A gradual loss of the correct patterning of 5-methyl cytosine marks in gene promoter regions has been implicated in aging and age-related diseases, most notably cancer. While a number of studies have examined DNA methylation in aging, there is no consensus on the magnitude of the effects, particularly at imprinted loci. Imprinted genes are likely candidate to undergo age-related changes because of their demonstrated plasticity in utero, for example, in response to environmental cues. Here we quantitatively analyzed a total of 100 individual CpG sites in promoter regions of 11 imprinted and non-imprinted genes in liver and cerebral cortex of young and old mice using mass spectrometry. The results indicate a remarkably high preservation of methylation marks during the aging process in both organs. To test if increased genotoxic stress associated with premature aging would destabilize DNA methylation we analyzed two DNA repair defective mouse models showing a host of premature aging symptoms in liver and brain. However, also in these animals, at the end of their life span, we found a similarly high preservation of DNA methylation marks. We conclude that patterns of DNA methylation in gene promoters of imprinted genes are surprisingly stable over time in normal, postmitotic tissues and that the multiple documented changes with age are likely to involve exceptions to this pattern, possibly associated with specific cellular responses to age-related changes other than genotoxic stress.


Introduction Self-efficacy concerned with the therapeutic use of self is important for occupational therapists, and students need to develop the skills and the self-efficacy required to meet interpersonal challenges in practice. This study examined short-term changes in occupational therapy students' self-efficacy for using therapeutic modes, for recognizing clients' interpersonal characteristics, and for managing interpersonal events. Factors associated with such changes were also examined. Method A sample of 89 Norwegian occupational therapy students from two universities was used, and the students completed three questionnaires 2–3 weeks after a workshop and at 3 months' follow-up. Changes on the outcome measures were analyzed with t-tests for dependent samples, and factors associated with the outcome changes were analyzed with linear regression analyses. Results During the follow-up period, the students improved their self-efficacy scores on all three outcome measures. Higher age was associated with more improvement on two of the outcome measures. Conclusion The occupational therapy students improved their self-efficacy for therapeutic use of self during the brief follow-up period. Thus, the time in education, either university-based or practice-based, seems to add to students' self-efficacy for clinical skills in this area. Higher age appears to be a resource for gaining more self-efficacy from attending educational courses.

https://radar.brookes.ac.uk/radar/file/e93d6777-8765-4072-8529-652960cf247f/1/Short term changes in self-efficacy - 2018 - Hussain Carstensen Yazdani Ellingham Bonsaksen.pdf


BACKGROUND Optimal resuscitation of hypotensive trauma patients has not been defined. This trial was performed to assess the feasibility and safety of controlled resuscitation (CR) versus standard resuscitation (SR) in hypotensive trauma patients. METHODS Patients were enrolled and randomized in the out-of-hospital setting. Nineteen emergency medical services (EMS) systems in the Resuscitation Outcome Consortium participated. Eligible patients had an out-of-hospital systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 90 mm Hg or lower. CR patients received 250 mL of fluid if they had no radial pulse or an SBP lower than 70 mm Hg and additional 250-mL boluses to maintain a radial pulse or an SBP of 70 mm Hg or greater. The SR group patients received 2 L initially and additional fluid as needed to maintain an SBP of 110 mm Hg or greater. The crystalloid protocol was maintained until hemorrhage control or 2 hours after hospital arrival. RESULTS A total of 192 patients were randomized (97 CR and 95 SR). The CR and SR groups were similar at baseline. The mean (SD) crystalloid volume administered during the study period was 1.0 L (1.5) in the CR group and 2.0 L (1.4) in the SR group, a difference of 1.0 L (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.6–1.4). Intensive care unit–free days, ventilator-free days, renal injury, and renal failure did not differ between the groups. At 24 hours after admission, there were 5 deaths (5%) in the CR group and 14 (15%) in the SR group (adjusted odds ratio, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.12–1.26). Among patients with blunt trauma, 24-hour mortality was 3% (CR) and 18% (SR) with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.17 (0.03–0.92). There was no difference among patients with penetrating trauma (9% vs. 9%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.93; 95% CI, 0.19–19.17). CONCLUSION CR is achievable in out-of-hospital and hospital settings and may offer an early survival advantage in blunt trauma. A large-scale, Phase III trial to examine its effects on survival and other clinical outcomes is warranted. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic study, level I.


Roddy Doyle's Booker Prize-winning novel describes the world of ten-year-old Paddy Clarke, growing up in Barrytown, north Dublin. From fun and adventure on the streets, boredom in the classroom to increasing isolation at home, "Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha" is the story of a boy who sees everything but understands less and less.


KovaCHeviCH, D. and K. MastanjeviCH, 2012. Cryoprotective effect of maltose on washed and frozen stored chicken meat. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 18: 429-434 the cryoprotective effects of maltose ( w = 0-10%) on washed chicken meat (WCM) were investigated. WCM was pro duced from broiler meat, frozen and stored for 360 days on -30°C. Myofibrillar protein functional stability was monitored by salt extractable protein ( seP) and differential scanning calorimetry (D sC). salt extractable protein ( seP) showed that the addition of maltose caused smaller decrease of protein solubility during frozen storage. the peak transitions temperatures (T p ) and denaturation enthalpies (ΔH) of myosin and actin of WCM samples showed increase during frozen storage (-30 o C) with the increase of mass fraction of maltose. since the value of denaturation enthalpy is directly related to amount of native proteins, higher values of ΔH indicates to the higher cryoprotective effects of maltose.


The Research Quality Framework uses Thomson-ISI citation benchmarks as its main set of objective measures of research quality. The Thomson-ISI measures rely on identifying a core set of journals in which the major publications for a discipline are to be found. The core for a discipline is determined by applying a nontransparent process that is partly based on Bradford's Law (1934). Yet Bradford was not seeking measures about quality of publications or journals. How valid then is it to base measures of publication quality on Bradford's Law? We explore this by returning to Bradford's Law and subsequent related research asking 'what is Bradford's Law really about?' We go further, and ask 'does Bradford's Law apply in Information Systems?' We use data from John Lamp's internationally respected Index of Information Systems Journals to explore the latter question. We have found that Information Systems may have a core of journals only a subset of which is also in the list of Thomson-ISI journals. There remain many unanswered questions about the RQF metrics based on Thomson-ISI and their applicability to information systems.


Paradigms hold a special place in most linguistic descriptions and are often crucial in linguistic reconstruction and in the determining genealogical relations. Nonetheless, theoreticians debate whether paradigms constitute a necessary basic construct or instead are secondary, deriving from other basic constructs. This debate impacts the usefulness of the paradigm in typological and historical comparisons, for if the paradigm itself is derivative, it may not offer anything tangible for comparison. However, the diachronic evidence from analogical change demonstrates that speakers clearly recognize the importance of paradigms, for analogies often are restricted to just the paradigm, not extending to derivationally related forms. The role of paradigms for cross-linguistic comparisons, for establishing morphological cognates or for determining typological patterns is thus reaffirmed.


I argue that Pokémon offers a demonstrative and constitutive moment of the financializaion of contemporary cultural life in ways that signal an intensification of finance, risk, debt and cognitive labour as global imperatives. I suggest that children's play with Pokémon cards can help us revisit tenacious debates within Cultural Studies over structure and agency by focusing on the social production of value (in this case, the way children produce common forms of value for their card collections) and how this is connected to economic value in an age of speculative capital. In particular, I argue that Pokémon emblematizes emerging trends in the way the financialized economy develops and depends on commodified social practices that offer resources for the development of financialized subjectivities and engineered forms of agency.


Dividing the career of Richard Wilhelm, a prominent German sinologist, into three periods, this article discusses his collaborative work with Chinese scholars in studying Chinese culture and science. The author argues that Wilhelm's relationship with his Chinese colleagues changed over three periods, along with his understanding of Chinese cultural tradition. This change, from "hierarchical to egalitarian concepts of cooperation," reflected and corresponded to the fluctuating forces on both the domestic and international levels.


Biophilic design can reduce stress, enhance creativity and clarity of thought, improve our well-being and expedite healing; as the world population continues to urbanize these qualities are ever more important. Theorists, research scientists, and design practitioners have been working for decades to define aspects of nature that most impact our satisfaction with the built environment. "14 patterns of biophilic design" articulates the relationships between nature, human biology and the design of the built environment so that we may experience the human benefits of biophilia in our design applications. biophilia in Context looks as the evolution of biophilic design in architecture and planning and presents a framework for relating the human biological science and nature. design Considerations explores a sampling of factors (e.g., scale, climate, user demographics) that may influence biophilic design decisions to bring greater clarity to why some interventions are replicable and why others may not be. the patterns lays out a series of tools for understanding design opportunities, including the roots of the science behind each pattern, then metrics, strategies and considerations for how to use each pattern. This paper moves from research on biophilic responses to design application as a way to effectively enhance health and well-being for individuals and society.


A multiple case study design, using modified consensual qualitative research (CQR) methodological elements for data analysis, was used to explore emerging and promising practices among four state vocational rehabilitation programs. One hundred fifty-eight counselors, mid-level managers, and leaders participated in semi-structured interviews to help identify both organizational and service delivery practices associated with successful employment outcomes in the public Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) program. Conducting comprehensive, multiple case studies is time and resource intensive and can therefore be difficult to replicate. However, the eclectic methodology utilized for this study resulted in rich results that will be helpful in informing rehabilitation research, practice, and policy.


