While sub-Saharan African countries have been able to attract some degree of resource-seeking foreign direct investment (FDI) due to their abundant natural resources, financial FDI inflows have proved to be elusive for the region, in spite of the widespread financial-sector adjustment programs that offer attractive incentive packages for financial multinational corporations (MNCs). Literature surrounding the determinants of FDI inflows has mainly focused on manufacturing and real production activity. We analyzed the root causes of the weak administrative and institutional framework in Africa's banking industry, using Ghana as a case in point. Focusing on two financial MNCs as case studies, this article validates the significance of a thorough qualitative investigation in evaluating the explanations as to why most foreign banks do not invest in sub-Saharan Africa and why the few that do have relatively insignificant operations. The study also reveals that despite the far-reaching reforms, there are several structural constraints and deficiencies placed on financial MNCs that affect the size of the business they can conduct and their future investment decisions. One of the major issues prior to the financial-sector reforms in Africa was disintegration, and the restructuring was not designed to create an attractive location for foreign capital; hence, the low financial FDI inflows to Ghana in particular and Africa in general.


Abstract Appropriate management of temporomandibular disorders (TMD) requires an understanding of the underlying dysfunction associated with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and surrounding structures. A comprehensive examination process, as described in part 1 of this series, can reveal underlying clinical findings that assist in the delivery of comprehensive physical therapy services for patients with TMD. Part 2 of this series focuses on management strategies for TMD. Physical therapy is the preferred conservative management approach for TMD. Physical therapists are professionally well-positioned to step into the void and provide clinical services for patients with TMD. Clinicians should utilize examination findings to design rehabilitation programs that focus on addressing patient-specific impairments. Potentially appropriate plan of care components include joint and soft tissue mobilization, trigger point dry needling, friction massage, therapeutic exercise, patient education, modalities, and outside referral. Management options should address both symptom reduction and oral function. Satisfactory results can often be achieved when management focuses on patient-specific clinical variables.


With the right applications, the iPad can become more than just a content consumption device for videos, music, and electronic books. It can be a content production device as well -- generating documents, spreadsheets, and presentations for the workplace. This ability to produce content, given the right applications, immediately shifts the iPad into a useful business device. For example, businesses that depend on fast, accurate business processes can utilize the iPad to supply data quickly, invoice customers, and manage vendors from a reliable, highly mobile platform. TAKE YOUR IPAD TO WORK is for anyone who wants to get started using the iPad in a professional environment. By demonstrating the different types of business apps available for the iPad, this book will show you how using an iPad in many situations is actually more convenient and productive than using a laptop or a PC. You?ll also be able to make a stronger case for using the iPad effectively in your place of business.


Purpose: This contribution presents the main findings of a recent survey on consumer payment behavior in Poland. The authors aim to determine the factors influencing the choice of the payment instrument by consumers. This in order to better understand the reason why cash is still the main paying instrument being used by Polish consumers. Design/Methodology/Approach: A survey was carried out between the 7th and 21st February 2019, using Computer-Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI), administered on a nationwide sample of Polish nationals aged 15 and above. A total of 1005 interviews were conducted. To ensure the representativeness of the collected data, the edge weighting was applied in accordance with the structure of the Polish population, including variables of gender, age, and education and the iterative technique (rim weighting). Findings: Findings show that despite the development of the cashless payments, the position of cash is still powerful, because it fulfills consumers' expectations and although, the role of cashless payments increases, this is not happening at the fast pace that the institutional stakeholders of the financial market would expect. Cash in many respects has a lead on the market of the consumer payments, both with respect to the ease of use and the cost of transaction. Practical implications: Understanding consumer trends in their use of payment methods is important for policy makers, the economy in general and the National Central Bank which need reliable statistical data to enable comparison with other countries on the levels of development in their payment systems, the determination of monetary policy and to carry out strategic decisions concerning the cash cycle and the effectiveness of the payment system. Originality/Value: Without precise knowledge of how people actually pay for goods and services, a country is devoid of solid statistical foundations and will result in speculation.


We discuss three typological characteristics relevant to the acquisition of relative clauses (RCs) in Cantonese and Mandarin: (i) the prenominal position of RCs; (ii) the availability of an internally-headed analysis for Cantonese object RCs; and (iii) Chinese RCs as a subset of noun modifying constructions (NMCs). Acquisition studies suggest that Chinese differs from languages with post-nominal RCs, which show a robust advantage for subject-gapped over object-gapped RCs. For Cantonese, some studies suggest an object advantage, which may be explained by the surface identity of object RCs and SVO main clauses and/or the internally-headed analysis. Finally, Chinese RCs can be analyzed as a subset of NMCs in which a modifying clause is attached to the head noun based on semantic-pragmatic relations.


Abstract Our objective was to investigate immunological changes that occur in saliva of subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) without signs of periodontal disease and to establish if salivary inflammatory cytokines are a possible link between diabetes mellitus and periodontal breakdown. Material and methods. Twenty T2DM subjects with no periodontal disease and twenty healthy controls were registered for the present study. TNF-α and IL-6 level from saliva and serum were measured. Periodontal tissue samples were histologically examined. Results: TNF-α and IL-6 levels were higher in T2DM subjects compared to controls, with an extremely significant difference in saliva (p<0.001). Significant inflammation, affecting both epithelial and connective tissues was present in periodontal biopsies. Conclusions: The subjects showed an increased TNF-α and IL-6 levels, both in serum and -mostly in -saliva of diabetics without signs of periodontal disease, confirming the hypothesis of immunological implication, as a correlation between periodontal disease incidence and diabetes mellitus. Histologic alterations, suggesting a local inflammatory state, were present in periodontal tissue of diabetics, confirming the above hypothesis. The study reveals that saliva analysis is a quite efficient method in testing the periodontal breakdown progression in the subjects with T2DM.


An extreme rainfall can cause flood or drought and so it is necessary to develop a prediction model to anticipate the impact of extreme rainfall phenomenon. The statistical downscaling is one of the existing methods to analyze the rainfall data based on Global Circulation Model (GCM) output. The rainfall data can be Gamma distribution because the data can be zero or more than zero. The extreme rainfall data could be in the tail of Gamma distribution and so General Linier Model (GLM) with Gamma response variable.The GCM output is usually high dimensional data and multicollinearity. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (lasso) and ridge penalty included in a model can overcome such problems. The value of optimum penalty can be estimated using cross validation. However, the method is very sensitive tothe k-fold size and the results are unstable. This weakness is overcome by repeating cross validation and finding some percentiles. This paper discusses a regression model with the response of Gamma distribution to predict extreme rainfall based on the25th,50th,75th,90th,and95thpercentiles. The result shows that,based on the value of root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP), the model with lasso (RMSEP=48.42 mm/month) on percentile 75th is better than that with ridge (RMSEP=50.44 mm/month) on percentile 25th.


The concepts of time and identity seem at once unproblematic and frustratingly difficult. Time is an intricate part of our experience -- it would seem that the passage of time is a prerequisite for having any experience at all -- and yet recalcitrant questions about time remain. Is time real? Does time flow? Do past and future moments exist? Philosophers face similarly stubborn questions about identity, particularly about the persistence of identical entities through change. Indeed, questions about the metaphysics of persistence take on many of the complexities inherent in philosophical considerations of time. This volume of original essays brings together these two essentially related concepts in a way not reflected in the available literature, making it required reading for philosophers working in metaphysics and students interested in these topics. The contributors, distinguished authors and rising scholars, first consider the nature of time and then turn to the relation of identity, focusing on the metaphysical connections between the two, with a special emphasis on personal identity. The volume concludes with essays on the metaphysics of death, issues in which time and identity play a significant role. This groundbreaking collection offers both cutting-edge epistemological analysis and historical perspectives on contemporary topics. ContributorsHarriet Baber, Lynne Rudder Baker, Ben Bradley, John W. Carroll, Reinaldo Elugardo, Geoffrey Gorham, Mark Hinchliff, Jenann Ismael, Barbara Levenbook, Andrew Light, Lawrence B. Lombard, Ned Markosian, Harold Noonan, John Perry, Harry S. Silverstein, Matthew H. Slater, Robert J. Stainton, Neil A. Tognazzini.


Women's rights occupy a contested moral and political position internationally. They
are neither accepted as core values everywhere, nor always struggling for acceptance. The
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW),
adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979, was designed to be an 'international bill of
rights for women' (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights 2009). It codified
non-discrimination within an international treaty to add legitimacy and strength to the
implementation of women's rights. The treaty's reception reflects the contested nature of
women's rights. While the vast majority of UN member states are signatories, of all
comparable treaties CEDAW has the largest number of reservations, many counter to
fundamental provisions. CEDAW has supported women's rights for more than three decades.
Several barriers to implementation have been highlighted; a lack of resources for the
CEDAW Committee and associated bodies and the quarantine of women's rights from the
human rights work of the UN (Chinkin 2010, p. 5; Lawson 1996, p. xxix). Delegates at the
1993 World Conference on Human Rights raised the slogan 'women's rights are human
rights' to force acknowledgement that human rights were not equally applied to women.
While these difficulties have begun to be addressed within UN processes, CEDAW's
efficacy has not been explored. The treaty's content has received little critical attention, and
my research helps fill this gap. Using philosophical inquiry, I have compared CEDAW to the
International Bill of Human Rights (the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and
associated Covenants). Also I have assessed CEDAW against criteria drawn from Amartya
Sen's perspective on human rights as an ethical system and considered a range of feminist
viewpoints critical of international law. I have found that, as well as strengths, CEDAW has
limitations, omissions and flaws. Importantly, CEDAW does not provide a list of women's
rights (Burrows 1986, p. 80). Its focus on ending discrimination means that women's relation
to rights is mediated through actions by the state. This failure to recast the claimant of human
rights as female undermines CEDAW's legitimacy.


