant parameter for seismic hazard cannot be derived as fault criticality is predominantly governed by a complex interplay of initial stresses, pore pressure and fault strength. The investigated parameters revealed the potential to enhance or mitigate critical tendencies in an interfering manner. In consequence, more detailed prediction models require more detailed structural and field data. Nevertheless, the FE models enhance the understanding of processes and influential parameters for induced seismicity and are able to investigate scenarios and define limiting cases in the planning and operation of fields. The presented two-step approach, encompassing the prioritized identification of critically stressed faults and the separate simulation of rupture can be extended to case investigations addressing for example problems of caprock integrity.


Religion in Education 1 Religion in Education (RiE) defines the research domain of religion in schools as subject (Religion Studies) as well as the tertiary subject in teacher training programmes at Faculties of Education (Life Orientation or Religion Studies). (RiE) in South Africa seems to be the playing field of many stakeholders. This subject and/or research domain is hosted in either Departments of Religious Studies in Faculties of Human Sciences or Faculties of Education. During the 'struggle', that is in the past 19 years, many opportunities were created for acknowledging the importance of Religion in Education from a social construct point of view, and many expectations voiced. Religious Studies scholars and educationalists formed committees, produced published academic outputs, presented scholarly research results, put curricula together to replace the previous religious instruction mode of teaching. Since 2003, Religion in Education has a democratic government-approved policy document that enhances opportunities to explore religious diversity and to improve and celebrate respect for diversity. One can argue that religion became a force in education that needed well-qualified academe and teachers to present the new social construct for the teaching and learning paradigm. However, all the abovementioned forces, opportunities and structures are dismally failing the research domain and the educational responsibility to our diverse society.


Architecture as a discipline is focused on the architectural project. But whereas professional designers produce architectural projects, academic researchers use the architectural project as an object of study in order to produce new theoretical knowledge. This clear distinction between the goals of professionals and academics has divided the field into two groups, a polarization that mirrors the often-mentioned opposition between design and practice on one side and research and theory on the other. However, in recent years, what appears to be a hybrid model incorporating both these approaches has been emerging: the architectural laboratory. The scientific laboratory is a space where new knowledge is produced and is therefore naturally linked to academic institutions and to research. However, since their emergence at the end of the 19th Century, architectural laboratories have been appearing as much in the academic field as in the field of professional practice. If all the activities at the heart of the scientific laboratory are related to research and to the production of theoretical knowledge, one can wonder why architectural firms would choose to refer to this model to describe their design practices. Are these references to the laboratory model in the naming of professional architectural firms a sign of practices that go beyond "traditional" design? Do these professional "architectural laboratories" incorporate a research approach that was once only found in academic environments? What exactly is an "architectural laboratory"? This presentation will discuss the hybrid nature of the practices at the heart of the architectural laboratories by considering and comparing two remarkable cases. The first, the Laboratory for Visionary Architecture is a contemporary professional practice set up in 2007. The second is a series of interrelated academic laboratories that have been set up since 2002 within the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (Columbia University). Through a description and comparison of the productions of these cases, we will offer a clarification of the figure of the architectural laboratory and show how this emerging model is an indicator of a tightening hybridization of the once distinct activities that are theoretical research and design practice.


This paper describes a demonstration of the WinkTalk system, which is a speech synthesis platform using expressive synthetic voices. With the help of a webcamera and facial expression analysis, the system allows the user to control the expressive features of the synthetic speech for a particular utterance with their facial expressions. Based on a personalised mapping between three expressive synthetic voices and the users facial expressions, the system selects a voice that matches their face at the moment of sending a message. The WinkTalk system is an early research prototype that aims to demonstrate that facial expressions can be used as a more intuitive control over expressive speech synthesis than manual selection of voice types, thereby contributing to an improved communication experience for users of speech generating devices.


Effective and efficient publishing and searching for Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) Web
services is important for the success of Web services. Traditional approaches such as index, thesaurus, and
classification have historically dominated information representation and organization; however, they have some
limitations. Ontology-driven knowledge organization [An ontology-driven knowledge organization approach] is
considered one of keys to the next generation of knowledge management applications because ontology provides
structure and meaning to data. This research examines how ontology-driven knowledge organization could provide
benefits to current UDDI Web services.


