Abstract:Lucy Strange, the protagonist of Gail Jones' Sixty Lights (2004), can be seen as an early example of a global citizen. Travelling between the periphery and the center of the British Empire, Lucy repeatedly makes sea-journeys that last for months—a kind of journey that no longer exists in today's world. Although this travelling helps shape her identity, it also makes her incapable of calling any one location her home. This article discusses the portrayal of Lucy as a modern 19th-century woman who is simultaneously a 21st century, neo-Victorian creation. It analyzes the links between femininity and voyages in the novel. Lucy's travels serve to depict the movement of women and mothers across the sea as an inherent part of globalization, writing them into what was often seen as a development led by male adventurers and businessmen. Jones presents Lucy as a young woman at the edge of modernity. Nevertheless, Lucy's lack of rootedness also questions whether travelling requires different—more modern—constructions of female identity.


The issues related to medicinal plants are among the most important and interesting issues of medical sciences in recent decades. The history of taking medicinal plants goes back to the existence of man on the Earth. Almost all tribes and nations have used medicinal plants in their history. Kasni (Cichorium intybus L.), which is known to have various effects including anti-hepatotoxic, anti-malaria, blood glucose decreasing, anti-oxidant, and antiinflammatory effects, has been widely used in Iran and many other countries. In the books of Iranian traditional medicine, the plant is known as Hendeba, and the traditional Hakims considered the plant to have a cold temperament. It was traditionally taken as diuretic, laxative, and also a medicine that improves liver and gall bladder function as well as the appetite. Some of these effects have been approved with modern laboratory evaluations. In this study, we have tried to introduce the plant and its effects in traditional and modern medicine. This is achieved by reviewing the references of Iranian traditional medicine as well as the observations cited in recent scientific evidence, and carrying out comparative evaluation of these items.


Some analysts have argued that return-free filing systems, such as those used in other countries and in California, could substantially reduce the costs for many individual taxpayers with relatively simple returns at little or no net administrative cost to the government. There is substantial uncertainty as to how a federal return-free system would affect the costs of government and individual tax filers. California's program appears to have reduced the state's administrative costs, but the net savings are largely attributable to e-filing rather than to the return-free system itself. The vast majority of California's eligible filers have declined to use it (only 3.2 percent do), suggesting that most people believe the savings they would realize in time and out-of-pocket spending would be outweighed by the costs, including risks to privacy and security. A return-free tax system would increase third-party tax compliance costs - those of employers, financial institutions and other payers of income to individuals - largely because reporting deadlines would have to be advanced in order to provide timely returns and tax refunds. Calculations of such costs range from $500 million to as much as $5 billion, offsetting or exceeding any potential savings for taxpayers or for government. Added costs would fall disproportionally on small businesses. Return-free filing would introduce policy concerns including: conflict of interest for the IRS in functioning as tax preparer and enforcer; increased risks of error; taxpayers becoming less cognizant of the tax code and their personal finances; taxpayers unwilling to challenge an IRS document retaining liability for errors; privacy; security; and reduced incentives for investment in innovation.


Half of Illinois' 38 million acres were planted in corn and soybeans in 1988. On the 19 million acres planted in corn and soybeans, approximately 1 million tons of nitrogen fertilizer and 50 million pounds of pesticides were applied. Because groundwater is the water supply for over 90 percent of rural Illinois, the occurrence of agricultural chemicals in groundwater in Illinois is of interest to the agricultural community, the public, and regulatory agencies. The occurrence of agricultural chemicals in groundwater is well documented. However, the extent of this contamination still needs to be defined. This can be done by randomly sampling wells across a geographic area. Key elements of a random, water-well sampling program for regional groundwater quality include the overall statistical design of the program, definition of the sample population, selection of wells to be sampled, and analysis of survey results. These elements must be consistent with the purpose for conducting the program; otherwise, the program will not provide the desired information. The need to carefully design and conduct a sampling program becomes readily apparent when one considers the high cost of collecting and analyzing a sample. For a random sampling program conducted in Illinois, the key elements, as well as the limitations imposed by available information, are described.


