A total of 416 cod vertebral samples collected from the Newfoundland and adjacent areas during 1947-71, are analyzed in relation to their use for delineating the cod stocks of the region. Differences greater than two vertebrae were found between the highest and lowest vertebral means for different stocks. The overall vertebral mean for females exceeded that for males by 0.10. The main portion of the Labrador-East Newfoundland stock (Div. 2G to 3K) was well separated from the southern Grand Bank stock (Div. 3N and 30) by the presence in the northern area of high vertebral means and of higher percentages of high vertebral numbers and the lack of low vertebral numbers. This contrasted with vertebral means about one to two vertebrae lower in the southern Grand Bank stock, with higher percentages of low vertebral numbers and a lack of high vertebral numbers. Cod from the offshore area in Div. 2G to 3K had somewhat higher vertebral numbers than those of the inshore area. The high vertebral-count cod of the Labrador-East Newfoundland stock also extended to the northern slopes of Grand Bank and around the Avalon Peninsula (Div. 3L), but in this area they usually intermingled with cod of the Avalon stock complex and with some migrants from southern Grand Bank as indicated by vertebral means intermediate between the northern and southern extremes. In the Labrador-East Newfoundland stock, vertebral means were slightly lower in 1961-71 than in 1947-60. Vertebral means for cod off West Greenland were considerably lower than those for Labrador cod and similar to those for the southern Grand Bank stock. On St. Pierre Bank (Subdiv. 3Ps), some samples had as low vertebral means as those on Grand Bank whereas other samples had intermediate vertebral means similarto those in the adjacent coastal area. The northern Gulf and southern Gulf stocks, north and south of the Laurentian Channel in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Div. 4RST), had low vertebral means, except for evidence of the intrusion of some cod with high vertebral numbers in and near the Strait of Belle Isle. Vertebral means declined from north to south on the Scotian Shelf (Div. 4VWX) and to Georges Bank (Div. 5Z). Spawning times of cod in various parts of the Northwest Atlantic are reviewed, and vertebral numbers for the different areas and stocks are related to the surface temperatures and current drifts following spawning. The lowest surface temperatures during egg and early larval development were associated with the longest period of egg and larval drift, the highest vertebral means, and the largest, most-widely distributed stock.


Our current stalemate over detention serves nobody unot the military or any other component of the U.S. government that has to operate overseas...It is a system that no rational combination of values or strategic considerations would have produced; it could have emerged only as a consequence of a clash of interests that produced a clear victory for nobody. ufrom the Introduction Benjamin Wittes issues a persuasive call for greater coherence, clarity, and public candor from the American government regarding its detention policy and practices, and greater citizen awareness of the same. In Detention and Denial , he illustrates how U.S. detention policy is a tangle of obfuscation rather than a serious set of moral and legal decisions. Far from sharpening focus and defining clear parameters for action, it sends mixed signals, muddies the legal and military waters, and produces perverse incentives. Its random operation makes a mockery of the human rights concerns that prompted the limited amount of legal scrutiny that detention has received to date. The government may actually be painting itself into a corner, leaving itself unable to explain or justify actions it may need to take in the future. The situation is unsustainable and must be addressed. Preventive detention is a touchy subject, an easy target for eager-to-please candidates and indignant media, so public officials remain largely mum on the issue. Many Americans would be surprised to learn that no broad principle in American jurisprudence actually prohibits preventive detention; rather, the law "eschews it except when legislatures and courts deem it necessary to prevent grave public harm." But the habeas corpus legal cases that have come out of the Guant namo Bay detentionfacility uwhich remains open, despite popular expectations to the contrary uhave addressed only a small slice of the overall issue and have not uand will not uproduce a coherent body of policy. U.S. government and security forces need clear and consistent application of their detention policies, and Americans must be better informed about them. To that end, Wittes critiques America's current muddled detention policies and sets forth a detention policy based on candor. It would set clear rules and distinguish several types of detention, based on characteristics of the detainees themselves rather than where they were captured. Congress would follow steps to ""devise a coherent policy to regulate the U.S. system of detention, a system that the country cannot avoid developing."


The article illustrates the measurements of eight domains of community capacity building (CCB) at individual, organizational and community levels for tourism development. The suggested measurements were then employed in the study carried in Shiraz. The main objective of the study was to determine the level of CCB at the three levels using the measurements that have been developed. A total number of 175 community leaders were involved in the study. Findings show that generally, the level of tourism capacity building in the study area is low. It is concluded that, although there is an individual support for more collaboration in CCB, but; there is a low level of converging vision between organizations and individuals in communities. This study also provides a theoretical framework model of CCB for tourism development. It demonstrates that the CCB in three levels can develop tourism in communities. The authors suggest that the measurements and the models of CCB described in this paper is imperative in helping to develop tourism by integrating the efforts of local organizations, communities and individuals in local and urban communities.


Thiomethyl Ni complexes [Ni(CH2SR)2(PBu3)2] (R = Me (1a), tert-Bu (1b), Ph (1c)) and the homoleptic derivs. [{Li(Et2O)}2Ni(CH2SBu-tert)4] (2), [Li2Ni(CH2SMe)4].xTHF (3a) and [Li2Ni(CH2SPh)4].xEt2O (3b) were synthesized by the reaction of Ni halide phosphine complexes with the appropriate thiomethyl Li compds. LiCH2SR in a molar ratio of 1:2 and 1:4, resp. The mol. structures (x-ray) of the diamagnetic heteroleptic deriv. 1 were characterized by microanal. and by NMR spectroscopy. The tert-butylthiomethyl complex 2 is stable at room temp. (Tdec. .apprx. 60-66 Deg) whereas the Me- and phenylthiomethyl complexes 3a and 3b are decompd. already at -10 to -20 Deg. The mol. structure (x-ray) of 2 shows a slightly distorted planar arrangement of the four methylene C atoms and Ni (d(Ni-C) = 1.944(3) .ANG.). The Li atoms are distorted tetrahedrally coordinated by two S atoms, one O atom (Et2O) and one methylene C atom. The short Li-S distances (2.461(6)-2.535(5) .ANG.) indicate strong Li-S interactions.


This study evaluates outcomes from April 2011 to May 2013 for 163 hospital patients screened by the 10th Decile Project in Los Angeles, which works with hospitals to identify the 10 percent of homeless patients with the highest public and hospital costs – the 10th decile – and provide immediate services for placing these individuals into permanent supportive housing. This is affordable housing that provides access to health and social services, such as mental health and addiction therapy, medical care, and case management.The triage tools that are used for screening employ accurate, simple to use statistical models that analyze information about individuals that is available in hospitals, jails and homeless service agencies affiliated with medical clinics to identify the one-tenth of homeless persons with the highest public costs and the acute ongoing crises that create those high costs. Because there are multiple paths into this highest-cost group, ranging from young persons with psychoses who are publicly disruptive to older persons are simply very sick, each tool uses a cluster of statistical models specifically designed to assess risk factors for different age and gender groups. An analysis of cost outcomes shows that housing 10th decile patients resulted in avoidance of significant public and hospital costs.


textabstractDespite enjoying distinct and privileged constitutional statuses,
the Indigenous minorities of Malaysia, namely, the
natives of Sabah, natives of Sarawak and the Peninsular
Malaysia Orang Asli continue to endure dispossession from
their customary lands, territories and resources. In response,
these groups have resorted to seeking justice in the domestic
courts to some degree of success. Over the last two decades,
the Malaysian judiciary has applied the constitutional
provisions and developed the common law to recognise and
protect Indigenous land and resource rights beyond the literal
confines of the written law. This article focuses on the
effectiveness of the Malaysian courts in delivering the preferred
remedy of Indigenous communities for land and
resource issues, specifically, the restitution or return of traditional
areas to these communities. Despite the Courts' recognition
and to a limited extent, return of Indigenous lands
and resources beyond that conferred upon by the executive
and legislative arms of government, it is contended that the
utilisation of the judicial process is a potentially slow, costly,
incongruous and unpredictable process that may also not
necessarily be free from the influence of the domestic political
and policy debates surrounding the return of Indigenous
lands, territories and resources.


In the United States, both constitutional law and tort law recognize the right to privacy, understood as legal entitlement to an intimate life of one's own free from undue interference by others and the state. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender ("LGBT") persons have defended their interests in dignity, equality, autonomy, and intimate relationships in the courts by appealing to that right. In the constitutional arena, LGBT Americans have claimed the protection of state and federal privacy rights with a modicum of well-known success. Holding that homosexuals have the same right to sexual privacy as heterosexuals, Lawrence v. Texas symbolizes the possibility of victory in the courts for LGBT Americans seeking privacy in intimate life. In the U.S. tort arena, LGBT plaintiffs have claimed violations of their privacy rights and have sometimes won. As detailed throughout this Article, LGBT plaintiffs have accused such defendants of prying, spying, insulting or harassing them, or disclosing their birth sex, sexual orientation, or medical information without authorization. Lawsuits have framed the violations experienced by LGBT claimants as one or more of the four privacy torts Dean William L. Prosser distinguished and enshrined in the Second Restatement of Torts. LGBT plaintiffs relying on Prosser's common law tort remedies have not been as successful as some would have predicted based on a general understanding of the torts and their superficial appeal. The common law of torts has yet to generate its Goodridge or Lawrence. In this Article I analyze cases in which LGBT plaintiffs have alleged one or more of Prosser's four common law privacy tort offenses on facts that expressly involve their sexual orientations or gender identities. I argue that plaintiffs' lawyers in LGBT issues-related cases implicitly challenge the integrity of Prosser's formal taxonomy. LGBT issues-related cases may not strain Prosser's taxonomy any more than other privacy tort cases, but this body of cases exposes the limitations of Prosser's distinctions on particularly poignant and compelling facts. I argue further that the theoretically promising invasion of privacy torts have not been especially useful to LGBT plaintiffs seeking relief in cases related to their sexual orientations or identities. For example, the invasion of privacy tort has not reliably vindicated the complex interest LGBT plaintiffs understandably assert in what I term "selective disclosure" of their sexual orientations or identities. I suggest that recent success in the LGBT population's historic quest for equality and inclusion potentially undercuts the already tenuous practical utility of the invasion of privacy tort. Courts may fail to discern that sexual orientation and sexual identity-related privacy protection is warranted for LGBT individuals if, they believe there has been a significant reduction in violence, social stigma, and discrimination associated with open LGBT status.


