Desert vistas are often deemed vacant, inhospitable wastelands. Don't suggest that to Joy Harjo, Pat Mora, or other contemporary southwestern writers. In these arid stretches, often devoid of green, today's southwestern writers see pyrotechnic colors and Gothic shapes that excite and often overwhelm the imagination. And they capture this excitement in words that fix these desert images in the minds of readers who may too often look at the world through green-colored glasses. This anthology of contemporary nature writing from the Greater Southwest brings together a host of writers including peers of Edward Abbey such as Charles Bowden and Ann Zwinger and representatives of a new generation of writers such as Rick Bass and Terry Tempest Williams. The book is an eclectic blend of nonfiction and fiction, field notes and poetry, through which artists of diverse backgrounds both celebrate and illuminate the unique vitality and complexity of southwestern literature proving that green is only one of many colors on their palette. The selections included here range all across the southwestern landscape and explore adventures in the wild, topics in natural history, living close to the land, and efforts at conservation and restoration. They clearly demonstrate that there is grace and beauty in this often-maligned part of the world both in the human traditions that have developed in the region and in the natural features of the desert itself.


Two questions motivated this study: 1) Will meteorological droughts become more frequent and severe during the twenty-first century? 2) Given the projected global temperature rise, to what extent does the inclusion of temperature (in addition to precipitation) in drought indicators play a role in future meteorological droughts? To answer, we analyzed the changes in drought frequency, severity, and historically undocumented extreme droughts over 1981–2100, using the standardized precipitation index (SPI; including precipitation only) and standardized precipitation-evapotranspiration index (SPEI; indirectly including temperature), and under two representative concentration pathways (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). As input data, we employed 103 high-resolution (0.44°) simulations from the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment (CORDEX), based on a combination of 16 global circulation models (GCMs) and 20 regional circulation models (RCMs). This is the first study on global drought projections including RCMs based on such a large ensemble of RCMs. Based on precipitation only, ~15% of the global land is likely to experience more frequent and severe droughts during 2071–2100 versus 1981–2010 for both scenarios. This increase is larger (~47% under RCP4.5, ~49% under RCP8.5) when precipitation and temperature are used. Both SPI and SPEI project more frequent and severe droughts, especially under RCP8.5, over southern South America, the Mediterranean region, southern Africa, southeastern China, Japan, and southern Australia. A decrease in drought is projected for high latitudes in Northern Hemisphere and Southeast Asia. If temperature is included, drought characteristics are projected to increase over North America, Amazonia, central Europe and Asia, the Horn of Africa, India, and central Australia; if only precipitation is considered, they are found to decrease over those areas.


We present a scheme for a universal device which can be programmed by quantum states to approximate a chosen projective measurement to a given precision. Our scheme can be viewed as an extension of the swap test to the instance where one state is supplied many times. As such, it has many potential applications given the variety of quantum information tasks which make use of the swap test. In particular, we show that our scheme is optimal for state discrimination under the one-sided error requirement, and optimally approximates any projective measurement. Furthermore, we propose a practical implementation of our scheme with passive linear optics, which involves a simple interferometer composed only of balanced beam splitters.


Diagrams are essential in documenting large information systems. They capture, communicate, and leverage knowledge indispensable for solving problems and act as cognitive externalizations (intertwining internal and external processes to extract information from the external world to enhance thought). A diagram provides a mapping from the problem domain to the visual representation by supporting cognitive processes that involve perceptual pattern finding and cognitive symbolic operations. However, not all mappings are equal, and for effectiveness we must embed a diagram's representation with characteristics, which lets users easily perceive meaningful patterns. Consequently, a diagram's effectiveness depends to some extent on how well we construct it as an input to our visual system. In our research, we focus on a class of diagrams commonly referred to as graphs or node-link diagrams. Nodes representing entities, objects, or processes, and links or edges representing relationships between the nodes characterize them. Their most common form is outline circles or boxes denoting nodes and lines of different types representing links between the nodes. Entity-relationship diagrams, software structure diagrams, and data-flow models are examples of node-link diagrams used to model the structure of processes, software, or data.


Background: College students are vulnerable to risks associated with unhealthy behaviors. Considering the role that colleges play in facilitating lifelong health and wellness behaviors of college students, health-related fitness (HRF) courses are being offered using multiple delivery formats. Purpose: There is a need to better understand the relationship between course delivery format and perceived wellness; thus, the purpose of this study was to assess perceived wellness among college students who self-selected into various delivery formats of a required university HRF course. Methods: The Perceived Wellness Survey was used due to its previously established reliability and validity for college populations. Participants included 378 college students enrolled in a HRF course. Results: Students with higher perceived wellness were more likely to be enrolled in online and hybrid course formats rather than face to face. Discussion: The results of this study provide a better understanding of the perceived wellness of college students enrolled in various course delivery formats of a HRF course that go beyond that of demographic differences. Translation to Health Education Practice: With this information, those delivering HRF courses have the opportunity to capitalize on this trend by tailoring instructional activities accordingly.


Mono cropping is the dominant factor influencing plant nutrient uptake and loss of soil quality in Ethiopia whereas intercropping of cereal/legume has positive environmental qualities. Likewise drought and moisture stress condition is widely expanding from all direction to the center of the country. Therefore, the objective of this research was to evaluate influence of planting methods, tied ridge and cropping system on different soil chemical properties in case of Madda Walabu district, Southeast Ethiopia. It was undertaken at Bidire from March 2016 to January, 2017. In this experiment, one maize variety (Melkassa 2) and one haricot bean variety (Nasir) were used. Treatments include open end and closed end tied ridge; sole cropping and intercropping; and in furrow, on ridge and flat bed planting. Each treatment has been triplicate and the experiment plots were laid out in randomized complete block design. Intercropping of maize-haricot bean with tied ridge and planting methods were highly influenced soil pH, exchangeable potassium, available phosphorous, soil organic matter and total soil nitrogen. Generally, the use of intercropping and closed end tied ridge in combination with in furrow planting significantly increased (p0.05) soil fertility in the system, which could be promising for sustainable improvement of crop production and productivity for semi arid areas of Bale zone.


Saint Ambrose (339-397 BCE) was bishop of the Italian city of Milan and was a leading writer in the Western Christian Church during the 4th century. He was an outspoken believer in the notion of Christian female virginity and succeeded in communicating prominent conceptions of God and of the Christian quest for a virtuous life. Central to Ambrose's teachings is the virginity of Mary and her role as the Theotokos (God bearer/Mother of God). This article discusses the Mariology of Ambrose of Milan, which greatly influenced the thinking of contemporary Popes including Damasus, Siricius and Leo the Great. In uncovering the Mariology of Ambrose, the researcher used various sources and went back to the official Marian pronouncements of Ambrose and also accentuated Scripture within the overall context of both Catholic and Orthodox Church teachings. A historical text-critical analysis was used and understood in terms the historic and socio-cultural context in which Ambrose lived. Biblical hermeneutics was applied to assist in the analysis of the relation between Biblical statements on Mary, Ambrosian writings and the early Church fathers, so as to arrive at a philosophical conception of Mariology and the notion of Theotokos in the teachings of Saint Ambrose.


Whenever civil liberties issues are contested, proponents of greater restrictions often chide civil liberties defenders for being unwilling to offer moderate concessions. Frequently, persons advocating restrictions on civil liberties claim that the "moderate" restriction will not infringe the core civil liberty. When rights advocates raise the "slippery slope" argument, they are criticized for being excessively fearful. The goal of the article is to refine our understanding of "slippery slopes" by examining a case in which a civil liberty really did slide all the way down the slippery slope. The right to arms in Great Britain was entirely unrestricted at the beginning of the twentieth century; as the century ends, the right is dead, and only a feeble, severely constricted privilege to possess certain "sporting" guns remains. The article examines, step-by step, how Britain moved from a strong, unfettered right to near-total prohibition of that right. While each of Britain's incremental steps towards gun control was, in itself, reasonable, the cumulative effect was to destroy the right gradually. Although the right to arms is the focus of the article, the article also discusses many other civil liberties, and their fate in twentieth century Britain and America. The article concludes that, in light of historical experience, organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Rifle Association of America, which vigorously resist even the smallest perceived infringements on constitutional rights, may be acting prudently in the long term, even though their "no concessions" stance may appear unreasonable in the short term.


In optical soliton propagation through a single mode optical fiber, it is established that self-phase modulation is maintained by the third order non-linearity of the silica-based glass material of the fiber. In this paper we show that the fifth order non-linearity has also some contribution in frequency variation of self-phase modulation.


This article argues that the new legal status - the "specially investigated President" - conferred upon recent presidents reflects an unprecedented change in the criminal investigation process of the President. Although recent presidents have experienced formal criminal investigations, each have used creative and legitimate ways to escape indictment, trial, or impeachment. By investigating President Bush and President Clinton's ability to successfully avoid prosecution, this article presents an analytical framework to explain the issues surrounding the "specially investigated President," and offers suggestions on how to reform the process.In his analysis, the author illustrates the tension between opposing viewpoints regarding the president's vulnerability to legal prosecution. From one perspective, the president has no special immunity, privilege, or power to stop the prosecution process. From the opposite perspective, the president has the political right to protect his office. Tracing the development of the new politic-legal status of the "specially investigated president", the author uncovers the elements of Congress' new presidential investigation as well as its constitutional implications. Finally, recognizing that the new paradigm for presidential investigations is here to stay, the author advances several principles to guide a reformation of the process and reduce the stress the legal accusation process places on the president, the political-legal process, and the public.