New vehicle technology is leading to efficient methods for assessing the condition of the national highway system. Utilizing simple sensors installed in vehicles, such as accelerometers, could provide a cost effective way to assess ride quality for pavement management. This paper builds on a pilot study that compared data gathered from accelerometers to the current state of the art practices for measuring ride quality. After promising results with preliminary acceleration data, robust data collection was performed on the Virginia Smart Road under various operational conditions and using two vehicles: a Volvo truck and a Ford Fusion using the DAS system developed by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. Profile measurements were also obtained for comparison using an inertial laser profiler. Tests were performed at 40, 50, and 65 mph (65, 80, and 105 km/h). A GPS device was used to accurately calculate vehicle position and speed. Repeatability of acceleration and profile measurements were calculated. Effect of vehicle type and testing speed on the acceleration profile was estimated. Results show that under controlled testing conditions, roadway roughness can be accurately estimated using probe vehicle acceleration data. This suggests that instrumented probe vehicles might be a viable and effective way of implementing a pavement condition assessment program in the near future.


Fluorescent zinc-based metal–organic frameworks (Zn-MOFs) were synthesized via the solvothermal method. The materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and fluorescence photography. The results illustrated that the synthesized Zn-MOFs were highly porous with a maximum surface area of 5755 m2 g−1. These MOFs had excellent fluorescence properties, which could be efficiently quenched by trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide (H2S). The experimental results indicated that Zn-MOFs were responsive to H2S at the nmol mL−1 level, which is advantageous for fluorescent Zn-MOF-based sensing materials. The synthesized Zn-MOFs also displayed high adsorption abilities toward H2S. It was illustrated that adsorption played an important role in the preconcentration of H2S, which can further increase the fluorescence quenching efficiency and improve the sensitivity for H2S. Under optimized conditions, this Zn-MOF probe exhibited rapid response, excellent selectivity and sensitivity in detection of H2S. The decrease in FL intensity was linearly related to the H2S concentration between 0.094 μmol mL−1 and 18 μmol mL−1. The developed strategy was applied to real natural gas well samples. These results indicated that Zn-MOF is a usable functional material for H2S detection in natural gas, and potentially useful in monitoring natural gas quality and removing H2S.


Environmental metagenomes and metatranscriptomes are extremely complex, considering that one gram of soil may harbor tens of thousand species of bacteria and thousands of species of eukaryotic microorganisms. Their exploration thus currently relies on methods delivering relatively long sequence reads, i.e. these obtained with the Roche or Pacific Biosciences instruments. Shotgun approaches are combined with sequencing of PCR amplicons of genes with sufficient taxonomic resolution (rDNA) or, less frequently, functional genes. Our recent experience shows, that a description of total (DNA sequencing) and active (sequencing of cDNA derived from environmental RNA) soil microbial communities or the pools of functional genes and their transcripts (mRNAs) can be sufficiently well characterised using amplicon sequencing (1). The analysis of metagenomes is much more challenging since the sequence identity has to be determined and the assignment of functions and microbial producers to such sequences is not trivial. Current possibilities of metagenomic data analysis would benefit mainly from the tools allowing to search not only in GenBank (as most of the current tools do) but also in the full genomes of individual microorganisms, or, as a best option, in a database covering all these genomes. Furthermore, amplicon sequencing, that now relies on the construction of consensus sequences representing putative microbial species (OTUs, operational taxonomic units) would greatly advance if an automatic tool of consensus construction of all identified similarity clusters is developed. As our first results in the field of environmental metaproteomics show, even more sophisticated tools would be needed if metaproteomic data, typically short sequences of amino acids, need to be compared with nucleotide sequences obtained using DNA or cDNA sequencing.


In the summer of 2014, in the central part of The Netherlands, Culicoides spp. (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) attack rates, biting rates, and preferred landing sites were determined for a pair of Fjord horses maintained permanently at pasture in an area devoid of cattle. Eleven body regions of the horses were screened for midges, each region sampled randomly for 5 min using a handheld mouth aspirator (pooter). Observations were confined to the hour immediately before and after sunset. Culicoides spp. were obtained from every body region, of which the four most abundant species – Culicoides chiopterus (Meigen), Culicoides punctatus (Meigen), the species complex Culicoides obsoletus (Meigen), and Culicoides dewulfi Goetghebuer – all were proven or potential vectors for arboviral diseases in livestock. Culicoides spp. activity was distinctly bimodal across the day, surging at sunset and 1 h after sunrise. Midges were inactive between 11:00 and 16:00 hours, these hours marking the time of day when horses can be pastured most safely but, thereafter, to avoid escalating attacks, would have to be stabled protectively. Around sunset, the mean attack rate of the four most abundant species ranged from 3.0 to 11.7 midges per min; of these, C. dewulfi and C. chiopterus were reared out of the dung of experimental horses. The Netherlands is home to the world's densest horse population (11 per km2), of which half are estimated to stay outdoors permanently with no access to protective housing. In the absence of a preventive vaccination policy, it is difficult to envisage how horses in northern Europe will be protected from infection during an outbreak of a Culicoides‐transmitted disease like African horse sickness.


The shift to a green economy is increasing the pace of change in labour markets and skill needs. This study of 21 countries, which represent 60 per cent of the world population, shows that economies moving towards greener production can seize the potential for job creation if they deal effectively with the coming structural change and transformation of existing jobs.
The report examines the experiences of developed and developing countries in adjusting their training provision to meet new demand of a greener economy. It shows that while few new occupations emerge in the transition to greener work, massive change occurs in existing occupations. What is more, changes in skill profiles happen at all levels of qualifications and across all sectors, and require action to make the provision of education and training relevant to labour market needs.
While the net employment effects of greening the economy are estimated to be positive, carbon-intensive industries are expected to lose jobs. Successful transitions from old to new, greener industries and occupations will require efficient retraining and skills upgrading. A key element of the transformation must be to target training initiatives to segments of the population typically at a disadvantage in the labour market.
Skills development is critical to unlocking the employment potential of green growth, yet skills policies and environmental policies are still often dealt with in isolation from one another. To avoid future skill shortages, the report recommends that countries devise strategies based on well-informed policy decisions, social dialogue, and coordination among ministries and between employers and training providers.


We present ISO PHOT-S spectra of four galaxies known or suspected to host a central AGN. Two of them are selected, among several others, from the initial Iras/Rosat sample of Boller et al. (1992) because of their substantial X-ray emission, while no obvious Seyfert features was present in their optical spectra: IRAS 14201+2956 and IRAS 21582+1018. The latter, also known as Mrk 520, was bright enough to also allow SWS observations around selected neon lines, to establish its excitation. While both PHOT-S spectra are characteristic of starburst-dominated galaxies, the neon line ratios in IRAS 21582+1018 indicate the presence of a hard excitation source. Complementary optical spectra, both at low and high spectral resolution, show only a weak, broad component around Ha, establishing the presence of a central AGN which may not be detected in standard, classification spectra. Both objects are now classified as Sey 1.9 galaxies. These results show therefore that, although IR observations were expected to be able to pierce through the dusty central regions to reveal the presence of an active nucleus, the result may be ambiguous: the broad band IR energy distribution can still be dominated by starburts located in a wider circumnuclear region, and the AGN appear only in specific observations (high-excitation lines in the IR, or high-resolution optical spectra). As a complement, two other galaxies from the same initial sample were also observed with PHOT-S: the Narrow Line Seyfert galaxies (NLS1) Mrk 359 and Mrk 1388. NLS1s appear in high proportion in the Rosat/Iras sample, and in soft X-ray samples in general, and their Balmer line-widths are sometimes comparable to those of interacting, star-forming galaxies. Their ISO spectra however do not reveal the typical, strong PAH features found in the starburst galaxies and are more like those of standard Seyferts. All these observations therefore indicate that the key element is the presence or absence of a circumnuclear starburst region which, if strong enough, may completely hide the presence of a central AGN in the IR spectral energy distribution. The dust obscuration however needs to be patchy rather than complete to explain the detection of the high-excitation lines and Balmer wings in some cases. Only high-energy observations can then establish the strength of the central AGN and the amount of extinction with certainty.


Modern Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithms promise to solve difficult motor control problems directly from raw sensory inputs. Their attraction is due in part to the fact that they can represent a general class of methods that allow to learn a solution with a reasonably set reward and minimal prior knowledge, even in situations where it is difficult or expensive for a human expert. For RL to truly make good on this promise, however, we need algorithms and learning setups that can work across a broad range of problems with minimal problem specific adjustments or engineering. In this paper, we study this idea of generality in the locomotion domain. We develop a learning framework that can learn sophisticated locomotion behavior for a wide spectrum of legged robots, such as bipeds, tripeds, quadrupeds and hexapods, including wheeled variants. Our learning framework relies on a data-efficient, off-policy multi-task RL algorithm and a small set of reward functions that are semantically identical across robots. To underline the general applicability of the method, we keep the hyper-parameter settings and reward definitions constant across experiments and rely exclusively on on-board sensing. For nine different types of robots, including a real-world quadruped robot, we demonstrate that the same algorithm can rapidly learn diverse and reusable locomotion skills without any platform specific adjustments or additional instrumentation of the learning setup.