Background: Diabetes Mellitus and its complications have become a major public health problem around the world, with the number of patients diagnosed rising each year. Swellendam is no exception. Many of the patients, who receive their chronic medication from our clinics, have poorly controlled diabetes. Clinical audit can eliminate the gap between current and optimal clinical performance in Swellendam. The aim of this study was to improve the quality of care of diabetic patients at the chronic care clinics of the Swellendam sub district through a quality improvement process.

Methods: An audit was done on the treatment and follow up of diabetic patients at Railton, Suurbraak and Buffeljagsrivier clinics in Swellendam. Standards and targets were set and data was collected retrospectively from a sample size of 95 patients. The results of the first audit were compared with the criteria and target standards. The audit team identified the standards we failed to meet and changes were made, as a result of the initial audit. To improve the quality of care of the patients and thus limiting the complications, it was set out to implement practical diabetes guidelines at our clinics to achieve this. After the changes were implemented and twelve months had past, another sample of the same 95 patients were taken and the audit was repeated.

Results: The standards set were poorly achieved in the first audit. Significant improvements were noted when the secondary audit was done 12 months later. Patients who attended the clinic at least 6 times a year, improved from 40% during the first audit to 62% during the second audit. This increased the rate well above the target level of 50%. Recording of the patient's weight at each visit remained fairly constant at 40% during the first audit and 41% during the second audit. This is still lower than the expected target level of 50%. The BMI was measured poorly. Although it improved from 6% in the first audit to 20% in the second audit, it was still far below the target level of 50%. Measuring of the Hgt levels improved well above the target level of 80%, from 78% in the first audit to 94% in the second audit. The same applies to the measuring of the blood pressure, where the first audit measured 78% and the second audit 95%. Testing of the patient's urine was poorly adhered to, with 28% in the first and 35% in the second audit – much lower than the target level of 70%. A diet sheet was given to 93% of patients in the second audit, 21% more that in the first audit and 13% higher than the target of 80%. There was a huge improvement in the documenting of the patients' foot exam, with 17% against 67%. In the first audit 61% of patients yearly visited the dietician, against 88% in the second audit. Again it is higher than the target of 80%. The vision test and fundoscopy were not well done, but nevertheless improved from the first audit. Vision test was done in 14% of patients in the first audit against 47% in the second audit, and the fundoscopy was done in 1% of patients against 38% in the second audit. The testing of the creatinine, lipid and HbA1c levels improved significantly in the second audit, respectively measuring 10%, 2% and 7% in the first audit, against 96%, 87% and 95% in the second, all well above the target levels of 70%. Only 24% of the patients' random blood glucose levels were below 10 in the first audit against 44% in the second audit. This is lower than the target of 50%. The HbA1c levels were lower than 8 in only 13% of patients in the first audit, against 46% of patients in the second audit. Also it is lower than the target of 50%, but increased significantly.

Conclusion: The results of the study showed how criteria-based audit can produce significant improvements in the quality of care of diabetic patients in a rural town in South Africa.


This paper presents a protocol for resource sharing in a hierarchical real-time scheduling framework. Together, the protocol and the scheduling framework significantly reduce the efforts and errors associated with integrating multiple semi-independent subsystems on a single processor. Thus, our proposed techniques facilitate modern software development processes, where subsystems are developed by independent teams (or subcontractors) and at a later stage integrated into a single product. Using our solution, a subsystem need not know, and is not dependent on, the timing behaviour of other subsystems; even though they share mutually exclusive resources. In this paper we also prove the correctness of our approach and evaluate its efficiency.


In addition to stimulating visual responses, light induces a range of circadian, neuroendocrine and neurobehavioral non-visual responses in humans. These effects are mediated primarily via a novel non-rod, non-cone photoreceptor, which is most sensitive to blue light (lambda_max 480nm) and exhibits different sensitivity to the spectrum, timing, intensity, duration and pattern of exposure as compared to visual responses. The discovery of this novel photoreceptor has led to consideration of the nonvisual effects of light as an important element of healthy lighting design in addition to vision. Before application of these new findings, however, it is necessary to first understand, and then model how the nonvisual system responds to light. One challenging aspect is the fact that the nonvisual system adapts its responses to changes in light intensity and spectral composition over a much longer timeframe than the visual system. Here, we propose a functional model of the nonvisual light-response relationship that combines temporal integration and a static nonlinear function.


Background: Thyroglossal duct cysts (TDC) are the most common congenital neck masses arising from the expansion of the epithelial tract remnants occurring during embryogenic thyroid migration. About 7% of the population have thyroglossal duct remnants. Clinical presentation is frequent in children, but adults can also present with thyroglossal duct cysts. Thyroglossal duct cysts may rarely develop carcinomas (1-1.6 %) but tend to occur more in adults than children. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all cases of TDC carcinoma surgically treated during a 15-years period at Ahwaz Emam Hospital center. Results: Three patients (two female and one male patient), who were 23 to 46 years old (mean 38 yr.) were identified. The frequency of TDC carcinoma among surgically removed TDC cysts was 0.7%. A midline upper neck mass was the initial symptom in all patients. The diagnosis of cancer was made after the Sistrunk's procedure in all three cases. All patients had papillary carcinoma. Thyroid involvement was noted in one case. One patient had near-total thyroidectomy, and two received postoperative radioactive iodine. After a mean follow-up of 11 years (range: 1 to 15 yr.), no patient had a documented local recurrence or distant metastatic involvement, and no tumor-associated mortality was observed. Conclusion: Although development of a papillary thyroid carcinoma from thyroglossal cyst is very rare, it should be born in the mind of the surgeon and the pathologist that this possibility exists and the ductal wall should be examined elaborately.


Abstract A study of leaching of freshly erupted basaltic and dacitic air-fall ash and bomb fragment samples, unaffected by rain, shows that glass dissolution is the dominant process by which uranium is initially mobilized from air-fall volcanic ash. Si, Li, and V are also preferentially mobilized by glass dissolution. Gaseous transfer followed by fixation of soluble uranium species on volcanic-ash particles is not an important process affecting uranium mobility. Gaseous transfer, however, may be important in forming water-soluble phases, adsorbed to ash surfaces, enriched in the economically and environmentally important elements Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, B, F, and Ba. Quick removal of these adsorbed elements by the first exposure of freshly erupted ash to rain and surface water may pose short-term hazards to certain forms of aquatic and terrestrial life. Such rapid release of material may also represent the first step in transportation of economically important elements to environments favorable for precipitation into deposits of commercial interest. Ash samples collected from the active Guatemalan volcanoes Fuego and Pacaya (high-Al basalts) and Santiaguito (hornblende-hypersthene dacite); bomb fragments from Augustine volcano (andesite-dacite), Alaska, and Heimaey (basalt), Vestmann Islands, Iceland; and fragments of "rhyolitic" pumice from various historic eruptions were subjected to three successive leaches with a constant water-to-ash weight ratio of 4:1. The volcanic material was successively leached by: (1) distilled-deionized water (pH = 5.0–5.5) at room temperature for 24 h, which removes water-soluble gases and salts adsorbed on ash surfaces during eruption; (2) dilute HCl solution (pH = 3.5–4.0) at room temperature for 24 h, which continues the attack initiated by the water and also attacks acid-soluble sulfides and oxides; (3) a solution 0.05 M in both Na,CO, and NaHCO, (pH = 9.9) at 80°C for one week, which preferentially dissolves volcanic glass. The first two leaches mimic interaction of ash with rain produced in the vicinity of an active eruption. The third leach accelerates the effect of prolonged contact of volcanic ash with alkaline ground water present during ash diagenesis.


A new methodology to derive the spatial distribution of clay pans from satellite microwave data is presented. Soil moisture has a different temporal signature in clay pans compared with other soils, which is directly reflected in the satellite-observed brightness temperatures. Three years of Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) 6.9 GHz microwave observations were compiled and analysed over continental Australia to identify clay pans. This led to the development of a brightness temperature variance index (BTVI), which shows a strong spatial correspondence to an existing soil texture map and the ability to map clay pans for semi-arid regions. This simple method emphasizes the potential use of passive microwave remote sensing for soil type mapping.