This essay examines the influence of uncertainty on how contemporary cities are planned, built, governed, and inhabited. This influence is demonstrated through the analysis of various domains of urban planning and governance (disaster, security, energy, and transportation) across four cities of the global South (Bogota, Karachi, Accra, and Johannesburg). In each city, uncertainty is produced by historical conditions and productive of future possibilities.


In the high Andean region of Ancash the greatest diversity of flowers ornithophilous is in shrublands, in contrast to rocky areas and grasslands, in those that we find stands of bromelias of the genera Puya whose nectar could constitute an important resource for high Andean hummingbirds in these habitat types. To document this hypothesis, during 2004-2005, in 264 hours of observation, were evaluated the hummingbirds of two stands of Puya above the 3000 m of altitude. The first stand was of Puya raimondii in a grassland of the Huascaran National Park (9o39' S—77o13' W), the second was of Puya rauhii in rocky areas of the Conchucos Valley (8o10' S—77o52' W). The frequency of visit of hummingbirds to the inflorescences of Puya was evaluated from 10 fixed points of observation, also captures with mist nets allowed to identify the pollen of their bill and front. In P. raimondii four species of Trochilidae were identified feeding of their nectar (Oreotrochilus stolzmanni, Patagonia gigas, Aglaeactis cupripennis and Metallura phoebe), being O. stolzmanni the frequently sighted species (60%). 80% of the obtained samples of pollen of these hummingbirds corresponded P. raimondii. In the rodal of Puya rauhii was identified ten species of Trochilidae (Colibri coruscans, Oreotrochilus stolzmanni, Patagonia gigas, Aglaeactis cupripennis, Coeligena iris, Chalcostigma stanleyi, Lesbia nuna, Myrtis fanny, Metallura phoebe and M. tyrianthina), being the species with more sightings M. phoebe (26%), C. coruscans (21%) and P. gigas (17%). 31% of the obtained samples of pollen of these hummingbirds corresponded to Puya. The high Andean species of Puya provide an important nutritious resource for hummingbirds, especially for those of high altitudes where the diversity of plants diminishes.


One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind: words that will be forever echoed in the annals of history from 1969 when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. Earlier that decade, another major landmark occurred in the field of hepatology with the discovery of hepatitis B (HBV) in 1967. The cure for HBV has since remained elusive; however, the recent discovery of sodium taurocholate contransporting polypeptide (NTCP), a key cell-surface transmembrane glycoprotein involved in HBV entry into hepatocytes1–3 marks a major opportunity for the development of novel therapeutic strategies.

In this issue of Gut , Hu and colleagues4 report on the role of NTCP in the natural history of HBV infection and its link to the risk of HBV-related complications in a large cohort of Taiwanese patients. Chronic HBV remains a major global public health problem with an estimated 350 million people infected worldwide5 ,6 leading to approximately 780 000 deaths every year due to HBV complications.7 New strategies are needed to identify patients at risk of progression of liver disease and those at risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), thus allowing for more targeted therapeutic interventions, more cost-effective and more focused screening approaches in high-prevalence populations.

NTCP is encoded by the SLC10A1 gene and specifically expressed on the basolateral membrane of differentiated hepatocytes,8 likely serving as a key factor in the hepatotropism and species specificity of the virus.9 NTCP cotransports sodium and bile acids across the cellular membrane as part of the enterohepatic circulation.8 ,10 The N-terminus of the pre-S1 domain of the large envelope protein binds to NTCP, facilitating HBV entry into hepatocytes in cell culture model.1 Transfection of NTCP allows HBV entry into non-susceptible HCC cell lines but not to non-human, non-hepatic cells,11 suggesting …


The TRIPs plus phenomenon (additional steps to strengthen the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) tends to be attributed to the regional and bilateral efforts of the United States. This paper suggests that such a perception is mistaken. The EU certainly seeks to secure TRIPs plus provisions with its negotiating partners. However, the paper also suggests that, compared to the United States, the EU's approach towards the international regulation of IPRs is less effective and does not fully meet the EU's objectives in this field. The United States employs a more "hands-on" strategy at the regional and bilateral level, while the EU's tendency to incorporate international conventions and treaties into its regional and bilateral agreements suggests that it still favours the multilateral approach. But the European Commission seems to become more proactive in the international regulation and enforcement of IPRs and should coordinate its efforts with the United States. EcIPE WorkIng PAPEr • no. 02/2007 www.ecipe.org Phone +32 (0)2 501 53 08 Fax +32 (0)2 501 53 20 email@example.com rue Du Luxembourg 3, b-1000, brussels, belgium JEL Code: F13, F14, F19, F21, F53


The Free Energy Principle is a broad organising framework for biological life based on the assumption that organisms seek the continuation of their own existence in the face of environmental perturbations. Organisms are finite entities with indirect access to their environment and only direct access to the outputs of their sensory epithelia. Given such constraints, organisms can solve this dilemma by developing and maintaining a generative model of the causes of sensory states (hidden environmental states). This process is aimed at minimising the discrepancy, the free energy between predictions born from the model and incoming sensory data by means of a gradient descent process, generalised filtering. By either adjusting the parameters of this model, or its own sensory input through locomotion perception and action are realised. The very broadness of the Free Energy Principle predicts that neural mechanisms whilst constrained in terms of their general function are free to adopt many different specific forms. This thesis is concerned with how the Free Energy Principle might be realised in action and perception generally and in four specific cases. Under the banner of action, two behavioural rubber hand illusion studies examine how bodily perception can be easily fooled and manipulated and how this influences subsequent action. The first study focuses on the development of a new rubber hand illusion paradigm. The second study compares a sample of autistic spectrum disorder patients with healthy controls in changes in body perception in the context of action. Under the banner of perception, two electrophysiological studies, one based on the auditory mismatch negativity and the other on continuous flash suppression in vision are focused on how the Free Energy principle is applied in these cases. The stochastic mismatch negativity developed in the thesis matches the kind of problem that an organism must solve; determine the true or hidden states of the environment given otherwise noisy input. The continuous flash suppression study, emphasises the role of model competition in ambiguous perceptual situations. Both studies focus on electrophysiological correlates of free energy minimisation. The conclusion is that consideration of the Free Energy Principle and generalised filtering in particular provides a promising and comprehensive alternative to more traditional accounts of neural function that is ultimately applicable across a broad range of scientific disciplines.


In Indonesia, likely has not shown a definitive number how many gratuity possibility of hypertension experiences on Indonesian people. This thing possibly is caused a lot of them who
has not known exactly about Hypertension. Hypertension is trouble at blood pressure where higher than normal state, so that blood pressure toward heart was increases. Usually this hypertension accompanied with confused physical phenomena, rigid neck muscle, feeling worries, worries, sensitive and tending to behaviour on the warpath without any causes. Besides, its the fact that Hypertension is one of disease which can cause of death. This thing is enabled by hypertension disease because it could be heart-failure, eye damage, and liver. Hence, writer felt it was important to do research of hypertension reduction by meditation treatment method with a purpose to know does giving a treatment in the form of meditation can reduce hypertension. This research is experimental method by using Pretest-Post Test One Group Design with a purpose to know treatment influence of meditation for hypertension reduction. In this research data collecting method applies sphygmanometer/tensimeter, interview technique structural and opened, applies as of self-report, and giving of treatment in the form of meditation. In analysing data to apply analysis nonstatistik in the form of graph. After given meditation treatment, blood pressure suffered every subject to tend to experiences change. Where initially (pretest) subject blood pressure to hypertension level. Subject feels headache, disturbed, worries and stres in approximant every day. Behavior which appeared is tend to be angry without any causes. That experiences was change after treatment process (posttest) done, blood pressure suffered each subject has decline or change and showing frontier hypertension. So do physical and emotional phenomena were changed. headache, disturbed, worries and stres in approximantlyin their every day life, little by little was change. Furthermore this change always occure till follow up process is done, blood pressure shows to normotensi. Reaction of previous mind tended to stress become lower and emotional situation every subject becomes calmer. This thing is enabled after take some time to meditate which is tendency of all body becomes rileks, subject can breathe with interest easy going so that heart pulse becomes normal. Hence, blood pressure becomes normal.


This article reexamines the view that monetary policy affects real (inflation-adjusted) economic variables in the short run but that its powers fade quickly in the long run (that is, that money is long-run superneutral). This view relies on the assumption that monetary policy can have real effects only via "money illusion." However, if monetary policy can affect real economic activity by other means then it may be possible for money to be nonsuperneutral in the long run. ; The author reviews a small sample of the growing academic literature that studies models in which money may not be long-run superneutral. A message of this line of research is that in assessing the economic impact of alternative policies, monetary economists may have spent too much time trying to forge direct links between changes in monetary policy and the unemployment rate. By linking monetary policy with the supply and demand of credit, the models reviewed here can study an alternative mechanism for evaluating the long-run effects of monetary policy that does not rely on money surprises. The results reported in this literature indicate that monetary policy may be a great deal more powerful than most academic economists believe. Thus, this article challenges economists and policymakers to devote more attention to investigating alternative explanations for the real effects of monetary policy.