This report summarizes the data collected from the implementation of a survey among Muslim students, faculty and staff at colleges in Greensboro, NC. The sample was any person from Muslim communities at the colleges/universities in Greensboro, NC. The main method to collect data was Photovoice and this was done through Qualtrics. It also includes a summary of some of the discussion at the Photovoice exhibit and dinner that followed up collection of the data. The dinner and exhibition were held to give voice and meaning to the data collected as it is an important part of Photovoice methodology. It might be important to know how this study started. Francisco and Tanhan (2015) conducted a concern report to identify concerns and strengths of Muslim community at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), NC. The study was mainly quantitative and with two questions being qualitative, open-ended questions. The authors stated that the community face many psychosocial and political issues that decrease the quality of life for all UNCG and especially for the Muslim community at UNCG. Following the analysis of the study, the authors held a community discussion and dinner at UNCG, and more came out of that dinner and discussion. The study became an important subject of many administrative meetings and the local media including the Greensboro city council, UNCG administrators, Time Warner Cable News, and The Carolinian, to mention a few. The results of the study and all the following events and attention showed that this study should be followed with some more qualitative studies to help larger non-Muslim administrators and communities to understand the concerns of the Muslim community. In the community discussion and dinner, there were representatives from many different colleges both from Greensboro and some others in North Carolina, and the authors got a few intense demand that the other Muslim communities at other colleges wanted the same or similar studies for their communities to give a voice to their needs and address them. Therefore, the authors of this current Photovoice study decided to include all Muslim communities at colleges in Greensboro. When reading this report, it is important to note that we did not change any data, except for removing few pictures since they were including personal faces and it had been reported in the survey not to include personal faces and private properties, submitted by people completing the survey. Both the photos and captions for photos submitted reflect the community members completing the survey. Neither the authors of this report, the UNCG Muslim Student Association, or others on campus, agree with all of the comments as stated. It is important to include comments from those surveyed, even though they might be disagreeable. It is important to include all comments so that we can create space for all to express their pleasant and unpleasant feelings and thoughts to acknowledge and address them in possible meaningful ways to create more meaningful and just environments, conditions, and life for all including Muslim community as well. Next steps in the process. It is important that the initial survey summary of the Photovoice data and exhibit are not the final activities. The data summarized here call for need for more dialogue, understanding, advocacy, collaboration, and increased emphasis to address the strengths and concerns in order to increase wellbeing of the overall communities, and especially Muslim communities on colleges in Greensboro.


To commemorate the five hundreth anniversary of the accession of Henry VIII to the English throne, this guest column reviews the inventories made, upon his death, of the king's possessions at Hampton Court, the Tower, and other locations. Focusing on extensive equipment for royal-games playing, especially for "tennys," this paper is essentially a list of possessions that evidence the blend of frivolity and cruelty characteristic of Henry's self-indulgent reign.


Obesity levels are increasing worldwide, and in the United Kingdom the prevalence of overweight and obesity is amongst the highest in the developed world. Obesity is associated with reduced physical function and health-related quality of life, as well as an increased risk of co-morbidities such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension. As a result of high levels of morbid obesity and a failure of conventional methods of weight loss, more people are resorting to invasive weight loss techniques such as bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery combined with lifestyle modification is currently the most successful weight loss intervention for the treatment of obesity and its associated co-morbidities. However, weight regain is becoming more apparent, generally occurring between 12 and 24 months after surgery. Weight regain is generally attributed to the failure of individuals to adopt or maintain the necessary lifestyle changes. The most common factors leading to weight regain after bariatric surgery are insufficient exercise and returning to pre-operative eating behaviours. Increasing physical activity after surgery positively affects weight loss and physical function outcomes; therefore, adopting an active lifestyle is fundamental. This thesis combines three research studies which collectively provide evidence for understanding the importance of physical activity for optimising physical function and facilitating the prevention of weight regain. Study one is a systematic review and meta-analysis which assessed pre to post-operative changes in physical activity behaviour and physical function outcomes among obese adults receiving bariatric surgery. This demonstrates improvements in objective and self-reported activity and function by 12 months. Study two is an analysis of body mass, co-morbidity and physical function data from pre to post bariatric surgery. This retrospective NHS dataset analysis aimed to identify if and when weight regain occurs, the proportion of co-morbidity resolution, and physical function patterns in patients after bariatric surgery. Weight loss patterns indicate weight stability from 12 to 24 months and weight regain 24 months post-surgery. Study three is a randomised controlled trial, The MOTION Study, which examined the effect of a 12 week exercise intervention on physical function and body composition in patients 12-24 months post bariatric surgery. This trial also examined maintenance of effects at six months. Findings suggest that implementing exercise at the point of weight regain is effective, notably for improving physical function and body composition in this population. This thesis therefore contributes to advancing the understanding of the role of physical activity in enhancing long-term outcomes after bariatric surgery and to informing future post-operative bariatric care.


Background. The 2003 International Consensus Guidelines defined new-onset diabetes after transplantation. This study determined the risk of new-onset diabetes following kidney transplantation using these criteria. Methods. Consecutive nondiabetic patients who received kidney transplantation between August 2001 and March 2003 (recent, n=61) and before August 2001 (earlier, n=61) were retrospectively evaluated. Results. In all, 74% in the recent group and 56% in the earlier group developed diabetes by 1 year posttransplant. Median time to diabetes development was 23 days in the recent vs. 134 days in the earlier group (P=0.0304). Most patients developed diabetes within 60 days after transplantation. Immunosuppression was the strongest correlate of diabetes development; tacrolimus and cyclosporine A treatments were associated with increased risk. The rate of development was also greater when rapamycin was added to tacrolimus, compared to when it was not. The risk was double in African-Americans compared to whites. Age, body mass index, family history of diabetes, and etiology of renal failure did not predict diabetes; however, the mean age of patients was greater than previously reported. Conclusions. The majority of patients are at risk of developing new-onset diabetes within a short time after kidney transplantation. The risk may be due to preexisting risk factors, immunosuppressive agents, or older age. The significance of these findings is not clear, but demands appropriate follow-up studies related to glycemia, end-organ complications, and graft function. It remains to be determined whether the 2003 International Consensus Guidelines are adequate to appropriately diagnose diabetes in the posttransplant time period, with special emphasis on the first 3 months.


As the world's population becomes further dependent on the web for services and information, a large number of people with disabilities are disadvantaged. What was once considered a luxury has now become a means for total interaction with society. A great deal of tasks now performed on a daily basis by people require some access to a web environment. Consider the Olympic games held in London in 2012. Tickets for the games were only available online. The education sector needs to address this area of concern. It is estimated by the world health organisation (WHO) that approximately 1 billion people are disabled, suggesting that they are no longer a niche sector of the population. Of these, 39 million are totally blind while a further 246 million have some sort of visual impairment. Web accessibility can be defined as the practice of making a web site accessible to all types of users. There have been a number of attempts to address this, from international guidelines and standards to local and national legislation and laws enacted in various countries throughout the world. However, a lot of these standards and guidelines are focused on insuring that government sites conform. There is very little to enforce accessibility on web sites that are not government related. This paper presents a novel approach to identification and automatic adjustment of Web Accessibility issues. The Web Assessment Accessibility Model (WAAM), was designed to address accessibility issues in relation to blind users. Data was collected on evaluated pages, detailing what was found, what was changed and what would need direct human intervention. The measure for success was the amount of items changed, versus those identified as potential problems. Three sets of data were analysed. Irish educational provider sites and a random set of 100 sites from Ireland and Spain were selected by a Google search. Spain was identified as a benchmark group as it is one of the few countries that did not have to migrate a lot of legacy systems to web environments. As a result, it was thought, that their levels of accessibility should have been better than most. In each of these data sets, only the home page of each site was evaluated.


Marginal Conditional Stochastic Dominance (MCSD) states the probabilistic conditions under which, given a specific portfolio, one risky asset is marginally preferred to another by all risk-averse investors. Furthermore, by increasing the share of dominating assets and reducing the share of dominated assets one can improve the portfolio performance for all these investors. We use this standard MCSD model sequentially to build optimal portfolios that are then compared to the optimal portfolios obtained from Chow's MCSD statistical test model. These portfolios are furthermore compared to the portfolios obtained from the recently developed Almost Marginal Conditional Stochastic Dominance (AMCSD) model. The AMCSD model restricts the class of risk-averse investors by not including extreme case utility functions and reducing the incidence of unrealistic behavior under uncertainty. For each model, an algorithm is developed to manage the various dynamic portfolios traded on the New York, Frankfurt, London, and Tel Aviv stock exchanges during the years 2000-2012. The results show how the various MCSD optimal portfolios


The design of an aperiodic frequency selective surface (FSS) for compact quasi-optical networks is presented in this paper. Using a newly developed Physical Optics (PO) method in conjunction with a direct optimisation approach where all elements are simultaneously optimised, an FSS with an aperiodic element layout operating in several discrete bands over the frequency range 23–230 GHz has been designed. The design procedure and a comparison with an existing periodic FSS designed to meet the same specifications are provided. This comparison indicates that enhanced performance can be obtained using an aperiodic FSS compared to a periodic FSS.