This edited volume reconsiders the importance of the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki from a post-Cold War perspective. It has been argued that during the Cold War era scholarship was limited by the anxiety that authors felt about the possibility of a global thermonuclear war, and the role their scholarship could play in obstructing such an event. The new scholarship of Nuclear Humanities approaches this history and its fallout with both more nuanced and integrative inquiries, paving the way towards a deeper integration of these seminal events beyond issues of policy and ethics. This volume, therefore, offers a distinctly post-Cold War perspective on the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The chapters collected here address the memorialization and commemoration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by officials and states, but also ordinary people's resentment, suffering, or forgiveness. The volume presents a variety of approaches with contributions from academics and contributions from authors who are strongly connected to the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and its people. In addition, the work branches out beyond the traditional subjects of social sciences and humanities to include contributions on art, photography, and design. This variety of approaches and perspectives provides moral and political insights on the full range of vulnerabilities - such as emotional, bodily, cognitive, and ecological - that pertains to nuclear harm. This book will be of much interest to students of critical war studies, nuclear weapons, World War II history, Asian History and International Relations in general.


This research has to give an answer to the questions that have a causality relation with the better educational achievements of the people from other ethnic groups. I have chiefly considered the parents' social status which means that I will mostly look into the parents' level of education, although this status encompasses much more. The basic aim of the research is to examine the differences of students' educational achievements based on ethnicity in the Primary Schools in Macedonia. The research is realized through determination of the connection between the educational achievements of the students from other ethnic groups in Macedonian primary schools and their parents' education. The analysis of the results has shown that there are differences in the students' achievements, and those differences are answer to the questions concerning the level of parents' education as one of the reasons for students' underachievement. The method used for the research is a hybrid, and quantity and quality approaches have been used.


The mechanism by which amantadine exerts its antiviral activity is not clearly understood. It appears to mainly prevent the release of infectious viral nucleic acid into the host cell by interfering with the function of the transmembrane domain of the viral M2 protein. In certain cases, amantadine is also known to prevent virus assembly during virus replication. It does not appear to interfere with the immunogenicity of inactivated influenza A virus vaccine.


Tropical biologists are exploring ways to expand their role as researchers through knowledge exchange with local stakeholders. Graduate students are well positioned for this broader role, particularly when supported by graduate programs. We ask: (1) how can graduate students effectively engage in knowledge exchange during their research; and (2) how can university programs prepare young scientists to take on this partnership role? We present a conceptual framework with three levels at which graduate students can exchange knowledge with stakeholders (information sharing, skill building, and knowledge generation) and discuss limitations of each. Examples of these strategies included disseminating preliminary research results to southern African villages, building research skills of Brazilian undergraduate students through semester‐long internships, and jointly developing and implementing a forest ecology research and training program with one community in the Amazon estuary. Students chose strategies based on stakeholders' interests, research goals, and a realistic evaluation of student capacity and skill set. As strategies became more complex, time invested, skills mobilized, and strength of relationships between students and stakeholders increased. Graduate programs can prepare students for knowledge exchange with partners by developing specialized skills training, nurturing external networks, offering funding, maximizing strengths of universities in developed and developing regions through partnership, and evaluating knowledge exchange experiences. While balancing the needs of academia with those of stakeholders is challenging, the benefits of enhancing local scientific capacity and generating more locally relevant research for improved conservation may be worth the risks associated with implementing this type of graduate training model.


In the present paper I argue that the two systems of phylogenetic nomenclature hitherto proposed represent, in a generalized sense, two different philosophies for how science develops and progresses. The phylogenetic system of definition initially proposed by de Queiroz and Gauthier [Syst. Zool. 39 (1990) 307], and later labeled PSD, is typically Popperian in the sense that science progresses toward truth by an accumulation of knowledge. Phylogenetic definitions of taxon names are assumed to adapt automatically to each new hypothesis of phylogeny, thereby reflecting better and better hypotheses. The phylogenetic system of reference proposed by Härlin [Zool. Scr. 27 (1998a) 381], on the other hand, is more Kuhnian, because it is built on the idea that successive hypotheses are incommensurable (and thus not cumulative) and that taxon names might be equalled with low‐level paradigms.


In the context of space mission designing, physical and chemical systems which regenerate the resources with production "in situ" of air, food and water are increasing their importance. The MELiSSA (Micro-Ecological Life Support System Alternative) project aims at developing of an artificial ecosystem of microorganisms and higher plants able to support the life of a crew during long-term space missions. Particular attention has been given to the choice of plant species and technologies for their processing. Among several candidate species, potato, soybean and two wheat species were selected.
Soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is an important crop wordwide because of its high nutrient content and because of the main ways it can be processed. Within a closed system for a space mission, yield, energy consumption, sensorial acceptability and numerous other factors must be taken into account. For these reasons, the simultaneous production of soymilk and okara was considered optimal: it allows high nutrient recovery without excessive energy consumption.
In order to identify optimal parameters for soybean processing into milk and okara, water for soaking at room temperature was chosen: it provides long times but low nutrient leaking in the water and no energy expenditure. Optimal processing parameters were seeds milling in water at room temperature and extraction by 30 min boiling; next steps were filtration to separate aqueous extract from the pulp and milk sanification by boiling for15 min.
Regarding sensorial aspects, consumers do not always appreciate soymilk, but it is possible to improve taste by adding sugar and vanilla. A study with non-expert panelists showed that salt and vanilla sugar addition fails to mask the typical bean aroma but it can improve taste up to global levels of pleasantness comparable to market soymilk.
The possibility of soybean production cycle shortening was evaluated: for this purpose effects on seeds and transformed products were studied.
Harvest of immature seeds results great management and economic benefits and, from a nutritional point of view, it is possible to obtained processed products with lower phytic acid content. On the other hand, it is well known that the accumulation of dry matter and nutrients in soybeans seeds increases with advancing of maturation steps. For dry matter, this trend was mitigated with transformation but for fat and protein the highest concentration was observed in soymilk and okara from seeds at complete maturation so, optimal harvest moment within a Life Support System is commercial ripeness.
Based on this preliminary information, nutritional and compositional comparison, among four different cultivars of soybean seeds and their derived products were performed. Influence of hydroponic cultivation in controlled environment (simulation of a Life Support System in the space) was evaluated, too. Hydroponic cultivation in controlled environment is not only a method to produce food in space, but also a system to increase lipid, fiber and mineral accumulation in soy seeds. Hydroponic cultivation in controlled environment determined different performances compared to open field cultivation and, for this reason, selecting optimal cultivar, only data from experimental cultivation must be considered.
In particular during soymilk and okara production, seeds cultivation system did not significantly modify aqueous extract composition but only residue pulp characteristics. The choice of the best cultivar will be contextualized within the diet of the astronauts: good protein and fiber values were observed in transformed products from Atlantic seeds but, if you need a higher fat content, you will choose other cultivars such as Cresir or Regir.
After this stage of the study about food production and preparation on Earth, a second phase with the study of technology in the absence of gravity and the evaluation of space environment effect on biological processes will perform.


A phase selector is designed by relatively sliding two coupled identical photonic crystal waveguides (PCWs) of a photonic directional coupler (DC). By solving the coupled equations analytically derived from the tight-binding theory, symmetry breaking in the crossing of dispersion curves can be observed as countersliding two degenerated waveguides along the propagation direction. There exists a different phase shift between two eigenmodes by varying the sliding distance and the operating frequency. Numerical simulations of DCs made of photonic crystal slabs were used to verify the correctness of our theoretical predictions and to discuss thoroughly the underlying physics of the symmetry-breaking system. The design concept is provided for a phase selector or a beam splitter whose output phase difference can be controlled by the sliding distance of two PCWs.


The "European Guidelines on Quality Criteria for Diagnostic Radiographic Images" do not address the choice of the film characteristic (H&D) curve, which is an important parameter for the description of a radiographic screen-film system. The image contrast of clinical lumbar spine and chest radiographs was altered by digital image processing techniques, simulating images with different H&D curves, both steeper and flatter than the original. The manipulated images were printed on film for evaluation. Seven experienced radiologists evaluated the clinical image quality by analysing the fulfilment of the European Image Criteria (ICS) and by visual grading analysis (VGA) of in total 224 lumbar spine and 360 chest images. A parallel study of the effect of the H&D curve has also been made using a theoretical model. The contrast (DeltaOD) of relevant anatomical details was calculated, using a Monte Carlo simulation-model of the complete imaging system including a 3D voxel phantom of a patient. Correlations between the calculated contrast and the radiologists' assessment by VGA were sought. The results of the radiologists' assessment show that the quality in selected regions of lumbar spine and chest images can be significantly improved by the use of films with a steeper H&D curve compared with the standard latitude film. Significant (p<0.05) correlations were found between the VGA results and the calculations of the contrast of transverse processes and trabecular details in the lumbar spine vertebrae, and with the contrast of blood vessels in the retrocardiac area of the chest.


When researching the biographical details of working class women, we are not only faced with that "enormous condescension of history" which EP Thompson criticized when writing about the history of working class movements, we also find that working class women are doubly "hidden from history" by the assumption that organised labour is male. However in Cuba in the 1950s, there were many important strikes which were initiated and sustained by women workers. When a group of office workers from the central Cuban town of Camaguey, the principal hub of the railway network covering the eastern part of the island, first heard of their employers' intention to impose wage cuts and redundancies, these women launched a wave of resistance by picketing the train drivers and maintenance engineers. The story of the railway women of Camaguey encourages us to look more closely into other working class struggles to seek the contributions made by women.
 The paper will examine the part played by working class women in the fight against the Batista dictatorship for, in addition to the women of Camaguey, we can find examples of militant activity from shop workers who started at least two town-wide general strikes and female office workers in the electrical supply industry who led demonstrations in a fight over trade union democracy. Sugar and dock workers' families organised vital solidarity action in the face of police violence, while women frequently took over picketing when their menfolk had to go into hiding to avoid being forced to return to work at gunpoint.
 The paper will argue that women workers, while only 10 percent of the Cuban workforce in the 1950s, played a part in the overthrow of the Batista dictatorship out of all proportion to their numbers.