In 1966 the first meeting of the Association for the Study of Attention and Performance was held in the Netherlands to promote the emerging science of cognitive psychology. This volume is based on the most recent conference, held in Israel thirty years later. The focus of the conference was the interaction between theory and application. The organizers chose the specific topic, cognitive regulation of performance, because it is an area where contemporary theories of cognitive processes meet the everyday challenges posed by human interactions with complex systems. Present-day technological systems impose on the operator a variety of supervisory functions, such as input and output monitoring, allocation of cognitive resources, choice of strategies, and regulation of cognitive operations. A challenge for engineers and designers is to accommodate the cognitive requirements called for by these systems. The book is divided into four sections: the presentation and representation of information, cognitive regulation of acquisition and performance, consciousness and behavior, and special populations: aging and neurological disorders. Contributors: Nicole D. Anderson, Moshe Bar, Lynn Bardell, Alice E. Barnes, Irving Biederman, Robert A. Bjork, Richard A. Block, Fergus I. M. Craik, Heiner Deubel, John Dunlosky, Ido Erev, Ronald Fisher, John M. Flach, Barry Goettl, Morris Goldsmith, Daniel Gopher, Lynn Hasher, Okihide Hikosaka, Larry L. Jacoby, Peter Kalocsai, Colleen Kelley, David E. Kieras, Roberta Klatzky, Asher Koriat, Arthur F. Kramer, Elisabetta Ladavas, John L. Larish, Susan J. Lederman, John Long, Cynthia P. May, Guiliana Mazzoni, Brian McElree, David Meyer, Satoru Miyauchi, Neville Moray, Louis Narens, Thomas O. Nelson, Raymond S. Nickerson, Lynne Reder, J. Wesley Regian, Ian Robertson, Wolfgang Schneider, Christian D. Schunn, Wayne Shebilske, Shinsuke Shimojo, Suresh Subramaniam, Tom N. Trainham, Jehoshua Tsal, Timothy A. Weber, Christopher Wickens, Rose T. Zacks, Dan Zakay.


Title of dissertation: THE EFFECTS OF OXYGEN TRANSITION ON COMMUNITY METABOLISM AND NUTRIENT CYCLING IN A SEASONALLY STRATIFIED ANOXIC ESTUARY Dong-Yoon Lee, Doctor of Philosophy, 2014 Directed By: Research Professor Jeffrey C. Cornwell Marine Estuarine and Environmental Science Gradients of dissolved oxygen concentrations in seasonally stratified estuarine water columns directly influence microbial composition and metabolic pathways, resulting in annually recurring spatiotemporal chemical gradients of redox-active species. Understanding such microbial responses to variable geochemical conditions and elucidating the diversity of microbial processes are needed to comprehensively identify ecosystem functions. At first this study describes an investigation of the relationships between microbial processes and geochemical conditions. To assess the contribution of different biological redox processes on carbon and nitrogen cycles in the Chesapeake Bay, we used observational and experimental approaches as well as utilization of monitoring datasets to facilitate an assessment of ecosystem-level metabolism. Observations revealed a general positive association of community metabolism with strong gradients of redox-related variables and hydrodynamic characteristics, although geochemical and environmental conditions varied seasonally across oxic transitions and interannually across degrees of stratification. The most distinct evidence supporting the positive association were vertical distributions of community respiration with the highest average rates in the most stratified regions coincident with the depths of the steepest gradient of chemical compounds. Although organic matter availability may be enhanced due to hydrodynamically induced stability, our investigation of factors driving the pattern revealed that differential responses and metabolic strategies of microbial communities result in high respiration near oxyclines. Investigation of vertical profiles of redox-related variables also revealed that the coexistence of oxidants and reduced compounds further provides an optimal condition for other electron accepting processes, including chemoautotrophy and anoxygenic photoautotrophy. The strong interdependence between environmental conditions and variability in microbial metabolism also reflected in patterns of plankton assemblages. An ammonium mass-balance analysis revealed that increases in vertical ammonium dispersion during severe hypoxia cause a shift of plankton assemblages towards heterotrophy, subsequently supporting a deep secondary microbial food web in the vicinity of oxic/anoxic interface. Overall, results from this research indicate that the estimation of more accurate net ecosystem metabolism should take into consideration of the highly variable nature of community metabolism associated with both geochemical gradients and stratification. THE EFFECTS OF OXYGEN TRANSITION ON COMMUNITY METABOLISM AND NUTRIENT CYCLING IN A SEASONALLY STRATIFIED ANOXIC ESTUARY


Mild hyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor for many diseases, including cardiovascular disease. We determined the effects of insulin resistance and of Type 2 diabetes on homocysteine and amino acid metabolism using Zucker diabetic fatty rats (ZDF/Gmi-fa/fa and ZDF/Gmi +/?). Plasma total homocysteine was reduced in ZDF fa/fa rats by 24% in the pre-diabetic insulin-resistant stage while in the frank diabetic stage there was a 59% reduction. Hepatic activities of several enzymes that remove homocysteine: cystathionine β-synthase, cystathionine γ-lyase and betaine:homocysteine methyltransferase were increased as well as methionine adenosyltransferase. Cystathionine β-synthase and betaine:homocysteine methyltransferase mRNA levels and the hepatic level of S-adenosylmethionine were also increased in the ZDF fa/fa rats. Studies with primary hepatocytes showed that homocysteine export and the transsulfuration flux in cells from ZDF fa/fa rats were particularly sensitive to the presence of betaine, which reduced these fluxes. Interestingly, the liver betaine concentration was found to be significantly lower in the ZDF fa/fa rats at both 5 and 11 weeks. We conclude that the decreased insulin action and the elevation of the counter-regulatory hormones observed in diabetes may be responsible for the more efficient homocysteine removal seen in the ZDF fa/fa rats. -- Amino acids were measured in plasma, liver and skeletal muscle and the ratios of plasma: liver and plasma: skeletal muscle, were calculated (Chapter 4). At the insulin-resistant stage, the plasma concentrations of the gluconeogenic amino acids aspartate, serine, glutamine, glycine and histidine were decreased in the ZDF fa/fa rats while taurine, α-aminoadipic acid, methionine, phenylalanine, tryptophan and the three branched-chain amino acids were significantly increased. At the diabetic stage, a larger number of gluconeogenic amino acids showed decreased plasma concentrations. The three branched chain amino acids again showed elevated plasma concentrations. In the liver and the skeletal muscles, many of the gluconeogenic amino acids showed lowered concentrations at both stages while the levels of one or all of the branched-chain amino acids were elevated. These changes in amino acid concentration are similar to changes seen in Type 1 diabetes. However, it is evident that insulin resistance alone is capable of bringing about many of the changes in amino acid metabolism observed in Type 2 diabetes. -- The next part of the study focused on the effects of the insulin-sensitizing drug, Rosiglitazone, on homocysteine metabolism (Chapter 5). Rosiglitazone is an agonist of the peroxisome proliferator activated receptor y and is used as an anti-diabetic agent to treat Type 2 diabetes. Male ZDF fa/fa and ZDF fa/+ rats, aged 6 weeks were each divided into 2 groups: Rosiglitazone-treated (RSG) and untreated, and were killed at 12 weeks of age. Rosiglitazone treatment was able to maintain a normal plasma glucose level in the ZDF fa/fa (RSG) rats. At 12 weeks of age, ZDF fa/fa (untreated) rats developed type 2 diabetes as indicated by a 3-fold increase in plasma glucose, while plasma insulin level was similar to ZDF fa/+ rats. The significant reduction observed in plasma homocysteine in the ZDF fa/fa (untreated) rats was returned towards normal by Rosiglitazone treatment. The elevated activity of the transsulfuration enzyme, cystathionine y-lyase, in the ZDF fa/fa (untreated) rats was corrected by Rosiglitazone treatment while cystathionine β-synthase was unaffected. The elevated activity of betaine:homocysteine methyltransferase observed in the ZDF fa/fa (untreated) rats was further increased by Rosiglitazone treatment. That the increased activity of betaine:homocysteine methyltransferase in the ZDF fa/fa (RSG) rats may be a function of increased lipid output from the liver in the face of the lipid redistribution seen with Rosiglitazone is supported by the changes that were observed in phospholipid metabolism. -- Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes as well as insulin resistance prior to the development of Type 2 diabetes have been reported to cause endothelial dysfunction. Hyperglycemia has been suggested to play a major role in this development of endothelial dysfunction. Hyperhomocysteinemia has also been identified as a causative agent of endothelial dysfunction. Our earlier studies (Chapter 3 and 5) showed plasma homocysteine to be lower in both insulin resistance and during Type 2 diabetes in ZDF fa/fa rats. We, therefore, designed a study to determine the effects of increased glucose and decreased homocysteine on the function of mesenteric arteries and the effects of normalization of these two parameters with the treatment of Rosiglitazone. 6 week old ZDF fa/+ and ZDF fa/fa rats were randomly assigned to RSG treated and untreated groups as in Chapter 3, and were killed at 6, 12 and 18 weeks of age. -- The endothelium dependent vasorelaxation in response to acetylcholine, the proteinase-activated receptor-2 (PAR2) agonist 2-furoyl-LIGRLO-amide (2fli) and arachidonic acid were preserved in the ZDF fa/fa mesenteric arteries despite the hyperinsulinemia at 6 weeks and the hyperglycemia at 12 and 18 weeks. Despite the normalization of plasma glucose and near normalization of plasma homocysteine with the treatment of Rosiglitazone the endothelium dependent vasorelaxation in response to the above agonists did not change, reflecting the lack of any endothelial defects in the mesenteric arteries of these rats. -- The inability of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor Nω-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME) to completely abolish vasorelaxation in response to both acetylcholine and 2fli demonstrates the important role played by endothelium-derived-hyperpolarizing factor in the relaxation of small caliber blood vessels in response to these 2 agonists. Studies conducted with inhibitors of cyclo-oxygenase 112 (COX1/2) and calcium activated potassium channels (Kca) to identify the possible nitric oxide synthase independent mechanisms of vasorelaxation indicated both COX and Kca channels to be involved. Kca channels however, were shown to play a greater role than COX 112 as previously reported. -- We also observed an increased sensitivity towards the P AR2 agonist 2fli by the ZDF fa/fa rat vessels. This may be consistent with the increase in pro-inflammatory substances in the ZDF rat model, as P AR2 expression has been shown to increase during stress to the blood vessels and in the presence of various cytokines and pro-inflammatory substances. -- Our data also did not indicate a reduction in vascular smooth muscle cell responsiveness to nitric oxide in the ZDF fa/fa rats compared to ZDF fa/+ rats. Both groups of rats however, displayed a reduced relaxation response to sodium Nitroprusside compared to previously reported values. Treatment with Rosiglitazone was able to successfully restore this responsiveness in both groups of rats. A similar increase in responsiveness was also seen in the ZDF fa!+ and ZDF fa/fa untreated rat vessels as well as ZDF fa/fa (RSG) vessels incubated with L-NAME. -- The normal endothelium dependent vasorelaxation displayed by the ZDF fa/fa rats despite the hyperglycemia indicates that hyperglycemia alone may not be able to cause endothelial dysfunction. Since plasma homocysteine levels in these rats were decreased, it leaves us with the interesting possibility that homocysteine may act as a balance point for development of endothelial dysfunction in this model of Type 2 diabetes.