The purpose of this research is to do research on how far a computer virus can go. It because
computer virus is same to human virus that can transfer from one person to another or from a
computer to other computer. For the human virus it will infected on the person organ it same
goes to the computer. The computer system will be infected by the virus and some of the file
might be corrupt or damage.
There are several types of virus like malware, spyware, Trojan, etc. Each virus here gives
different kind of problem to the computer and the way they infected the computer. Some ofit
uses to stole other person information, or just make the computer crash rapidly and the way the
infected the computer is unique. Just lil(e malware, it infected by phishing, or pop-up from a
website.
How to get more information about this virus is by making an interview to
knowledgeable programmer. This because this programmer has learn more deeply on how the
virus work, an even how the virus been produce. There will be few programmers that will be
interview. Also the information from the books is really useful and the internet could be useful
to.
Malware is short term for malicious software. This software used to disrupt computer
operation, gather sensitive information, or gain access to private computer systems. It can appear
in the form of executable code, scripts, active content, and software. 'Malware' is a general term
used to refer to a variety of forms of hostile or intrusive software. The term bad-ware is
sometimes used and applied to malware and unintentionally hannful software.
Malware includes computer virus, worms, Trojan horses, ransom-ware, spyware, adware,
scare-ware, and other malicious programs. As of 20 11 the majority of active malware threats
were worms or Trojans rather than viruses. In law, malware is s·ometimes known as a computer
contaminant, as in the legal codes ofseveral places in this world. Malware is often disguised as,
or embedded in non-malicious files.
Spyware or other malware is sometimes found embedded in programs supplied officially
by companies, e.g. downloadable from websites that appear useful or attractive, but may have
malware in it. Example, additional hidden tracking functionality that gathers marlceting statistics.
An example of such software which was described as illegitimate is the Sony rootkit. A Trojan
embedded in CD sold by Sony, which silently installed and concealed itself on purchases
computers with the intention of preventing illicit copying. It also reported on user listening habits
and created vulnerabilities that were exploited by unrelated malware.
The term malware only applies to software that intentionally causes harm. Software that
causes harm due to bugs or poor design is not classified as malware. For example some
legitimate software written before the year 2000 had errors that caused serious malfunctions
when the year change from 1999 to 2000, these programs are not considered malware.
Software such as anti-virus, anti-malware, and firewalls are used by home user and
organizations to try safeguard against malware attacks. As of 2012 approximately 60 to 70
percent of all active malware used some kind of click fraud to monetize their activity.
The solution of this virus problem is to know on how this virus work and how to defend it
especially for computer or smartphone user.


Stemming from the competition between the stepmother and the child for the husband/father's affection, the stepmother is stigmatised as the villain in fairy tales. When considering the stepmother-child relationship, it becomes apparent that even though the stepmother is usually associated with jealousy and cruelty, her character is two-sided. While she has subversive intentions, her actions lead the protagonist to identify and strengthen his/her best qualities.
It seems unacceptable to the reader that a natural mother would treat her child with the cruelty that the stepmother does in fairy tales, subjecting the child to the dangers and perils of the outside world. This article argues that the stepmother's portrayal in fairy tales can, with the help of psychoanalytical readings, be interpreted as a catalyst to enable the process of the child's enforced emancipation from the mother.
The article analyses the roles ascribed in fairy tales to the mother and child figures and the roles they play in the development of under-aged recipients. The behaviour of mothers and stepmothers in fairy tales is analysed to show how they act in the child's best interest, aiding the child's emancipation from the mother.


This thesis describes innovative techniques for reducing speckle noise and improving the intensity profile of the speckle correlation fringes. The methods are based on reducing the range of the modulation intensity values of the speckle interference pattern. After the fringe pattern is corrected adaptively at each pixel, a simple morphological filtering of the fringes is sufficient to obtain smoothed fringes. The concepts are presented both analytically and by simulation by using computer-generated speckle patterns and experimental verifications are performed wherever possible. A new generalized method for designing continuous amplitude-only pupil filters for transverse superresolution using a nonlinear programming method is also presented. The thesis emphasises the principal advantage of amplitude-only filters over their phase-only counterparts, that the side lobe intensities can be highly reduced along with the spot size. A quantitative comparison with continuous phase-only filters as well as the two-zone binary phase filter is shown with respect to spot size and ratio of side lobe to central peak intensity. The work is extended to combine the advantages of amplitude and phase filters in one complex filter that performs better than either phase or amplitude filters designed so far. The performance here refers to having a smaller spot size along with higher peak to side lobe intensity ratio. Using numerical simulation the limitations of phase and amplitude filters are assessed. The experimental verification of the designed combination filter is performed with two LCD spatial light modulators used for displaying separately the phase and amplitude part of the filter. Results obtained from this setup confirm the simulation. Finally, the effect of optical superresolution on speckle correlations is studied. Simulations reveal that using a lateral super-resolution pupil filter more than twice the out of plane correlation length of the clear pupil can be achieved. This means that the measurement range in speckle correlation measurements doubles. To verify the correlation length an experiment is performed using a liquid crystal (LCD) spatial light modulator as a programmable superresolution filter. The results corroborate the simulation.


The purpose of this study was to investigate carriage of intestinal spirochaetes by selected population groups in Western Australia. Stool specimens from 293 rural patients with gastrointestinal disorders, and from 227 healthy migrants from developing countries were cultured. Spirochaete isolates were identified using PCR, and typed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Brachyspira aalborgi was not isolated. Brachyspira pilosicoli was recovered from 15 rural patients, all Aboriginal. Prevalence was 9·9% in 151 Aboriginals and 0% in 142 non-Aboriginals. Carriage of B. pilosicoli amongst migrants was 10·6% (24/227). Carriage was significantly increased in Aboriginal children aged 2–5 years (P = 0·0027) and in migrant individuals from the Middle East and Africa (P = 0·0034). Carriage was significantly associated with detection of faecal protozoa in both Aboriginals (P = 0·0021) and migrants (P = 0·012). PFGE results indicated that the B. pilosicoli strains were genetically diverse.