With Urban Spirits, Judith Darmont creates both digital street art and an interactive tool for citizens and urbanists. Digital street art is taking spontaneous art expression like graffiti into a new dimension. Using pico-LED or Laser projectors, screenings can happen anytime, any place. With HD Cam, Internet and social networks, you can easily find tracks from Urban Spirits. In many cities, Urban Spirits can be viewed with augmented reality by video artworks.
 Augmented reality is not dealing with 2D or 3D pictures but with real video. Also, for the city hall itself, it's an innovative way to stream digital art and spirits from its own city, with a virtual interface. At the same time, Urban Spirits showcases how the digital world could be synonymous with zero pollution and environmental impact.


In Wyeth v. Levine the Supreme Court once again failed to reconcile the interpretive presumption against preemption with the sometimes competing Chevron doctrine of deference to agencies' reasonable statutory interpretations. Rather than resolve the issue of which principle should govern where the two principles point toward opposite results, the Court continued its recent practice of applying both principles halfheartedly, carving exceptions, and giving neither its proper weight. This analysis situates Wyeth within the larger framework of the Court's recent preemption decisions in an effort to explain the Court's hesitancy to resolve the conflict. The analysis concludes that the Court, motivated by its strong respect for congressional intent and concern to protect federalism, applies both the presumption against preemption and the Chevron doctrine on a sliding scale. Where congressional intent to preempt is clear and vague only as to scope, the Court is usually quite deferential to agency determinations, but where congressional preemptive intent is unclear, agency views are accorded less weight.The Court's variable approach to deference is defensible as necessary to prevent unauthorized incursion into areas of traditional state sovereignty, but its inherent unpredictability sows confusion among regulated parties, and the need for flexibility prevents the Court from adopting any of the more predictable across-the-board approaches to deference proposed by the Court's critics. A superior approach would combine the Court's concern for federalism with the certainty of a bright-line rule by granting deference to agency views where Congress has spoken via a preemption clause of ambiguous scope and no deference where Congress has remained silent.


The term 'beneficial owner' has been applied by Ukrainian courts and tax authorities in the area of application of the provisions of double-taxation treaties since the adoption of the Tax Code of Ukraine, in 2010. The changing nature of the concept of beneficial owner, its importance as an instrument for counteraction of treaty shopping, and the necessity of improvement of its application in the Ukrainian reality are the main factors that have a strong impact on the development of national practice in the application of the concept of beneficial owner. The article focuses on the main challenges to application of the concept of beneficial owner in the context of prevention of tax avoidance as one of the purposes of double-taxation treaties in Ukraine.


Language models have become a key step to achieve state-of-the art results in many different Natural Language Processing (NLP) tasks. Leveraging the huge amount of unlabeled texts nowadays available, they provide an efficient way to pre-train continuous word representations that can be fine-tuned for a downstream task, along with their contextualization at the sentence level. This has been widely demonstrated for English using contextualized representations (Dai and Le, 2015; Peters et al., 2018; Howard and Ruder, 2018; Radford et al., 2018; Devlin et al., 2019; Yang et al., 2019b). In this paper, we introduce and share FlauBERT, a model learned on a very large and heterogeneous French corpus. Models of different sizes are trained using the new CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) Jean Zay supercomputer. We apply our French language models to diverse NLP tasks (text classification, paraphrasing, natural language inference, parsing, word sense disambiguation) and show that most of the time they outperform other pre-training approaches. Different versions of FlauBERT as well as a unified evaluation protocol for the downstream tasks, called FLUE (French Language Understanding Evaluation), are shared to the research community for further reproducible experiments in French NLP.