KOSTADINOVA, G., G. PETKOV, S. DENEV, Ch. MITEVA, R. STEFANOVA and T. PENEV, 2014. Microbial pollution of manure, litter, air and soil in a poultry farm. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 20: 56-65 Hygienic evaluation of the microbial pollution of the fresh manure, litter, air and soil based on the number of cultivable microorganisms and the number of coliform bacteria at six points in a broiler farm (indoor points: Point 1 – building A and Point 2 – building B fresh manure, litter and air; outdoor points: Point 3 at 2.0 m, Point 4 at 20.0 m, Point 5 at 50.0 m and Point 6, control at 500 m distances from the buildings – air and soil) with capacity of 43000 broiler chickens was performed in the present study. The number of cultivable microorganisms and number of coliform bacteria in all investigated parameters varied widely, with clear differences among the various elements of the chain "fresh manure–litter–soil at 2.0 m, at 20.0 m, at 50.0 m and at 500.0 m from poultry buildings" and in the indoor and outdoor air at the same distances as at the soil. In fresh manure number of cultivable microorganisms and number of coliform bacteria was much higher than litter and especially than indoor air, and later significantly decreased in outdoor air and soil at 2.0 m from poultry buildings, and to a lower extent in air and soil at 20.0 m, at 50 m and at 500.0 m from broiler buildings. The fresh broiler manure and litter are main sources of inside and outside air and soil pollution surround broiler buildings in a poultry farm with saprophytic microorganisms including coliform bacteria, subject to sanitary control. Increasing the distance from poultry buildings, led to reducing the number of cultivable microorganisms and number of coliform bacteria in the soil and in the air. When removed from the broiler houses manure and litter are not stored on the farm territory and no surface drainage process water from the facilities, the air from the production buildings is a major source of environmental contamination with microorganisms.


INTRODUCTION In 2001 the nation paid more attention to jazz than it had for a long time. With its first aired episode on 8 January, Jazz, a film by Ken Burns, (1) continued the filmmaker's string of epic documentaries on American life. The project stands as Burns's most ambitious. (2) The film's ten episodes (nineteen hours of film) were broadcast on the PBS network over four weeks, with an estimated thirteen million viewers on the first day alone. (3) Since then, the film has been distributed in both VHS and DVD formats, along with a companion book coauthored with Geoffrey C. Ward (4) (henceforth, the Ward book), and several compact disc sets, including a five-disc set culled from the series, a "best of" compact disc, and twenty-two disc-length anthologies of featured performers. A coordinated onslaught of Jazz images, sounds, and products, as well as the enormous marketing effort accompanying them, did more than just purvey a set of products that year: it fostered Jazz (and jazz) as a topic of national discussion--in print, on television, at the dinner table, and on the Internet. In this study I examine Burns's penetration into the national consciousness, and how his version of jazz history is received and critically evaluated. Reception studies generally do not include the Internet as a site of criticism. Along with more traditional reception media, I pointedly include the World Wide Web's role in several types of reception that I call "official," "quasi-official," "submerged official," and "indie." The Internet has changed an important aspect of the critical apparatus. The exchange of information and opinion is dramatically speeded through this easily shared medium. The resulting ease of communication tends to momentarily blur critical hierarchies, increasing the exchange between expert and aficionado. Reception studies can benefit from this opportunity for an enriched perspective. The Jazz project is a case in point: this widely dispersed critical pool raises a cluster of objections to Burns's version of jazz history. JAZZ AND ITS IMPORTANCE Judging by the marketing effort that supported it, it is not surprising that Jazz was no ordinary miniseries, but rather a cultural event. A few provocative news items illustrate the effort and its rewards. First, the film trade publication Hollywood Reporter announced in November 2000 that Amazon.com had created a partnership with Burns to launch an online store with a catalog of thirty-five thousand items related to Jazz. (5) Second, a USA Today article in January 2001 announced that halfway through the showing of the ten-episode series, sales of related merchandise had already topped fifteen million dollars. (6) (Contextualizing this point, Carolyn Kleiner estimates total domestic jazz album sales in 1999 were roughly twenty million dollars. (7)) Third, nine months after the series aired, two of the anthology albums from the Burns collection were still on Barnes & Noble's Top Fifty Jazz List. (8) Fourth, elsewhere on the same Web site, interest showed up in the print version of Jazz, too. On that same date the Ward hardcover book was still the second-best-selling jazz book title for Barnes & Noble--the soft cover was fourth. While sales figures for the Burns-marketed albums are not public, the fact that nine months after the film's initial broadcast two of them remained on the Top Fifty list highlights the staying power of the Jazz package in the jazz market. The popularity of the Burns project may have been predictable, given the large-scale marketing effort behind it as well as a core of related factors: (1) Burns's established reputation for well-produced, engaging historical documentaries; (2) the nationalistic portrayal of jazz as uniquely American, as America's Classical Music; and (3) Burns's portrayal of jazz as sophisticated African American music, a music conspicuously successful as art despite its race-torn surroundings. …


The identity of nicotinic receptor subtypes sufficient to elicit both the acute and chronic effects of nicotine dependence is unknown. We engineered mutant mice with α4 nicotinic subunits containing a single point mutation, Leu9′ → Ala9′ in the pore-forming M2 domain, rendering α4* receptors hypersensitive to nicotine. Selective activation of α4* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors with low doses of agonist recapitulates nicotine effects thought to be important in dependence, including reinforcement in response to acute nicotine administration, as well as tolerance and sensitization elicited by chronic nicotine administration. These data indicate that activation of α4* receptors is sufficient for nicotine-induced reward, tolerance, and sensitization.


Background: Low birth weight is one of the key indicators to assess the health of infants, and appropriate birth weight is one of the most important goals of any health system which also reflects the quality of prenatal care. Objectives: The present research aimed to study some of the factors associated with low birth weight using quantile regression analysis. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 621 infants born weighing less than 2500 grams in the period 2012-2013. The data were collected from the medical records of infants in health care centers of Zanjan Province which were selected based on multi-stage cluster sampling. The obtained data were statistically analyzed using quantile and multiple regression analysis in SAS-9.2. Results : In this study, 320 infants (51.5%) were female, and the mean age of mothers and the mean weight of infants were 27.1±5.8 years and 2236±299 grams, respectively. The results showed that low birth weight is significantly related to age, educational attainment, and the number of children. In addition, there was a significant relationship between infant weight and maternal age only in the tenth percentile (P=0.007), while such a relationship was not found in the higher percentiles (50 and 90) (P=0.0, 953.585). Conclusion: Some of the demographics of mothers such as educational attainment and gestational age were influential in the low birth weight of infants. Maternal age and birth weight were not statistically significant in all areas.


This research identifies and addresses a critical knowledge gap on the discipline of editorial information design, a new area of data visualisation within the editorial environment. Due to the paucity of literature of the specific area at the moment of writing, this study aims to bring explicitness to design practices that remain, in research terms, largely unexplored.
Literature supporting the emergent research, was examined from two key areas. Firstly by investigating general design theory and principles from well-developed design fields, and secondly by examining selected material from the established area of information design, reviewing essential concepts of information visualisation. With both areas combined, this ensured breadth and depth of research perspective and sensitised the researcher on critical issues later used to evaluate emerging material.
To fulfil the aims of the study, interviewing was the primary method of data acquisition, with the Grounded Theory Method the selected methodology to analyse the data, as it was perceived as the most effective to capture tacit and empirical knowledge and connect it with practitioner activity. As a qualitative method it consists of practices that interpret data and makes the world visible, encouraging the researchers to be active and engaged analysts, utilising abductive reasoning on findings, even during the data collection. This effect informs and advances both areas as through forming iterative process, the abstract level is raised and analysis is intensified.
The material highlighted the tacit, embedded in the act of designing, knowledge that practitioners of editorial information design possessed, informing the observed knowledge gap. The combined material was coded, juxtaposed, and refined through multiple analytic cycles, seeking emergent elements of critical activity of editorial information design, with the potential to define practice.
The outcomes of the analysis are presented in structured form: emerging codes construct themes of designer activity, delineating essential operations and producing indepth descriptions grounded on empirical data. Cross-theme conceptual structures also emerge through further analysis, as abstract categories that capture designer operations in continuity and offer insight on how practice transitions between key stages.
This study concludes with the presentation of a set of grounded theories, elucidating areas of editorial information design absent from the existing literature. While previously the design area remained obscure and implicit, leaving a lot to speculation, through this study key areas and activities become visible: elements directly associated with tacit designer action and design epistemology become explicit, revealing and defining the area under investigation.


Leiomyosarcoma is an aggressive soft tissue sarcoma derived from smooth muscle cells typically of uterine, gastrointestinal or soft tissue origin. Leiomyosarcoma of soft tissue is thought to arise from the smooth muscle cells lining small blood vessels. It can also arise directly from the viscera, including the gastrointestinal tract and uterus. We present a case of large retroperitoneal leiomyosarcoma with close proximity to major blood vessels and left renal vessels involvement, for tumour excision and its anaesthetic management. A relatively long surgery with major blood loss along with the left nephrectomy made this procedure challenging for the anaesthesiologist in maintaining euvolemia and haemodynamic stability without causing acidosis, organ damage, coagulopathy and acute kidney injury. A vigilant and proactive anaesthesiologist with good communication with the surgeons is essential for successful management of complex surgeries.