This study examined correlates between a behavioral measure of interhemispheric transfer (IHT), performance on tasks targeting right and left hemispheric functions, and resting electroencephalography (EEG). IHT was measured using the Poffenberger Paradigm, a reaction time (RT) task based on the inference that participants will have speeded RTs to a visual target ipsilateral to the responding hand compared to a contralateral target. The neural processes indexed by this crossed-uncrossed difference (CUD) is debated in the literature due to its high variability. This study utilizes the individual variability of the CUD to examine individual differences in behavioral and neural measures of hemispheric function. The resting EEG data of 28 participants were recorded. Participants completed the Poffenberger Paradigm, a temporal discrimination task, line bisection task, and the Remote Associates Task (RAT). Right minus left average spectral power (ASP) for theta, alpha, beta, and gamma EEG frequencies across 8 equivalent scalp locations were regressed onto task performance. Location F3/4 emerged for the beta band: larger beta ASP in the right versus left hemisphere predicted faster right-to-left IHT, while larger beta at F3/4 in the left hemisphere correlated with left-to-right IHT. For the RAT, smaller alpha and larger beta in the right hemisphere at location F7/8 predicted better performance. For temporal sensitivity, location P3/4 for beta and location T7/8 for the theta loaded significantly, with higher ASP in the left electrodes predictive of better performance. Participants with slower right-to-left IHT demonstrated, via Pearson's correlations, significantly larger pseudoneglect. Participants with faster right-to-left IHT demonstrated marginally significant increases in performance on the RAT and temporal sensitivity. Findings demonstrate individual differences in lateralized neural function in conjunction with IHT and behavior and will be discussed in terms of characterizing the relationship between individual neural activity and behavioral performance, with an emphasis on implications for clinical populations. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015.


The form of the energy function (i.e. Total, Hellinger-Reissner, Hu-Washizu or Complementary energy functions) has a significant influence on FEM performance. Motivated by the ability of the force-based method to satisfy the equilibrium equation and ability of the displacement-based method to satisfy compatibility equation, this thesis proposes a mathematical framework, namely the 'Hybrid Force-Based Method' which employs two physical concepts; the Total and Complementary Potential Energy functions. Satisfaction of both the Total and Complementary Potential Energy function is critical to the success of the Hybrid Force-Based Method. The Hybrid Force-Based Method is constructed using these two independent energy functions in order to perform inelastic structural analyses. The method has been proposed, implemented and evaluated across the entire structure, element, section and material domains first considering each domain separately and then in combination. The equilibrium and compatibility equations are satisfied simultaneously by discretisation of these two equations, and accuracy is controlled by specifying the upper and lower bounds of the results. Outcomes following evaluation of the proposed method can be classified into the following three categories: (i) structure-level performance (see Chapter 2), (ii) material-level performance (see Chapter 3), and (iii) element level performance (see Chapter 4).
The proposed Hybrid Force-Based Method is constructed by deriving the governing equations directly from the Total and Complementary Potential Energy functions, leading to two distinct variants of the hybrid approach (i) the so-called 'augmented Hybrid Force-Based Method', and (ii) the so-called 'unaugmented Hybrid Force-Based Method'. A number of numerical posterior process tests were devised and used to demonstrate the performance of these two variations of the hybrid method (see Sections 22.214.171.124 and 126.96.36.199) to demonstrate those methods ability in convergence in contrast to the Large Increment Method.
Due to the occurrence of numerical instabilities experienced when using various established solution algorithms in solving the fundamental equations at the material level, within implicit approach (such as the Standard Implicit Method, the Cutting Plane Method, and the Closest Point Projection Method). A new form of the constitutive equation solver is proposed in Sections 3.9, referred to as the General Implicit Method (GIM). It is shown that the GIM can be implemented both in the strain and stress domains, and is therefore appropriate for use in both the displacement- and the force-based solution family of methods. The GIM is then evaluated by comparing its predictions to those of other common solution algorithms for inelastic analysis. Performance evaluation involves the use of a new error indicator that guarantees the uniqueness and accuracy of a solution in both the stress and the strain domains. Three iso-error maps serve to emphasis the accuracy, reliability, and computational performance of the General Implicit Method as a solution method compared to those are evaluated for the defined Stress Increment Ratio.
The fundamental equations at the element level are followed, based on structured fibre discretisation. The decomposition of the various degrees of freedom into deformational and rigid-body motion serve as a mechanism by which independent equilibrium equations can be determined for each element. The subsequent equation is able to involve axial force, torsion, and both in and out of plane moments while a general form of shear strain distribution is also involved. The original form of the solution at the cross section of the elements leads to novel governing equations that are based on the characteristics of the hybrid force-based approach. The numerical evaluation in Section 126.96.36.199 demonstrates the performance of the proposed method. The newly defined error indicators demonstrate the accuracy and computational performance of the method and the uniqueness of the solution in satisfying both the equilibrium and compatibility equations for Euler-Bernoulli, Timoshenko, and Reddy strain distributions across the element section. Further to the structured fibre, distributed, semi-distributed and concentrated inelastic approach elements, as a simplified form of the element are implemented and evaluated.
Although performance of those original formulations is evaluated independently in in comparison with the conventional approaches, compatibility of those as an important issue is followed as well. The numerical evaluation demonstrates higher accuracy and reliability by following the proposed method, further to the higher computational performance respect to the conjugate approaches.


Introduction: Critical thinking skills is essential and the ultimate goal for medical education. This study aimed to compare the critical thinking skills among medical and paramedical students in the Fasa University of Medical Science. Method: A cross- sectional analytical study was conducted on 231 medical and paramedical students in 2015. The subjects were selected using a randomized stratified method. The critical thinking of students was investigated using California B questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics by SPSS v. 22. Results: The mean score of critical thinking was (2.3 ± 7.11). The results showed an overall weakness of Fasa medical students in utilizing critical thinking skills. Also, the overall mean scores of critical thinking and different aspects of the skill were compared across the two groups. A significant difference was found between the two groups. Conclusion: University education should address the critical thinking skills. To achieve this universities should train their students accordingly. Decision makers should pay more attention to educational decisions and the role of cognitive styles and techniques in medical universities.