Cincinnati Insurance Company v. Wills, 717 N.E.2d 151 (Indiana Supreme CourtOctober 6,1999) In recent years, there has been considerable focus on the legal ethics of representation of policyholders pursuant to liability policies. Recently, the Indiana Supreme Court weighed in on aspects of the issue. The court's assessment was largely consistent with decisions in other states. In general, insurers have successfully resisted legal attacks on their use of in-house counsel to represent policyholders against thirdparty tort claims under standard liability policies. The Wills case started like most liability claims. David and Marcia Wills asserted tort claims against Elaine Mellenger and Betty Suter. Suter was insured by Celina Insurance Group, who appointed in-house counsel Keith Faber to defend Suter in the Wills action. After being apprised of Faber's house counsel status, Suter consented to the representation. The Wills moved to disqualify Faber, asserting that his representation of Suter would be unauthorized practice of law. While the case was pending, Cincinnati Insurance sought to intervene because of the possible effect of the case on Cincinnati's practice of representing policyholders in the area through Berlon & Timmel, which Cincinnati characterized as a "captive law firm." Berlon & Timmel "is staffed exclusively by employees of Cincinnati who represent only Cincinnati's insureds and Cincinnati itself." 717 N.E.2d at 153. The Wills disqualification motion succeeded before the trial court, which ruled that insurer Celina engaged in unauthorized practice of law by giving its policyholders legal representation through in-house counsel. The trial court further viewed the inhouse lawyer as assisting unauthorized practice by the nonlaw-firm insurance company, a violation of Indiana Rule of Professional Conduct 5.5(b).' The trial court also found Cincinnati's use of Berlon & Timmel to be an unauthorized practice of law and a deceptive practice that would lead policyholders to erroneously think that they were being represented by outside counsel. The Indiana Supreme Court reversed the trial court on the issue of unauthorized practice, with regard to both Celina's in-house counsel and Cincinnati's captive firm, but affirmed the trial court ruling that an insurer's captive law firm, could not do business under a name that suggested that it was an outside law firm apart from the insurer's organization. The Indiana Supreme Court began its analysis with an overview of the types of arguments that have been employed to suggest unauthorized practice by staff counsel and captive firms. The court also summarized legal developments on the issue to date, specifically noting that eight states and the ABA have, in ethics opinions, concluded that practice through in-house counsel does not constitute unauthorized practice in and of itself.2 In two states, challenges to policyholder representation have been successful: in Kentucky based on potential conflict of interest between insurer and policyholders and in North Carolina based on a state statutory bar to practice of law by a corporation.4 The court found that Celina's notice to its policyholder had been sufficient to alert the insured to the situation and was not misleading. In disclosing the in-house status of attorney Faber, Celina had apparently informed the policyholder that the assigned attorney's primary loyalty was to the policyholder and that confidences between policyholder and attorney could not be shared with the insurer. As to unauthorized practice, the court found that in-house counsel was generally accepted and that counsel's legal services for the company were clearly authorized under the Rules of Professional Conduct. Although the situation is more complicated when the company lawyer is representing a customer of the company, the court found this to be permissible because the rendering of legal service was done by an attorney who was subject to the control of the policyholder client rather than the nonlawyer company. …


The study focuses on foreign women who have been living in Liverpool from the year 2001. The investigation mainly analyzes the subjective perception of integration and the objective outcome. Literature has neglected, in general, the role of women in migration and in particular the importance of the integration of women, in the host society, for the well being of the whole family. It is often assumed that if the local Authorities adopt policies that respect diversity the immigrants will automatically feel integrated and become a vital part of the wider society. The responses obtained from 100 English women were compared to the ones received from 100 foreigners and 23 respondents who were born in the United Kingdom. The women from the UK: Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, were considered as foreigners because people who are born in any of the countries that form part of a Nation State feel strongly about their ethnicity. This research tries to discover whether the perception of the women contacted reflects the objective outcome of the survey that has been conducted with the help of a questionnaire and evaluated by using a purposely created tool. The tool enabled the construction of a table to show the discovered differences. They show that there is a marked difference between the subjective perception and the objective outcome of integration. It is therefore acceptable to speculate that foreign women in Liverpool are integrated in their "diaspora space" but not within the wider society of the city. If the mothers are not integrated is unlikely that their children will be. This condition can, as a first consequence, cause confusion in the children and perhaps lead to their rejection of the local culture and, secondly, prevent any sort of integration that in turn should avert the formation of a cohesive society. Integration in the wider society can only be achieved if the subjects speak the local language. However the learning of English in the country of origin will not encourage the absorption of the culture of the country where the language has originated. Therefore fluency in the host language could be another aspect encouraging the creation of self-segregated communities.