This Article seeks to determine whether the social science literature on the children of lesbians and gay men precludes the government from relying on child welfare considerations to justify same-sex marriage bans and parenting restrictions affecting lesbians and gay men under the highly deferential rational basis test. Under that test, courts must uphold laws and regulations that have any conceivable basis of fact which is rationally related to a legitimate state interest. After comprehensively reviewing the social science literature, the Article concludes that the empirical evidence showing the lack of an association between parental sexual orientation and the psychological and social functioning of children is so conclusive and uniform that there is no conceivable factual basis for suggesting otherwise. The Article, however, also concludes that there are sufficient indicia of possible differences — between the children of lesbian/gay parents and those of heterosexual parents — in matters related to gender attitudes/interests and sexual orientation to satisfy the easy-to-meet factual component of the rational basis test. But this indicia of possible difference does not justify the differential treatment of lesbians and gay men in matters related to marriage and parenting because the government does not have a legitimate interest in either promoting specific gender attitudes and interests or in discouraging same-sex sexual orientations and conduct. At the end of the day, therefore, child welfare considerations constitute impermissible bases for the government's differential treatment of lesbians and gay men in matters related to marriage and parenting, even under the highly deferential rational basis standard.


This thesis consists of six chapters. Chapter 1 reviews the bonding considerations of carbonyl compounds, pyridine, and arene ligands, and recent considerations of the photochemical techniques and theoretical calculations applied to the complexes under this study.

Chapter 2 describes the photochemistry o f M (C O )5L, M = Cr, or W; L = Pyridine, acetylpyridine, cyanopyridine, or triphenylphosphine. This chapter also presents the steady state photolysis, laser flash photolysis and the matrix isolation studies on these complexes. Generally, the steady state photolysis o f most of these complexes resulted in either ligand loss or CO loss photoproducts. In contrast with the published literature, no photochemical change was observed upon the photolysis o f either W(CO)sPy or W(CO)sAcpy in the presence o f excess o f the ligand (0.01 M ) with different broad band irradiations. Monochromatic irradiations (354.7 nm) give the tetracarbonyl complexes as precipitates from the cyclohexane solution. The photolysis o f M (C O )5PPh3; M = Cr or W under CO atmosphere, resulted the formation of the corresponding hexacarbonyl, while the photolysis in the presence o f excess PPI13 ligand resulted tetracarbonyl photoproducts trans-Cr(CO)4(PPh3)2 and cis-W(CO)4(PPh3)2 for the chromium and tungsten complexes respectively.
The photolysis of W(CO)sCNpy in toluene in the presence o f excess ligand (0.01 M ) with different broad-band irradiations and also with monochromatic light produced the cyano-bond complex W (C O )5(cyano-CNpy) along with the tetracarbonyl complex. Photolysis o f Cr(CO)sAcpy at different wavelengths resulted the formation of linkage isomer C r(C 0 )s (0 -A cp y ). Reformation o f the N-bond complex occurred at room temperature upon leaving the solution in the dark. The analysis o f the laser flash photolysis data for these complexes reveals the presence of two transient species. The first transient species is assigned to ligand loss product to form the coordinatively unsaturated M(CO)s species, while the second resulted from the CO loss process forming M (C O )4L. Matrix isolation studies on the complex Cr(CO)sPy and Cr(CO)sAcpy in an argon matrix indicated both the ligand loss and CO loss process.

Chapter 3 deals with the matrix isolation studies o f (r|6-C 6H 5-X )C r(C O )3 complexes, (X = H , N H 2, O C H 3, C HO , or COOMe) in methane, dinitrogen, 2 %, 5%, or 10 % CO-methane matrixes. The nature o f the substituent on the benzene ring has been shown to affect the photochemical properties of these complexes.

The studies were extended to the molybdenum complexes. Chapter 4 presents the matrix isolation experiments on complexes o f the type (r|6-C 6H 5-X )M o (C O )3, X = C H 3, O C H 3, or N (C H 3)2 in methane, dinitrogen, 2 %, or 5 % CO-methane mixtures at 12 K . The formation of molybdenum hexacarbonyl and (riI-C 6H 5-X )M o (C O )3(N 2)2 upon the photolysis of (r|6-C 6H 5-X )M o (C O )3 complexes in CO-methane matrix and N 2 matrix respectively provides good evidence of that haptotropic shift.

Chapter 5 deals with the theoretical studies on the complexes o f the type Cr(CO)sL, L = Py, Acpy or CNpy and the complexes o f the type (C<5H 5-X )C r(C O )3 complexes, (X = H , N H 2, O C H 3, CHO, or CO OMe). D F T calculations provides geometries, IR frequencies, and the molecular orbitals o f these complexes which compared with the experimental data available.

TDDFT calculations for the first three low lying excited states o f this set of complexes generally reveals that these excitation involve transition o f electron from the highest occupied molecular orbital (H O M O ) which carry c.a. 60 % Cr-d character to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (L U M O ) which are principally located on the pyridine or CO ligands. So the low lying excited state for pyridine complex is similar to that o f acetyl- or cyano-pyridine complexes, and carries mainly a Cr-Py C T or Cr-CO C T character.

The electronic structure and the orbital composition for each these complexes were calculated. Many of the molecular orbitals o f the benzene complex are degenerate.
The degeneracy is lost upon substitution of the arene ligand. Electron-donor substituents on the arene ligand destabilise the molecular orbitals. While electrondrawing substituents stabilise the molecular orbitals. Complexes with donor substituents tend to stabilise the dxz orbital and destabilize the dyz orbital. The reverse occurs with electron withdrawing substituents. This was explained by considering geometry and substituent effects. TDDFT calculations on the three lowest excited states of these complexes reveal that the transitions occur from the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMO), which are natively localised on chromium d-orbitals to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals, which are localised on the arene or CO ligands. The excitations are a mixture of mainly Cr-arene CT, Cr-CO C T and to smaller extent LF (Cr d-d) transition).

Outlined in chapter 6 are the experimental details and suggestions for future work.


The need to edit source data through a view arises in a host of applications across many different areas of computing. Unfortunately, few existing systems provide support for updatable views. In practice, when they are needed, updatable views are usually implemented using two separate programs: one that computes the view from the source and another that handles updates. This rudimentary design is tedious for programmers, difficult to reason about, and a nightmare to maintain.
This dissertation presents bidirectional programming languages, which provide an elegant and effective mechanism for describing updatable views. Unlike programs written in an ordinary language, which only work in one direction, programs in a bidirectional language can be run both forwards and backwards: from left to right, they describe functions that map sources to views, and from right to left, they describe functions that map updated views back to updated sources. Besides eliminating redundancy, these languages can be designed to ensure correctness, guaranteeing by construction that the two functions work well together.
Starting from the foundations, we define a general semantic space of well-behaved bidirectional transformations called lenses. Then, building on this foundation, we describe a particular language for defining lenses on strings with syntax based on the familiar regular operators (union, concatenation, and Kleene star). We present extensions to the basic framework that address the subtle complications that arise when lenses are used to manipulate, data containing unimportant details, ordered data, and confidential data.


In this cogent and accessible introduction to philosophy, the distinguished author of Mortal Questions and The View From Nowhere sets forth the central problems of philosophical inquiry for the beginning student. Arguing that the best way to learn about philosophy is to think about its questions directly, Thomas Nagel considers possible solutions to nine problems-knowledge of the world beyond our minds, knowledge of other minds, the mind-body problem, free will, the basis of morality, right and wrong, the nature of death, the meaning of life, and the meaning of words. Although he states his own opinions clearly, Nagel leaves these fundamental questions open, allowing students to entertain other solutions and encouraging them to think for themselves.


ABSTRACT Dougherty, A.J.; Choi, J-H., and Dosseto, A., 2016. Prograded Barriers + GPR + OSL = Insight on coastal change over intermediate spatial and temporal scales. In: Vila-Concejo, A.; Bruce, E.; Kennedy, D.M., and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 368–372. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Sea level is predicted to rise ∼1m by the next century but the response of sandy shorelines is unknown. Understanding past centennial-scale coastal change is crucial to forecast erosion and prepare vulnerable communities/infrastructure for the impact of climate change. To predict intermediate-scale shoreline behavior, models of short-term morphodynamics along beaches and longer-term coastal landscape evolution are integrated. However, limitations exist as process-based engineering models depend on wave climate and beach profile data restricted to historical records (decadal at best), while large-scale coastal behavior models are based on general stratigraphic data inferring evolutionary trends over millennia. Detailing the stratigraphy of paleo-beachfaces preserved beneath Holocene beach ridges, and accurately dating them, could fill this gap by allowing short-term records of present-day beach morphodynamics to be extended over hundreds and thousands of years. This paper aims to demonstrate how using Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) on prograded barriers can achieve this. To illustrate the potential of these methods, decades of research from strandplains in North America, New Zealand and Australia are synthesized to show how: 1) mapping the geometry of paleo-beachfaces can provide Holocene storm records, 2) digitizing the height of paleo-beachfaces could reconstruct sea-level curves, and 3) calculating barrier lithesome area/volume will quantify sediment supply with respect to accommodation space. Storms, sea level, and sediment supply are essential components determining beach behavior; this proposed methodology can yield empirical data on these mechanisms over the centennial-scale providing insight, and input to models, critical for protecting coasts threatened by global warming.