A planktonic and benthic foraminiferal stable isotope stratigraphy of the Oligocene equatorial Pacific (Ocean Drilling Program, Site 1218) was generated at 6 kyr resolution between magnetochrons C9n and C11n.2n (~26.4–30 Ma on a newly developed astronomically calibrated timescale). Our data allow a detailed examination of Oligocene paleoceanography, the evolution of the early cryosphere, and the influence of orbital forcing on glacioeustatic sea level variations. Spectral analysis reveals power and coherency for obliquity (40 kyr period) and eccentricity (~110, 405 kyr) orbital bands, with an additional strong imprint of the eccentricity and 1.2 Myr obliquity amplitude cycle, driving ice sheet oscillations in the Southern Hemisphere. Planktonic and benthic foraminifera ?18O are used to constrain the magnitude and timing of major fluctuations in ice volume and global sea level change. Glacial episodes, related to obliquity and eccentricity variations, occurred at 29.16, 27.91, and 26.76 Ma, corresponding to glacioeustatic sea level fluctuations of 50–65 m. Alteration of high-latitude temperatures and Antarctic ice volume had a significant impact on the global carbon burial and equatorial productivity, as cyclic variations are also recorded in the carbon isotope signal of planktonic and benthic foraminifera, the water column carbon isotope gradient, and estimated percent carbonate of bulk sediment. We also investigate the implications of a close correspondence between oxygen and carbon isotope events and long-term amplitude envelope extrema in astronomical calculations during the Oligocene, and develop a new naming scheme for stable isotope events, on the basis of the 405 kyr eccentricity cycle count.


Engineers have known since the last century that a substantial film of lubricant must be present at the contact between gear teeth. However, it is only in the last twenty-five years that analytical techniques have developed to the extent where theoretical predictions of film thickness are in accord with experience. This has come about through the in corporation in analysis of the effects of elastic distortion of the solids and the enhancement of lubricant viscosity due to pressure. Formulae for the prediction of both minimum and central film thickness in concentrated contacts such as those occurring in gear sets, rolling element bearings and cam and follower arrangements are now available to designers. Elastohydrodynamic analyses have almost entirely been restricted to the case of pure rolling in which the direction of lubricant entrainment has coincided with the minor axis of the Hertzian contact ellipse. While such analyses are indeed satisfactory for a wide range of practical configurations, there are situations for which the effects of flow direction have not been adequately explored. For example, in the roller-rib contacts in cylindrical and taper roller bearings and in the conjunctions occurring in high conformity gearing, a more reasonable approximation to the geometric configuration would be to consider the lubricant entraining vector to be parallel to the major axis of the contact ellipse. More generally in helical, spiral bevel and hypoid gearing the lubricant entrainment may be at an angle to the minor axis of the Hertzian ellipse. Part I of the present paper presents a study of the case where lubricant entrainment coincides with the line of the major axis of the contact ellipse, while part II addresses the more general case of an arbitrary flow direction. Seventy-two new solutions to the problem of the elastohydrodynamic lubrication of concentrated contacts with rolling along a principal axis have been computed. In part I of the paper thirty-three of these solutions are presented for lubricant entrainment in the direction of the major axis of the contact ellipse. These latter solutions therefore extend the range of geometrical configurations considered previously by B. J. Hamrock and D. Dowson, whose design predictions are widely used at present. New expressions for the calculation of minimum and central film thickness are presented, which enable the prediction with confidence of these quantities for the case when the lubricant entraining vector coincides with the major axis of the Hertzian contact ellipse. Comparison of the very extensive data presented in the paper with the limited information available from previous relevant studies is undertaken. In addition the major features distinguishing the new solutions for those previously computed are identified. It is expected that the results of the study will enable the lubricant film thickness to be predicted with increased confidence for a wide range of machine elements.


We propose a flexible technique to easily calibrate a camera. It only requires the camera to observe a planar pattern shown at a few (at least two) different orientations. Either the camera or the planar pattern can be freely moved. The motion need not be known. Radial lens distortion is modeled. The proposed procedure consists of a closed-form solution, followed by a nonlinear refinement based on the maximum likelihood criterion. Both computer simulation and real data have been used to test the proposed technique and very good results have been obtained. Compared with classical techniques which use expensive equipment such as two or three orthogonal planes, the proposed technique is easy to use and flexible. It advances 3D computer vision one more step from laboratory environments to real world use.


Low-cost miniature hyperspectral and thermal cameras onboard lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) bring new opportunities for monitoring land surface variables at unprecedented fine spatial resolution with acceptable accuracy. This research applies hyperspectral and thermal imagery from a drone to quantify upland rice growth and water use efficiency (WUE) after biochar application in a Costa Rican dry region. The field flights were conducted over two experimental groups with bamboo biochar and sugarcane biochar amendments and one control group without biochar application. Rice canopy biophysical variables were estimated by inversion of a canopy radiative transfer model on hyperspectral reflectance. Variations in gross primary production (GPP) and WUE across treatments were estimated from the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), canopy chlorophyll content (CCC), and evapotranspiration. We found that GPP was increased by 41.9±3.4 % when using bamboo biochar and 17.5±3.4 % when using sugarcane biochar, which was probably due to higher soil moisture in the biochar-amended plots and led to significantly higher WUE by 40.8±3.5 % in bamboo biochar and 13.4±3.5 % in sugarcane biochar. This study demonstrated the use of hyperspectral and thermal imagery from drone to provide indicators for quantifying biochar effects on tropical dry cropland by integrating with ground point samples and physical models.


We introduce a new online global database of riverine water stable isotopes (Global Network of Isotopes in Rivers, GNIR) and evaluate its longer-term data holdings. Overall, 218 GNIR river stations were clustered into three different groups based on the seasonal variation in their isotopic composition, which was closely coupled to precipitation and snowmelt water runoff regimes. Sinusoidal fit functions revealed phases within each grouping and deviations from the sinusoidal functions revealed important river alterations or hydrological processes in these watersheds. The seasonal isotopic amplitude of δ 18 O in rivers averaged 2.5 ‰, and did not increase as a function of latitude, like it does for global precipitation. Low seasonal isotopic amplitudes in rivers suggest the prevalence of mixing and storage such as occurs via lakes, reservoirs, and groundwater. The application of a catchment-constrained regionalized cluster-based water isotope prediction model (CC-RCWIP) allowed for direct comparison between the expected isotopic compositions for the upstream catchment precipitation with the measured isotopic composition of river discharge at observation stations. The catchment-constrained model revealed a strong global isotopic correlation between average rainfall and river discharge ( R 2 = 0.88) and the study demonstrated that the seasonal isotopic composition and variation of river water can be predicted. Deviations in data from model-predicted values suggest there are important natural or anthropogenic catchment processes like evaporation, damming, and water storage in the upstream catchment.


Porous organic polymers are materials with covalently bonded (hydro)thermally stable backbones exhibiting high and accessible surface areas, and properties which are intriguing in the field of (opto)electronics. Especially in organic photovoltaics (OPVs), the electron rich backbone of this class of materials provides exceptional light absorption properties for improved charge formation/separation. Particularly for devices operating via bulk heterojunctions, the rigid open voids along the porous skeleton are rather interesting for improved phase separation and act as an ideal host to the prospective acceptors. Furthermore, their high dimensional geometry allows them to transport electrons/holes independent of orientation issues. However, the non-soluble nature of this class of materials limits their processability for forming uniform films, which is essential for device fabrication. In this review, a brief overview on the reported OPV devices fabricated by applying porous organic polymers in the active layer with the corresponding methods used for film formation will be presented, which will be followed by a discussion regarding possible improvements on the film formation methods and suggestions upon enhancement of the structural/electronic feasibility of the porous backbone.


Because of its extremely high thermal conductivity, measuring the thermal conductivity or diffusivity of optical-grade diamond can be challenging. Various methods have been used to measure the thermal conductivity of thick diamond films. For the purposes of commercial quality control, the AC laser calorimetry method is appealing because it enables fairly rapid and convenient sample preparation and measurement. In this paper, the method is used to measure the thermal diffusivity of optical diamond. It is found that sample dimensions and measurement parameters are critical, and data analysis must be performed with great care. The results suggest that the method as it is applied to optical-grade diamond could be enhanced by a more powerful laser, higher frequency beam modulation, and post-processing based on 2D thermal simulation.