Computer simulations of two-phase gas-liquid pipe flow cases have been performed with the commercial code STAR-CD using the VOF method and the results are illustrated in this paper. Computed pressure losses for stratified flow and stratified-wavy flow and time-averaged liquid levels are compared against measured data, showing good agreement with the experimental data. To achieve these results, turbulence in the region close to the interface required the introduction of a law-of-the-wall based correction term in the turbulent energy dissipation equation. Two approaches for the turbulence treatment at the gas-liquid interface are briefly exposed and a comparison of the results is presented.


Nanopatterned arrays of discrete cobalt nanostructures showing characteristic parameter-dependent sizes are formed from continuous thin films on a carbon nanotube substrate using millisecond pulsed intense UV light. The nanoparticles exhibit ferromagnetic behavior with magnetic remanence and coercivity depending on the particle size. The end-state particle size is shown to be a function of initial thin film thickness and excitation energy and is therefore tunable. The evolutionary process from continuous thin films to a discrete morphology is thermodynamically driven by the large surface energy difference between metastable thin films and the underlying carbon nanotube substrate. Evidence of the Danielson model of the dewetting process is observed. These arrays can find applications as platforms for the self-assembly of magnetically susceptible materials, such as iron or nickel nanostructures, into a conduction matrix for applications in energy extraction from a latent heat storage device.Nanopatterned arrays of discrete cobalt nanostructures showing characteristic parameter-dependent sizes are formed from continuous thin films on a carbon nanotube substrate using millisecond pulsed intense UV light. The nanoparticles exhibit ferromagnetic behavior with magnetic remanence and coercivity depending on the particle size. The end-state particle size is shown to be a function of initial thin film thickness and excitation energy and is therefore tunable. The evolutionary process from continuous thin films to a discrete morphology is thermodynamically driven by the large surface energy difference between metastable thin films and the underlying carbon nanotube substrate. Evidence of the Danielson model of the dewetting process is observed. These arrays can find applications as platforms for the self-assembly of magnetically susceptible materials, such as iron or nickel nanostructures, into a conduction matrix for applications in energy extraction from a latent heat storage device.


Recently, the Spectre and Meltdown attacks revealed serious vulnerabilities in modern CPU designs, allowing an attacker to exfiltrate data from sensitive programs. These vulnerabilities take advantage of speculative execution to coerce a processor to perform computation that would otherwise not occur, leaking the resulting information via side channels to an attacker. In this paper, we extend these ideas in a different direction, and leverage speculative execution in order to hide malware from both static and dynamic analysis. Using this technique, critical portions of a malicious program's computation can be shielded from view, such that even a debugger following an instructionlevel trace of the program cannot tell how its results were computed. We introduce ExSpectre, which compiles arbitrary malicious code into a seemingly-benign payload binary. When a separate trigger program runs on the same machine, it mistrains the CPU's branch predictor, causing the payload program to speculatively execute its malicious payload, which communicates speculative results back to the rest of the payload program to change its real-world behavior. We study the extent and types of execution that can be performed speculatively, and demonstrate several computations that can be performed covertly. In particular, within speculative execution we are able to decrypt memory using AES-NI instructions at over 11 kbps. Building on this, we decrypt and interpret a custom virtual machine language to perform arbitrary computation and system calls in the real world. We demonstrate this with a proof-of-concept dial back shell, which takes only a few milliseconds to execute after the trigger is issued. We also show how our corresponding trigger program can be a preexisting benign application already running on the system, and demonstrate this concept with OpenSSL driven remotely by the attacker as a trigger program. ExSpectre demonstrates a new kind of malware that evades existing reverse engineering and binary analysis techniques. Because its true functionality is contained in seemingly unreachable dead code, and its control flow driven externally by potentially any other program running at the same time, ExSpectre poses a novel threat to state-of-the-art malware analysis techniques.


Efficient repair of critical-size volumetric bone defects remains a challenge due to the additional complicated surgery required for fixation. In this work, we first synthesized hydrogen bonding crosslinked supramolecular polymer (SP) hydrogels termed as P(NAGA-VPA) by copolymerizing two carefully selected monomers, N-acryloyl glycinamide (hydrogen bonding monomer) and vinylphosphonic acid (mineralization active monomer) directly in a concentrated aqueous solution. The P(NAGA-VPA) hydrogels were then subjected to in situ precipitation mineralization to generate novel high strength mineralized SP hydrogels. The concerted dual physical crosslinkages of NAGA H-bonds and nanocrystal–polymer interaction led to the best comprehensive mechanical performances with a tensile strength of over 1 MPa and a compressive strength of 5 MPa in an equilibrium swelling state. The mineralized SP hydrogel tubular scaffold was fabricated and encapsulated with bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2). The BMP-2-loaded mineralized SP hydrogel tube was finely sleeved over the murine radial defect without resorting to any additional surgical fixation. The outcome of 8-weeks implantation demonstrated that this hybrid tubular scaffold contributed to an efficient repair of volumetric bone defect by accelerating new bone formation and seamlessly bonding to the bone surface.