This paper considers the early work of Alvin Lucier and its often problematic positioning between concert and installation work as a means of questioning how installation might be defined. Following an introductory survey of Lucier's work, a history of installation in the visual arts is traced through the debate, initiated by Michael Fried, on the 'theatricality' of minimalism. Fried's condemnation of the role of the viewer in what he termed 'literalist' art became, contrary to his intentions, a central element in thinking about installation work. Fried's position was recently engaged again by Hal Foster in positing a particular phenomenology of minimalist work, which is seen to be directly relevant to the example of Lucier. Having thus established the relevance of this phenomenology to the consideration of sound installations, whether they are themselves minimal works or not, discussion returns to the problematic example of Lucier, and the conclusion that the boundary between concert and installation works may always be permeable, that a precise morphology of installation will remain elusive.


Recent increases in consumer demand for local food have resulted in more opportunities for food to be purchased in close proximity to where it is produced. However, local markets can be challenging retail outlets for farmers and not uniformly affordable and accessible to all consumers. Farmers market nutrition incentive (FMNI) and farm to school (F2S) programs are two community-based initiatives that support farmers while simultaneously lessening the burden of local food access for lower income populations. In this study, we explore farmer perceptions, barriers to adoption, and impacts of FMNI and F2S programs. A survey was developed based on the Diffusion of Innovations theory to assess (1) the key factors that influence adoption of FMNI and F2S programs; (2) farmer perceptions of the most significant barriers to program adoption; and (3) the influence of non-economic impacts on farmers' motivation to participate in those programs. A total of 155 Mid-Atlantic fruit and vegetable farmers completed the survey. Participating farmers perceived FMNI and F2S as providing advantageous social impact and various economic opportunities. However, participants and non-participants had differing perspectives on program complexity, compatibility with their business model, and the degree to which others have succeeded when participating. The most significant barriers relate to issues with product pricing, customer engagement, and logistics. Three-quarters of farmers ranked social/community impacts as most important to them. A deeper understanding of farmers' involvement in FMNI and F2S programs will help address barriers and modify program components to increase economic, social/community, and environmental impacts.


Alzheimer´s disease is characterized by brain deposition of extracellular amyloid β-peptide containing plaques. The cellular site of γ-secretase activity, which releases amyloid β-peptide and the corresponding APP intracellular domain (AICD) remains controversial. Proposed cleavage sites range from the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, the cell surface to endosomal compartments. We now used C99-GFP, a fluorescent reporter substrate for γ-secretase activity and monitored AICD production in living cells. C99-GFP is efficiently cleaved by γ-secretase and AICD-GFP is released into the cytosol. Inhibiting γ-secretase results in accumulation of C99-GFP in early endosomes. By blocking selective transport steps along the secretory pathway we demonstrate that γ-secretase does not cleave its substrates in the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi/trans-Golgi network or in secretory vesicles. In contrast, inhibition of endocytosis did not inhibit cleavage of C99-GFP. Similar results were obtained for another γ-secretase substrate, NotchΔE. Our results suggest that intracellular domains are generated by γ-secretase at the plasma membrane and/or early endosomes.


This paper discusses a complex process of aid oriented towards taming the Colombian conflict. We show that, despite the grand declarations provided generously by all actors involved, there has been much strategic manoeuvring and inconsistency. We describe how Colombian decision makers made a transition from the intent of establishing peace as a nationalist programme to the effort of internationalising war. However, the transition interacted with—and was somewhat dampened by—the set of constraints they faced. A very important part of these constraints was related to the choice, when seeking key international partners, between the United States and Europe. Donors, at the same time, had their own objectives and constraints, and frequently promoted lines of action that were at odds with their stated objectives. At the same time, the analysis suggests that despite—and sometimes even because of—these limits some windows of opportunity for positive developments have been opened.


Received: 03.08.2016 Accepted: 27.11.2016 Abstract Alveolar ridge is underdeveloped in ectodermal dysplasia (ED). The available treatment plans include fixed, removable or implant-supported prostheses, alone or in combination. A 5 year-old boy was referred for treatment to the Department of Prosthodontics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences with the chief complaint of missing teeth. Prosthodontic treatment was performed to improve mastication, esthetics, phonetics, and psychological support. Altering the alveolar height also provided a more pleasant musculocutaneous profile. Series of overdentures were fabricated in the same conventional manner to compensate for the patient's growth. Early treatment had a major impact on self-esteem, masticatory function, speech and facial esthetics of our patient. However, long-term success depends on regular recall appointments.