Xylo-oligosaccharides were obtained from Miscanthus x giganteus. The process was designed as a biorefinery scheme, which seeks the separation of the three main components: cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin. To extract the hemicelluloses, particularly xylans, in an efficient way, Miscanthus was subjected to autohydrolysis. The system was evaluated for the effects of temperature (160 to 200oC) and reaction time (15 to 60 min) on various parameters, reflecting the changes undergone during the process. The results showed that autohydrolysis is a suitable method for obtaining high yields of xylo-oligosaccharides, reaching values close to 65% of the dissolved xylans (based on the initial amount of potential xylose). Analysis of the process by using the severity factor (RO) allowed for the identification of a set of time-temperature values for which the fractionation was optimal.


In this study, an integrated artificial neural network (IANN) model incorporating both observed and predicted time series as input variables conjoined with wavelet transform for flow forecasting with different lead times. The daily model employs forecasts of the tributaries in its input structure in order to predict the daily flow in the main river in the next time steps. The predictive models for the tributaries are those of the conventional wavelet-ANN models in which they comprised only observed time series as input variables. The monthly model updates its input structure by other forecasts of the tributaries and also the predicted time series of the main river in the previous time step. The model is utilized for flow forecasting in the Snoqualmie River basin, Washington State, USA. In the integrated model, the output of each tributary (sub-basins) and also the previous flow time series of the main river are used as input variables. Regarding the results of this study, the daily flow discharge can be successfully estimated for up to several days ahead (4 d) in the main river and tributaries. Moreover, an acceptable prediction of the flow within the next two months can be achieved by applying the proposed model.


The internet, a world-wide copy machine, caused some rethinking of copyright law. Cognitive science increasingly suggests that humans are smaller scale, more adaptable, copy machines. Copyright law may again change. V.S. Ramachandran's "The Tell-Tale Brain" discusses how mirror neurons may enable imitation, detection of others' intention, and empathy. Ramachandran suggests that mirror neuron circuits could provide the neural substrate for cultural transmission, language, and even consciousness.This essay speculates on the implications for copyright law. It's not news that people copy. But if cognition and culture depend on the bottom-up imitation by mirror neurons, perhaps some of the central tenets of copyright bear reexamining. Copyright's central doctrine, the idea/expression dichotomy, could prove illusory if abstraction is dependent on embodied cognition - meaning that abstract ideas cannot be so easily separated from their expression as copyright law assumes. If cultural transmission is so directly tied to literal copying, fair use would have to give more respect to what it now terms merely "reproductive" uses. There would be reason to reexamine the Supreme Court's statement in Eldred v. Ashcroft that mere copiers had little expressive interest. There could be more weight for such recent proposals to take into account the value of user innovation or to give protection to personal uses. On the flip side, in extending protection, copyright might give greater respect to the creative aspect of mere copiers.It remains to be seen whether mirror neurons underlie imitation, and whether that builds into language and cultural transmission. But copyright law may awaken from its dogmatic slumbers and take more seriously the question of how our minds work.


Self-assessment is a well-established practice in parts of the Higher Education sector. Research literature suggests that it has the potential to enable learners to better understand and assimilate assessment criteria, become more reflective practitioners, and engage more directly with assessment and feedback processes. During the first semester of 2010/11, the third year Special Subject module HS3735 The Russian Revolution, 1881-1924 added a self-assessment component to its assessed coursework. The aim of doing so was to: a) provide an opportunity for students to engage in reflective learning; and b) more generally, explore further the use and value of self-assessment from the point of view of student s .


ABSTRACT A possible relationship between gerotranscendence and life satisfaction was examined using the life narrative approach followed by thematic semi-structured interviews with religious and secular Iranians residing in Sweden and religious and secular Turks residing in Turkey. Both the Turkish and the Iranian studies provide support for the hypothesis that there is a relationship between gerotranscendence and life satisfaction. Both studies show that persons who displayed evidence of gerotranscendence also displayed evidence of life satisfaction. Additionally, neither of the studies revealed informants displaying gerotranscendence in the absence of discernable life satisfaction.


Hidden caries is a dentinal lesion beneath the dentinoenamel junction, visible on radiographs. A single report described this lesion in primary dentition. This case report describes a case of hidden caries in a mandibular second primary molar, misdiagnosed as malignant swelling. A 3-year-old white girl was referred to the Department of Pediatric Dentistry with a chief complaint of pain and extraoral swelling on the right side of the mandible for the last 3 months. She was earlier referred to the surgical department for biopsy of the lesion. Radiographic and computed tomography scan examination showed a periapical lesion with buccal plate resorption and radiolucency beneath the enamel on the mesial part of tooth 85. The tooth was extracted, and follow-up of 2 years showed normal development of tooth 45. The main problem is early detection and treatment, since the outer surface of enamel may appear intact on tactile examination. How to cite this article Gera A, Zilberman U. Diagnosis and Management of Hidden Caries in a Primary Molar Tooth. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(1):99-102.


Highlight: Water quality samples representing various flow conditions were collected from the main creeks of Streeter and Marmot experimental watersheds in southwestern Alberta. Total dissolved solids were determined gravimetrically after evaporating aliquots of filtered samples. An excellent correlation between stream discharge and yield of dissolved solids was found in the two watersheds. The regression models thus established were used to estimate the yields of total dissolved solids from the streamflow data on a daily, monthly, and annual basis. The highest yield occurred in the month of June and the lowest during the low-flow months of winter. The yield of total dissolved solids transported annually amounted to 27 metric tons per square kilometerfor aspen-grassland vegetation, compared to 69 metric tons per square kilometer for spruce-fir forest.


For far too long there has been a lamentable shortfall in the number of able students who wish to pursue technological studies in higher education, and only in recent months (in figures revealed by the Secretary of State for Education) has the situation begun to improve . As early as 1963 the Department of Education at the University of Oxford published the resu l ts of a survey into the career choices made by sixth form students . Mr . D.W.Hutchins, in charge of the survey, 1 was able to demonstrate that the most intelligent sixth form students were not, at that time, taking up careers in engineering and applied science but were instead concentrating on t h e arts and pure sciences . Following this survey, in 1966 the Joint Matriculation Board examined the A level entries of their candidates subject by subject for the year 1964 and, comparing them with previous years, illustrated the a larming fact that when expressed as percentages : ' . .. increases of 4% for Mathematics, 3% for Physics, and 1% for Chemistry must be set against increases of 14 % for English Literature, 17% for History, and 19% for Geography' . 2 The point was further elaborated by the publication in 1964 of the second report of the Universities Central Council of Admissions, which suggested that whilst a reasonable number of above average students were coming forward for pure science and technology , difficulties arose in this area : '.. . when candidates with a comparatively poor performance have to be admitted in larger p r op ortion to fill the vacancies' . 3 These p r oblems have existed for at least o ne-and a-half decades . Nevertheless it was undoubtedly a step in the right direction for the Prime Minister to outline yet again these alarming facts, and enter the debate as to what might be done about it . 'Why is it that 30,000 vacancies for students in science and engineering in our Universities and Polytechnics were not taken up last year wh i le the humanities courses were full?,


Background: Many palliative care providerssupport informal carers in various, largelyunproven, ways (Hudson, 2013, Harding et al,2013). One such intervention involves attendanceat a weekly support programme 'classes' to betterenable carers to cope.Aims: To evaluate a regular six-week carers'support programme.Methods: An observational design was used, withboth quantitative and qualitative descriptive dataanalysis. Two carer-specific scales were adapted(Modified Carergiver Strain Index and Care GivingCompetence Scale) and administered before andafter programme delivery to six groups of carers ofadult patients over 12 months.Results: Increases were noted in post programmeanxiety and curiosity. Common carer experienceswere: sleep disturbance, physical strain,the confining aspects of care, demands on carers'time, and feeling completely overwhelmed.However, almost two thirds (n=17, 63%) felt thatthe programme made a difference to them personally.Two thirds believed that they had learnedhow to deal with a very difficult situation, that theywere good carers and wished to stay in contactwith each other. Fewer participants felt aloneafter attending and most now had information onavailable services. Pamper Evening (n = 17, 63%),'Introduction' (n= 16, 59%) and Symptom Management(n=15, 55%) were the most popular sessions.Discussion: That over half the participants (n=14)returned both questionnaires is encouragingas some were bereaved during the programme.Possible explanations regarding increases inanxiety and common care experiences could be anew realisation from the programme. There weredefinite positive trends in participants' feelingsabout their caregiving before and after theprogramme.Conclusion: Whilst relatively small numbers attendthe programme, those who do attend demonstratesatisfaction, learning and feel supported in the roleof carer.


As software becomes more complex, reusing and integrating artifacts from existing projects that may be taken from open or organization-proprietary repositories is becoming an increasingly important practice. This practice requires an in-depth understanding of the projects to be reused and particularly their common and variable features and their non-functional requirements. Different approaches have been suggested to analyze similarity and variability of different kinds of artifacts (mainly, requirements and code), e.g., clone detection and feature mining. These approaches, however, mainly address functional aspects of the software artifacts, while mostly neglecting aspects dictated by non-functional requirements. The recent progress with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) highlights the importance of handling privacy concerns in software development. However, existing approaches do not directly refer to privacy challenges in software reuse. In this paper we propose integrating these two lines of research and introduce a privacy-aware software reuse approach. Particularly, we suggest to extend VarMeR – Variability Mechanisms Recommender – which analyzes software similarity based on exhibited behaviors and recommends on polymorphism-inspired reuse mechanisms, with privacy awareness considerations. These considerations are reflected in "privacy levels" of the reused artifacts.