Purpose: Optimal treatment strategies for advanced natural killer/T (NK/T)-cell lymphoma have not been fully defined. We compared the safety and efficacy of DDGP and SMILE regimens for advanced NK/T-cell lymphoma in a randomized controlled, multicenter, and open-label clinical trial. Experimental Design: Patients were newly diagnosed in stages III–IV and had performance scores in 0 to 2. Six cycles of DDGP (dexamethasone, cisplatin, gemcitabline, and pegaspargase) or SMILE (dexamethasone, methotrexate, ifosfamide, L-asparaginase, and etoposide) chemotherapy were randomly assigned to them. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS). Secondary end points included response rate and overall survival (OS). The trial is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (No. NCT01501149). Results: Of 42 patients enrolled, 21 were treated with DDGP therapy, and 21 patients were treated with SMILE therapy. The 1-year PFS and 2-year OS rates were better in the DDGP group than that in the SMILE group (86% vs. 38% for 1-year PFS, P = 0.006; 74% vs. 45% for 2-year OS, P = 0.027). Complete remission (CR) rate and overall response rate (ORR) of the DDGP group were higher than that in the SMILE group (71% vs. 29%, P = 0.005 for CR rate; 95% vs. 67%, P = 0.018 for ORR). The SMILE group showed more serious leucopenia (P = 0.030) and severe allergic reaction (P = 0.015) than the DDGP group. In addition, two cases in the SMILE group underwent grade 4 mucosal reaction. Conclusions: DDGP chemotherapy resulted in significant improvement in PFS, OS, and better tolerability compared with SMILE chemotherapy for newly diagnosed advanced NK/T-cell lymphoma patients. Clin Cancer Res; 22(21); 5223–8. ©2016 AACR.


Trace element abundances and zoning were measured in minerals from a metasomatized garnet-amphibolite block from the Catalina Schist, using both ion and proton microprobes. Zoisite strongly concentrates light rare earth elements (REEs), Sr, Y, and Pb; amphibole concentrates Ni and Zn; garnet concentrates Y and heavy REEs; and titanite concentrates Nb. Major and trace elements in the garnets are zoned. Garnets in the core of the block display an overgrowth enriched in Mn, Y, and heavy REE, on a Y- and heavy-REE-poor core. Zirconium values remain relatively constant. The element enrichments in the garnet overgrowth suggest mobility of REEs at either a hand-sample or regional scale at subduction-zone pressure-temperature conditions. Metamorphic fluids may selectively transport heavy REEs relative to some high field strength elements in some convergent-margin settings. The distribution of Sr and Pb within subduction zones may reflect the dehydration and melting behavior of epidote-group minerals.


This project documents otherwise neglected dimensions entailed in the assemblage and implementations of political theories, namely their fabrication through encounters with their material, local, and affective constituents. Rather than emanating from the West and migrating to their venues of application, social scientific theories are fashioned in particular sites where political relations can be staged and worked upon. Such was the case with modernization theory, which prevailed in official and academic circles in the United States during the early phases of the Cold War. The theory bore its imprint on a series of developmental and infrastructural projects in Turkey, the beneficiary of Marshall Plan funds and academic exchange programs and one of the theory's most important models. The manuscript scrutinizes the corresponding sites of elaboration for the key indices of modernization: the capacity for empathy, mobility, and hospitality. In the case of Turkey the sites included survey research, the implementation of a highway network, and the expansion of the tourism industry through landmarks such as the Istanbul Hilton Hotel. Social scientific interviews, highway machinery, and hotel lobbies were less external sites of implementation for modernization theory than laboratories where it was manufactured and enacted. While such microcosms were designed to scale down competing visions of modernization and technical expertise to a manageable size, their implementation was offset by the resilience of recipient subjects, as well as anxieties and hesitations on the part of practitioners. The projects of the social scientists, technical experts, and policymakers were not tantamount to a straightforward process of Americanization; rather techniques of knowledge production and corresponding visions of development were dynamic and subject to strategies of translation that reworked the inevitabilities their creators imagined. Based on multi-sited archival research spanning government agencies, private corporations, and the published work and private papers of key social scientists, the project traces the history and concrete enactment of a political theory, one whose imprint continues to guide current debates on political and economic development. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Political Science First Advisor Anne Norton Subject Categories History | Political Science This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/1186 MIRRORS OF MODERNIZATION: THE AMERICAN REFLECTION IN TURKEY Begüm Adalet A DISSERTATION in Political Science Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2014 Supervisor of Dissertation: Anne Norton, Professor of Political Science Graduate Group Chairperson: Matthew Levendusky, Associate Professor of Political Science Dissertation Committee: Anne Norton, Professor of Political Science Robert Vitalis, Professor of Political Science Timothy Mitchell, Professor of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies MIRRORS OF MODERNIZATION: THE AMERICAN REFLECTION IN TURKEY COPYRIGHT 2014 Begüm Adalet


In this paper, we introduce a novel multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) concept for multimodal operation. The proposed system employs waveforms based on the orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) technique and digital beamforming (DBF) on receive. Thereby, it becomes feasible to maximize spatial degrees of freedom, which are necessary for the multimodal operation. The proposed MIMO SAR system produces multiple high-resolution wide-swath SAR imageries that are used for coherent postprocessing. Through this paper, we aim to open up a new perspective of using MIMO concept for a wide-swath SAR imaging with high resolution in interferometric and polarimetric modes, based on OFDM and DBF techniques. Therefore, this paper encompasses broad theoretical backgrounds and general system design issues as well as specific signal processing techniques and aspects.


Though COVID vaccines are finally available, the rate at which they are administered is slow, and in the meantime the pandemic continues to claim about as many lives every day as the 9/11 tragedy. I estimate that with the promised rate of vaccinations, if no additional non-pharmaceutical interventions are implemented, 406 thousand additional lives will be lost and the future cost of the pandemic will reach $2.4 trillion, or 11% of GDP. Using a cost-benefit analysis, I assess whether it is optimal for the United States to follow the lead of many European countries and introduce a nation-wide lockdown. I find that a lockdown would be indeed optimal and, depending on the assumptions, it should last between two and four weeks and will generate a net benefit of up to $1.2 trillion.


ABSTRACT Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) is a major economic pest of pines in the United States, Mexico, and Central America. We report biochemical investigations relevant to the taxonomic status and semiochemistry of two distinct morphotypes of D. frontalis recently detected in the Central American region. Morphotype A beetles (pre-episternal area of prothorax of both sexes smooth, bulging callus on anterolateral margin of prothorax of females) and morphotype B beetles (pre-episternal area of prothorax of both sexes with fine ridges, reduced female callus) collected in infestations in Chiapas, Mexico differed significantly in their production of 10 behaviorally-active compounds occurring in the genus Dendroctonus, including the major pheromone components for D. frontalis. Notably, host-attacking morphotype B females produced hundreds of nanograms of both endo-brevicomin and frontalin, whereas morphotype A females produced similar amounts of frontalin but subnanogram quantities of endo-brevicomin. Reanalysis of a published D. frontalis trapping study in Chiapas indicated that both morphotypes responded in greatest numbers when frontalin and endo-brevicomin baits were both present. In addition, we quantified 18 different cuticular hydrocarbons (the methyl-branched alkane components) from both morphotypes collected in Belize and Chiapas as well as morphotype A beetles from the southeastern United States, and principal component analysis revealed nonoverlapping clusters associated with either morphotype. This evidence of two distinct, complex phenotypes coexisting in the same sites and host trees supports the hypothesis that the D. frontalis morphotypes represent separate species and consequently indicates that the taxonomy of D. frontalis should be re-evaluated in the Central American region.


This paper provides a detailed description of fiscal federal relations in Australian. The keystone to those relationships is the application by the Commonwealth Grants Commission of the principle of fiscal equalisation - that each State should be able to provide the same standard of services to its population, if it operates at the same level of efficiency and makes the same effort to raise revenues from its own sources. The Paper pays particular attention to the processes by which this principle is implemented. It illustrates the extent to which expenditure needs as well as revenue capacities are measured and the impacts these assessments have on the per capita distribution of grant revenues between the Australian States.


We impose a value judgment that a decrease in failure should be accompanied by a decrease in gap (difference or ratio) between sub-groups. In other words, the same gap at lower levels of failure is to be considered worse off. This, in line with transfer sensitivity axiom of poverty indices, is formalized by Mishra and Subramanian (2006) through two level-sensitive axioms in group differential measures. In addition, Mishra (2007) imposes an axiom of normalization. At a basic level it means that the group differential measure lies between zero and unity. However, at a fundamental level it should also mean that zero indicates no differential between the two sub-groups whereas unity indicates maximum differential between the two sub-groups. A group differential measure discussed in the above-mentioned two papers satisfied the level-sensitivity axioms but failed the normalization axiom at a fundamental level. Further, the comparison between two situations under this measure also happened to be dependent on the choice of some parameters. Both these problems are done away with in the measure proposed in this paper. Empirical illustration with infant mortality rate data for selected Indian states has also been given.