This paper examines the impact of trade liberalization on export performance in South Africa during the 1980s and 1990s. It employs a time series regression analysis in which export performance is assumed to be determined by external market conditions, the ability to compete in the world markets, and the extent of diversification of the commodity composition of the country's exports. The results indicate that, external market conditions were the important determinant of export performance across all sectors during the sample period. While competitiveness contributed to the increased performance of manufacturing and mining exports, diversification into new export lines faltered in all sectors, pointing to a greater sensitivity of exports to demand conditions than to supply factors.


Several theorists have noted that the conceptualisation of workaholism has been neglected in favour of the development of measures of the construct (Harpaz & Snir, 2003; Burke, 2004a; Scott, Moore & Miceli, 1997; Robinson, 2001). Typically, workaholism investigations treat the social sphere as peripheral. Consequently, this thesis explored workaholism from a socially contextualised perspective. Various social contexts that were constructed as playing a role in creating workaholism were examined. These included family o f origin, farriily o f procreation, formal educational, work and national cultural contexts. In addition, the construed consequences of excessive working on the social context were investigated. Machlowitz's (1980) screening tool was employed. Thirty-seven semi-structured interviews were conducted. Employees from the management consultant and financial service sectors were recruited. There were four participant groups, namely, a workaholics group, a former workaholics group, a significant others group and a control group. The workaholics group included a subgroup of Workaholics Anonymous members. Using the Nvivo (Version 2.0) software package for qualitative research, discourse analysis was applied to the interview transcripts. This thesis found that both external and internal explanations were constructed to account for workaholism. Incisive, previously unexamined explanations also emerged from the data. These included construals o f personal choice and boundaries as well as addiction to excessive activity. Furthermore, contextual issues were assembled as being essential when examining the consequences o f workaholism. Hence, the context was worked up as a significant, but not the only aspect of excessive work patterns. An innovative, comprehensive model integrating these findings was devised.


Implementation of Language and Literacy Practices by Prekindergarten Teachers in the West Virginia Universal Pre-K System This study investigated the perceived frequency of implementation of language and literacy practices for 217 West Virginia Pre-K teachers. Teachers were employed in public school-based and community-based classrooms for 4-year-olds. Respondents completed the Language and Literacy Practice Survey (LLPS), which measured their perceived frequency of implementation of 18 language and literacy practices. Their overall perceived ability level for implementing effective language and literacy instruction was also assessed. Respondents also rated their use of resources and materials to facilitate effective language and literacy instruction. Additionally, respondents answered open-ended qualitative questions to determine perceived constraints that may hinder their effective implementation of language and literacy practices and to identify areas of additional support or professional development needed to enhance their ability to implement quality language and literacy instruction. Data were distinguished by three variables: preschool teaching experience, degree level and professional development clock hours completed. Results indicated that West Virginia Pre-K teachers perceived their overall ability to implement effective language and literacy instruction as Competent or Optimal. Likewise, their perceived frequency of implementation of the majority of associated language and literacy practices is Almost Always. Furthermore, their use of resources and materials corresponds with their perceived frequency of implementation. Practices associated with book selection and read-aloud activities were perceived to be implemented the most frequently of all 18 practices; whereas practices associated with writing and print awareness were perceived to have been the least effectively implemented. Moreover, the most significant indicator of perceived frequency of language and literacy implementation was the number of professional development clock hours completed. The qualitative data indicated that, of the constraints reported by West Virginia Pre-K teachers, the current curriculum (Creative Curriculum) and the lack of time were the most prominent. In addition, teachers indicated the strongest need for support or professional development in reading and writing practices, general language and literacy practices and early childhood best practices. The conclusions are that, overall, WV Pre-K teachers perceived themselves as implementing language and literacy instructional practices frequently and optimally and that they desire more professional development opportunities to improve the quality of their language and literacy practices.