This master thesis describes the design, calculation, simulation and construction of a buoy shape called the Salter Duck with an internal direct electrical wave energy conversion system. The internal system consists of two dual rotating weight systems connected to one radial permanent magnet generator each. Section 1 gives an introduction and describes the general design of a Wave Energy Converter (WEC) and the master thesis problem to be looked at. Section 2 is a recap of the history, principle behavior and basic calculation of the Salter Duck Wave Energy Converter (WEC), and choosing of a design wave. Section 3 goes on to describe the scaling of a buoy model to be constructed. Section 3.1 and 3.2 describes choosing of the design wave, the buoy model scaling and calculation. Section 3.3 describes the theory of the rotating weight system and calculation of a model of this to fit into the buoy calculated in section 3.1 and 3.2. A simulation of the rotating weight system is done in a mechanical simulation program called Newton in section 3.4. The calculation and simulation of the model generator is done in section 4, and also refers to the appendix A for design equations and calculations. An Excel calculation model was made to calculate the generator and the generated values at harmonic rotation and in latching mode, which is described in section 4.3 and 4.4. The construction of the test model was to be described in section 5, but it now explains why it was not done and refers to the construction drawings appended in appendix B. Ways of increasing efficiency of the system is looked at in section 6. All data files from Excel, Newton, COMSOL and others are in the appended zip-file for this project. There were more files than appended here, approx. 1 Gb total, but it has been cut down so that the zip-file is one fifth of this due to space requirements.


The aim of qualification is to verify whether a product meets or exceeds the reliability and quality requirements of its intended application. Qualification plays an important role in the process of product development. It can be classified by its specific purpose at different stages of the product development process. In this paper, a new methodology of product qualification is proposed based on physics-of-failure. This methodology consists of: product configuration and material information collection; application requirement information collection; strength limits and margins; failure modes, mechanisms and effects analysis; definition of qualification requirements; qualification test planning; testing; failure analysis and verification; and quality and reliability assessment. This approach to qualification ensures that it successfully addresses the failure mechanisms applicable to the product's specific design, manufacture, and application conditions.


Kawasaki disease is self-limiting but can be lethal if there is heart involvement. The diagnostic dilemma that can occur especially in the atypical form can lead to omission and delay in prompt treatment. The reactivation of BCG scar is a clinical manifestation that has been reported in some of the cases and its benefit in regions where BCG vaccine is routinely given has been documented. In Nigeria, there have only been few reported cases of Kawasaki disease and no report on BCG scar reactivation has been done. This case report on a boy with incomplete Kawasaki disease whose diagnosis was further strengthened with the reactivation of BCG scar is reported for its rarity and its benefit in the developing world like ours where BCG vaccination is part of the National Immunization Program schedule.


The aim of this study is to examine and understand the multifaceted relationship between participation in rural microfinance programs and intimate partner violence (IPV) for Bangladeshi women. The stern negative socioeconomic impacts of IPV on Bangladeshi rural women have been recognized and addressed in a growing number of case studies and analyses. This study finds that membership in microfinance loan programs in rural areas results in reduced IPV in the household. Furthermore, when the husband/partner is more educated and the wife has more decision-making ability in the household and used birth control last year, the IPV instances reduced significantly in that household. This study uses the 2014 Bangladeshi Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) implemented by the National Institute for Population Research and Training (NIPORT). We find that membership in microfinance loan programs and husbands' level of education and birth control usage associates with reduced IPV in the household.


This research guide was designed to introduce you to the field of engineering. You'll find books, article databases, and other resources you need to start your research.


A report by the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology that advises pregnant women to avoid exposure to synthetic chemicals in a range of household products has been criticised for causing unnecessary stress and adding nothing to the debate.1

The scientific impact paper, from the college's scientific advisory committee, said that pregnant women were exposed to hundreds of such chemicals at a low level and that this exposure could operate additively or interactively.

Although it concluded that on the present evidence it was impossible to assess the risk—if any—from this exposure, it said that women should adopt a "safety first" approach and assume that a risk was present even when it may be minimal or eventually shown to be unfounded.

It said that women should eat fresh rather than processed food whenever possible and to reduce consumption of food in cans and plastic containers, because they may contain chemicals such as bisphenol A and phthalates.

It also said that women should minimise the use of personal care products such as moisturisers, …


2 Abstract: This study investigated the effect of pelleted diets prepared differing by levels of grindin g preparation (2 or 4 mm) to evaluate pellet quality and diet preferences in adult breeders poultry species: guinea fowl (Numida meleagris), layer hen (Gallus domesticus) and pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) t o improve our understanding of the diet physical structure influencing feed intake. All diets were of identical composition as well as same environment and management were provided for all treatments. The parameters evaluated in this 4 weeks feeding trial included: live body weight, feed intake, feed efficiency and pellet durability index. Body weight gain, feed intake and feed efficiency were influenced (p<0.05) by th e dietary treatments in each poultry species. The present data suggest that pellet particle size is advantageous in terms of feed intake and efficiency in poultry.


We examine how much of the overall decline in employment between the beginning of 2020 and 2021 can be explained by excess job loss among parents of young children, and mothers specifically. Using data from the Current Population Survey (CPS), we confirm that, in general, mothers with young children have experienced a larger decline in employment, as compared (unconditionally) with other adults, including fathers. This excess job loss is driven by mothers without a four-year college (bachelor's) degree. The main point of the paper is to build off this observation and examine how much of the aggregate employment deficit in early 2021 can be explained by parent-specific issues, such as childcare struggles. To examine this question, we construct counterfactual employment rates and labor force participation rates that assign to mothers of young children the percent change in employment and labor force participation rates experienced by comparable women without young children. We consider multiple definition, sample, and counterfactual specification alternatives. Our analysis yields robust evidence that differential job loss among mothers of young children accounts for a negligible share of the ongoing aggregate employment deficit. The result is even stronger (and flips signs) if we consider all parents, since fathers with young children experienced less job loss than other men. The practical implication of these findings is that nearly all of the aggregate ongoing employment deficit is explained by factors that affect workers more broadly, as opposed to challenges specific to working parents.


In this article I explore the roles of family composition in the timing of first marriages in two mountain villages in the eastern part of Transylvania (in present-day Romania) between 1838 and 1940. Using micro-level data based on family reconstitutions, I found evidence suggesting the dominant role of family composition in the decision to marry in the case of both males and females. Although strong age norms existed with regards to marriage in the settlements in question, the results of multivariate analysis show that ordinal position of birth, number of siblings, parental presence, and the historical period during which a marriage was concluded, all played decisive roles in determining the age at the time of marriage of males and females. The effect of ordinal position of birth differed by gender: first-born males tended to marry at an older age than their brothers, as opposed to first-born females, who normally married at a younger age than their younger sisters. The death of one or both parents was an inducement among males and females to marry. This response to a family crisis reflects the acceleration of the inheritance process and an effort to maintain the viability of a rural household.


Speech recognition using circular microphone array is addressed in this paper. Eight microphones are located around the service robot to form a 2D microphone array. To enhance the speech quality, a novel adaptive beamformer composed of a delay-and-sum beamformer, adaptive blocking filters (ABFs) and adaptive cancelling filters (ACFs) is proposed. While the adaptive generalized sidelobe canceller (AGSC) connects the ABF and the ACF in feedforward, the proposed adaptive beamformer has them in feedback. The advantages of the proposed structure are the robustness to the steering vector errors and cross-talks and the reduced number of filter taps that gives the same speech quality compared to the AGSC with a larger number of filter taps. The experimental results show that the proposed structure is superior to the AGSC in objective and subjective evaluations. Speech recognition result shows that the proposed robust adaptive beamformer guarantees the recognition performance even in a low SNR and highly reverberant environment.


Two electrode pairs were implanted in each rat, one in dorso-medial tegmentum or medial hypothalamus and one in lateral hypothalamus. Four sequential tests were repeatedly administered in a two-pedal Skinner box: hypothalamic self-stimulation, tegmental self-stimulation, hypothalamic escape, and tegmental escape. Results indicate that with electrodes in medial forebrain bundle regions of hypothalamus, there is self-stimulation but no escape; with electrodes in dorso-medial tegmentum, there is escape but no self-stimulation. In both cases, this holds for all suprathreshold stimulus levels. With electrodes placed more medially in hypothalamus, or lower in tegmentum, the same electrode may yield both self-stimulation and escape depending on the nature of the test.


Human activities facilitate coastal habitat transformation and homogenization. The spread of marine invasive species is one example. This in turn may influence fish recruitment and the subsequent replenishment of adult assemblages. We tested habitat complexity effect on fish (Teleostei) recruitment by experimentally manipulating meadows of the habitat-forming invasive macroalga Caulerpa taxifolia (Chlorophyta). Among the fourteen fish species recorded during the experiment, only two labrids ( Coris julis and Symphodus ocellatus ) settled in abundance among these meadows. Patterns in the abundance of these juveniles suggested that reduced tri-dimensional meadow complexity may reduce habitat quality and result in altered habitat choices and / or differential mortality of juveniles, therefore reducing fish recruitment and likely the abundance of adults.