Making business decisions is risky. When conducting their tasks, corporate directors will have to make decisions that involve the balancing of risks and benefits for the corporation. It is more or less inevitable that some of these decisions will turn out to be detrimental to the company and/or third persons, including the shareholders and creditors. On the one hand, the shareholders should be protected from the unlawful acts of directors. On the other hand, the directors also are in need of protection, since, due to the permanent threat of personal liability, the corporate directors might become overly risk averse, which is detrimental to the corporation as a whole. Therefore, it is important to find the proper balance between the right to take risky business decisions and the personal liability of the corporate directors. In Lithuanian legal system there is no legal instrument that explicitly refers to the business judgement rule applicable to the common law countries, which constrains the fiduciary duty of care, shields corporate directors extensively from personal liability and insulates directorial decision-making from judicial review. The Lithuanian legal acts establish just fiduciary duties which can be treated as the statutory limits of the right to take risky business decisions. However, there is no common standard of judicial review. When reviewing business decisions, Lithuanian courts usually use such criteria as obvious maleficence, unjustifiable riskiness, rational business risk and good standards of business. However, these criteria are of an evaluative character and in different civil cases could be interpreted diversely. Therefore, we recommend to formulate a common rule which could be applied by courts in the process of business judgement evaluation. This rule substantially could be like a business judgement rule applied in the common law countries.


Richard Garay lives alone with his mother, hiding his sexuality from her and from those around him. Stifled by a job he despises, he finds himself willing to take considerable risks. Set in Argentina in a time of great change, The Story of the Night is a powerful and moving novel about a man who, as the Falklands War is fought and lost, finds his own way to emerge into the world. The Story of the Night is, in the end, a love story of the most serious and difficult kind. Toibin has told it with profound artistry and truth' Tobias Wolff Nobody before Toibin has made such honesty stand so clearly for political and personal integrity ...In each of his first three novels he has invented a strong central character but Garay is by far his most memorable' Edmund White, Sunday Times A remarkable achievement ...The ease, the fluidity, the economy, the precision of Toibin's masterly prose make this novel sheer pleasure to read' Norman Thomas di Giovanni, The Times


The concept of pastoral care to effectively meet the personal, social and academic needs of students is a complex yet under-researched matter in higher education. Similarly, under-researched and institutionally undervalued is the pivotal role that the caring teacher fulfils in imbuing pastoral care in enabling courses. Using an enabling course in a regional Australian university as the context, this article outlines the concept of pastoral care and then discusses the characteristics of the caring teacher, so fundamental to enabling education. The article draws on Motta and Bennett's (2018) pedagogies of care, namely care as recognition, care as dialogic relationality, and care as affective and embodied praxis to analyse how the students perceived and valued care in the enabling course in which they participated. Findings indicate that supportive learning environments in which caring teachers nurture their students can promote very positive interactions, and ultimately, high student satisfaction and retention.


Social media is playing an increasingly vital role in information dissemination. But with dissemination being more distributed, content often makes multiple hops, and consequently has opportunity to change. In this paper we focus on content that should be changing the least, namely quoted text. We find changes to be frequent, with their likelihood depending on the authority of the copied source and the type of site that is copying. We uncover patterns in the rate of appearance of new variants, their length, and popularity, and develop a simple model that is able to capture them. These patterns are distinct from ones produced when all copies are made from the same source, suggesting that information is evolving as it is being processed collectively in online social media.


Activated carbons were produced from Gambeya albida and Telfairia occidentalis seed shells by chemical activation and their properties were determined. The effects of different production conditions (activating agent, carbonization temperature and carbonization time) were studied and it was found that activation with H3PO4 gave carbons with better properties than activation with NH4Cl. Also, bulk density and % yield of the adsorbents decreased while surface area, total pore volume, % weight loss and % ash content increased with increase in carbonization temperature from 300 to 600 o C and carbonization time from 60 to 180 minutes for both raw materials. The potential of removal of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solution by selected activated carbon from both raw materials was also studied and it was found that the adsorption capacity was influenced by the contact time, initial Pb(II) concentration, solution pH, activated carbon particle size and dose as well adsorption temperature.


Background: Per the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for Breast Cancer (available at NCCN.org), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) should be evaluated prior to and during treatment with trastuzumab. Optimal frequency of assessment is unknown. The FDA label recommends monitoring prior to and every 3 months during therapy. Trastuzumab should be held for 4–8 weeks when LVEF decreases ≥16% from pretreatment values or LVEF is below normal limits and decreases ≥10% from pretreatment values. Trastuzumab should be permanently discontinued for persistent (>8 weeks) LVEF decline or if trastuzumab is stopped >3 times for cardiomyopathy (trastuzumab package insert). Methods: A retrospective chart review was performed analyzing 98 charts of patients with stage I–III HER2-positive breast cancer who were seen at the Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center (ECCC) in Huntington, WV from January 1, 2012–December 30, 2017. Patients who received trastuzumab at ECCC (59) were further reviewed to see if cardiac function was assessed prior to treatment, at 3 month intervals, and if trastuzumab was held or discontinued permanently if indicated. Results: Analysis of 98 patient charts with stage I–III HER2-positive breast cancer was performed. 59 patients (60.2%) received trastuzumab under supervision of medical oncology at ECCC and continued in the study. LVEF was evaluated in all patients (100%) prior to treatment. LVEF was evaluated every 3 months in 36 (61%) patients while 23 (38.9%) occurred at longer time intervals. Preserved EF was seen in 41 (69.4%) patients. 18 (30.5%) patients had a decrease in LVEF by the defined criteria. Trastuzumab was not held appropriately in 4 of those patients (22.2%). 10 of 18 patients that had a drop in LVEF had persistent LVEF decline or had stopped treatment >3 times for cardiomyopathy. Trastuzumab was permanently discontinued appropriately in 4 of the 10 patients (40%). Conclusions: Better compliance is needed to monitor LVEF at 3-month intervals while on trastuzumab. Improvement to recognize when to hold trastuzumab to prevent cardiotoxicity is needed. Better documentation, easier accessibility to previous EF results, and a multidisciplinary team (breast navigator, cardiologist, oncologist, and pharmacist) will likely improve adherence to current recommendations for cardiac assessment and to determine if Trastuzumab should be held or stopped.