Critics often note that detective fiction in general, and noir in particular, concerns itself with issues of masculinity as expressed through the "hard boiled" detective that often roams the dark imaginative cityscapes of the genre. These detectives exhibit the rugged masculine qualities that we have come to associate with such writers as Dashiell Hammett, Mickey Spillane, and Raymond Chandler. Tough, closed mouth figures that inhabit the liminal space between legality and criminality, these detectives live, love, and fight by strict masculine codes. Walter Mosley, a contemporary black novelist, creates just such a detective in the character of Easy Rollins. In the eponymous Easy Rawlins series, Easy works, not always by choice, as a black detective in post-World War II Los Angeles. Through Easy, Mosley explores a number of themes, most notably, issues surrounding both racism and masculinity because in his textual world these two issues are inextricably linked. This study focuses on both black and white racialized masculinities, and because power is an important factor in identity construction, an understanding of power and how it works proves crucial to this discussion. Discussing Devil in a Blue Dress Marilyn Wesley asserts that "power ... is not an order to be retrieved but the contingent result of specific circumstances that black men may understand through violence and adapt to their own needs for respect and freedom" (104). Wesley's understanding of power as "the contingent result of specific circumstances" points to several features relevant to an understanding of masculinity in Walter Mosley's work. The contingency, the dependence upon chance or the unknown, precludes the possibility of stability on many levels. Instabilities arise both in the deployment of power and in those areas in which it works, such as identity and all the components that make up identity including race, gender, and class. The "specific circumstances" to which Wesley refers make clear that power does not appear as an object or an "order"; instead, these "circumstances" reveal the dynamic and fluid qualities that power possesses. Taken together, this dynamism and these instabilities inform Mosley's texts in the twists and turns of not only plot, but also in the twists and turns we see in the dynamic power relations between the characters in their negotiations of many aspects of race and gender. Wesley's reference to violence also points to the close associations of violence and masculinity found in detective fiction. Mosley presents what I term conditions of masculinity, which he utilizes to identify masculinities through actions rather than as static terms of definition. Ultimately, Mosley does not offer a definitive black masculinity because in the face of white racist patriarchal society such a masculinity proves untenable. Because of the workings of power, a definitive vision of black masculinity would collapse in the face of the shifting realities that confront it. Such a vision would prove inadequate especially if predicated on definitions of masculinity rather than on the active engagement that keeps it contingent, free flowing, and laden with possibility. By understanding masculinity as a condition, a nexus of power, history, race, gender, class, and culture, we can better understand the shifts and changes that inform it. We can, then, also better understand masculinity as open to change and possibility, even in the face of hegemonic oppression. This viewpoint opens up paths of resistance as well as of understanding. Viewing conditions of masculinity as conditions also situates masculinity in such a way as to locate it within a larger framework. Masculinity, then, does not arise in isolation but as a result of social, cultural, and political forces. Masculinity also relies on these forces for not only its own construction, but also for any alterations or reconfigurations of its construction. Patricia Hill Collins states that "if African Americans design new conceptions of . …


Ways and methodologies to teach geology are widely debated and are frequent topics in geoscientific discussion, whereas there is much less attention to the subject of geological literacy. It is more and more frequent to hear complaints by university teachers regarding the deficient geological knowledge of incoming university students, and this is especially the case in Argentina's universities. Teachers simply characterize the problem affirming: "the students do not know anything about geology" or "in high school nobody taught them geology". Additionally, most geologists consider that it is not their problem and consider secondary teachers as uniquely responsible. Nevertheless, the matter is more complicated than this and deserves a different approach for resolution. In this contribution I table reflections on the need to address the lack of preparation and the scarcity of geological knowledge in terms of geological literacy, rather than in terms of teaching geology.


A large group of low molecular weight  natural compounds that exhibit antimicrobial activity has been isolated from animals and plants during the past two decades. Among them, cationic peptides are the most widespread. Interestingly, the variety and diversity of these peptides seem to be much wider than suspected. In fact, novel classes of peptides with varying chemical propertiescontinue to be isolated from different vertebrate and invertebrate species, as well as  from bacteria. To the early characterized peptides, mostly cationic in nature,  anionic peptides, aromatic dipeptides, processed  forms of oxygen-binding proteins and processed forms of natural structural and functional proteins can now be added, just to name a few. In spite of  the astonishing diversity in structure and chemical nature displayed by these molecules, all of them present antimicrobial activity, a condition that has led researchers to  consider them as "natural antibiotics" and as such a new and innovative alternative to chemical antibiotics with a promising future as biotechnological tools. A resulting new generation of anti microbial peptides (AMPs) with higher specific activity and wider microbe-range of action could be constructed, and hopefully endogenously expressed in genetically-modified organisms.


A stroke can cause physical and cognitive impairments such as lack of concentration, visual inattention and reasoning difficulties which may affect a drivers' ability to drive safely. The Stroke Drivers Screening Assessment (SDSA) has been developed by the University of Nottingham as a screening tool to identify drivers who are not fit to resume driving following a stroke. TRL and the University of Leeds were commissioned by the Department for Transport to investigate the current use of the SDSA in the UK and examine the validity and reliability of the screening tool. This report describes an inter-rater reliability study to investigate whether different assessors reach the same outcome and whether the scoring procedure and the interpretation of the results are accurate and rigorous. (A)


This is the table of contents and introductory chapter to our book, Minds, Brains, and Law: The Conceptual Foundations of Law and Neuroscience (Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2013). The book explores several philosophical issues at the intersection of law and neuroscience. It examines and critically assesses arguments for an increased role for neuroscience at the levels of legal theory, legal doctrine, and legal proof. The theoretical issues include general jurisprudential questions about the nature of law, moral and economic decision making, and justifications for criminal punishment. The doctrinal issues focus on criminal law and criminal procedure and include: mens rea, actus reus, the insanity defense, the Fourth Amendment, the Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination, and due process. The issues of legal proof focus on different types of brain-based lie detection.


Our study is about the perception of people towards volunteering, in order to propose solutions to improve the management for the sustainability of social economy enterprises. The question we want to answer in our paper is about the availability for participation in voluntary activities to ensure the sustainability of social economy enterprise. This question became the main objective of our study. To answer this question we conducted a survey based on a questionnaire in a micro-community from the Centre Region of Romania. Combining the quantitative and qualitative methods, thus ensuring the in-depth interpretation of the study results, the work hypotheses were tested with the IBM Statistics and AtlasTi applications. The results of our study confirm that the subjects surveyed are willing to take the responsibility of engaging in volunteering for the benefit of individuals or the community, thereby contributing to the creation of tangible economic and social values for the community. Finally we conclude that involving individuals in volunteering activities can be an valuable piece of information for the managers of social enterprises when it comes to taking the adequate strategic decisions, so as to obtain a competitive advantage that can be materialized in the utility of the work, the personal satisfaction as a result of work done, the integration into community etc.


Typical cases of the soft-sediment deformation structures (SSDSs), triggered by the mod- ern earthquakes to the oldest of paleo-earthquakes in the Mesoproterozoic, have been observed in China. These deformation structures have various geometry morphology, different interior structural architectures and sediment compositions, in centimetre to metre-scales. They are intercalated with the undeformed layers, which are composed of similar sediments of lithology and sedimentary environments. SSDSs are formed during sediments deposited but incompletely consolidated. And they exist in different periods and are closely related to the active or paleo-active faults. They occur nearby the faults and usually have the characteristics nearer to the faults and more. And they distribute parallel to the trending of the active faults and have the characters of the vertical duplica-tion. They have responded to the high-frequency activity of different faults in tectonic movement and are the perfect records of the paleo-active faults.


Linguistic theories typically have a static, competence-based view of the notion Subject. In this view speakers choose their Subjects freely from the relevant constituents of a clause, typically the arguments of the main predicate. However, when one looks at what speakers actually do, it becomes clear that the choice is determined to a high degree on the basis of the pragmatic and semantic features of the candidate constituents. Apart from roles such as Agency and Topicality, the major determining factor appears to be a possibly language specific mix of features such as person, animacy, and definiteness. A multifunctional approach to Subject choice seems to work even for English, a language which is thought to have grammaticalized Subject to a large extent.