A programme aiming to transfer leaf rust resistance genes identified in a collection of wild Triticum species was initiated in 1993. In 2000, 25 promising backcross populations were available, 19 of which bred true for resistance. Seedlings of the above lines were tested with nine leaf rust, four stem rust and two stripe rust pathotypes endemic to South Africa. A subset of five lines in which resistance (derived from T. dicoccoides, T. sharonense, T. speltoides and T. peregrinum) appeared to be integrated on wheat chromosomes and six addition lines with added chromosomes from T. kotschyi, T. peregrinum, T. umbellulatum, T. macrochaetum and T. neglectum appeared to have wide spectrum resistances, and were retained. In several instances promising stem rust and/or stripe rust resistance genes were co-transferred with leaf rust resistance. The stripe rust resistance was also effective to four Australian pathotypes and appeared to be novel. Temporary gene designations were assigned to the resistance genes in four euploid derivatives.


The 1990s were an extraordinary, contradictory, fascinating period of economic development, one evoking numerous historical parallels. But the 1990s are far from being well understood and their meaning for the future remains open to debate. In this volume, world-class economic historians analyze the growth of the world economy, globalization and its implications for domestic and international policy, the sources and sustainability of productivity growth in the USA, the causes of sluggish growth in Europe and Japan, comparisons of the Information Technologies revolution with previous innovation waves, the bubble and burst in asset prices and their impacts on the real economy, the effects of trade and factor mobility on the global distribution of income, and the changes in the welfare state, regulation, and macro-policy making. Leading scholars place the 1990s in a fuller long-run global context, offering insights into what lies ahead for the world economy in the twenty-first century.


The Virtual Storyteller is a multi-agent system that can generate stories. It does this by simulating
the actions of autonomous characters in a virtual storyworld. The characters can select goals that
have been provided by a storyworld author and will plan actions to achieve those goals. My
work on the Virtual Storyteller aims to make the characters more believable by limiting their
perceptions to what they should realistically be able to see.
This thesis describes a set of visibility rules that the character agent applies to incoming perceptions.
The agent still keeps a complete and accurate version of the storyworld in memory which
the agent can use on an actor level. The character however uses an incomplete and possibly
incorrect version of the storyworld to make plans. To help the character make plans in case it
does not have all the required knowledge available in-character, an assumption operator is introduced.
This allows the character to make assumptions about the location of objects to prevent
it from deciding that a goal is no longer achievable. Using these assumptions, the character can
search for objects in the storyworld.
Whenever a character has to decide where to look for an object, there is an ideal opportunity for
the actor to alter the character's course without sacrificing believability. A second implementation
of the assumptions makes use of this opportunity by guiding the characters towards conflict
in the first half of the story and towards a resolution in the second half. Using this technique
ensures that a conflict will almost always be played out, regardless of the starting locations of
characters and objects in the storyworld.


You can master the medical terminology you need for your future career with A Short Course in Medical Terminology, 3rd Edition and its accompanying back-of-the-book and online resources. Using a concise mnemonic approach, this book shows you how to memorize word parts and use word building to learn medical terminology. The book covers terminology related to structure and function, diseases and disorders, abbreviations, medical specialties (including pharmacology), and health professions. Mastery of key terms is easy with the book's hundreds of fun and engaging in-text, and online exercises, including new flashcard and audio pronunciation activities, crossword puzzles, Hangman, medical case record and spelling bee questions, figure labeling exercises, and true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple choice exercises. You can connect what you are learning to clinical practice with redesigned Case Studies that highlight the role medical terminology plays in communication. You can easily master medical terminology with a wide variety of exercises integrated into the narrative for fun and efficient practice. You can reinforce your understanding with the book's concise and user-friendly approach, logical organization, and study tables that summarize chapter terms in an easy-to-reference format. You can increase your mastery with Word Sense features that highlight fun facts about medical or easily confused terms. You can increase your understanding of word parts, definitions, and abbreviations with Word Elements and Abbreviations tables. You can check your understanding of key terms with Chapter Quizzes. You can take your learning beyond the book with the wide range of online resources, including hundreds of exercises and games, an English to Spanish Audio Pronunciation Guide, animations that bring concepts to life, and more.


This paper offers a critical perspective on how immigration control regulates the family lives of British residents and nationals of migrant descent. Family migration is problematic for a government determined to restrict long-term immigration to the skilled. The extended or 'corporate' family is particularly problematic because it also causes the reproduction of forms of family life that are regarded as oppressive and a barrier to cohesion. Policies have tended to minimise these forms of migration, and recent changes and proposals are consistent with that. The result is the increased marginalisation or exclusion of some migrants and pressure on migrant family life to conform more closely to majority norms.


We review the dramatic progress in the simulations of compact objects and compact-object binaries that has taken place in the first two decades of the twenty-first century. This includes simulations of the inspirals and violent mergers of binaries containing black holes and neutron stars, as well as simulations of black-hole formation through failed supernovae and high-mass neutron star–neutron star mergers. Modeling such events requires numerical integration of the field equations of general relativity in three spatial dimensions, coupled, in the case of neutron-star containing binaries, with increasingly sophisticated treatment of fluids, electromagnetic fields, and neutrino radiation. However, it was not until 2005 that accurate long-term evolutions of binaries containing black holes were even possible (Pretorius 2005 Phys. Rev. Lett. 95 121101, Campanelli et al 2006 Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 111101, Baker et al 2006 Phys. Rev. Lett. 96 111102). Since then, there has been an explosion of new results and insights into the physics of strongly-gravitating system. Particular emphasis has been placed on understanding the gravitational wave and electromagnetic signatures from these extreme events. And with the recent dramatic discoveries of gravitational waves from merging black holes by the Laser Interferometric Gravitational Wave Observatory and Virgo, and the subsequent discovery of both electromagnetic and gravitational wave signals from a merging neutron star–neutron star binary, numerical relativity became an indispensable tool for the new field of multimessenger astronomy.


Batteries that shuttle multivalent ions such as Mg and Ca ions are promising candidates for achieving higher energy density than available with current Li-ion technology. Finding electrode materials that reversibly store and release these multivalent cations is considered a major challenge for enabling such multivalent battery technology. In this paper, we use recent advances in high-throughput first-principles calculations to systematically evaluate the performance of compounds with the spinel structure as multivalent intercalation cathode materials, spanning a matrix of five different intercalating ions and seven transition metal redox active cations. We estimate the insertion voltage, capacity, thermodynamic stability of charged and discharged states, as well as the intercalating ion mobility and use these properties to evaluate promising directions. Our calculations indicate that the Mn2O4 spinel phase based on Mg and Ca are feasible cathode materials. In general, we find that multivalent cathodes exhibit lower voltages compared to Li cathodes; the voltages of Ca spinels are 0.2 V higher than those of Mg compounds (versus their corresponding metals), and the voltages of Mg compounds are 1.4 V higher than Zn compounds; consequently, Ca and Mg spinels exhibit the highest energy densities amongst all the multivalent cation species. The activation barrier for the Al ion migration in the Mn2O4 spinel is very high ( 1400 meV for Al in the dilute limit); thus, the use of an Al based Mn spinel intercalation cathode is unlikely. Amongst the choice of transition metals, Mn-based spinel structures rank highest when balancing all the considered properties.


Polymer gel dosimeter is a three dimensional (3D) polymer gel system for recording radiation dose distribution in radiotherapy treatment planning. The dosimeter is based on polymerization of copolymers induced locally by free radicals, the products of water radiolysis. Interaction of free radicals with the monomer and crosslinker causes a breakage of double C=C bonds into single C-C bonds, leading to copolymerization between the two copolymers to form high density insoluble polymer in gelatin matrix and is normally achieved by purging nitrogen into the system to remove oxygen during preparation. In this work, new type of polymer dosimeter, i.e. the 'normoxic' polymer gels, is synthesized by adding oxygen scavenger to remove oxygen. The dosimeter is based on polyhydroxyethylacrylate (nPHEA) gels containing 2-4% (w/w) 2-hydroxythylacrylate (HEA) monomer, 2-4% (w/w) bisacrylamide (BIS) comonomer, 3-5% (w/w) gelatin, and 87-93% (w/w) water in normal atmospheric condition. The polymer gel phantoms were irradiated with beam doses up to 30 Gy using 60Co teletherapy -ray source at a constant dose rate of 0.22 Gy/min.
The polymerization of nPHEA dosimeters was evaluated by means of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) clinical scanner, which produced 3D optical density distribution and registered as MRI films. The gray scale of MRI images was measured using an optical densitometer. The optical density of the polymer gels was found to increase with increasing of absorbed dose and decreased with the increase of depth inside the phantom. The optical density was then converted to absorb dose by a mathematical relationship obtained from the experiment. The dose-depth maps for nPHEA gels were obtained for different concentrations of co-monomers, gelatin and at different beam doses. The results indicated that dose decreases of with decreasing of depth and gelatin concentration and increases with increasing of co-monomer concentrations. Finally the cross beam dose-depth map has been acquired by irradiating nPHEA phantom from two (3 cm x 3 cm) square -ray beams of 14 Gy and 25 Gy which perpendicular to each other. The results showed the distribution of 3D dose-depth profile that decreased with increasing depth and lower beam dose. One region of high dose distribution in particular was seen in the overlapped beams, which in the actual clinical practices, it may represent a cancer volume that to be inactivated with higher dose than the surrounding healthy non-cancer tissues.