This article analyzes how defense transformation in Scandinavia has been legitimized and which legitimacy it enjoys. The overall result is that it does not have unambiguous support. There are, however, similarities and differences, both between the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members Denmark and Norway and nonaligned Sweden, and between the NATO members. Theoretically, the alliance members should be more willing to transform—even if it implies a "denationalization" of defense. In Denmark, that is, with some reservation, the case but not in Norway. Nonaligned Sweden should, according to the same logic, be resistant to downsizing the armed forces and gearing them for NATO expeditionary war fighting operations. However, that is not the case. A consequence of the negative attitude toward the transformation is less influence, resources, freedom of action, and so on, for the defense forces in general, and an even more lukewarm attitude toward conducting combat operations in a NATO context in particular.


RTI International is developing an advanced biofuels technology that integrates a catalytic biomass pyrolysis step and a hydroprocessing step to produce infrastructure-compatible biofuels. At the current stage of development, the catalytic biomass pyrolysis process is being scaled-up in a 1 tonne per day (1 TPD) pilot plant based on a single-loop transport reactor design with continuous catalyst circulation and regeneration. The chemistry of biomass pyrolysis is manipulated by the catalyst and by controlling the pyrolysis temperature, vapor residence time, and biomass-to-catalyst ratio. The pilot unit has been successfully operated with a novel catalyst that produces a bio-crude intermediate with 24 wt% oxygen. Product yields and composition in the pilot plant are consistent with results obtained in a laboratory-scale 2.54 cm diameter bubbling fluidized bed reactor. The overall mass balance was 93%, while the carbon closure was 83%.


The aim of this work is to investigate and characterise non-thermal particle behaviour in a three-dimensional (3D) magnetohydrodynamical (MHD) model of unstable multi-threaded flaring coronal loops. We have used a numerical scheme which solves the relativistic guiding centre approximation to study the motion of electrons and protons. The scheme uses snapshots from high resolution numerical MHD simulations of coronal loops containing two threads, where a single thread becomes unstable and (in one case) destabilises and merges with an additional thread. The particle responses to the reconnection and fragmentation in MHD simulations of two loop threads are examined in detail. We illustrate the role played by uniform background resistivity and distinguish this from the role of anomalous resistivity using orbits in an MHD simulation where only one thread becomes unstable without destabilising further loop threads. We examine the (scalable) orbit energy gains and final positions recovered at different stages of a second MHD simulation wherein a secondary loop thread is destabilised by (and merges with) the first thread. We compare these results with other theoretical particle acceleration models in the context of observed energetic particle populations during solar flares.


Omni-directional visual content is a form of representing graphical and cinematic media content which provides subjects with the ability to freely change their direction of view. Along with virtual reality, omnidirectional imaging is becoming a very important type of the modern media content. This brings new challenges to the omnidirectional visual content processing, especially in the field of compression and quality evaluation. More specifically, the ability to assess quality of omnidirectional images in reliable manner is a crucial step to provide a rich quality of immersive experience. In this paper we introduce a testbed suitable for subjective evaluations of omnidirectional visual contents. We also show the results of a conducted pilot experiment to illustrate the applicability of the proposed testbed.


Translating medical evidence into practice is difficult. Key challenges in applying evidence-based medicine are information overload and that evidence needs to be used in context by healthcare professionals. Nudging (i.e. softly steering) healthcare professionals towards utilizing evidence-based medicine may be a feasible possibility. This systematic scoping review is the first overview of nudging healthcare professionals in relation to evidence-based medicine. We have investigated a) the distribution of studies on nudging healthcare professionals, b) the nudges tested and behaviors targeted, c) the methodological quality of studies and d) whether the success of nudges is related to context. In terms of distribution, we found a large but scattered field: 100 articles in over 60 different journals, including various types of nudges targeting different behaviors such as hand hygiene or prescribing drugs. Some nudges – especially reminders to deal with information overload – are often applied, while others - such as providing social reference points – are seldom used. The methodological quality is moderate. Success appears to vary in terms of three contextual characteristics: the task, organizational, and occupational contexts. Based on this review, we propose future research directions, particularly related to methods (preregistered research designs to reduce publication bias), nudges (using less-often applied nudges on less studied outcomes), and context (moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches).


A Fresnel lens's imaging performance can be seriously impaired by chromatic dispersion which typically doubles the diameter of the focused sun image in a solar concentrator. This problem can be alleviated by means of a molded diffraction grating whose diffraction-induced dispersion offsets and substantially cancels the lens's intrinsic refractive index dispersion. The grating lines would comprise a second tier of small-scale, Fresnel-type facets superimposed on the lens facets, with a typical grating facet height of about 40 microinches and a facet width ranging from about 1 milliinch at the edge of the lens to around 5 or 10 milliinches near the center. In its primary intended application the grating would function in a core daylighting system to improve the optical performance of a collector which focuses direct sunlight into fiber optic couplers. For this application chromatic dispersion would be reduced by an order of magnitude with only a 2% loss in optical efficiency.


Although much work has been done on applying the law of warfare to cyber attacks, far less attention has been paid to defining a law of cyber peace applicable below the armed attack threshold. Among the most important unanswered questions is what exactly nations' due diligence obligations are to one another and to the private sector, as well as how these obligations should be translated into policy. In this Article, we analyze how both the United States and the European Union are operationalizing the concept of cybersecurity due diligence, and then move on to investigate a menu of options presented to the European Parliament in November 2015 by the authors to further refine and apply this concept.


Development theory and practice are often taught in a manner that strips them of their historical context and obscures alternative intellectual assumptions and critical frameworks. This prevents students from acquiring a holistic understanding of the world and consequently, when it comes to development practice, most lack the skills to live and engage with people. It has become crucial to properly consider what it means to conceive and implement participatory development out in the field and not just in the boardroom. Building on the work of Robert Chambers and Arturo Escobar, Communicating Development with Communities is an empirically grounded critical reflection on how the development industry defines, imagines and constructs development at the implementation level. Unpacking the dominant syntax in the theory and practice of development, the book advocates a move towards relational and indigenous models of living that celebrate local ontologies, spirituality, economies of solidarity and community-ness. It investigates how subaltern voices are produced and appropriated, and how well-meaning experts can easily become oppressors. The book propounds a pedagogy of listening as a pathway that offers a space for interest groups to collaboratively curate meaningful development with and alongside communities. This is a valuable resource for academics and practitioners in the fields of Development Studies, Communication for Development, Communication for Social Change, Social Anthropology, Economic Development and Public Policy. With Foreword by Robin Mansell.


Efforts to understand physical activity and its potential effect on psychosocial well-being have been extensive (Blick et al., 2015; Folkins, 1976). Physical activity has been shown to improve psychological wellness, and benefits are enhanced when activities are performed outdoors (Boden & Hartig, 2003). Common Ground was established to improve the lives of individuals with disabilities through outdoor recreation. Informed by general and family systems theory, the present qualitative case study was designed to develop an in-depth understanding of Common Ground , an outdoor recreation program for individuals with disabilities. Results of three semi-structured focus groups offer a breadth of perspectives on the effect of Common Ground on program participants and their family members, and how outdoor recreation opportunities help reduce stereotypes, while empowering participants to realize their full potential. This work has the potential to inform therapeutic recreation research and enhance the provision of recreation services to individuals with disabilities.


Abstract The rare Li-mica taeniolite is described from the Dicker Willem carbonatite complex, Namibia, and from the Alpine carbonatitic lamprophyre dyke swarm at Haast River, New Zealand. At Haast River, taeniolite occurs in sodic and ultrasodic fenites derived from quartzo-feldspathic schists and rarely in metabasites, adjacent to dykes of tinguaite, trachyte and a spectrum of carbonatites ranging from Ca- to Fe- rich types. In Namibia, taeniolite is present in potassic fenites derived from quartz-feldspathic gneisses and granitoids at the margin of an early sövite phase of the complex and in a radial sövite dyke emanating from this centre. The occurrence of taeniolite in these totally disparate carbonatite complexes, together with examples of lithian mica from other carbonatite complexes worldwide, raises the question of the status of Li as a 'carbonatitic element'. We argue that lithium is not a consequence of crustal assimilation or interaction, but reflects the geochemical character of the magmatic source. Li, an overlooked and little-analysed element, may be an integral part of metasomatic enrichment in the mantle, and of magmas derived by partial melting of such a source.


This essay plays off a critique by Professor Maya Manian of an article where I discussed the decision in Hein v. Freedom From Religion Foundation, Inc., 551 U.S. 587 (2007) (plurality opinion). While Professor Manian was concerned about how the result in Hein would lead to under enforcement of church-state separation, my article had utilized Hein, and more generally the law of taxpayer standing beginning with Flast v. Cohen (1968), to look beyond the question of aid to religion. Rather, I began by showing that the only cases in which the Court had announced a "generalized grievance" and thereby denied standing were when the cases alleged a structural violation of the Constitution as opposed to stating rights-based claims. Taxpayer claims allege a structural violation, thus they are dismissed as "generalized grievances". Since Flast, however, the Court has made one exception: where the taxpayer claim concerns an appropriation said to violate the Establishment Clause. It follows that the Court is viewing the Establishment Clause as a structural restraint; namely, the separation of church and state is about keeping in right order these two centers of authority. That is why it can be said that the Establishment Clause is about policing the boundary between government and organized religion. The Court responded to that in Flast by making an exception to the rule against taxpayer standing. In Hein, the Roberts Court, by a vote of 7-2, continued to adhere to the presupposition that the Establishment Clause is structural in nature.