Citizenship, nation, empire investigates the extent to which popular imperialism influenced the teaching of history between 1870 and 1930. It is the first book-length study to trace the substantial impact of educational psychology on the teaching of history, probing its impact on textbooks, literacy primers and teacher-training manuals. Educationists identified 'enlightened patriotism' to be the core objective of historical education. This was neither tub-thumping jingoism, nor state-prescribed national-identity teaching, but rather a carefully crafted curriculum for all children which fused civic as well as imperial ambitions. The book will be of interest to those studying or researching aspects of English domestic imperial culture, especially those concerned with questions of childhood and schooling, citizenship, educational publishing and anglo-British relations. Given that vitriolic debates about the politics of history teaching have endured into the twenty-first century, Citizenship, nation, empire is a timely study of the formative influences that shaped the history curriculum in English schools


Seagrass beds are important habitats for juvenile commercial prawns. Since the start of the CSIRO seagrass and cyclone program in 1984, there have been four cyclones in the western Gulf of Carpentaria. Of these, only two have affected seagrass beds, and only one of these, cyclone 'Sandy', had a severe effect. The extent of damage to the seagrass beds is probably the result of a combination of factors, including the path of the cyclone, the strength of the winds and the currents associated with the cyclone, the height of the tide at the time of the cyclone and whether the storm surge associated with the cyclone is positive or negative. Cyclone 'Sandy' removed about 183 km2 of seagrass from the Gulf of Carpentaria, which has resulted in the juvenile prawn populations in the area changing from commercially important tiger and endeavour prawns to non-commercial species. The catch of tiger prawns in this area has been consistently lower than in unaffected areas.

Seagrasses have begun to grow in the area again. However, it is a very slow process and small species that do not provide a suitable habitat for juvenile prawns are the first to colonise. In addition, the sediment in some areas may now be unsuitable for seagrass. Seagrass revegetation and recolonisation by juveniles of commercially important prawns is likely to take at least 10 to 15 years.


The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 triggering the COVID-19 pandemic ranks as arguably the greatest medical emergency of the last century. COVID-19 has highlighted health disparities both within and between countries and will leave a lasting impact on global society. Nonetheless, substantial investment in life sciences over recent decades has facilitated a rapid scientific response with innovations in viral characterization, testing, and sequencing. Perhaps most remarkably, this permitted the development of highly effective vaccines, which are being distributed globally at unprecedented speed. In contrast, drug treatments for the established disease have delivered limited benefits so far. Innovative and rapid approaches in the design and execution of large-scale clinical trials and repurposing of existing drugs have saved many lives; however, many more remain at risk. In this review we describe challenges and unmet needs, discuss existing therapeutics, and address future opportunities. Consideration is given to factors that have hindered drug development in order to support planning for the next pandemic challenge and to allow rapid and cost-effective development of new therapeutics with equitable delivery.


The article, based on the analysis of architectural and memorial complexes dedicated to the Siege of Leningrad in Saint Petersburg, investigates the processes of formation and transformation of historical memory of this event in the urban space. The secular language of the artistic representation of the blockade created during the years of the USSR was instrumentalized by agents of the politics of history on the eve of perestroika and reinterpreted through the categories of Orthodox Christianity in contemporary Russia. Following the cultural transformations that took place during perestroika, I identify new actors of the politics of history: organizations of blockade survivors, Russian nationalists, and the Russian Orthodox Church. They were the driving force behind many memorials and commemorative signs dedicated to the Blockade of Leningrad in and around Saint Petersburg in the 1990s and early 2000s. The construction of Russian Orthodox churches dedicated to the memory of the blockade, like the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Malaia Okhta and the Church of All Saints Resplendent in the Russian Land in Victory Park, testify to the emergence of a new language of historical commemoration in the post-Soviet Saint Petersburg. It also indicates the inclusion of the blockade in the category of events significant to the historical narrative of the Russian Orthodox Church. Using the example of the Russian Orthodox Church's policy regarding commemoration of the blockade in the 1990s, I outline the reasons why a formerly marginal agent of the politics of history not only was able to mark its presence in the city's cultural space, but also began to claim the place of the most influential interpreter of the past in contemporary Russia. The study is based on visual analyses of several memorials dedicated to the Blockade of Leningrad, the circumstances of the creation of monuments and other commemorative markers, their location in the city, and the discursive significance attached to memorials by the city's community. The article is written at the intersection of research in history of memory and cultural studies.
Article in English
DOI: 10.25285/2078-1938-2018-10-3-79-105


In recent years there has been a growing realisation in the IR community that the interaction of searchers with information is an indispensable component of the IR process. As a result, issues relating to interactive IR have been extensively investigated in the last decade. This research has been performed in the context of unstructured documents or in the context of the loosely-defined structure encountered in web pages. XML documents, on the other hand, define a different context, by offering the possibility of navigating within the structure of a single document, or of following links to other documents.

Relatively little work has been carried out to study user interaction with IR systems that make use of the additional features offered by XML documents. As part of the INEX initiative for the evaluation of XML retrieval, the INEX interactive track has focused on interactive XML retrieval since 2004. Here user friendly exposition to various features of XML documents is provided and some new features are designed and implemented to enable searchers to have access to their desired information in an efficient manner.

In this study interaction entails three levels: query formulation, inspecting result list, and examining the detail. For query formulation, suggesting related terms is a conventional method to assist searchers. Here we
investigate the related terms derived from two different co-occurrence units: elements and documents. In addition, contextual aspect is added to facilitate the searchers for appropriate selection of terms. Results showed the usefulness of suggesting related terms and some what acceptance of the contextual related tool.

For inspecting the result list, classic document retrieval systems such as web search engines retrieve whole documents, and leave it to the searchers to collect their required information from possibly a lengthy text. In contrast, element retrieval aims at a focused view of information by pointing to the optimal access points of the document. A number of strategies have been investigated for presenting result lists.

For examining the detail of a document, traditionally the complete document is presented to a searcher and here again the searcher has to put in effort to reach its required information. We investigated the use of additional support such as a table of contents along with document detail. In addition, we also investigated graphical representations of documents depicting its structure and granularity of retrieved elements along with their estimated relevance. Here the table of contents was found to be a very useful features for examining details.

In order to conduct the analysis of searcher's interaction, a visualisation technique based on Tree Map was developed. It depicts the search interaction with element retrieval system. A number of browsing strategies has been identified
with the help of this tool.

The value of element retrieval for searchers and comparison between two focused approaches such as element and passage retrieval system was also evaluated. The study suggests that searchers find elements useful for their tasks and they locate a lot of the relevant information in specific elements rather than full documents. Sections, in particular, appear to be helpful.

In order to provide user-specific support, the system needs feedback from searchers, who in turn, are very reluctant to
give this information explicitly. Therefore, we investigated to what extent
the different features can be used as relevance predictors. Of the five features regarded, primarily
the reading time is a useful relevance predictor. Overall, relevance predictors for structured
documents seem to be much weaker than for the case of atomic documents.


It is not by coincidence that the concept of difference plays a pivotal role in the architecture of philosophy. Thinking never sets out from mere unity, but always has as its origin a relation of two-valuedness (duplex), which is to say: it is intrinsically related to its objects ab initio. It is this essential duality which supplies the framework in which philosophy creates its concepts. Wolfram Hogrebe pursues the manifestations of this basic duality in the works of some of the most important authors of the 20th century, such as Carl Schmitt and Martin Heidegger. He asserts that in the space formed by duplex, concepts are based on aesthetic rather than scientific decisions. It is here that the characteristic openness of an anarchic sensibility forms itself, like in the writings of Gustav Landauer. In pursuing the movement of difference/duplex from Plato to system theory, Wolfram Hogrebe presents a summary of philosophy from its origins up to its current state.


To see the improvement in lifestyle, food intake and nutritional status of Beneficiary people of Shiree Project under Dushtha Shasthya Kendra, a comparative cross sectional study was done in Kamrangirchar slum among extreme poor people of Dhaka city and compared with non–beneficiary households. Beneficiary households of MDG-1 under Shiree Project got household economic intervention packages. In this stuy it is found that mean monthly income of the family was 6175.65 Tk in beneficiary group and 4288.14 Tk in non-beneficiary group. The mean monthly expenditure on food items of family was 3787.83 Tk in beneficiary group and 2796.61 Tk in non-beneficiary group. About 34 percent beneficiary households and 75 percent of all non-beneficiary households were poor having household's monthly income less than 3000 taka. Some 15.7 percent beneficiary households had five amenities out of selected six and only 1.7 percent non-beneficiary households had five amenities. So, socio-economic condition of beneficiary extreme poor people has improved. Consumption of food items was significantly more in beneficiary households than non-beneficiary ones. Some 74 percent beneficiary households consumed four or more food items daily and 26 percent non-beneficiary households consumed four or more food items daily. On average 3.37 food items were consumed by beneficiary households and 2.49 food items by non-beneficiary households daily. More than 60% of the beneficiary people ate full stomach meals and less than 25 % of non-beneficiary people could afford to eat the same. So, beneficiary people were more food secure and more food diversified than non-beneficiary people. Nutritional status of the children by MUAC, Weight for Age Z-score, and Height for Age Z-score showed no significant difference between beneficiary and non-beneficiary group. Prevalence rate of underweight (Weight for Age Z-score) was 60.5% in beneficiary children and 65.9% in non-beneficiary children. Significant difference (P=0.044) was found by Weight for Height Z-score in both beneficiary and non-beneficiary group. The difference of mothers' nutritional status by BMI between beneficiary group and non-beneficiary group was not statistically significant, though percentage of CED was lower and overweight was higher in beneficiary mothers than non-beneficiary ones. Though socio-economic status, food security and food intake were better in beneficiary people than non-beneficiary ones, the outcome of these factors were not significant in clinical and anthropometric status. Beneficiary households were on the way to meet first target of MGD-1 which is related to poverty reduction. But they were far away from reaching the second target and halving prevalence of underweight as described in MDG-1. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjnut.v24i0.14033 Bangladesh J. Nutr. Vol. 24-25 Dec 2011-2012 pp.15-22