Abstract Although ART is increasingly accessible and eases some stresses, it creates other challenges including the importance of food security to enhance ART-effectiveness. This paper explores the role livelihood strategies play in achieving food security and maintaining nutritional status among ART patients in Kenya and Zambia. Ongoing quantitative studies exploring adherence to ART in Mombasa, Kenya (n=118) and in Lusaka, Zambia (n=375) were used to identify the relationship between BMI and adherence; an additional set of in-depth interviews with people on ART (n=32) and members of their livelihood networks (n=64) were undertaken. Existing frameworks and scales for measuring food security and a positive deviance approach was used to analyse data. Findings show the majority of people on ART in Zambia are food insecure; similarly most respondents in both countries report missing meals. Snacking is important for dietary intake, especially in Kenya. Most food is purchased in both countries. Having assets is key for achieving livelihood security in both Kenya and Zambia. Food supplementation is critical to survival and for developing social capital since most is shared amongst family members and others. Whilst family and friends are key to an individual's livelihood network, often more significant for daily survival is proximity to people and the ability to act immediately, characteristics most often found amongst neighbours and tenants. In both countries findings show that with ART health has rebounded but livelihoods lag. Similarly, in both countries respondents with high adherence and high BMI are more self-reliant, have multiple income sources and assets; those with low adherence and low BMI have more tenuous livelihoods and were less likely to have farms/gardens. Food supplementation is, therefore, not a long-term solution. Building on existing livelihood strategies represents an alternative for programme managers and policy-makers as do other strategies including supporting skills and asset accumulation.


Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a category of death in people with epilepsy occurring in the absence of a known structural cause of death and is most likely heterogeneous with regard to mechanisms and circumstances. SUDEP is particularly difficult to investigate in research studies for several reasons, including its relatively low incidence, its unpredictable occurrence often in unwitnessed settings, and its low rate of complete autopsy examinations. Over the past two decades, two complementary definitions have been used in most SUDEP studies, but often with variations. We propose here a unified SUDEP definition and classification to resolve current ambiguities and to retrieve cases that would not have been further studied if the previous definitions were used. The proposed Unified SUDEP Definition and Classification contains, in addition to concepts inherent in the previous definitions, nine main recommendations. (1) The word "unexpected," and not the word "unexplained," should be uniformly used in the term SUDEP. (2) The SUDEP category should be applied when appropriate, whether or not a terminal seizure is known to have occurred. (3) The "Possible SUDEP" category should be used only for cases with competing causes of death, with cases left unclassified when data are insufficient to reasonably permit their classification. (4) Cases that would otherwise fulfill the definition of SUDEP should be designated as "SUDEP Plus" when evidence indicates that a preexisting condition, known before or after autopsy, could have contributed to the death, which otherwise is classified as SUDEP (e.g., coronary insufficiency with no evidence of myocardial infarction or long‐QT syndrome with no documented primary ventricular arrhythmia leading to death). (5) To be considered SUDEP, the death should have occurred within 1 h from the onset of a known terminal event. (6) For status epilepticus as an exclusion criterion for SUDEP, the duration of seizure activity should be 30 min or more. (7) A specific category of SUDEP due to asphyxia should not be designated, the distinction being largely impractical on circumstantial or autopsy evidence, with more than one mechanism likely to be contributory in many cases. (8) Death occurring in water but without circumstantial or autopsy evidence of submersion should be classified as "Possible SUDEP." If any evidence of submersion is present, the death should not be classified as SUDEP. (9) A category of "Near‐SUDEP" should be agreed to include cases in which cardiorespiratory arrest was reversed by resuscitation efforts with subsequent survival for more than 1 h. Scenarios that demonstrate the basis for each SUDEP category are described. If disagreement exists about which category fits a particular case, we suggest the use of consensus decision by a panel of informed reviewers to adjudicate the classification of the case.