Background Many patients with depressive disorders demonstrate resistance to psychological therapy. A frequent finding is hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis alterations. As cortisol is known to modulate cognitive processes, those patients may be less likely to profit from psychological therapy. Aims To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis on cortisol as a predictor of psychological therapy response. Method The Cochrane Library, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases were searched. Records were included if they looked at patients with any depressive disorder engaging in psychological therapy, with a pre-treatment cortisol and a post-treatment symptom measure. Results Eight articles satisfied our selection criteria. The higher the cortisol levels before starting psychological therapy, the more symptoms patients with depression experienced at the end of treatment and/or the smaller their symptom change. Conclusions Our findings suggest that patients with depression with elevated HPA functioning are less responsive to psychological therapy.


ABSTRACT Objective: To characterize patients with syndromic craniosynostosis with respect to their neuropsycholinguistic abilities and to present these findings together with the brain abnormalities. Methods: Eighteen patients with a diagnosis of syndromic craniosynostosis were studied. Eight patients had Apert syndrome and 10 had Crouzon syndrome. They were submitted to phonological evaluation, neuropsychological evaluation and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. The phonological evaluation was done by behavioral observation of the language, the Peabody test, Token test and a school achievement test. The neuropsychological evaluation included the WISC III and WAIS tests. Results: Abnormalities in language abilities were observed and the school achievement test showed abnormalities in 66.67% of the patients. A normal intelligence quotient was observed in 39.3% of the patients, and congenital abnormalities of the central nervous system were observed in 46.4% of the patients. Conclusion: Abnormalities of language abilities were observed in the majority of patients with syndromic craniosynostosis, and low cognitive performance was also observed.


The ability to represent the spatial structure of the environment is critical for successful navigation. Extensive research using animal models has revealed the existence of specialized neurons that appear to code for spatial information in their firing patterns. However, little is known about which regions of the human brain support representations of large-scale space. To address this gap in the literature, we performed three functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments aimed at characterizing the representations of locations, headings, landmarks, and distances in a large environment for which our subjects had extensive real-world navigation experience: their college campus. We scanned University of Pennsylvania students while they made decisions about places on campus and then tested for spatial representations using multivoxel pattern analysis and fMRI adaptation. In Chapter 2, we tested for representations of the navigator's current location and heading, information necessary for self-localization. In Chapter 3, we tested whether these location and heading representations were consistent across perception and spatial imagery. Finally, in Chapter 4, we tested for representations of landmark identity and the distances between landmarks. Across the three experiments, we observed that specific regions of medial temporal and medial parietal cortex supported long-term memory representations of navigationally-relevant spatial information. These results serve to elucidate the functions of these regions and offer a framework for understanding the relationship between spatial representations in the medial temporal lobe and in high-level visual regions. We discuss our findings in the context of the broader spatial cognition literature, including implications for studies of both humans and animal models. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Neuroscience First Advisor Russell A. Epstein


the herb and the root of purple coneflower, the root of pale coneflower as well as narrowleaved coneflower have a very well-documented immunostimulating activity. among the other medicinal plants influencing the immune system there are also the herb of pale coneflower, the leaf of Aloe arborescens and the mistletoe herb. Both macromolecular compounds such as glycoproteins and polysaccharides and the micromolecular derivatives of caffeic acid, alkamides and unsaturated alkyl ketones, are listed among active immunostimulators.


Modelling of microturbulence-driven transport of energetic ions in an ITER steady-state scenario is presented. Results indicate that a significant fraction of the velocity space distribution of alpha particles and deuterium ions can be transported above neoclassical predictions. Turbulent magnetic fluctuations are found to significantly enhance the fast ion diffusivity. Overall, the conclusion that turbulent fields have a limited influence on the transport of fusion born alpha particles is drawn. At the same time, anomalous fast ion diffusion could have an impact on the neutral beam driven current in ITER.


This paper shows that, rather than being necessary for argumenthood or referentiality, determiners in Old French were optional, but used in relation to discourse properties such as focus/emphasis on the one hand, and in relation to phonological/metric requirements on the other. The choice between the use of a bare noun and the use of a noun with a determiner was not free, but created a one-to-one mapping between form and function. This one-to-one mapping between form and function disappeared once the insertion of determiners became obligatory. It is shown that the compulsory insertion of determiners in modern French is connected to an alternation in the morphology of nominals and that it is driven by the operation Cyclic Agree.


The objectives of this study were to examine racial and ethnic disparities in perpetrator and incident characteristics and discrepancies between police charges and reported perpetrator behaviors in police-reported intimate partner violence (IPV). This cross-sectional study used standardized police data and victim narratives of IPV incidents reported to the police in Dallas, Texas in 2004. The sample included non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic male perpetrators who were residents of Dallas (N = 4470). Offense charges were prioritized in descending order: sexual assault, aggravated assault, simple assault, kidnapping, robbery, and intimidation. Textual data from the victim narratives were coded, based on the revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS), and categorized in descending order of priority: sexual (severe, minor), physical (severe, minor), and psychological (severe, minor) assault. Perpetrators were more likely to be Black and Hispanic. Perpetrator and incident characteristics varied significantly by race/ethnicity, particularly age, age difference between partners, marital status, injury, and interracial relationships. Qualitative data revealed that greater proportions of Black and Hispanic men perpetrated severe physical, but not sexual violence, compared with White men. The greatest disparity between CTS categories and police charges occurred among those cases identified by the CTS as severe physical IPV; 84% were charged with simple assault. Significant differences by race/ethnicity were found only for simple assault charges, which were coded as severe physical as opposed to minor physical IPV more often among Black (69% and 31%) compared with White (62% and 38%) men. The disparities revealed in this study highlight the need to enhance primary and secondary prevention efforts within Black and Hispanic communities and to increase linkages between police, community, and public health organizations.


Adam Smith, in Wealth of Nations, used gravitation as a rhetorical metaphor and not in a formal philosophical sense, as used by Newton, Aristotle or Empedocles. Physical gravitational attraction is predictable, accurate and rule-bound; metaphoric gravity, as in relationships between natural and market prices, are neither strictly rule-based nor predictable. Market exchange relationships between independent people are subject to the vagaries of imperfect rhetorical persuasion.


When many people are involved in an activity, it is often difficult, if not impossible, to pinpoint who is morally responsible for what, a phenomenon known as the 'problem of many hands.' This term is increasingly used to describe problems with attributing individual responsibility in collective settings in such diverse areas as public administration, corporate management, law and regulation, technological development and innovation, healthcare, and finance. This volume provides an in-depth philosophical analysis of this problem, examining the notion of moral responsibility and distinguishing between different normative meanings of responsibility, both backward-looking (accountability, blameworthiness, and liability) and forward-looking (obligation, virtue). Drawing on the relevant philosophical literature, the authors develop a coherent conceptualization of the problem of many hands, taking into account the relationship, and possible tension, between individual and collective responsibility. This systematic inquiry into the problem of many hands pertains to discussions about moral responsibility in a variety of applied settings.


The past 25 years have been characterised by a surge in international trade as economies have become increasingly inter-linked. In many advanced economies this surge has been associated with increased import competition from low-wage economies. This paper explores the effects of such competition on manufacturing jobs in the UK. We consider two developments that influenced the nature of international trade: the ascendency of China as an important player in global markets and the accession to the European Union of a number of Eastern European economies in 2004. Both of these changes were associated with a shift in trade regimes and led to a sharp rise in import competition in particular UK manufacturing sectors. We find that these changes are likely to have hastened the decline of UK manufacturing.


Purpose: To build a microRNA and gene signature of severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions (SCAR), including Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). Methods: MicroRNA expression profiles were downloaded from miRNA expression profile of patients' skin suffering from TEN using an array comprising of 372 miRNAs; download site: www.jacionline.org. The patient samples were eight TEN, ten SJS patients and twenty-two healthy individuals. A total of 192 microRNAs were found with unique expression patterns (overexpressed) in contrast with healthy skin controls and patients. Thereafter, the following databases were used for downstream analysis: geneMANIA, DIANA-miRPath version 3, DIANA-TarBase version 7.0, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) as well as DAVID, STRING and GENECODIS online tools. Results: Granulysin (GNLY) geneMANIA database search yielded 21 interacting genes that were 64.6 % in physical interaction, 17 % in co-expression pattern. miRBD potential microRNAs that target the 21 genes were 79 miRs. Eighteen miRs overlap between the overexpressed miRs from SJS/TEN samples and the miRs targeting the 21 genes. Moreover, Ingenuity pathway analysis IPA revealed that the microRNAs were involved in inflammation. Conclusion: Analysis of differential microRNA expressions reveals two significant DE miRs that target Granulysin (483-5p/miR-28-5p). MiR-GNLY loop interactions in hypersensitivity reactions may function as biomarkers for SCAR including SJS and TEN. Keywords: Severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions (SCAR) Steven-Johnson Syndrome, Toxic epidermal necrolysis, Granulysin, Biomarkers, MicroRNA signature


This PhD by publication critically reviews the background, context, and reception of work published from 1978-2008. The work surveyed, comprises popular music biography, texts on art school influenced bohemia and counterculture, and on celebrity and fan culture. The social and cultural context of the work is mapped and methodological and stylistic issues addressed. The origins of the punk aesthetic through the Sex Pistols is charted. The turn in celebrity studies towards a "fan culture" based approach is demonstrated by the publication of 'Starlust' in 1985. Subsequent work on "fan culture" is discussed. Issues relating to researching and theorising popular culture and cultural and design history are debated. Extracts from the publications cited are provided.