Prior research on Information Technology Outsourcing has characterized the dominant governance modes as either 'Formal' or 'Relational,' which rely on stringent assumptions of either perfect foresight or about the extent to which one party can punish unilateral deviations by the other. We propose a third alternative for inter-firm contract governance. The social network capital offers a measure of reputation that can indicate to future trading partners the reduced likelihood of opportunistic behavior. The network of trading partners enables a community enforcement of contracting terms by providing safeguards that may not be offered by traditional measures. Based on a large dataset of public ITO announcements we examine the role that structural embeddedness can play in predicting contract duration. We find preliminary evidence suggesting that network position does matter in predicting contract structure over and above the traditional economic variables.


Statistical models of shape are a promising approach for robust and automatic segmentation of medical image data. This work describes the construction of a statistical shape model of the pelvic bone. An interactive approach is proposed for solving the correspondence problem which is able to handle shapes of arbitrary topology, suitable for the genus 3 surface of the pelvic bone. Moreover it allows to specify corresponding anatomical features as boundary constraints to the matching process. The model's capability for segmentation was tested on a set of 23 CT data sets. Quantitative results will be presented, showing that the model is well suited for segmentation purposes.


Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) can provide a morphologic diagnosis of palpable breast masses in an accurate, efficient, inexpensive, and safe manner. However, how one acquires the skill to perform the FNA and interpret the resulting smears, while protecting the patient from the risk of false-positive or false-negative results, is scarcely considered. We used a three-phase program to acquire experience with FNA while providing services for 205 patients over a 16-month period. We performed FNA sequentially in vitro, in vivo, and finally in vivo for clinical use. With available literature and this graduated implementation program, physicians totally inexperienced with FNA can achieve results similar to those of medical centers having experience with thousands of patients.


The powerful earthquake struck suddenly, shaking the seven-story building so hard it bent, cracked and swayed in response. But this was no ordinary earthquake. In a groundbreaking series of tests, engineering researchers from UC San Diego's Jacobs School of Engineering jarred a full-size 275ton building erected on a shake table, duplicating ground motions recorded during the January 17, 1994 Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles, California. To record the impact on the building, the structure was fitted with some 600 sensors and filmed as the shake table simulated the earthquake, yielding a flood of data including stress, strain, and acceleration – so much information that engineers were having a hard time making sense of it all. That's where visualisation experts from the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) at UC San Diego came in. "By recreating the shake table experiment in movies in a virtual environment based on the observed data, this lets engineers explore all the way from viewing the 'big picture' of the entire building from a 360-degree viewpoint to zooming in close to see what happened to a specific support," said SDSC visualisation scientist Amit Chourasia. "Integrating these disparate data elements into a visual model can lead to critical new insights." Added Jose Restrepo, a professor of structural engineering at UCSD, "These visualisations give us an intuitive way to see how the building behaves in our shake table experiments — this tool will be very valuable in helping us understand the tests in ways we can't from traditional approaches, and also in sharing this research with other engineers and the public." The costliest quake in U.S. history, the magnitude 6.7 Northridge event prompted calls for more scientific evaluation of structural elements, leading the engineers to conduct the building tests on one of the world's largest shake tables at UCSD's outdoor Englekirk Structural Engineering Center. In addition to helping engineers understand the earthquake's impact on the building, the visualisations can also give researchers a tool to do "what if" virtual experiments. "We found that the recorded motion aligns very well with the movie we created," said Steve Cutchin, director of Visualisation Services at SDSC. "This is important because knowing the model is accurate means it can be used to take simulated earthquake data and predict the sensor values – you can ask, 'What if a larger 7 point earthquake hits?' and simulate how the building will shake in response." To make the visualisations more useful and provide a rich visual context, the researchers wanted to incorporate recognisable elements from the surroundings, which meant integrating features from the actual video footage recorded during the test. "Our goal was to have fidelity not only in rendering quality but also in visual realism," said Chourasia. In addition, the integrated video would let the researchers validate this virtual reconstruction visually. Once Chourasia and his colleagues had developed the building model and animated the deformation caused by the shaking, they worked to align the virtual camera and lighting with the real world video camera so that the scene would match in the recorded footage and the virtual version. "However, when we tried to composite the actual video footage, we found that the instruments had sampled the data at 50 Hz but the video was recorded at 29.97 Hz.," Chourasia explained. "And there wasn't any timing synchronisation between the building sensors and camera." This posed a serious hurdle for compositing. "After viewing the video footage, we noticed that the recording also contained audio data, because the moving building and shake table make noise, and this proved to be the key." By "listening to the building" and analysing the audio and sensor signals, the researchers were able to synchronise the video and instrument data for the visualisation.


In network industries, a Universal Service Obligation (USO) is often seen as a burden on an incumbent, which requires compensation for the net cost of such service provision. This paper estimates the effects of consumer loyalty as an intangible benefit of USO in the postal sector. In doing so, the agent-based modelling (ABM) approach is applied, which makes it possible to model the behaviour of boundedly rational consumers and is thus particularly appropriate for taking into account intangibles considerations. The analysis shows that loyalty is crucial to whether the USO uniform pricing constraint results in loss-making or profitability. Under certain conditions and in the presence of a loyalty parameter, uniform pricing gives a USO provider an advantage, when the size of the rural area is sufficiently big and a disadvantage, if its size is too small. This finding is counterintuitive as USO providers in countries with sparsely populated areas are typically expected to incur a significant net cost of USO.


Domestic violence is a problem that must be dealt with for what it is: a criminal act. The only way to effectively diminish it is through the full force of the criminal justice system, which must treat domestic violence the same as it treats crime by strangers. The purpose of this note is to argue that aggressive prosecution of domestic violence-at least to the same extent that other violent crimes are prosecuted-is mandated by the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Part I will examine the extent of the problems that pervade the criminal justice system, both historically and in contemporary dealings with domestic abuse. In Part II, I will explain the "no-drop policy," discuss its effectiveness and importance, address the arguments against it, and make some practical suggestions for its implementation. Part III will review the equal protection standards already extended to police protection in domestic violence cases in many jurisdictions. This protection, however, has yet to be extended to the prosecutorial stage, which limits its effectiveness. Consequently, in Part IV I will argue that the equal protection requirement that domestic violence victims receive the same police protection as victims of other crimes should be extended to the courtroom. Effective prosecution of these crimes, which is rare without a no-drop policy, is essential to providing the required equal police protection to domestic violence victims, and should therefore be mandated by the Constitution.


Abstract: The rise of economics as one of the main (some will advance the most important) "source" of competition law discourse is well documented. This study focuses on a facet of the integration of economic analysis in competition law: "economic transplants". The term "economic transplants" refers to specific economic concepts that were incorporated into the legal discourse by an act of "translation". They represent the ultimate degree of interaction between the legal and the economic systems. Using a paradigmatic approach the study examines their specific characteristics and what distinguishes them from other forms of integration of economic analysis in competition law. It critically assesses their role and their impact on the legal and the economic discourses. The study concludes that the "paradigm" of translation constitutes the most appropriate explanatory framework for taking into account the dual nature of economic transplants and, more broadly, for conceptualizing the interaction of law with other social sciences. It should be distinguished from the existing methodologies of interaction between the disciplines of law and economics, such as the concept of "economic law" and the law and economics approach.