Abstract There is no doubt that there have been changes in recent years in academic libraries, their institutions, and the behaviors of their users. The literature in librarianship offers opinions and forecasts on a number of trends in services, resources, and personnel within libraries. Writings outside of librarianship also offer ideas about libraries and scholarship. The trends can be examined in the context of data reported by libraries. Data collected by the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics provide the opportunity for the analysis of a number of academic library service, collection and access, and personnel matters. Since the analysis can take into account changes over time, an integrated and holistic examination can be conducted. Introduction Occasionally, articles appear in the literature of librarianship (and sometimes higher education) that question academic libraries' being (see, for example, Campbell, 2006 and Wisner, 2001). Some of the points made can be valid; concern regarding the decline in reference transactions, for example, is not without foundation (this phenomenon will be discussed shortly). Such things as declines in reference questions asked and circulation can lead to concern about the place of academic libraries on their campuses. The concern is manifest in a number of ways and those ways might be located along a continuum. At one end of the continuum is evolution: those expressing concern in this way ponder the changes libraries undergo as a series of steps which, over time, can transform academic libraries (Abbott, 2008 and Martell, 2008). At the other end is revolution; those who see change as revolutionary may not want to proceed through stages, but leap to different states. Analysts must be careful to avoid overstating the locus of concern. That is, an individual may favor an evolutionary transformation for, say, the nature of a particular service, while simultaneously favoring a revolutionary transformation for the delivery of the service. Holding differing views regarding services and their operation is by no means inconsistent of necessity. Providing effective services in a specific college or university may require flexibility. There may be no virtue in adopting an absolutely evolutionary (or revolutionary) vision, and no vice in examining each element of the organization as it presently exists and could exist. The rhetoric of change that is frequently expressed in higher education writings (see Duderstadt and Womack, 2003, for instance) may be sometimes characterized by lack of rigorous examination. Claims about academic libraries' place (or absence of place) in the academy should be looked at closely. When the roles of colleges' and universities' libraries are discussed, one word tends to recur-transition. There has scarcely been a time since the middle of the twentieth century, though, when libraries have not been in transition. Fremont Rider's 1944 book, Scholarship and the Future of the Research Library, looks quaint now, but his central theme was not conceptually different from calls to provide all materials in digital media and not physical packages. Too often, perhaps, writings on academic libraries' present and future contributions to their institutions' missions are guided by opinion and selective glimpses of data. A more comprehensive examination is needed in order to understand the complex dynamics of libraries' activities within a transforming landscape of higher education. The present examination focuses on a large set of data on academic library operations, with the aim of discerning trends that could inform the ways we think about what libraries are and what they do. Since this aim is to provide benchmarks for trends (that can be used, along with other things, to envision the future), no hypotheses are stated. Recent Literature There has been speculation about causes for the decline in uses of such things as libraries' reference services. …


Urban environments pose special challenges to flora, including altered disturbance regimes, habitat fragmentation, and increased opportunity for invasion by non-native species. In addition, urban natural area represents most people's contact with nature, given the majority of the world's population currently live in cities. We used coefficients of conservatism (C-values), a system that ranks species based on perceived fidelity to remnant native plant communities that retain ecological integrity, to quantify habitat quality of 14 sites covering 850 ha within the city of Indianapolis, Indiana, in the Midwestern United States. All sites contained significant natural area and were inventoried via intensive complete censuses throughout one or two growing seasons within the last 15 years. Mean C-values for five sites were high, especially when compared to values reported for the highest quality preserves in central Indiana. However, for most sites the difference in mean C-value with and without non-natives was rather high, meaning that natural quality is likely to have been compromised by the presence of non-natives. Sites receiving the highest levels of stewardship and those with the least public access via trails had the highest mean native C-values. A total of 34 invasive non-native species were found across all 14 sites. Most were woody species. Mean C-value over all sites was significantly negatively correlated with the number of non-natives present, especially those considered invasive. These results demonstrate for the Indianapolis area, and likely other urbanized Midwestern cities, remnant natural areas can retain high ecological value, especially if they receive regular environmental stewardship.


This paper is one of two IIASA Collaborative Papers containing papers presented at the Third International Conference on the Management of Research, Development and Education held at Wroclaw, Poland in September 1978. The conference was, on this occasion, jointly organized by Dr. Karol Pelc, Director of the Forecasting Research Center of the Technical University of Wroclaw and by Professor Gennady Dobrov, Deputy Director, Institute of Cybernetics, Kiev and at that time a member of the staff of the Management and Technology Area of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. Formally, it was jointly sponsored by the Wroclaw Technical University and IIASA.

It is always difficult to decide what to do about conference proceedings. The greatest value of such conferences is usually the meeting between minds -- the exchange of information and understanding between people from different cultures and academic backgrounds. This was particularly true at the Wroclaw conference where there was strong representation from ten countries, both East and West. It was a rare opportunity for scientists to identify potential collaborators and discover who was working in which field. Such opportunities are too few. Nevertheless, the Conference Scientific Committee felt that a number of the papers should be made available for reference in a more accessible form, and with their help, we have made a selection for issue as IIASA Collaborative Papers. A complete list of the 40 papers read at the conference are given as an Appendix to this collection -- copies of individual papers can be obtained by request from the Forecasting Research Center, Technical University of Wroclaw.

The introductory paper to the conference was on "Main Problems in the Control of Scientific and Technological Creative Activities, Application of Innovations and Education of Scientific Staff" and was given by Professor Jan Kaczmarek, Scientific Secretary of the Polish Academy of Sciences and a member of the IIASA Council. We felt that this was of sufficient interest for a separate issue, and appears as IIASA CP-80-19. For the rest we have selected thirteen papers for issue in this volume, and have divided them into three groups.

The first group of five papers is concerned with problems of strategic decision making in the field of science and technology. The first, by Petrasek, provides a new method of classifying the tasks in a forecasting problem which should help in improving the relevance of the results to real-life decisions. Baworowski emphasizes the importance of technology forecasting in developing a producers strategy, and the importance of matching the forecasting procedure to needs at all levels. Two papers, by Schulze and Pelc, are then concerned with the analysis of factors determining national strategy for science and development. Finally, we have a paper by Dierkes and Thienen which discusses the problems of getting a satisfactory debate over science policy issues, and considers the "Science Court" -- proposed originally by Kantrowitz -- as a possible solution.

The next group of papers is concerned with structural changes in science and technology and their impact on the management of interdisciplinary research. The first of these is by Albrecht and Otto who discuss, on the basis of extensive historical studies, the dangers of generalizing over the science-technology-production cycle without making clear differentiation between different classes of technology, as well as other factors. Eto shows some of the problems arising from the development of new sciences -- both basic and mission oriented sciences -- and discusses the implications. Glowiak and Winnicki follow this theme in discussing the managerial action needed to stimulate new fields of technological expertise, such as environmental engineering. Finally, Dobrov, Randolph and Nurminski present some work undertaken at IIASA relating to technological change in agriculture, and in particular draw attention to the problems introduced by the rapidly decreasing output-input energy ratio.

The third group of papers deals with broader questions of management of R&D and of technological change. Bobryshev and Chereshkin discuss, in particular, the development of a planned management information system for research and development in the USSR. Wasniowski considers four questions related to the management of long range programs, namely: What is a long range program? What are the problems of formulation and management? Why is technology assessment needed? Why is systems analysis needed? He discusses the use of computer conferencing and the use of gaming. Ball, Miller and Pearson then give a detailed study of the development of single cell protein, and pay particular attention to the problem of matching technology to market needs. Finally, Jermakowicz and Ruszkiewicz undertake a study of the machinery industry in Poland which enable them to identify some of the major organizational factors influencing the effectiveness of the Science-Technology-Production cycle in industrial enterprises.

All the papers are presented here as given at the conference. In the interests of economy we have not attempted to edit them in any way.

We would like to take this opportunity of thanking the members of the Scientific Committee of the conference for their help with regard to the conduct of the conference and the subsequent selection of papers for publication. It was another example of successful international collaboration.


Giray, F. H. and m. C. OmerCi kart, 2012. economics of Rosa damascena in isparta, turkey. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 18: 658-667 isparta province of turkey is one of the two economically important growing centres of Rosa damascena in the world as the climatic needs permits economical production only in certain areas. Rosa damascena is also known as isparta rose" because experimental studies for economical production elsewhere for oil rose have not produced desired quality and productivity. this study was conducted through interviews with Cooperatives Union for agricultural Sales of rose Oil and Oily Seeds (GULBirLik) staff and producers as the main stakeholders, and academics and agricultural experts as they know the area and subject in isparta in 2011. results obtained from the study show that the most important challenge of the sector is providing a sustainable production in quantity and quality in parallel with market demand. Production and marketing problems at internal and external markets come from organisational problems in processing, lack of farmers' interest in investment and establishing recording systems to keep data in production and processing. Other problems in the sector are regarding diversification, introduction/promotion and inefficient use of rose products; and problems regarding lack of advanced technologies, no support from state in rose productions and training problems of producers. It was observed that GULBIRLIK has not fulfilled most of the primary and support activities of the value chain and their activities have not been targeted to farmers anymore. it is because there are already surplus in the market, and they do not have problem to find row material. Rose oil industry has oligopolistic structure controlled by mainly GULBirLik and a few private companies. this is why "cost leadership" and/or "differentiation" which are main concerns of a value chain analysis for a competitive advantage are not paid enough attention by GULBirLik. However, it is thought that it has to change in the near future because young people in the rural areas are not seem so interested in rose plantation under the current conditions and it will decrease the production if they are not encouraged. According to the results of farm analysis, 72.62 per cent of total cost is variable cost and the rest (27.38 per cent) is fix cost. Among the variable costs, maintenance accounts for 53.17 per cent and harvesting accounts for 46.82 per cent. Profitability rate was calculated 1.21 according to the same analysis. There is a big difference between rose flower price and its products' prices. Producers are not involved in rose oil business and this is why they cannot benefit from the value added. They are traditionally producing rose but do not deal with it as a real business. Who benefits from the value added created in the supply chain is rose oil industry and its buyers (perfume and cosmetic industry in abroad).