To the Editor: Linezolid is a therapeutic option for skin and soft tissue infections and pneumonia caused by multidrug-resistant gram-positive bacteria (e.g., Staphylococcus spp.), which occur at higher rates in Portugal than in other European countries (www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/annual-epidemiological-report-2013.pdf). Staphylococcus epidermidis are skin and mucosal commensal bacteria; infections in humans are mostly linked to indwelling medical devices. The ability of S. epidermidis to acquire resistance to antimicrobial drugs and to produce biofilm can seriously compromise the success of therapy; in many institutions worldwide, rates of methicillin resistance are >70% (1). Rates of S. epidermidis linezolid resistance on various continents have been low and are associated with mutations in the central loop of 23S rRNA V domain or ribosomal proteins (L3, L4, and L22) and with acquisition of the cfr gene, which codifies for ribosomal methyltransferase (1–3).

To our knowledge, in Portugal only 1 linezolid-resistant S. epidermidis isolate, from a dog with severe otitis, has been described (4). We report nosocomial emergence of methicillin- and linezolid-resistant S. epidermidis in Portugal.

We characterized 5 linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus isolates recovered during May–November 2012 from blood and catheters of patients in 4 wards of a 362-bed hospital in central Portugal. The origin of 1 isolate is unknown. Epidemiologic features are described in the Table. The patients had received linezolid during the present (n = 2 patients) or previous (n = 2 patients) hospitalizations, suggesting that the latter 2 patients could have been colonized with linezolid-resistant strains when discharged from the first hospitalization. Information about receipt of linezolid was not available for 1 patient.

S. epidermidis was identified by using a Vitek II system (bioMerieux, Marcy L'Etoile, France), and susceptibility to antimicrobial drugs was studied by using agar dilution (linezolid, vancomycin) or disk diffusion (another 10 drugs; Table) (5). All isolates were screened by PCR and sequenced for the cfr gene and for mutations in the 23S rRNA V domain and in genes (rplC, rplD and rplV) encoding the L3, L4, and L22 ribosomal proteins (6–8). Clonal relatedness was determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (macrorestriction with SmaI) and by multilocus sequence typing (www.cdc.gov/hai/pdfs/labsettings/ar_mras_pfge_s_aureus.pdf and http://sepidermidis.mlst.net). S. epidermidis from patient 1 was searched for in vitro adherence to abiotic surfaces by using a biomass quantification assay (9) and strain ICE9 as a positive control.

All S. epidermidis isolates were resistant to multiple drugs, including linezolid (MIC>32 mg/L), cefoxitin, chloramphenicol, cotrimoxazole, ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, and aminoglycosides, and susceptible to only 4 drugs tested, including vancomycin (MIC = 2 mg/L) (Table). To characterize linezolid resistance, we compared the study isolates with linezolid-susceptible S. epidermidis RP62A/American Type Culture Collection 35984 sequence (GenBank accession no. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CP000029","term_id":"57636010","term_text":"CP000029"}}CP000029). Study isolates contained the mutations T2530A, T2504A, and G2631T, although T2504A and G2631T were also present in linezolid-susceptible S. epidermidis RP62A (1,2). The most commonly reported G2576T mutation was not detected (1,2). We also compared study isolates with S. epidermidis RP62A and observed nucleotide mutations consistent with L94V (L101V from S. epidermidis American Type Culture Collection 12228, not associated with linezolid resistance) and G152D amino acid changes (2,8) and amino acid changes in the new D159E and A160P in L3 ribosomal protein. Mutations in this protein were linked to linezolid resistance, although definitive conclusions are not available (8). The cfr gene and mutations in ribosomal proteins L4 or L22 were not detected in the study isolates.

Table

Epidemiologic features and antimicrobial drug resistance of linezolid -resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates from a hospital, Portugal, 2012*

All isolates recovered had the same pulsed-field gel electrophoresis type and belonged to sequence type (ST) 2/clonal complex (CC) 5 (ST2 formerly belonged to CC2) (10) also detected among linezolid-resistant S. epidermidis from Europe, Brazil, and the United States (1–3). S. epidermidis from patient 1, considered representative of the observed clone, revealed a high ability to adhere to abiotic surfaces and grow in the biofilm form, which can facilitate infections associated with indwelling medical devices. This strain was classified as strongly adherent and had higher optical density (OD570nm = 2.33 ± 0.34) than a blank sample (culture medium: Luria Bertani broth + glucose; OD570nm = 0.2 ± 0.03). The OD570nm of the positive-control was 2.69 ± 0.44.