This study examined the effectiveness of the computer-assisted career guidance system, FOCUS-2, on 1st-year college students' social cognitive career development. Specifically, the authors assessed career decision self-efficacy (CDSE) and assessment of attributions for career decision making (AACDM) using repeated measures analyses of variance with a sample of 1st-year college students (N = 420). Effectiveness was measured as a change in participants' CDSE and AACDM scores from pretest to posttest. Results demonstrated that participants' interaction with FOCUS-2 was associated with increases in participants' CDSE and alteration to a less optimistic style for AACDM. Gender, race, academic major status, and the amount of time using FOCUS-2 were also considered. Implications for practice are explored.Keywords: FOCUS, computer-assisted career guidance system, social cognitive careerCareer services at colleges and universities generally encompass individual and group career counseling, career workshops, and the administration and interpretation of various career-related assessments. Because traditional-age college students are increasingly oriented toward using computers and the Internet as tools for research, recreation, and decision making (Robinson, Meyer, Prince, McLean, & Low, 2000), it is prudent that academic institutions and university career centers offer services congruent with their students1 lifestyles and practices. Evaluating the effectiveness of vocational resources that use technology and are accessible online is not only critical in ensuring effective transmission of well-founded career resources to college students but is also an ethical duty of counselors and psychologists (Davidson, 2001).Compii fer- Assisted Career Guidance SystemsWithin the past 40 years, computer- assisted career guidance (CACG) systems have supported career counselors and university career centers providing high-tech career guidance to interested clients. A meta-analysis of career intervention research by Whiston, Sexton, and Lasoff(1998) revealed that CACG systems are cost-effective interventions. However, a meta-analysis by Whiston, Brecheisen, and Stephens (2003) highlighted how completely self-directed interventions were not nearly as effective as other types of career interventions (e.g., individual, group career counseling). Specifically, Whiston and colleagues found that it was not until a counselor was involved in part of the process that there were better outcomes in comparison with self-directed interventions (including CACG systems). Nevertheless, CACG systems have served consumers since the 1960s ( Harris- Bowlsbey & Sampson, 2001; Watts, 1993) and continue to be an important area of focus for vocational research and career development.CACG systems are always evolving because of theoretical and technological advances, changing consumer needs, and market competition (Sampson et al., 1990). CACG system users can autonomously engage in tasks designed for career- related self-discovery and exploration at their own time, location, and pace. Other advantages of CACG systems include a centralized location for career information (Davidson, 2001) and an interactive, visually pleasing career-planning experience (Robinson et al., 2000).Previous limitations identified within the existing CACG system literature include (a) a focus on user satisfaction over career- related gains; (b) failure to examine potential differential effects of CACG systems associated with gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status; and (c) reliance on small, convenient samples (Fowkes & McWhirter, 2007). Hinkelman and Luzzo (1997) urged researchers to gather more diverse samples and consider important multicultural variables (e.g., gender, race). Another glaring omission from the existing CACG system literature is an examination of how the amount of time spent using a system affects the user (Cairo, 1983). In Taber and Luzzo's (1999) review of one CACG system (i. …


In this paper we derive a new measure of openness—trade potential index—that quantifies the potential gains from trade as a simple function of data. Using a standard multicountry trade model, we measure openness by a country׳s potential welfare gain from moving to a world with frictionless trade. In this model, a country׳s trade potential depends on only the trade elasticity and two observable statistics: the country׳s home trade share and its income level. Quantitatively, poor countries have greater potential gains from trade relative to rich countries, while their welfare costs of autarky are similar. This leads us to infer that rich countries are more open to trade. Our trade potential index correlates strongly with estimates of trade costs, while both the welfare cost of autarky and the volume of trade correlate weakly with trade costs. Thus, our measure of openness is informative about the underlying trade frictions.


Filtering is a fundamental operation in image science in general and in medical image science in particular. The most central applications are image enhancement, registration, segmentation and feature extraction. Even though these applications involve non-linear processing a majority of the methodologies available rely on initial estimates using linear filters. Linear filtering is a well established cornerstone of signal processing, which is reflected by the overwhelming amount of literature on finite impulse response filters and their design. Standard techniques for multidimensional filtering are computationally intense. This leads to either a long computation time or a performance loss caused by approximations made in order to increase the computational efficiency. This dissertation presents a framework for realization of efficient multidimensional filters. A weighted least squares design criterion ensures preservation of the performance and the two techniques called filter networks and sub-filter sequences significantly reduce the computational demand. A filter network is a realization of a set of filters, which are decomposed into a structure of sparse sub-filters each with a low number of coefficients. Sparsity is here a key property to reduce the number of floating point operations required for filtering. Also, the network structure is important for efficiency, since it determines how the sub-filters contribute to several output nodes, allowing reduction or elimination of redundant computations. Filter networks, which is the main contribution of this dissertation, has many potential applications. The primary target of the research presented here has been local structure analysis and image enhancement. A filter network realization for local structure analysis in 3D shows a computational gain, in terms of multiplications required, which can exceed a factor 70 compared to standard convolution. For comparison, this filter network requires approximately the same amount of multiplications per signal sample as a single 2D filter. These results are purely algorithmic and are not in conflict with the use of hardware acceleration techniques such as parallel processing or graphics processing units (GPU). To get a flavor of the computation time required, a prototype implementation which makes use of filter networks carries out image enhancement in 3D, involving the computation of 16 filter responses, at an approximate speed of 1MVoxel/s on a standard PC.


In vertebrates, acute stressors—although short in duration—can influence physiology and behavior over a longer time course, which might have important ramifications under natural conditions. In laboratory rats, for example, acute stress has been shown to increase anxiogenic behaviors for days after a stressor. In this study, we quantified voluntary wheel-running behavior for 22 h following a restraint stress and glucocorticoid levels 24 h postrestraint. We utilized mice from four replicate lines that have been selectively bred for high voluntary wheel-running activity (HR mice) for 60 generations and their nonselected control (C) lines to examine potential interactions between exercise propensity and sensitivity to stress. Following 6 d of wheel access on a 12L∶12D photo cycle (0700–1900 hours, as during the routine selective breeding protocol), 80 mice were physically restrained for 40 min, beginning at 1400 hours, while another 80 were left undisturbed. Relative to unrestrained mice, wheel running increased for both HR and C mice during the first hour postrestraint (P < 0.0001) but did not differ 2 or 3 h postrestraint. Wheel running was also examined at four distinct phases of the photoperiod. Running in the period of 1600–1840 hours was unaffected by restraint stress and did not differ statistically between HR and C mice. During the period of peak wheel running (1920–0140 hours), restrained mice tended to run fewer revolutions (−11%; two-tailed P = 0.0733), while HR mice ran 473% more than C (P = 0.0008), with no restraint × line type interaction. Wheel running declined for all mice in the latter part of the scotophase (0140–0600 hours), restraint had no statistical effect on wheel running, but HR again ran more than C (+467%; P = 0.0122). Finally, during the start of the photophase (0720–1200 hours), restraint increased running by an average of 53% (P = 0.0443) in both line types, but HR and C mice did not differ statistically. Mice from HR lines had statistically higher plasma corticosterone concentrations than C mice, with no statistical effect of restraint and no interaction between line type and restraint. Overall, these results indicate that acute stress can affect locomotor activity (or activity patterns) for many hours, with the most prominent effect being an increase in activity during a period of typical inactivity at the start of the photophase, 15–20 h poststressor.


Man-made freshwater habitats have been widely used to successfully modify the environment for human benefit, including purposes of irrigation, flood control or electricity generation. Over the past decade, our knowledge about the mayfly fauna and its ecology in South-East Europe has been growing, yet the data related to lentic assemblages remain very scarce. In this study, littoral mayfly assemblages were investigated at artificial and heavily modified lentic habitats in the Dinaric Western Balkan (n=21) and Pannonian Lowland (n=15) ecoregions. Mayfly nymphs were sampled during the summer months of 2016 or 2017. At each sampling site, ten samples were collected using a benthos hand net. A total of 21 mayfly species were recorded, though species richness per site was rather low (i.e., between zero and seven species). Cloeon dipterum (Linnaeus, 1761) was the most frequent species recorded, while Caenis horaria Linnaeus, 1758 was the most abundant. This study showed that the Croatian mayfly fauna is still growing, with the first record of Siphlonurus aestivalis Eaton, 1903 for the country. The assemblage structure was mainly dominated by lower reaches and lentic (potamal and littoral) elements and detritivores (gatherers/collectors and active filter feeders). Orthophosphates and chemical oxygen demand had the highest influence on mayfly assemblages, reflecting a higher level of pollution at sites in the Pannonian Lowland ecoregion, and consequently markedly lower mayfly abundances. As mayflies are widely used as bioindicators of freshwater ecosystems, detailed information about their assemblages in heavily modified and artificial habitats could contribute to future conservation activities of freshwater habitats and their communities. Additionally, these results could be applied in creating a monitoring system for artificial lakes according to the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive.


The present dissertation aimed at achieving two goals. First, it constitutes an attempt to widen the search for phenomena that bear relevance to the idea that binding has a syntactic residue and is not, therefore, an exclusively semantic matter. Second, it tried to provide the technical means to account for these phenomena.

The case of the non-local binding of the Romanian bare reflexive sine (self) is used to back up the view that the syntactic residue of binding exists and should be extended so as to include A'-dependencies. Syntactically-encoded non-local binding is defined as a type of binding dependency that violates the Specified Subject Constraint. Non-locally bound anaphors, of the type instantiated by sine, are identified by a set of properties that include: subject orientation, c-command by both the local and the non-local antecedents and the restriction to the bound variable reading. There are diagnostics that point to the conclusion that non-local anaphors that meet these properties link up to their antecedents as the result of an A'-dependency having been established. The diagnostics include (i) the ungrammaticality of non-local binding out of adjunct islands and its very marginal acceptability out of relative clause islands and (ii) blocking of non-local binding by local wh-antecedents and quantified antecedents. The possibility of Romanian non-local sine to enter an A'-dependency with its non-local antecedents is determined by the morpho-syntactic properties of this bare reflexive form, i.e. by the feature specification it carries from the Lexicon.