The uncertainty of a soil property can significantly affect the physical behavior of soil, so as to influence geotechnical practice. The uncertainty can be expressed by its stochastic parameters, including the mean, the standard deviation, and the spatial correlation length. These stochastic parameters are regarded as constant value in most of the former studies. The main aim of this thesis is to prove whether they are depth-dependent, and to evaluate the effect of this depth-dependent character on both the settlement and the infinite slope stability during rainwater infiltration.

A stochastic one-dimensional settlement simulation is carried out using random finite element method with the von Wolffersdorff hypoplastic model, so as to evaluate the effect of stress level on the stochastic parameters of void ratio related parameters of sand. It is found that these stochastic parameters are both stress-dependent and depth-dependent.

The non-stationary random field, considering the depth-dependent character of these stochastic parameters, can be generated through the distortion of the stationary random field.

The one-dimensional settlement analysis is carried out to evaluation the effect of the depth-dependent character of the stochastic parameters of void ratio on the strain. It is found that the depth-dependent character has low effect on the strain.

The deterministic analysis of infinite slope stability during rainwater infiltration is simulated.
The transient seepage is carried out using finite difference method, while the steady state seepage is simulated using the analytical solution. The saturated hydraulic conductivity (ks) is taken as the only variable. The results show that the depth-dependent ks has a significant influence on the stability of the slope when the negative flux is high. Without considering the depth-dependent character, can overestimate the factor of safety of the slope. A slope can fail if the depth-dependent character is considered, while it is stable if the depth-dependent character is neglected. The failure time of the slope with a greater depth-dependent ks is earlier during transient infiltration.

Meanwhile, the stochastic infinite slope stability analysis during infiltration, is also carried out to highlight the effect of the depth-dependent character of the stochastic parameters of ks. The results show that: the probability of failure is significantly increased if the depth-dependent character of mean is considered, while, it is moderately reduced if the depth-dependent character of the standard deviation is accounted. If the depth-dependent character of both the mean and standard deviation of ks is considered, the depth-dependent mean value plays a dominant influence on the results. Furthermore, the depth-dependent character of the spatial correlation length can slightly reduce the probability of failure.


The Bank of Indonesia Certificate is one of monetary instruments that used by government to influence IDR Exchange Rate Movement Over USD. The purpose this research is to obtain the describe more detailed about influence Certificate Bank of Indonesia toward an IDR Exchange Rate Movement Over USD which try to give an information in a common manner to be concerned outsider espacially relate to government policy. This research using the secondary data with limit that analysis during 20 months that are from November 2005 to June 2007. In compile this thesis, the author carry out the causality relationship analysis (causality) with Granger Causality Test (GCT) and relationship closeness analysis which using Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regresion analysis. The Granger Causality Test (GCT) analysis result explains that from analysis result obtained as model considered valid is the rate interest of SBI has influence toward an IDR Exchange Rate Movement over USD. This was proved on GCT test too much significant for Y = f (x) and not on contary X = f (y). The analysis result of Ordinary Least Square (OLS) was obtained Ftest (2,18) is 266,081 > Ftable 6,01. This means as variable an independent influence variable dependent. Beside that was obtained ttest 16,312 > ttable 2,21009 that mean the rate interest level of SBI has the influence signicant toward an IDR Exchange Rate Movement Over USD. Because the Certificate of Bank of Indonesia has negative influence towards IDR Exchange Rate Movement Over USD, the author suggests the Indonesia Government to defend and to optimalyze the existing instrument, so that the monetary condition is more controlled and the stability can be maintained.


THE ROLE OF SOCIAL INFORMATION PROCESSING IN THE RELATION BETWEEN INTERPARENTAL CONFLICT AND CHILD AGGRESSION By Kimberly Marie Parker, M.S. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2014 Major Director: Albert D. Farrell, PhD Title: Professor of Psychology Department of Psychology Crick and Dodge's SIP theoretical model proposes that children use previously stored memories, past experiences, and formed representations that influence six mechanisms that are in turn used in deciding how to act in social situations (Crick & Dodge, 1994). Research has demonstrated a strong link between social information processing (SIP) and child aggression. Furthermore, SIP has been shown to mediate the relation between several parenting practices and child aggression. Research has also shown a strong relation between interparental conflict and child aggression. The focus of the current study was to determine if SIP serves as a mediator between parental conflict and aggression in children. This study conducted secondary analyses of longitudinal data from the Child Development Project. Participants were children, parents, and teachers across three sites and two cohorts who were recruited as the child participants entered kindergarten. Data were collected across seven waves from child ages 5 through 11. Interparental Conflict was assessed using mother and father reports on the Conflict Tactics Scale and four SIP steps were measured using four paper and pencil measures. Child aggression was assessed by mothers and teachers using the aggression scales on the Child Behavior Checklist and Teacher Report Form, respectively. Longitudinal mediation models following guidelines outlined by McKinnon (2008) were used to test SIP as a mediator between interparental conflict and aggression. Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported the creation of latent variables for SIP and child aggression. A composite score was calculated and used for interparental conflict in the SEM models. SEM revealed that interparental conflict did not predict changes in SIP or changes in child aggression. For the most part, SIP also did not predict concurrent child aggression or changes in child aggression over time. Direct effects of aggression on interparental conflict, indirect effects of aggression on SIP and of SIP on interparental conflict, and total effects in the models were not significant. The data did not support the hypothesis that SIP mediates the relation between parental conflict and child aggression. Study strengths and limitations and future research directions are discussed.


ABSTRACT This article reflects on insights gathered from doing feminist research during my doctoral studies in international development. My research focused on the lives of women formerly and currently in sex work in Eastern India, and their experiences and resistance of everyday violence. I argue that the adoption of a life-history interviewing method created possibilities to move away from standard topics associated with sex work, and allowed women in sex work to discuss the dynamism and fluidity within their lives, within, before, and after sex work. I also explore how this method enabled the theme of koshto (pain) to emerge which challenges the framing of violence in sex work as exceptional. I argue that women in sex work need to feel heard and acknowledged within feminist research, not simply as subjects of knowledge gathering or to inform development discourses and interventions, but as human beings with dynamic personhoods. Finally, I share lessons learnt which can be useful to future feminist researchers researching sex work, within a current environment of ideologically polarised discussions on victimhood and agency in sex work.


Recent years have witnessed intensive research interests on training deep neural networks (DNNs) more efficiently by quantization-based compression methods, which facilitate DNNs training in two ways: (1) activations are quantized to shrink the memory consumption, and (2) gradients are quantized to decrease the communication cost. However, existing methods mostly use a uniform mechanism that quantizes the values evenly. Such a scheme may cause a large quantization variance and slow down the convergence in practice. In this work, we introduce TINYSCRIPT, which applies a non-uniform quantization algorithm to both activations and gradients. TINYSCRIPT models the original values by a family of Weibull distributions and searches for "quantization knobs" that minimize quantization variance. We also discuss the convergence of the non-uniform quantization algorithm on DNNs with varying depths, shedding light on the number of bits required for convergence. Experiments show that TINYSCRIPT always obtains lower quantization variance, and achieves comparable model qualities against full precision training using 1-2 bits less than the uniform-based counterpart.


In this article, the author proposes an idea of popular sovereignty as an additional condition for statehood. The author firstly evaluates the two main theories of statehood in international law, mainly the constitutive and declarative theory, and explains their deficiencies. Constitutive theory leads to the relativity of states. According to the declaratory theory, which was codified in the Montevideo Convention (1933) and is thus currently positive international law, the requirements for statehood are: a) a permanent population, b) a defined territory, c) a government and d) capacity to enter into relations with other states. The first three conditions are empirical and necessary and refer to the socio-political process of the creation of states. The fourth condition is problematic for two reasons. Firstly, it is logically circular, and secondly, it cannot be saved by reference to a main source of international law, namely state practice. Not only state practice cannot currently explain the fourth condition, but it is also logically impossible for it to do so because it falls in the trap of moving from conditions of statehood (recognition of a state), which are the conditions set by public international law for an entity to become a state, to conditions of recognition (recognition as a state), which are conditions based on which states decide whether to recognize other entities as states. If the fourth condition is abandoned, there seems to be a gap because the three remaining conditions are empirical, not legal. Thus, they explain the creation of an entity (non-legal term), not the creation of a state. They do not explain how that entity is elevated to a state, which is a full subject of international law. The author explains why there is a reason for a fourth legal condition to exist and suggests that the fourth condition ought to be popular sovereignty. Therefore, the author's argument is a deontological, not an ontological one, as it makes a suggestion regarding how international law ought to be, not about how international law actually is. The idea of popular sovereignty the author is suggesting is a very thin notion of popular sovereignty and is merely the historical fact that at some point in time, a permanent population living in an identifiable territory under a government voted for a constitution freely while the four standard requirements for freedom and individual autonomy were being satisfied. Further on, whether popular sovereignty is a necessary or sufficient condition for statehood is discussed. Then, the author tries to ground this suggestion of popular sovereignty on Buchanan's deontological argument regarding the goal of international law: the goal of international law ought to be justice, in the sense of realization of basic human rights. Finally, it is made clear that although in this theory a moral value, namely protection of basic human rights, becomes the primary goal of international law, this theory does not step into Natural Law.


We address technical impediments to the generation of high-photon flux XUV frequency combs through cavity-enhanced high harmonic generation. These difficulties arise from mirror damage, cavity nonlinearity, the intracavity plasma generated during the HHG process, and imperfect phase-matching. By eliminating or minimizing each of these effects we have developed a system capable of generating > 200 μW and delivering ~20 μW of average power for each spectrally separated harmonic (wavelengths ranging from 50 nm - 120 nm), to actual comb-based spectroscopy experiments.