S. epidermidis ST2/CC5 is disseminated in hospital settings worldwide and is characterized by a high level of genetic diversity, an increased recombination/mutation rate, biofilm production ability, and acquisition of a high number of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec elements (10). In Portugal, S. epidermidis ST2/CC5 has been observed in the community (10). We report emergence of methicillin- and linezolid-resistant S. epidermidis in a hospital in Portugal and its persistence for at least 7 months. Identification of the successful multidrug-resistant S. epidermidis ST2/CC5 clonal lineage highlights the need for strict infection control procedures and revision of therapeutic strategies (e.g., linezolid use for the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus spp. only when vancomycin is not a treatment option because of elevated MIC or clinical failures) to preserve therapeutic effectiveness of linezolid. Effective control of linezolid-resistant S. epidermidis, including among hospital-discharged patients who had received linezolid, is critical for preventing the potential for an epidemic in this hospital, and, on a larger scale, in Portugal, as has occurred for other gram-positive methicillin-resistant S. aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococci.


Introduction In April 2009, the Ontario Superior Court found Johnson Aziga guilty of first-degree murder for knowingly transmitting human immunodeficinecy virus ("HIV"). Aziga had unprotected sex with women despite awareness that he had HIV, and did not disclose the illness to his partners. Two of the twelve complainants contracted HIV and later died from related illnesses, leading to the first-degree murder charges. The other complainants either did not contract HIV from Aziga or contracted it but are still alive, which led to charges of, and convictions for, aggravated sexual assault. (1) Less than a year earlier in October 2008, Clato Lual Mabior was convicted in a Manitoba trial court for aggravated sexual assault, invitation to sexual touching and sexual interference for failing to disclose his HIV status to partners. (2) None of the six complainants contracted HIV. He was sentenced to 14 years in jail. (3) The Court of Appeal heard arguments in February 2010 and has reserved their decision. (4) These cases have reinvigorated the debate about whether it is appropriate to use the criminal law in cases of HIV exposure and transmission resulting from sexual contact. This paper will evaluate the current legal context in Canada and will then evaluate arguments for and against such criminalization using a public health framework. Legal Context in Canada Since 1989, Canadian courts have been willing to impose criminal sanctions on individuals for the transmission of, or exposure to HIV as a result of sexual contact. Charges have ranged from offences like nuisance to sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault and attempted sexual assault. (5) The Supreme Court of Canada first dealt with the issue in R. v. Cuerrier. (6) The Court unanimously held that an individual knowing of his or her HIV-positive status must inform sexual partners of that status and failure to do so can lead to criminal culpability in the form of aggravated assault charges. Numerous cases in Canada have since then affirmed this holding. (7) In fact, Canada has, per capita, "prosecuted more persons with HIV for HIV-related sexual offences than any other country." (8) The Supreme Court in Cuerrier unanimously held that the failure of the defendant to disclose his status vitiated the consent of the complainants, resulting in sexual assault. The Court found that the lack of disclosure vitiated the complainants' consent, giving rise to a significant risk of serious bodily harm. The majority decision in Cuerrier concluded that sexual assault can be elevated to aggravated sexual assault where, in the commission of sexual assault, the defendant endangers the life of the complainant. The Court found that the risk of contracting HIV significantly endangered the lives of the complainants, justifying the aggravated sexual assault conviction. The 2005 decision of the Crown in Ontario to charge Aziga with first-degree murder represented a significant divergence from the established principles governing the punishment of individuals who fail to disclose their HIV-positive status to partners. As such, a decade after the decision in Cuerrier, the issue of criminalizing HIV transmission is again up for debate in the public domain, this time with even more stunning consequences for individuals accused of transmitting HIV. In order to obtain a conviction for murder the Crown must first establish that the accused committed homicide. This requires that the accused directly or indirectly caused the death of a human being. (9) Once this first element has been established, the Crown must establish that the homicide is a culpable one, being any of murder, manslaughter or infanticide. (10) These three types of culpable homicide are each described further, with the requisite elements of murder being described at section 229 of the Criminal Code. Murder is established where it can be shown that the accused caused the death of the victim meaningfully or meant to cause bodily harm that the accused knew or was likely to know would cause the death of the victim and was reckless as to whether death ensued. …


Books, resources, and links to help fight racism. This is a living document that serves as a launching point for more extensive study and action.


Evaluation enables agility and ability to self-correct mid-course. It provides Organization Development (OD) practitioners with an opportunity to continually learn from their experiences to catalyzing the evolution and refinement of their tools and skills. Oddly, the field of OD does not have an extensive history of evaluation; the quality, scarcity and validity of its evaluations have been heavily questioned since the field's inception. In contrast to the reflective rigor one might expect from a discipline that advocates high degrees of reflection from its clients, OD evaluations have provided largely anecdotal information; criteria for success has been subjective and testimonial in nature. This phenomenological research paper examines what forms of evaluation current OD practitioners utilize, what is missing from their approach, and the implications this has for the longevity of the field of OD.  The ideological lineage of Behavioral Science epistemology leads to encouraging a type of empirically based evaluation practice, as represented in Campbell and Stanley's (1963) 12 Threats to Validity that may not be a good fit for Behavioral Science consultants engaging in systemically scaled interventions in a business context. This paper makes recommendations for further developments in evaluation methodology that more aptly suit a capitalist marketplace.