Epistemic uncertainty quantification is a crucial part of drawing credible conclusions from predictive models, whether concerned about the prediction at a given point or any downstream evaluation that uses the model as input. When the predictive model is simple and its evaluation differentiable, this task is solved by the delta method, where we propagate the asymptotically-normal uncertainty in the predictive model through the evaluation to compute standard errors and Wald confidence intervals. However, this becomes difficult when the model and/or evaluation becomes more complex. Remedies include the bootstrap, but it can be computationally infeasible when training the model even once is costly. In this paper, we propose an alternative, the implicit delta method, which works by infinitesimally regularizing the training loss of the predictive model to automatically assess downstream uncertainty. We show that the change in the evaluation due to regularization is consistent for the asymptotic variance of the evaluation estimator, even when the infinitesimal change is approximated by a finite difference. This provides both a reliable quantification of uncertainty in terms of standard errors as well as permits the construction of calibrated confidence intervals. We discuss connections to other approaches to uncertainty quantification, both Bayesian and frequentist, and demonstrate our approach empirically.


Using time domain-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the moisture content (MC) in Norway spruce [ Picea abies (L.) Karst. ] sapwood, subjected to three different treatments (untreated, acetylated, and furfurylated), was studied during drying at 40°C at MCs below fiber saturation. Spin-spin relaxation time distributions were derived from Carr-Purcell-Meiboom-Gill relaxation curves using mulitexponential fitting (CONTIN). After conditioning for 6 wk at 100% RH, the modified wood samples had a MC of about 15%, whereas the MC of the untreated samples was about 30%. Two water populations with different relaxation times were found in all three sample types at this point: 1.1 ms and 0.15 ms (untreated), 0.5 ms and 0.15 ms (furfurylated), and 1.2 - 3.5 ms and 0.1 ms (acetylated). As the MC decreased, the relaxation time of the most slowly relaxing population decreased, whereas it remained more or less constant for the other population. For both the untreated and the furfurylated samples, the two populations merged at 5 - 10% MC, and relaxation times were identical for the two treatments at low MC. The two populations did not merge for the acetylated samples. These results indicate that while acetylation changed the interaction between water and the wood cell wall, furfurylation seemed to mostly affect the amount of water present within the cell wall at the beginning of the drying experiment.


Summary Understanding the role of biology in planetary evolution remains an outstanding challenge to geobiologists. Progress towards unravelling this puzzle for Earth is hindered by the scarcity of well‐preserved rocks from the Archean (4.0 to 2.5 Gyr ago) and Proterozoic (2.5 to 0.5 Gyr ago) Eons. In addition, the microscopic life that dominated Earth's biota for most of its history left a poor fossil record, consisting primarily of lithified microbial mats, rare microbial body fossils and membrane‐derived hydrocarbon molecules that are still challenging to interpret. However, it is clear from the sulfur isotope record and other geochemical proxies that the production of oxygen or oxidizing power radically changed Earth's surface and atmosphere during the Proterozoic Eon, pushing it away from the more reducing conditions prevalent during the Archean. In addition to ancient rocks, our reconstruction of Earth's redox evolution is informed by our knowledge of biogeochemical cycles catalysed by extant biota. The emergence of oxygenic photosynthesis in ancient cyanobacteria represents one of the most impressive microbial innovations in Earth's history, and oxygenic photosynthesis is the largest source of O 2 in the atmosphere today. Thus the study of microbial metabolisms and evolution provides an important link between extant biota and the clues from the geologic record. Here, we consider the physiology of cyanobacteria (the only microorganisms capable of oxygenic photosynthesis), their co‐occurrence with anoxygenic phototrophs in a variety of environments and their persistence in low‐oxygen environments, including in water columns as well as mats, throughout much of Earth's history. We examine insights gained from both the rock record and cyanobacteria presently living in early Earth analogue ecosystems and synthesize current knowledge of these ancient microbial mediators in planetary redox evolution. Our analysis supports the hypothesis that anoxygenic photosynthesis, including the activity of metabolically versatile cyanobacteria, played an important role in delaying the oxygenation of Earth's surface ocean during the Proterozoic Eon.


The features of an attosecond extreme ultraviolet (XUV) field are encoded in the attosecond XUV spectrogram. We investigate the effect of the temporal structures of attosecond XUV fields on the attosecond streaking spectrogram. Factors such as the number of attosecond XUV pulses and the temporal chirp of attosecond XUV pulses are considered. Results indicate that unlike the attosecond streaking spectrogram for an attosecond XUV field with two pulses of a half-cycle separation of streaking field, the spectrogram for the attosecond XUV field with three pulses demonstrates fine spectral fringes in separated traces.


An anomalous and unbalanced predator In the past century, humans have become the dominant predator across many systems. The species that we target are thus far in considerable decline; however, predators in the wild generally achieve a balance with their prey populations such that both persist. Darimont et al. found several specific differences between how humans and other predatory species target prey populations (see the Perspective by Worm). In marine environments, for example, we regularly prey on other predator species. These differences may contribute to our much larger ecological impact when compared with other predators. Science, this issue p. 858; see also p. 784 Human predators do not mimic the behavior of natural predators. [Also see Perspective by Worm] Paradigms of sustainable exploitation focus on population dynamics of prey and yields to humanity but ignore the behavior of humans as predators. We compared patterns of predation by contemporary hunters and fishers with those of other predators that compete over shared prey (terrestrial mammals and marine fishes). Our global survey (2125 estimates of annual finite exploitation rate) revealed that humans kill adult prey, the reproductive capital of populations, at much higher median rates than other predators (up to 14 times higher), with particularly intense exploitation of terrestrial carnivores and fishes. Given this competitive dominance, impacts on predators, and other unique predatory behavior, we suggest that humans function as an unsustainable "super predator," which—unless additionally constrained by managers—will continue to alter ecological and evolutionary processes globally.


This article investigates the problem of testing instantaneous causality between vector autoregressive (VAR) variables with time-varying unconditional covariance. It is underlined that the standard test does not control the Type I errors, while the tests with White and heteroscedastic autocorrelation consistent (HAC) corrections can suffer from a severe loss of power when the covariance is not constant. Consequently, we propose a modified test based on a bootstrap procedure. We illustrate the relevance of the modified test through a simulation study. The tests considered in this article are also compared by investigating the instantaneous causality relations between U.S. macroeconomic variables.


Malaria once turned Africa into the "missionaries' graveyard" as many European missionary personnel and families perished planting the Gospel in the Continent in the 19th century. The situation, however, is not completely different today in many rural African communities. The purpose of this research is to present a social challenge to the present day Christian missionaries in Africa by describing the landmark achievement of the 19th century missionaries in the fight against mosquito plague in Africa, namely their introduction of the first ever drug for malaria treatment in the continent. Central and West Africa are used as a case for this study. This research applied descriptive analysis to the health and life situation that faced the early European missionaries as they laboured to evangelize the people of Africa. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n16p89


The aim is to construct a method, based upon statistical pattern recognition techniques, including neural networks, whereby awareness during general anaesthesia may be detected. The data source for this system would be a single channel of the electroencephalogram (EEG). Pre-processing of data prior to input into the network is a critical component of the work, and it is here that parametric models have been utilised. A spectral representation has been extracted from the EEG based upon 1 second of data, using a lattice filter as the primary model; and a bispectral representation based upon 5 seconds of data has also been constructed, this time using a transversal filter as the underlying model. (5 pages)


This essay examines the implications Wikipedia holds for theories of deliberative democracy. It argues that while similar in some respects, the mode of interaction within Wikipedia represents a distinctive form of "collaborative editing" that departs from many of the qualities traditionally associated with face-to-face deliberation. This online mode of interaction overcomes many of the problems that distort face-to-face deliberations. By mitigating problems that arise in deliberative practice, such as "group polarization" and "hidden profiles," the wiki model often realizes the epistemic and procedural aspirations of deliberative democracy. These virtues of the Wikipedia model should not, however, lead to the simple conclusion that it ought to replace traditional faceto-face deliberation. Instead, this essay argues that the collaborative editing process found within Wikipedia ought to be viewed as a promising supplement to traditional deliberation. These two modes of communication ought to be viewed in Madisonian terms – as distinctive forms of interaction that check and balance the vices of one another. When combined, the wiki model promotes the virtues of inclusion and accuracy at large scales, while the face-to-face model excels in conditions of localism and promotes the virtues of solidarity and social capital.


Abstract In conflict situations, rapid changes can occur in the conditions in both host and home countries. In the context of such uncertainty, how do refugees navigate the bureaucratic apparatus of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to obtain humanitarian aid and resettlement? We carried out fieldwork in 2019 in Lebanon and found the UNHCR's bureaucracy to be a 'black box' for refugees in relation to the provision of information on humanitarian aid and resettlement. In this context of limited information, we found that rumours – widely considered to be uncertain truths – contributed to shaping participants' understanding of the UNHCR's decisions on the provision of aid and resettlement. In this article, we highlight the interpretive aspect of rumours and argue that refugees engage in interpretive labour as a result of the unequal relationship between themselves and the UNHCR's opaque bureaucracy and provision of information. While refugees have to provide the UNHCR with detailed and highly personal information in interviews and household inspections, officers provide refugees with only generic responses, leading refugees to make their own interpretations of the bureaucratic decision-making processes. We conceptualise this interpretive labour as a collective process that contributes to generating rumours among refugee groups.