Abstract. The irregularities in the electron density distribution of the ionosphere over the equatorial region frequently disrupt space-based communication and navigation links by causing severe amplitude and phase scintillations of signals. Development of a specification and forecast system for scintillations is needed in view of the increased reliance on space-based communication and navigation systems, which are vulnerable to ionospheric scintillations. It has been suggested in recent years that a developed equatorial anomaly in the afternoon hours, with a steep gradient of the F-region ionization or Total Electron Content (TEC) in the region between the crest and the trough, may be taken as a precursor to scintillations on transionospheric links. Latitudinal gradient of TEC measured using Faraday Rotation technique from LEO NOAA 12/14 transmissions during the afternoon hours at Calcutta shows a highly significant association with L-band scintillations recorded on the INMARSAT link, also from Calcutta, during the equinoxes, August through October 2000, and February through April 2001. The daytime equatorial electrojet is believed to control the development of the equatorial anomaly and plays a crucial role in the subsequent development of F-region irregularities in the post-sunset hours. The diurnal maximum and integrated value (integrated from the time of onset of plasma influx to off-equatorial latitudes till local sunset) of the strength of the electrojet in the Indian longitude sector shows a significant association with post-sunset L-band scintillations recorded at Calcutta during the two equinoxes mentioned earlier. Generation of equatorial irregularities over the magnetic equator in the post-sunset hours is intimately related to the variation of the height of the F-layer around sunset. Ionosonde data from Kodaikanal, a station situated close to the magnetic equator, has been utilized to calculate the vertical drift of the F-layer over the magnetic equator for the period August through October 2000. The post-sunset F-region height rise over the magnetic equator shows a remarkable correspondence with the occurrence of scintillations at Calcutta located near the northern crest of the equatorial anomaly. Existence of a flat-topped ionization distribution over the magnetic equator around sunset has been suggested as a possible indication of occurrence of post-sunset scintillations. Width of the latitudinal distribution of ionization obtained from DMSP satellite shows some correspondence with post-sunset L-band scintillations. During the period of observation of the present study (August through October 2000, and February through April 2001), it has been observed that although the probability of occurrence of scintillations is high on days with flat-topped ion density variation over the equator, there are cases when no scintillations were observed even when a pronounced flat top variation was recorded.


Background: Historically, clinical case studies have played a central role in counselling and psychotherapy training and practice, by allowing practitioners to learn about ideas and interventions being developed by colleagues. In recent years, the development of methods for systematic collection and analysis of case data has made it possible for case study research to begin to make a contribution to the evidence base for therapy policy and practice. Aim: This paper provides an overview of the characteristics of rigorous case study research, introduces a set of studies that exemplify these principles, and reviews the relevance of systematic case study inquiry for policy, practice and training. Conclusions: If case study research is to fulfil its potential as a source of research-based knowledge, it is essential for practitioners to publish more systematic case studies that document the range and scope of everyday therapeutic practice. It is also necessary to carry out further research into a variety of methodological issues associated with single-case inquiry, as a means of further developing this approach to practice-based research.


Abstract The adrenalitis found in autoimmune Addison's disease (AAD) is considered having a Th1-driven pathogenesis. Circulating Th1- and Th2-associated chemokines responsible for the trafficking of leukocytes to inflammatory sites are markers for the Th1/Th2 balance. The aim of the study was to assess if the same daily hydrocortisone dose of 30 mg given in either 2 or 4 doses to patients with AAD could affect the Th1/Th2 balance of circulating chemokines. Fifteen patients (6 women) with AAD were included in this randomised, placebo controlled, double blind cross-over study. Samples for chemokines, Th1-associated (CXCL10, CXCL11) and Th2-associated (CCL17, CCL22), were drawn 5 times during a 24-h period at the end of each treatment period and analysed with Luminex. Seven control subjects did the same diurnal blood sampling once. Subjects with AAD had higher median diurnal levels of the Th1-associated chemokines than controls, CXCL10 [43 (33–56) pg/ml vs. 22 (19–34) pg/ml, p<0.01] and CXCL11 [37 (29–48) pg/ml vs. 16 (9–24) pg/ml, p<0.001], whereas no significant difference was found regarding the Th2-related chemokines. Similar chemokine levels were found when the same hydrocortisone dose of 30 mg was divided in 2 or 4 doses. Levels of CXCL11 correlated negatively with scores of SF-36 domains (high score indicate better health) of General Health (GH) and total score for Physical Component Summary (PCS), and these negative correlations were most pronounced at 04:00 h on the 2-dose regimen. Patients with AAD have a dominant Th1 chemokine profile that partially correlates to reduced quality of life.


Coastal Louisiana received significant funds tied to BP penalties as a result of the Deepwater Horizon incident. As it is widely considered that the State of Louisiana sustained most of the damage due to this incident, there has been a firm push to waste no time in implementing habitat restoration projects. Sustaining the land on the coast of Louisiana is vital to our nation's economy, as several of the nation's largest ports are located on the Gulf coast in Louisiana. In addition, the ecosystems making up the Louisiana coast are important to sustain some of the largest and most valuable fisheries in the nation. Funded by BP Phase 3 Early Restoration, the goals of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Outer Coast Restoration Project are to restore beach, dune, and marsh habitats to help compensate spill-related injuries to habitats and species, specifically brown pelicans, terns, skimmers, and gulls. Four island components in Louisiana were funded under this project; Shell Island Barrier Restoration, Chenier Ronquille Barrier Island Restoration, Caillou Lake Headlands Barrier Island Restoration, and North Breton Island Restoration (https://www. gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/louisiana-outer-coast-restoration, NOAA 2018). Shell Island and Chenier Ronquille are critical pieces of barrier shoreline within the Barataria Basin in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. These large-scale restoration projects were completed in the years following the Deepwater Horizon incident, creating new habitat and reinforcing Louisiana's Gulf of Mexico shoreline. The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) finished construction of the Shell Island NRDA Restoration Project in 2017, which restored two barrier islands in Plaquemines Parish utilizing sand hydraulically dredged from the Mississippi River and pumped via pipeline over 20 miles over levees and through towns, marinas, and marshes to the coastline. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) also completed the Plaquemines Parish barrier island restoration at Chenier Ronquille in 2017 utilizing nearshore Gulf of Mexico sediment, restoring wetland, coastal, and nearshore habitat in the Barataria Basin. A design and construction overview is provided herein.


Sixty-eight sugarcane genotypes were evaluated to determine the number of harvests required to select new genotypes in the sugarcane belt in the state of Pernambuco, northeast Brazil. Using a random block design, the following parameters were evaluated: (i) polarizable sugars (POL) per hectare, in metric tons (TPH); (ii) culm productivity per hectare (TCH); (iii) fiber content (FIB); (iv) adjusted percent POL (PCC); (v) soluble solids (BRIX); (vi) total recoverable sugars (ATR); and (viii) metric tons of ATR per hectare (ATR t.ha-1). A variance analysis and genetic parameter estimation were carried out. Means were analyzed using the Scott and Knott test. The repeatability coefficient and the number of harvests were determined using analysis of variance, principal component analysis, and structured data analyses. The best cultivars were SP79-1011, RB952692, RB952675, RB813804, SP78-4764, RB952522, RB952511, RB953265, RB952754, RB952875, SP80-1816, RB763710, and RB892575. Two evaluations are enough to select elite genotypes in the early experimental stages, reducing the timeto-market of these cultivars by three years under the edaphic and climatic conditions in the sugarcane belt evaluated


PURPOSE
The motivations of Iranian kidney donors and donor-recipient relationships are clarified.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
A 13-page 69-item questionnaire was completed by 100 donors and interviews were videotaped.

RESULTS
Of the donors 90% did not knew the recipients preoperatively and only 13% had any information on recipient fate postoperatively. In 87% of cases there was no postoperative relationship. Because of recipient failure to appreciate the donors and refusal to realize preoperative promises 51% of donors hated the recipients and 82% were unsatisfied with their behavior. Motivations for donating were purely financial in 43% of cases and mainly financial with a minor altruistic component in another 40%. Of the donors 76% agreed that kidney sale should be banned and if there was another chance they would prefer to beg (39%) or obtain a loan from usurers (60%) instead of vending a kidney. All 6 related donors were paid. The goals of vending were achieved not at all by 75% of donors.

CONCLUSIONS
None of the donors studied fulfilled the criteria of compensated donation or donation with an incentive and 97% were vendors. All evidence shows that the donor-recipient relationship in Iran is pathological with no similarity to the emotionally related category of transplantation. Reports by the reformist Iranian press, which have all been banned, show that our sample is a good representative of other Iranian donors. Almost none of the criteria of an acceptable living unrelated renal donor transplant program is met in Iran. The opinion of kidney donors should be regarded as the final arbiter when labeling the act as a sale or donation and it should be considered in discussions of living unrelated donor transplantation.


Since the 1980's, the study of nucleon (proton or neutron) spin structure has been an active field both experimentally and theoretically. One of the primary goals of this work is to test our understanding of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), the fundamental theory of the strong interaction. In the high energy region of asymptotically free quarks, QCD has been verified. However, verifiable predictions in the low energy region are harder to obtain due to the complex interactions between the nucleon's constituents: quarks and gluons. In the non-pertubative regime, low-energy effective field theories such as chiral perturbation theory provide predictions for the spin structure functions in the form of sum rules. Spin-dependent sum rules such as the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn (GDH) sum rule are important tools available to study nucleon spin structure. Originally derived for real photon absorption, the Gerasimov-Drell-Hearn (GDH) sum rule was first extended for virtual photon absorption in 1989. The extension of the sum rule provides a unique relation, valid at any momentum transfer ($$Q^{2}$$), that can be used to study the nucleon spin structure and make comparisons between theoretical predictions and experimental data. Experiment E97-110 was performed at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) to examine the spin structure of the neutron and $$^{3}$$He. The Jefferson Lab longitudinally-polarized electron beam with incident energies between 1.1 and 4.4 GeV was scattered from a longitudinally or transversely polarized $$^{3}$$He gas target in the Hall A end station. Asymmetries and polarized cross-section differences were measured in the quasielastic and resonance regions to extract the spin structure functions $$g_{1}(x,Q^{2})$$ and $$g_{2}(x,Q^{2})$$ at low momentum transfers (0.02 $$< Q^{2} <$$ 0.3 GeV$$^{2}$$). The goal of the experiment was to perform a precise measurement of the $$Q^{2}$$ dependence of the extended GDH integral and of the moments of the neutron and $$^{3}$$He spin structure functions at low $$Q^{2}$$. This $$Q^{2}$$ range allows us to test predictions of chiral perturbation theory and check the GDH sum rule by extrapolating the integral to the real photon point. This thesis will discuss preliminary results from the E97-110 data analysis.