A sample of 219 road accident victims suffering from lower back strain injuries were studied over a three year period. The vehicles they had been travelling in were examined to assess the impact severity and, where possible, measurements were made of seat and head restraint adjustment with the subject sitting in the vehicle. Each subject was interviewed to assess the disability resulting from their injuries, and their progress was followed for two y ears post-accident. It proved impossible to recruit a sample consisting purely of lower back injury cases - 95% of the sample also had neck strain injuries. Several personal factors (age, sex, back length and experience of previous back problems) were found to influence injury severity and/or rate of recovery from injury. Very few vehicle-related factors were found to have any consistent effect; those that were are discussed. Separate analysis of particular models of vehicles failed to clarify the picture, probably because of the drastic reduction in sample size involved. Recommendations are given for the conduct of any future, similar studies. (A)


In the 1990s social scientists researching public perceptions of GM foods recommended the
introduction of new modes of public participation to make decision-making more inclusive.
This research utilises categories and concepts from cultural theory (as developed by
anthropologists Mary Douglas, Michael Thompson and Steve Rayner, and political scientists
Aaron Wildavsky and Richard Ellis) as tools to consider how a range of opinions, illustrated
by cultural theory's ideal types, were represented within the GM crop debate. By doing so, it
considers whether this approach supports the notion that greater public participation would
improve inclusiveness. Furthermore, it considers how best to model the ways that individuals
utilised the discourse of cultural theory's ideal types, and whether this has implications for
seeking greater inclusiveness. The research is based upon 55 one-to-one interviews that were
conducted with various individuals engaged in the GM crop debate in 2000, and secondary
sources of data such as media coverage, electronic mailing lists and public meetings between
1996 and 2002.
It was determined that the discourses of cultural theory's ideal types were best presented along
a continuum, with the hierarchists in the centre and the egalitarians and individualists at either
extreme. Within the wider public debate, the media and public reflected the concerns of
egalitarians, while government discourse reflected the concerns of hicrarchists. By enabling
the public to have a greater say in decision-making,it is asserted that decisions will favour the
egalitarian outlook and will ignore the wisdom of cultural theory's other ideal types.
Furthermore, since the discourse of those engaged in the debate included all but the most
fatalistic comments made by members of the public, it is argued that public participation is
unlikely to bring any new voices to the debate. Rather than introducing new modes of public
participation,t his research recommends that the government actively consults with individuals
already engaged in the GM crop debate on all issues, including those of a more political
nature. The aim of such an exercise would be to identify, communicate and consider the full
range of opinions available so that decisions can become more fully informed, transparent and trusted.


The Bel-1 protein of human foamy virus (HFV) is a transactivator acting on the U3 region of the long terminal repeat and on an internal promoter (IP) immediately upstream of the bel genes. An HFV transgene called delta gpe, containing both promoters and all bel genes, is expressed in the central nervous system and induces neurodegeneration in mice. To dissect the role of individual promoters and bel genes on transgene expression and neurotoxicity we generated transgenic mice with a construct termed pL-bel1, which lacks the IP and the ancillary genes except bel-1. L-bel1 mice transcribed the HFV transgene in more tissues than delta gpe mice, suggesting that CNS specificity is dictated by cis-acting elements not present in the pLbel-1 construct. Unlike delta gpe mice, L-bel1 mice did not develop neurodegenerative changes and did not show induction of nitric oxide synthase expression, although both strains expressed Bel-1 in the brain. Therefore, Bel-1 expression is not sufficient for neurotoxicity. Our results suggest that Bet, a fusion protein between bel-1 and bel-2 which is highly expressed in delta gpe but not in L-bel1 mice, is a candidate for neurotoxicity.


The financial crisis has affected all aspects of the global economy and has certainly exacerbated the social and economic conditions that young people are experiencing in many European countries. The lack of job opportunities and employment services, the temporary nature of work, the absence of sufficient social security, the high cost of education and the difficulties involved in finding a home are all barriers that mainly hit young people who do not receive financial support from their families. All this is also a result of the rationing of credit loaned to the entrepreneurial sector and particularly young people who intend to start up companies, turn self-employed, buy property etc.. Unemployed young people, with no chance of turning self-employed, starting their own business or buying a first home are, to a great extent, young people without a future and without prospects. They are a social emergency that can no longer be put off or avoided, especially in this moment of crisis. In this perspective, as regards Italy this study aims to analyse: a) the details of the range of financial products specifically designed for the youth market; b) the technical and operational characteristics of the relationship between banks and young people.


e19681 Background: Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a cumulative toxicity of oxaliplatin (OX). Retrospective studies have reported that Ca/Mg infusions may reduce the incidence of PN and may allow patients to be treated without dose reductions for a longer duration. The objectives of this study were to retrospectively evaluate the effect of Ca/Mg on the number of treatment cycles, duration of OX therapy, cumulative OX dose, and progression free survival (PFS) in a large university-based practice.

METHODS
149 patients treated with OX-containing regimens were retrospectively reviewed for co-administration of Ca/Mg infusions. Ca/Mg was given as 1 gm CaCl2 and 1 gm MgSO4 in 100 ml of IV solution over 30 min pre and post OX. Treatment assignment was at physician discretion. Patients were divided into groups based on histology, stage, and whether Ca/Mg was given. Patients in the "no Ca/Mg" group never received this treatment. All data were retrieved from the YCC EMR and reviewed by the authors. Patients were treated between 5/12/03 and 9/25/09.

RESULTS
149 records were reviewed including 106 with Ca/Mg and 43 without. In patients with stage IV CRC, the Ca/Mg group (n=22) was associated with a statistically significant increased PFS (8.5 vs 4.6 months p=0.0394) compared to those not given Ca/Mg (n=13). There was a trend towards improved treatment duration (5.8 vs 3.8 months p=0.1065), cycles given (10.9 vs 7.8 cycles p=0.173), and total OX dose (677.5 vs 306.2 mg/m2 p=0.1366). In the adjuvant CRC setting, the Ca/Mg group (n=27) also showed a statistically significant improvement in PFS (36.3 vs. 22.8 months p=0.0445) compared to those not given Ca/Mg (n=10). Comparison of these adjuvant groups showed no statistical differences in total OX dose, duration of tx, or total tx cycles.

CONCLUSIONS
In this retrospective chart review of patients treated with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy, use of IV Ca/Mg showed a statistically significant increase in PFS in patients with CRC in both the adjuvant and metastatic settings. Despite the limited sample size and statistical power, significance and trends support the use of Ca/Mg to reduce the impact of PN, without signs of interfering with oxaliplatin anti-tumor activity.


OpenPGP is one of the two major standards for end-to-end email security. Several studies showed that serious usability issues exist with tools implementing this standard. However, a widespread assumption is that expert users can handle these tools and detect signature spoofing attacks. We present a user study investigating expert users' strategies to detect signature spoofing attacks in Thunderbird. We observed 25 expert users while they classified eight emails as either having a legitimate signature or not. Studying expert users explicitly gives us an upper bound of attack detection rates of all users dealing with PGP signatures. 52% of participants fell for at least one out of four signature spoofing attacks. Overall, participants did not have an established strategy for evaluating email signature legitimacy. We observed our participants apply 23 different types of checks when inspecting signed emails, but only 8 of these checks tended to be useful in identifying the spoofed or invalid signatures. In performing their checks, participants were frequently startled, confused, or annoyed with the user interface, which they found supported them little. All these results paint a clear picture: Even expert users struggle to verify email signatures, usability issues in email security are not limited to novice users, and developers may need proper guidance on implementing email signature GUIs correctly.


We present an analytical method for solution of one-dimensional optical systems, based on the differential transfer matrices. This approach can be used for exact calculation of various functions including reflection and transmission coefficients, band structures, and bound states. We show the consistency of the WKB method with our approach and discuss improvements for even symmetry and infinite periodic structures. Moreover, a general variational representation of bound states is introduced. As application examples, we consider the reflection from a sinusoidal grating and the band structure of an infinite exponential grating. An excellent agreement between the results from our differential transfer-matrix method with other methods is observed. The method can be equally applied to one-dimensional time-harmonic quantum-mechanical systems. © 2003 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 000.3860, 260.0260, 260.2110, 130.0130.


This essay — for the Review of Litigation's symposium issue on the Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) and accompanying panel at the 2013 annual meeting of the Association of American Law Schools — explores the tension between CAFA and the Erie doctrine. CAFA was designed to expand federal diversity jurisdiction over high-stakes state-law class actions and, thereby, allow federal judges to decide class certification pursuant to federal law. The Erie doctrine, by contrast, aims to discourage vertical forum shopping by requiring federal courts hearing state-law claims to follow state law. Put the two together, and the result could be that federal courts exercising CAFA jurisdiction must follow the very state class-certification standards that a party invoking CAFA jurisdiction hopes to avoid. The Supreme Court's 2010 decision in Shady Grove v. Allstate appears to undermine this possibility, as it held that the federal court in that case must apply Federal Rule 23 rather than the state class certification rule. Shady Grove, however, is hardly the last word on the role of state class action law in federal court. This essay sets forth a number of theories by which federal courts would be required to follow state class action law, even after Shady Grove. It concludes by examining lower federal court decisions on this issue, highlighting numerous examples where courts have followed state law notwithstanding Shady Grove.


ABSTRACT: This article asserts that, for Hindus living in the United States, temple spaces serve not only as places to replicate imported cultural patterns, but also as arenas in which resistance and assimilation to the new host culture may be both measured and moderated. Furthermore, Hindu religious identities formed in diasporic temples balance resistance and assimilation, not only to the culture of the larger society, but also to competing Hindu cultural expectations expressed within temple practices. In other words, while certain practices mark resistance to American ideological demands, other practices serve to delineate and reinforce differences between particular religious identities. Drawing on research at the Shiva Vishnu Temple in Livermore, California, the article examines two prominent signifiers by which American Hindu identity is constructed and negotiated: "our children9s futures" and "geography matters."