The range of sexual dysfunctions encountered in gay men and lesbians is the same as that found in men and women in general, and the skills needed to help them are the same. That said, there are areas of concern, both for patients and doctors, that merit particular consideration. ![][1]

People may encounter problems when they become aware of their homosexual orientation and try to match it to their view of an ideal self. If this occurs in adolescence it may be useful to offer counselling to help with the readjustment in life that may be required. However tolerant our society may become, being openly gay still has major implications for future career and family life. Help at this time can include (for men especially) information about safer sex, since sexual exploration may present a greater risk of exposure to HIV.

Although many gay men and lesbians are aware of their orientation from their earliest sexual thoughts, a sizeable minority do not discover their orientation until later in life, perhaps in a failing marriage and with the responsibilities of parenthood. These people require careful and compassionate counselling. Some choose to remain married, and the couple may need help to reorganise the basis of their heterosexual relationship. The counsellor must be seen to be completely impartial and not encourage any particular outcome.

Presumptions —When counselling gay people about sex, it is important not to have preconceived ideas about their sexual repertoire. Perhaps as many as a third of gay men choose not to practise penetrative anal sex on a regular basis,1 and the traditional division of gay men into "active" and "passive" is not born out by experience—most gay men who do have anal sex will play either role. The assumption that the passive partner is somehow less "male" or less …

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Background: Cannabis is the most widely used illicit drug in the world and there is growing concern about the mental health effects of cannabis use. These concerns are at least partly due to the strong increase in recreational and medical cannabis use and the rise in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) levels. Cannabis is widely used to self-medicate by older people and people with brain disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Objective: This review provides an overview of the perceived benefits and adverse mental health effects of cannabis use in people with ALS, MS, AD, PD, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Results: The reviewed studies indicate that cannabis use diminishes some symptoms associated with these disorders. Cannabis use decreases pain and spasticity in people with MS, decreases tremor, rigidity, and pain in people with PD, and improves the quality of life of ALS patients by improving appetite, and decreasing pain and spasticity. Cannabis use is more common among people with schizophrenia than healthy controls. Cannabis use is a risk factor for schizophrenia which increases positive symptoms in schizophrenia patients and diminishes negative symptoms. Cannabis use worsens bipolar disorder and there is no evidence that bipolar patients derive any benefit from cannabis. In late stage Alzheimer's patients, cannabis products may improve food intake, sleep quality, and diminish agitation. Conclusion: Cannabis use diminishes some of the adverse effects of neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, chronic cannabis use may lead to cognitive impairments and dependence.


Many practical applications involve classification tasks on time series data, e.g., the diagnosis of cardiac insufficiency by evaluating the recordings of an electrocardiogram. Since most machine learning algorithms for classification are not capable of dealing with time series directly, mappings of time series to scalar values, also called representations, are applied before using these algorithms. Finding efficient mappings, which capture the characteristics of a time series is subject of the field of representation learning and especially valu- able in cases of few data samples. Time series representations based on information theoretic entropies are a proven and well-established approach. Since this approach assumes a total ordering it is only directly applicable to univariate time se- ries and thus rendering it difficult for many real-world applications dealing with multiple measurements at the same time. Some extensions were established which also cope with multivariate time series data, but none of the existing approaches take into account potential correlations between the movement of the variables. In this paper we propose two new ap- proaches, considering the correlation between multiple variables, which outperform state-of-the-art algorithms on real- world data sets.


The provision of crops of a light fry colour, from store, is of the utmost importance to processors. Poor fry colour leads to rejection of crops on a quality basis. The application of Chlorpropham (CIPC) sprout suppressant, as a thermal fog is associated with a deterioration in fry colour. The BPC funded project at the University of Glasgow and its collaborator Sutton Bridge Experimental Unit investigates the effects of CIPC use on the processing quality of stored potatoes.

CIPC is the only sprout suppressant available for medium and long-term storage for processing in Britain. In the UK the majority of CIPC treatments are conducted as thermal fog applications. This is considered to be the most practical means of achieving successful sprout control.

The introduction of a hot fog into potato stores has a disruptive influence. It can physiologically alter the potatoes by creating a stressful environment. Tuber respiration rate increases and so the crop will age. Experimental trials conducted as part of this project have shown that it is the fogging process itself that is responsible for the decrease in crop quality following application, not the CIPC formulation applied.

Studies revealed that both carbon dioxide and ethylene were produced naturally by crop and from the combustion of petrol used to generate thermal fogs. Initially the fry colour problems were linked with carbon dioxide in combustion gases and from increased respiration. However, carbon dioxide output from thermal fogger machines was less significant than expected. The levels were consistently lower than concentrations shown to have a deleterious effect in previous BPC funded work.

Ethylene is present in thermal fogs as a by-product of burning the hydrocarbon fuel used to generate fog. The concentration of ethylene produced is associated with the running conditions of the fogger machine I.e. burner temperature, type and volume of fuel used etc. The ethylene created in a standard CIPC thermal-fog application is sufficient to induce a physiological response in tubers. Exposure of crop to ethylene effects respiration, dormancy period, sprout morphology, reducing sugar concentration and hence fry colour. The extent of the outcome depends on exposure time and concentration. Following assessment of the fogging situation, various means of reducing the impact of CIPC application on fry colour were evaluated. Different approaches were undertaken and included both attempting to control and remove the contaminants present in thermal fogs.

By ventilating stores earlier than the recommended twenty-four hour period after treatment a vast improvement in fry colour was observed. In doing this the exposure time of crop to contaminants was greatly reduced. In the experimental work the stores were ventilated eight hours after treatment. This allowed adequate time for the effective fraction of the thermal god to settle.


General considerations A selection index may be applied to selection based either upon the performance of single plants or upon the performance of progenies. In the latter case however, index selection should only result in a modest gain in selection efficiency, when index selection is compared to single-trait selection for the desired character. Index selection is a relatively efficient method of selection when it is applied in the selection of individual plants. Individual index selection, as we may call this type of selection, is presented in this study as a selection method for the initial stage of a population improvement programme. In general it may be used as a method of selection for cross-pollinating crops. Individual index selection combines the advantages of mass selection with these from index selection. The advantages of mass selection are most obvious during the initial stage of a population improvement programme. Mass selection takes only one generation per cycle. A large number of generations can be grown in a relatively short period of time. When the population under selection is not yet at linkage equilibrium the successive generations will give a high frequency of recombinants implying a progressive breaking up of linkage blocks. With mass selection it is possible, even with limited facilities, to include a large number of plants in the selection, thereby preventing any premature loss of genetic variability. There are several arguments for the application of a selection index in mass selection. The selection index makes an optimal use of the information available from a single phenotype. With index selection it is possible to select for the simultaneous improvement of several traits. When the selection index is based on traits which may be observed before flowering it is possible to select not only on the seed parent but also on the pollen parent, thereby doubling the response to selection. Furthermore, index selection may be used as a method to select under conditions differing from the normal environment of the crop. This means that it is possible to choose the selection conditions such as to maximize the single-plant heritability and this means then also that it is possible to select in an off-season crop. Selection indices for individual selection in maize were calculated using estimates of the population parameters obtained either from a parent-offspring relationship or from a sib analysis. There are several advantages in using a parent-offspring relationship. Using a parent-offspring relationship the selection index can be estimated directly from the multiple regression of the value of the offspring on the characters of the parents, independent of any quantitative genetic interpretation of the data. The experimental procedure may be kept rather simple. It is possible to obtain selection indices for the selection under conditions differing from the normal environment of the crop. The latter may be realized by growing the parent generation in the selection environment, while the offspring is measured in the normal cropping environment. Results The parent-offspring relationship was studied on one hundred and twenty-one open-pollinated plants of Samaru Composite 2 and on thirty-six open-pollinated plants of Colombian Composite. Recorded from each plant were twelve different characters and the mean yield of its progeny. These records were used to construct several selection indices for the improvement of yield. The response to index selection was studied using Colombian Composite as the test population for the selection indices calculated for Samaru Composite 2, and vice versa. The response to individual selection could be improved by between thirty-five and seventy-one percent through the use of a selection index. An optimal response was obtained from selection indices including about four different traits. The response to selection obtained from a selection index was superior to the response to selection obtained from an 'estimated' index, that is an index in which the weighing factors for the different traits represented in the index are estimated according to some rule of thumb. For the populations under study, composites of recent origin, it was shown that the response to individual index selection compared favourably with the response from selection methods based on progeny means. A sib analysis was carried out using one hundred and forty-four half-sib progenies of Colombian Composite. Most of the progenies were lost as a result of the sudden outbreak of a disease, caused by Helminthosporium maydis race T, so that the study had to be limited to the results obtained from only thirty-six progenies, resistant to the disease. The sib analysis was used to estimate the single-plant heritabilities and the genetic and phenotypic correlations with yield and with resistance to stem- and rootlodging for thirty different traits. It was found that the character leaf angle was correlated with yield, which indicates that at Mokwa, despite the rather low yield level of the crop, light is already a limiting factor in maize production. The stalk characters crushing strength and dry weight of a 5-cm stalk section were highly correlated with resistance to stemlodging. A low correlation was found between resistance to stemlodging and the rind thickness of the stalk. The root weight and the pulling strength of the roots were both correlated with resistance to rootlodging, while these two characters were also correlated with yield and with resistance to stemlodging. The results of the sib analysis were used to construct selection indices for the improvement of yield, for the improvement of resistance to stemlodging, and for the improvement of resistance to rootlodging, while selection indices were also constructed for the simultaneous improvement of yield and resistance to stem- and rootlodging. A selection index for the three simultaneous objectives included first of all the character root weight, secondly it included either the crushing strength of the stalk or the dry weight of a 5-cm stalk section, and thirdly it included the leaf angle. When the selection is aimed at the simultaneous improvement of yield and resistance to stem- and rootlodging, single-trait selection for root weight should be an attractive alternative to individual index selection. Out of the thirty different traits used in this study there were four traits which could be observed before flowering. These were: the days to shooting, the total number of leaves and the length and width of leaf number eight. Individual index selection before flowering should be efficient in improving yield, when using a selection index based on length and width of leaf eight. As an alternative to index selection one might practise also single trait selection for leaf area, measuring the leaf area as the product of length and width of leaf eight.