The stability of an offshore wind power network connected through a high voltage dc (HVDC) transmission line is a critical problem since there is no direct connection to a strong ac collection (ACC) bus. Field experience has shown that sub-synchronous oscillation (SSO) and harmonic resonance can occur between the wind farms and the HVDC systems. The oscillations can appear in the presence of background harmonics and is arguably resulting from the controller interaction of the Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS) converter controller and the HVDC converter controller. The design of the synchronization unit (Phase-Locked-Loop) has shown to have a significant impact in achieving satisfactory performance. However, both slow and very fast synchronization units could directly affect the control performance and degrade the system stability. This paper proposes a controller design without a Phase-Locked-Loop (PLL) for the WECS grid-side converter which does not have a dedicated synchronization unit (PLL) in the controller. This controller is implemented on the WECS converters of the ACC side to synchronize them to the Modular Multi-level Converter (MMC)-based HVDC system. A detailed analysis is presented and the results are compared with the widely used decouple dq-frame control structure. The impedance frequency responses for both the dq-frame control and the synchronverter-based control are presented to show a comparison of the system performance. Time domain simulation results are presented to show how the self-synchronisation impacts on the system performance compared to the classical dq-frame control solution.


This paper argues for the importance, within the Mars Society in Australia and elsewhere, of the development not only of new kinds of hardware, but of new processes for constructing them. The task of preparing the way for future planetary exploration is a demanding one, especially for volunteers working with limited resources of time, money and skills. Successfully managing high-technology projects under these conditions could depend on teams taking advantage of and further adapting the best management methods and tools available. Project managers should strive from the outset to design hardware and processes that cost less, depend less on skilled labour, are flexible, are economical in short run or once-off quantities, meet the needs of scientific field testing and appear credible to media and public scrutiny. Practical lessons learned by the author while managing the construction of the Starchaser pressurised rover prototype are offered to exemplify some of these principles. The paper concludes with a brief call to the international Mars Society to extend this process beyond manufacturing to the foundation of a new synthetic culture, fostering values of pioneer self-reliance, mastery of technology, recognition of human limits and service to the group.


This paper proposes a design method of arbitrarily-shaped bandpass filters with multiple resonators in the limited space. Although the proposed method is based on the genetic-algorithm (GA) optimization, we newly introduce the fitness function which estimates not only the magnitude of S-parameters but also the phase characteristics in a passband. Conventional GAs without phase evaluation are difficult to design a filter having the specified number of resonators efficiently, whereas the present method can easily construct such a filter. As an example, arbitrarily-shaped planar-circuit filters with 3 and 4 resonators are optimized in the limited space and fabricated. The effectiveness of the present technique is verified by comparison of frequency responses between the calculated and the measured results.


COMMITTEE MANDATE Concern for descriptions of the ocean environment, especially with respect to wave, current and wind, in deep and shallow waters, and ice, as a basis for the determination of environmental loads for structural design. Attention shall be given to statistical description of these and other related phenomena relevant to the safe design and operation of ships and offshore structures. The committee is encouraged to cooperate with the corresponding ITTC committee.


The shrimp farming in Malaysia is a rapidly developing industry. However, in recent years, the production of cultured shrimp has decreased due to the unsustainable farming practices that lead to outbreaks of diseases. Thus, a comparative study was carried out to analyze the bacterial abundance in aged and new culture ponds of Penaeus monodon situated in Merlimau, Malacca.

The water quality parameters of the pond, the bacterial levels and the mineral element status of water and sediment were examined at intervals of 30 days for two crop cycles. Results showed that the water quality parameters remained within the optimum range for shrimp culture. The total bacterial levels (Vibrio and aerobic bacteria) ranged from 103 to 105 CFUmL-1 in water and 103 to 106 CFUg-1 in sediment. The ANOVA analysis showed that the Vibrio and aerobic bacteria levels in water and sediment samples were significantly higher (p<0.05) in new pond compared to aged pond. The sediment of both aged and new ponds recorded higher values of bacterial level than water and demonstrated a general trend of increase bacterial level with the progress of the culture period. The results also showed that there is no clear pattern of bacterial level between crop cycles. Seven genera of bacteria were identified by using API® 20E, API® 50 CHB and MicrogenTM GN-ID identification commercial kits, namely Vibrio, Bacillus, Moraxella, Acinetobacter, Aeromonas, Pasteurella and Staphylococcus.

Six major elements (Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, Fe) and 14 trace elements (V, Cr, Co, Cu, Se, As, Pb, Mn, Cd, Sb, Zn, Ti, Ni, Ag) were detected using INAA, ICP-MS methods in both water and sediment from aged and new ponds. Results showed that the major elements concentrations in water and sediment from aged and new ponds were quite similar. The trace element concentrations in water and sediment from aged and new ponds were also quite similar. The results of correlation coefficients showed that water quality parameters and mineral elements concentrations contribute towards the variance of bacterial level. The data collected during this study could provide background information for further research on the mineral elements in penaeid brackish water culture ponds in Malaysia.


ABSTRACT The objective was to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date review comprising the main findings on idiopathic environmental intolerance (IEI). Based on these results, we expect to shed some light on the mechanisms potentially involved in this pathology as well as its nosological location. A database search was performed from 1985 to August 2014. Overall, 130 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Women are at high risk for IEI. Subjects with IEI exhibit higher rates of internalizing disorders (especially somatoform disorders) as well as neurotic traits. IEI is not associated with a consistent pattern of neurocognitive deficits. IEI may be triggered by chemical exposure in some vulnerable subjects. IEI subjects display higher concerns regarding chemical environmental threats and pay more attention to related stimuli. Classical conditioning as well as sensitization processes may explain generalized reactions to several chemical stimuli. Cultural modeling may play a role in the phenomenology of IEI. IEI subjects are not more sensitive to chemical substances but are more easily disgusted and display increased activation of anterior cingulate cortex during olfactory stimulation. Some genetic polymorphisms may confer greater susceptibility for IEI. There is no consistent evidence concerning toxicological findings involved in IEI. Higher impairment among IEI subjects is mainly associated with phobic avoidance of context stimuli. Evidence-based treatments are limited and are focused on reducing dysfunctionality and distress rather than cognitive distortions. Findings support a biopsychosocial approach to IEI. Data also suggest that IEI may be conceptualized as a somatoform disorder rather than an anxiety or psychotic disorder.


This study responds to a double call. Firstly, it aims to develop an empirical and pedagogical perspective on the integration of language and literature teaching. Secondly, it attempts to construct a language awareness (LA) assessment tool to keep pace with developments in reading. To this end, the study investigates the extent to which a stylistic exploration of Shakespeare's language can enhance EFL students' language awareness, which is defined for the present purpose in terms of a number of stylistic devices (e.g. metaphor) which potentially contribute to the 'literariness' of a text.

Pedagogical materials and activities were designed accordingly in order to raise awareness of a group of 22 Taiwanese university students over a 10-week period of intervention. Extracts from Shakespeare's sonnets and plays were used as the medium to sensitise students to various linguistic devices and their literary functions. Further non-Shakespearean materials, both literary and non-literary (e.g. advertisements, newspaper headlines, political speeches) were drawn upon as backup resources to consolidate the stylistic exploration done in the classroom.

At the end of the course, students' LA development is demonstrated qualitatively in their course diaries, quantitatively in the researcher-developed LA Test, and different forms of questionnaires students filled in. The study concludes with suggestions regarding the refinement of assessment tools, with implications for future research into the scholarship of teaching.


We propose a semantically motivated linguistic representation called Language-Neutral Syntax (LNS), which is scalable in three important respects. First, though information stored in LNS is directly related to the surface tree, it is abstract enough to normalize many surface variations both within and across languages. Second, LNS is adaptable to new applications, in that any application that requires a particular kind of semantic information can extract that information from LNS. Finally, since LNS is developed as part of a broad-coverage parser, it is designed to handle a wide range of constructions. LNS is currently implemented in a large-scale, multi-lingual natural language understanding system, and is used in applications requiring various kinds of semantic information, including question answering and machine translation.


Australia, like many western nations, has seen an unprecedented rise in the levels of imprisonment over recent decades. Several factors have flowed from this overreliance on criminalisation and imprisonment as a tool of social policy:

• governments have seen a significant growth in budgets allocated to criminal justice
expenditure at the cost of providing community-based resources;

• criminal justice policy has become increasingly politicised with little difference between
the policies of major parties except to the extent that they try to outdo each other in
more punitive approaches to law and order; and

• perhaps most importantly, it has been the more marginalised and less powerful social groups which have experienced the brunt of growing prison numbers. In particular, people with mental illness, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and women have seen the most significant increases in their rates of imprisonment. One effect of these policies has been, at a considerable financial cost, to further entrench the social
exclusion of the already marginalised.