The development and the application of a stop aggregation model (SAM) for a transit network based on Google's General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) are detailed. The use of GTFS has been drawing attention in the public transit planning arena. A SAM is proposed to explore how to use this innovative data source in a transit network. The hypothesis is based on the fact that transit users' activity may not originate from or be destined to an individual stop per se. Rather, the activity is associated with a specific location in the vicinity of the stop, and this location may be covered by several adjacent transit stops. Therefore, the goal of a SAM is to define a generalized definition of a stop that more closely matches the nature of locations that serve as passenger origins and destinations. To define an aggregate area around a transit stop or station, three parameters are investigated: distance or proximity, text in the stop description, and the catchment (service) area. These aggregated stop groups can be represented as a single node in the transit network, depending on the level of aggregation desired. A case study of the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota is performed with GTFS data from Metro Transit. A SAM can be practically applied in estimating aggregate-level origin–destination flows and linking with onboard survey data.


CCCEP was established in October 2008 with the aim of advancing public and private action on climate change through rigorous, innovative research. Our five research themes for Phase Two are:
 1. Understanding green growth and climate-compatible development: what could constitute green growth or climate-compatible development in industrialised and developing countries?
 2. Advancing climate finance and investment: how can we unlock major flows of finance into both adaptation and mitigation in different contexts? What are the implications of such flows?
 3. Evaluating the performance of climate policies: how can we assess the performance of different climate policies and how can we understand the scope for policy learning?
 4. Managing climate risks and uncertainties and strengthening climate services: how can we promote new approaches to the assessment, management and communication of climate risks/uncertainties?
 5. Enabling rapid transitions in mitigation and adaptation: how can we understand the scope for rapid transitions to dramatically cut emissions and adapt to significant climate change?
 Beyond the planned scientific programme, we set up a CCCEP Innovation Fund with the aim of stimulating, developing and disseminating innovative ideas from both the academic and practitioner communities.
 Our plans for Phase Two build on the solid institutional foundations of Phase One, including CCCEP's position at LSE/Leeds, its management structure and its key staff.

DATA DESCRIPTION (ABSTRACT)
This data deposition is linked to several empirical papers that explain the passage of climate change legislation (measured as the number of laws passed in country i in year t) as a function of different political economy factors. Each observation is a country-year (e.g. UK in 2008) for which we record the number of climate laws passed in that year (1 UK law passed: the 2008 Climate Change Act). (In some specifications the dependent variable is a yes-no dummy, depending on whether any laws were passed). The passage of new climate legislation in a country-year is a function of the stock of existing laws in that country and elsewhere, economic factors such as the business cycle and political factors such as the strength of government.
 All the variables used in the work are in publicly available databases (see attached read-me file for details). This includes "Climate Change Laws of the World", a dataset on climate change policy and legislation, as well as political / economic data sets such as the "Database of Political Institutions", Polity IV and IMF Statistical data. They are not included in this submission. What is included is the computer codes (STATA do files) underlying the two main published papers.


The ability to rise from a chair is a prerequisite for independent ambulation. Difficulty rising from a chair, moreover, is an indicator of balance deficits likely to result in a fall. In this paper we present preliminary work to affordably detect sit to stand strategies associated with balance impairment using web cameras. The long term goal is to create systems that can monitor functional movements that are common at home in a way that reflects changes in stability and impairment.