The FT-IR and Raman spectra of eight new Hofmann-type complexes of 3- and 4-methylpyridine, ML2Ni(CN)4 (M = Mn, Fe, Co or Zn; L = 3- or 4-methylpyridine) are reported. The structure consists of corrugated polymeric layers of [M---Ni(CN)4]∞ with methylpyridine molecules bound directly to the metal (M). For a given ligand (3-Mepy or 4-Mepy) the effects of metal---ligand bond formation on the ligand modes are examined and the metal sensitivity sequence of the ligand frequencies is found to be Mn < Fe < Co < Zn. The metal---ligand bond strengths of the methyl derivatives of pyridine in which the substituents are in different positions have also been compared and are found to increase in the order 3-Mepy < 4-Mepy for a given transition metal. The effective magnetic moments of the complexes are given.


Background Canopy structure, which can be defined as the sum of the sizes, shapes and relative placements of the tree crowns in a forest stand, is central to all aspects of forest ecology. But there is no accepted method for deriving canopy structure from the sizes, species and biomechanical properties of the individual trees in a stand. Any such method must capture the fact that trees are highly plastic in their growth, forming tessellating crown shapes that fill all or most of the canopy space. Methodology/Principal Findings We introduce a new, simple and rapidly-implemented model–the Ideal Tree Distribution, ITD–with tree form (height allometry and crown shape), growth plasticity, and space-filling, at its core. The ITD predicts the canopy status (in or out of canopy), crown depth, and total and exposed crown area of the trees in a stand, given their species, sizes and potential crown shapes. We use maximum likelihood methods, in conjunction with data from over 100,000 trees taken from forests across the coterminous US, to estimate ITD model parameters for 250 North American tree species. With only two free parameters per species–one aggregate parameter to describe crown shape, and one parameter to set the so-called depth bias–the model captures between-species patterns in average canopy status, crown radius, and crown depth, and within-species means of these metrics vs stem diameter. The model also predicts much of the variation in these metrics for a tree of a given species and size, resulting solely from deterministic responses to variation in stand structure. Conclusions/Significance This new model, with parameters for US tree species, opens up new possibilities for understanding and modeling forest dynamics at local and regional scales, and may provide a new way to interpret remote sensing data of forest canopies, including LIDAR and aerial photography.


We prove that the class of permutations generated by passing an ordered sequence $12\dots n$ through a stack of depth 2 and an infinite stack in series is in bijection with an unambiguous context-free language, where a permutation of length $n$ is encoded by a string of length $3n$. It follows that the sequence counting the number of permutations of each length has an algebraic generating function. We use the explicit context-free language to compute the generating function: \begin{align*} \sum_{n\geq 0} c_n t^n &= \frac{(1+q)\left(1+5q-q^2-q^3-(1-q)\sqrt{(1-q^2)(1-4q-q^2)}\right)}{8q} \end{align*} where $c_n$ is the number of permutations of length $n$ that can be generated, and $q \equiv q(t) = \frac{1-2t-\sqrt{1-4t}}{2t}$ is a simple variant of the Catalan generating function. This in turn implies that $c_n^{1/n} \to 2+2\sqrt{5}$.


Ten years ago James Shapiro won the Samuel Johnson Prize for his best-seller 1599: A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare. Now, to mark the forthcoming 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, comes a compelling look at a no less extraordinary year in his life: 1606. 1606 is an intimate portrait of one of Shakespeare's most inspired moments: the year of King Lear, Macbeth and Antony and Cleopatra. 1606, while a very good year for Shakespeare, was a fraught one for England. Plague returns. There is surprising resistance to the new king's desire to turn England and Scotland into a united Britain. And fear and uncertainty sweep the land and expose deep divisions in the aftermath of a failed terrorist attack that came to be known as the Gunpowder Plot. James Shapiro deftly demonstrates how these extraordinary plays responded to the tumultuous events of this year, events that in unexpected ways touched upon Shakespeare's own life. By immersing us in Shakespeare's England, 1606 profoundly changes and enriches our experience of his plays, works that continue to speak to us with such immediacy.


Recently, many visual devices are applied to mobile phone, PDA or other products. These devices can receive real-time videos from wireless network or internet. In order to watch video programs, the video frame sizes receiving from various devices must be properly changed. Although many fast downscaling algorithms have been proposed, such as SA, AWA and MDN, their performances do not achieve high visual quality. In this paper, we propose a method to address this problem. Considering the correlation of motion characteristics of neighbor blocks in temporal and spatial domain, the method applies embedded Kalman filter to traditional fast downscaling algorithms. The experimental results indicate that the performance of the proposed method for fast downscaling videos provides an effective improvement.


Background/Aims: Minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE) is common in patients with extrahepatic portal vein obstruction (EHPVO). There is no study on the treatment of MHE using lactulose in patients with EHPVO. Patients and Methods: Consecutive EHPVO patients were assessed by psychometric (number connection test (NCT-A and B), digit symbol test (DST), serial dot test (SDT), line tracing test (LTT)), and critical flicker frequency (CFF) at inclusion. Patients diagnosed as MHE were treated with lactulose and psychometric tests, CFF, and were reassessed after 3 months. Results: Of the 70 patients screened, the prevalence of abnormal psychometric test was as follows: NCT-A (41%), NCT-B (53%), DST (38%), SDT (40%), and LTT (44%). Thirty patients (43%) had two or more than two abnormal (>2 SD) psychometry tests. Lactulose improved MHE in 16/30 (53%) of patients after 3 months of treatment. Arterial ammonia decreased after lactulose treatment compared to baseline (83.7±19.1 vs. 65.1±19.3 μmol/l, P=0.001). A total of 9 (75%) of 12 patients with large spontaneous shunt and 7 (39%) of 18 patients without spontaneous shunt improved with lactulose (P=0.07). CFF in patients with MHE (n=30) was significantly lower than those without MHE (n=40) (38.1±2.4 vs. 41.5±3.1 Hz, P=0.01). CFF was less than 38 Hz in 21 (70%) of 30 patients before treatment and in 10 (33%) patients after lactulose therapy in MHE patients. All patients could tolerate lactulose without any significant side effects. Four patients (13%) developed transient diarrhea in whom dose needed reduction, 3 (10%) did not like its taste but have continued, and 2 (6%) developed abdominal bloating sensation. Conclusions: Lactulose is effective in the treatment of MHE in patients with EHPVO.


Selection and forecasting are integral to econometric modelling and this thesis addresses both issues, with an application to UK inflation. Two automatic model selection algorithms, PcGets and RETINA, are evaluated on time-series and cross-section data. PcGets aims to select an undominated, congruent model of the phenomena of interest, whereas RETINA selects a parsimonious set of regressors that have predictive ability. Monte Carlo simulation results assess the null and non-null rejection frequencies of the algorithms in the presence of nonlinear functions. Both algorithms have the same properties as those for linear models under orthogonality, but collinearity increases null rejection frequencies and reduces non-null rejection frequencies. Simple operational rules that 'double de-mean' all functions are proposed to mitigate that problem. A nonlinear model selection strategy is proposed, that commences with a new test for nonlinearity, specifies the general model using polynomial functions as approximations, and undertakes a general-to-specific reduction using a multi-stage procedure. Nonlinearity poses a number of problems, including collinearity generated by nonlinear transformations, extreme observations leading to non-normal (fat-tailed) distributions, and often more variables than observations from general expansions approximating the nonlinearity, yet one must avoid excess retention of irrelevant variables. Solutions to all of these problems are proposed. A successful algorithm requires the synthesis of all of these developments to be implemented, as exclusion of one component of the algorithm can lead to severely erroneous conclusions. A model of inflation is built in which many determinants of inflation play a role in its explanation. The single cause explanation of inflation is refuted, along with a generic business cycle explanation. As forecast failure is prevalent, with naive devices often outperforming econometric models, a forecast competition is undertaken for UK annual and quarterly inflation, in which equilibrium correction models are compared to various forecasting rules. Robust forecasting devices prove useful in forecasting macroeconomic time-series, and they often outperform econometric models, both when there are structural breaks in the data and when the underlying process appears to be stable but with breaks in the explanatory variables. Increasing the information set does lead to improvements in forecasting performance suggesting that disaggregation can yield benefits. It is observed that much of the forecast error in the structural models is driven by the deterministic terms. Breaks in the mean of the cointegrating vector or the growth rate of the system will cause forecast 'failure', and results show how sensitive forecasts are to errors in these terms.