Room, R. (2016). Sources of funding as an influence on alcohol studies.  The International Journal Of Alcohol And Drug Research, 5 (1), 15-16. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7895/ijadr.v5i1.231 When I first read Thomas Kuhn's (1962) seminal work, shortly after its first publication, I was awakened to the historical evidence that even the "hardest" science is a human construction deeply influenced by the social order and the conceptual traditions in which the scientist works. On the other hand, as constructivism took hold in sociology, I realized I was a "soft" constructivist, willing to acknowledge that our conceptual and other constructions face some limits from the physical world and its operating rules (Room, 1984). But in fields like ours, the constraints are quite broad, so that what constitutes alcohol social science—what its research questions are, and how it approaches them—has varied a great deal over the last century or so, and varies considerably among the societies which have been willing to fund such research. I remember discovering that temperance-oriented survey studies, when they turned attention at all beyond the boundary between drinker and abstainer, focused only on frequency of drinking, ignoring amount per occasion (Lindgren, 1973)— a pattern found also in drug war–era drug surveys. What we collect as material for study and what we focus on in analyzing it are deeply influenced by our intellectual and cultural-political heritage and environment.


The present study explores the role of personality, ability, and affect in a randomized, group-based positive psychology intervention program based on Seligman's authentic happiness theory and extensions. A total of 100 adults (M = 45.7, SD = 12.8) were randomly assigned to the 12-week intervention program (five training sessions) or a waiting list control group. The intervention consisted of basic information, group activities, and homework assignments. Participants in the intervention group demonstrated higher levels of happiness, pleasure, and engagement after completion of the program. Baseline levels of psychometric intelligence moderated the intervention effectiveness (greater effects for those higher in reasoning, vocabulary, and general intelligence). There were no effects for the big five personality traits. Finally, increases in positive affect before and after the homework assignment were associated with greater levels of happiness after the program. The relevance of these findings for the development of new programs is discussed.


Chemical modifications and processing of the 18S, 5.8S, and 25S ribosomal RNAs from the 35S pre-ribosomal RNA depend on an important set of small nucleolar ribonucleoprotein particles (snoRNPs). Genetic depletion of yeast Gar1p, an essential common component of H/ACA snoRNPs, leads to inhibition of uridine isomerizations to pseudo-uridines on the 35S pre-rRNA and of the early pre-rRNA cleavages at sites A1 and A2, resulting in a loss of mature 18S rRNA synthesis. To identify Gar1p functional partners, we screened for mutations that are synthetically lethal with a gar1 mutant allele encoding a Gar1p mutant protein lacking its two glycine/arginine-rich (GAR) domains. We identified a previously uncharacterized Saccharomyces cerevisiae open reading frame, YDR083W (now designated RRP8), that encodes a highly conserved protein containing motifs found in methyltransferases. Rrp8p localizes to the nucleolus. A yeast strain lacking this protein is viable at 30 degrees C but displays strong growth impairment at lower temperatures. In this strain, cleavage of the pre-rRNA at site A2 is strongly affected whereas cleavages at sites A0 and A1 are only slightly inhibited or delayed.


Identifying the proper degree of federal supremacy and the best means of building it into the constitutional structure were central concerns for many members of the founding generation. At the Constitutional Convention, James Madison proposed granting Congress the power to veto state legislation. Madison's "negative" was intended to connect Congress and the states in a single compound legislature, giving Congress the power either to veto or to ratify by silence the acts of state legislatures. The negative failed to gain the approval of the convention delegates, however, and they instead chose to build federal supremacy into the Constitution via the judiciary-centered mechanisms of the Supremacy Clause and Article III. This essay asks what would have happened if Madison's negative had carried the day, and the Constitution had implemented federal supremacy by way of a legislative rather than a judicial device. One potential answer is that the negative should be understood as the functional equivalent of modern preemption doctrine. Had the negative been incorporated into the Constitution in 1787, however, the combined force of the negative's distinctive characteristics might well have led not to a stronger union but to forceful resistance to federal power by diverse state legislatures in a variety of circumstances. Two nineteenth-century case studies illustrate this point: the controversy over the Bank of the United States, and the debate over Congress's power to supplant state legislation in the area of interstate commerce. In contrast to Madison's and many modern commentators' understanding of the negative as a highly centralizing mechanism, these case studies show that the negative would likely have led to fragmentation and disintegration between the federal center and the state peripheries long before the antebellum sectional crisis.


This Comment analyzes the effect of such predictions on current U.S.-Mexican extradition policy. Part I examines the events leading up to the Court's controversial ruling in Alvarez in the context of established principles and legal precedent on extradition and foreign abductions. Part II describes how controversial the Court's decision was on a domestic and global scale. Specifically, Part II explores opposition from the international community, including responses from the Mexican government and other Latin American countries. Part II also examines domestic reactions to the decision among commentators and scholars, executive leaders, federal courts, and members of the U.S. Congress ("Congress"). Part II suggests that the recent trend in U.S.-Mexican extradition policy indicates more cooperation, not less. It suggests that the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement21 ("NAFTA") and the Treaty to Prohibit Transborder Abductions ("Transborder Abduction Treaty") 22 evidence a determination to forge better relations between both governments. Part II examines the Clinton Administration's decision to re-certify Mexico for state aid in the joint fight against drug trafficking, and how this act prompted Congress to re-examine U.S.-Mexican extradition policy since Alvarez. It also describes how recent efforts by the Mexican government to alter its reluctant policy on extradition led to the surrender of several suspects upon request of the U.S. government. Part III argues that improvement in U.S. Mexican relations influenced renewed efforts to establish a more cooperative extradition policy between the two countries. Unfortunately, drug trafficking and corruption continue to plague the Mexican justice system and to impede an effective system of extradition. This Comment concludes that until the U.S. government adopts a more aggressive policy on extradition with Mexico addressing these problems, it will continue to favor international abductions in lieu of extradition.