Background Gut derived lipid factors have been implicated in systemic injury and inflammation but the precise pathways involved are unknown. In addition, dietary fat intake and obesity are independent risk factors for the development of colorectal cancer. Here we studied the severity of experimental colitis and the development of colitis associated cancer (CAC) in mice with an inducible block in chylomicron secretion and fat malabsorption, following intestine-specific deletion of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (Mttp-IKO). Methodology/Principal Findings Mttp-IKO mice exhibited more severe injury with ∼90% mortality following dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) induced colitis, compared to <20% in controls. Intestinal permeability was increased in Mttp-IKO mice compared to controls, both at baseline and after DSS administration, in association with increased circulating levels of TNFα. DSS treatment increased colonic mRNA expression of IL-1β and IL-17A as well as inflammasome expression in both genotypes, but the abundance of TNFα was selectively increased in DSS treated Mttp-IKO mice. There was a 2-fold increase in colonic tumor burden in Mttp-IKO mice following azoxymethane/DSS treatment, which was associated with increased colonic inflammation as well as alterations in cytokine expression. To examine the pathways by which alterations in fatty acid abundance might interact with cytokine signaling to regulate colonic epithelial growth, we used primary murine myofibroblasts to demonstrate that palmitate induced expression of amphiregulin and epiregulin and augmented the increase in both of these growth mediators when added to IL-1βor to TNFα. Conclusions These studies demonstrate that Mttp-IKO mice, despite absorbing virtually no dietary fat, exhibit augmented fatty acid dependent signaling that in turn exacerbates colonic injury and increases tumor formation.


The mental health care environment is perceived to be a stressful clinical learning environment for nursing students to work in due to a myriad of factors. These factors include amongst other, the physical environment, the patient population, perceived student unpreparedness and the emotional demands placed on the students which are inherent in the nature of the work. The use of the self as a therapeutic tool in caring for mentally ill patients may also present a challenge for students. The aim of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of student nurses working in this challenging environment. A qualitative approach using an exploratory, descriptive design was used. Purposive sampling was employed to select sample of 36 student participants who met the eligibility criteria. Data collection was by means of focus group interviews. Data were analysed by means of Tesch's method of content analysis. Lazarus's cognitive transactional model of stress-appraisal-coping was used to structure the themes. The main themes were organisational, sociological, physiological and psychological emotional responses. Each main theme had sub-themes namely: effect of the organisational climate and organisational culture; socio-cultural background and youthful age a detriment; bodily responses and lastly, the compromised self and the self in growth. In conclusion, students' mental health experience was perceived as mostly negative and coping was problem-focused. A quantitative study to measure student stress, anxiety and depression among student nurses working in mental health care settings and also from other diverse student populations should be conducted.


PURPOSE
Lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF) has been shown to be a growth and survival factor and to be present in a wide variety of cell types. The purpose of this study was to determine whether LEDGF enhances survival of human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells when challenged by oxidative stress or by ultraviolet (UVB) irradiation in a culture system.

METHODS
Primary RPE cells were cultured in standard Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) containing 15% fetal bovine serum. Protein blot analysis with antibodies to LEDGF was used to detect LEDGF in RPE cells. Initially, RPE cells were cultured in the standard medium for 1 day to allow attachment to the culture plates and then cultured in serum-free DMEM, with and without LEDGF. The trypan blue exclusion method was used to test RPE cell viability. Single-cell electrophoresis was used to evaluate single strand breaks of genomic DNA after exposure to H(2)O(2) or irradiation by UVB.

RESULTS
LEDGF was present in RPE cells, predominantly in the nucleus. RPE cells grew for 1 week and survived for 3 weeks in the presence of LEDGF. In the absence of LEDGF, they increased in number for the first week and gradually died in the following 2 weeks. LEDGF protected RPE cells against H(2)O(2) exposure and UVB irradiation. DNA damage induced by H(2)O(2) exposure or UVB irradiation was lower in the presence than in the absence of LEDGF. The expression of heat shock protein (Hsp)27 was elevated by LEDGF.

CONCLUSIONS
LEDGF enhanced survival of RPE cells in culture when challenged by oxidative stress and UVB irradiation. LEDGF protected DNA from single-strand breakage and upregulated the expression of Hsp27. These results suggest that LEDGF may be a potential agent for protecting RPE cells under various stress conditions.


Social protection schemes, such as cash transfers are effective in improving the ability of beneficiaries to meet their basic needs: however, the evidence available shows that they are unlikely to move beneficiaries sustainably out of extreme poverty. While alternative anti-poverty programmes, such as the BRAC graduation scheme in Bangladesh, seem to contribute to this outcome, they are costly and it is unclear which component of these multi-sectorial interventions really makes the difference. The present study assesses the impacts of an innovative pilot project called the Tingathe Economic Empowerment Project (EEP) in Malawi, designed by GIZ. The project targets ultra-poor and labour-constrained households. Designed as a cluster-randomised-control-trial , it provides to different village clusters a) a lump-sum transfer; b) financial and business training; or, c) both a lump-sum transfer and training. Furthermore, the project incorporated the feature that beneficiaries were allowed to appoint someone to carry out project-related activities on their behalf (the proxy ), which could be of particular relevance to labour-constrained households. The main goal of the project was to position beneficiaries on a "graduation pathway", that is, to provide them with the necessary resources with which to improve their well-being significantly and to lay the foundation for escaping poverty and their dependence on social assistance. Our study has three main objectives: 1) to investigate the impacts of the overall project and of each of the three project components on several outcomes; 2) to verify whether project impacts differ significantly between households that satisfy all the criteria to be defined as "labour-constrained" and those that do not; 3) to assess the impacts of the proxy , and whether labour-constrained households benefited from this option in particular. In order to reach these objectives, we relied on the cluster-randomised-control-trial design and collected longitudinal information for 786 households (nearly 85 in each project component and 530 in the control group) before and after the implementation of the EEP. Our results show that the project had substantial positive impacts, in particular on financial literacy, savings, loans, livestock wealth, agricultural production, and drought resilience. Impacts on the first three outcomes are entirely driven by the financial and business training. The lump-sum played a fundamental role in increasing livestock wealth and drought resilience, while the training in combination with the lump-sum were responsible for improving agricultural production. A key finding was that the training systematically increased the productive use of the transfer. However, longer-term impact assessments are needed to verify whether these improvements will translate into the beneficiaries' graduation out of poverty. Regarding the second objective, we find that results do not differ between labour-constrained and non-labour-constrained households. This finding provides initial evidence that poor and labour-constrained households can indeed benefit from an economic empowerment project and casts some doubt on the common view that labour-constrained households will always need to depend on social assistance. Regarding the third objective, our findings point to the crucial role that active proxies play in enabling most of the project impacts. In particular, we find that an active proxy is a powerful enabler for productive activities. The larger benefits accrue to labour-constrained households. This highlights that proxies can be an important part of more inclusive economic empowerment programmes that also can include labour-constrained households.


In most developing coastal countries, the artisanal fisheries sector is managed as a common pool resource. As a result, such fisheries are overcapitalized and overfished. In Ghana, in addition to anthropogenic factors, there is evidence of rising coastal temperature and its variance, which could impact the environmental carrying capacity of the fish stock. This study investigates the effect of climate variation on biophysical parameters and yields. Our results indicate that the rising temperature is decreasing the carrying capacity. As a result, an optimum tax on harvest must reflect climate variability, as well as the congestion externality.


A Zapotec Natural History is an extraordinary book and accompanying CD (also avialble on the web "http://faculty.washington.edu/hunn/zapotec/" target=new>here!) that describe the people of a small town in Mexico and their remarkable knowledge of the natural world in which they live. San Juan Gbee is a Zapotec Indian community located in the state of Oaxaca, a region of surprising biological diversity. Eugene S. Hunn is a well-known anthropologist and ethnobiologist who has spent many years working in San Juan Gbee, studying its residents and their knowledge of the local environment. Here Hunn writes sensitively and respectfully about the rich understanding of local flora and fauna that village inhabitants have acquired and transmitted over many centuries. In this village everyone, young children included, can identify and name hundreds of local plants, animals, and fungi, together with the details of their life cycles, habitat preferences, and functions in the economic, aesthetic, and spiritual lives of the town. Part 1 of this two-part work describes the community, the subsistence farming practices of its residents, the nomenclature and classification of the local biological taxonomy, the use of plants for treating illnesses, and the ritual and decorative roles of flowers. Part 2 is on a CD-ROM and includes detailed inventories of all plant, animal, and fungal categories recognized by San Juan's people, a series of indexes, and a library of more than 1,200 images illustrating the town's plants, people, landscapes, and daily activities. Also included on the CD-ROM are files containing sounds of village life. The contents of Part 2 (the CD-ROM) are also "http://faculty.washington.edu/hunn/zapotec/" target=new>available online.