Sarah Ruffing Robbins and Ann Ellis Pullen's Nellie Arnott Writings on Angola, 19051913: Missionary Narratives Linking Africa and America recently earned Honorable Mention for the SSAWW Edition Award, which was established to honor excellence in the recovery of American women writers. A familiar portrait of archival research depicts a lonely task performed in quiet, musty spaces, as the solitary researcher seeks to commune with the past while interpreting materials cataloged long ago by some unnamed, unseen collector. For instance, in Jill Lepore's romantic and compelling account of "Historians Who Love Too Much," an opening image positions the scholar-author sitting alone "in the crisply air-conditioned Special Collections reading room at the Amherst College Library, stroking Noah Webster's hair," with the sole relationship highlighted that between a single scholar and her long-dead subject (129). In fact, however, as our own shared experiences attest, most archival scholarship is actually quite collaborative. Accordingly, in this essay we revisit multiple dimensions of collaboration involved in our critical edition of Nellie Arnott's Writings on Angola, 1905-1913 and still supporting our ongoing work on Arnott's authorship within the context of larger cultural movements. Undergirding this analysis are contributions from a growing chorus of voices describing the social nature of archival studies, including several essay collections and earlier accounts published in Legacy. (1) By joining such reports, we hope to encourage others who are beginning archival projects to embrace collaboration as a powerful strategy for recovering women writers of the past. Taking a self-consciously feminist collaborative approach has been particularly appropriate for studying Arnott, since she was herself embedded in a highly gendered cooperative enterprise through service as a Congregational missionary in Angola (then Portuguese West Africa) for the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (AscFm). Arnott was part of a network of women, at home and abroad, participating in a worldwide movement. Thus, her personal archive, scattered across disparate spaces and contained in a variety of textual forms, tells both a personal and a social story. Like the research subjects recommended in Legacy's 2002 "Archive Survival Guide," Arnott would not be classified today as a famous figure, even though she was well known to the niche readership of Congregational women's mission magazines. In line with the pattern described by Jennifer Bernhardt Steadman and her coauthors Elizabeth Engelhardt, Frances Smith Foster, and Laura Micham, Arnott's story is more of "interrelations and connections" than of "pioneering" (232, 231), so recovering her writing affirms their premise that feminist scholars should resist research's traditional emphasis on "the 'only' or 'first' in their fields" as too often reinscribing "women's exclusion" (231). Arnott's experiences follow that pattern, for to the extent they are retrievable they offer a window into larger trends associated with whole groups of women. She was, in a word, typical. Yet, ironically, the very features that make Arnott an ideal representative writer, operating in a broader social network, sometimes made it difficult for us to move forward with our first publishing project about her. Fortunately, we were able to counter those occasionally discouraging forces through collaboration, as has recently been urged by archival researchers such as Lisa Mas-trangelo and Barbara L'Eplattenier. (2) Our collaboration took different forms at progressive stages in our research. Initially, finding our subject linked our own long-standing research partnership to a more serendipitous yet crucial connection with an experienced archival librarian. Then, digging deeper into our subject's personal past and its connections with institutional histories involved us as collaborators with other scholars, students, and members of Arnott's family. …


In this paper, we propose a novel method, based on keystroke dynamics, to distinguish between fake and truthful personal information written via a computer keyboard. Our method does not need any prior knowledge about the user who is providing data. To our knowledge, this is the first work that associates the typing human behavior with the production of lies regarding personal information. Via experimental analysis involving 190 subjects, we assess that this method is able to distinguish between truth and lies on specific types of autobiographical information, with an accuracy higher than 75%. Specifically, for information usually required in online registration forms (e.g., name, surname and email), the typing behavior diverged significantly between truthful or untruthful answers. According to our results, keystroke analysis could have a great potential in detecting the veracity of self-declared information, and it could be applied to a large number of practical scenarios requiring users to input personal data remotely via keyboard.


Despite strong growth in Chinese consumption, the household consumption ratio has fallen significantly. This reflects a fall in the share of national income that accrues to the household sector and a rise in the household saving ratio. Policies to encourage the growth of small and medium-sized entities, increase social spending, and reduce the focus on investment-led growth would be expected to support the level of household consumption over the medium term.


This article investigates power and size of some tests for exogeneity of a binary explanatory variable in count models by conducting extensive Monte Carlo simulations. The tests under consideration are Hausman contrast tests as well as univariate Wald tests, including a new test of notably easy implementation. Performance of the tests is explored under misspecification of the underlying model and under different conditions regarding the instruments. The results indicate that often the tests that are simpler to estimate outperform tests that are more demanding. This is especially the case for the new test.


Andre Mbata Mabgu and Mpariseni Budeli write on the trajectory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which, moving from a colonial to an independent to an oppressive state before finally emerging into democracy in 2006, resembles that of many African states.

Lessons from the DRC elections for democratic consolidation and state reconstruction may therefore be considered illuminating, reflective of the post-colonial African experience with constitutionalism and democracy. The article concludes that, despite some shortcomings, the elections were particularly peaceful, thus disappointing many prophets of doom. After decades of authoritarianism and violent conflicts this is an achievement that should be celebrated across the continent and by those who assisted in the process, including the international community. The message from the DRC is also encouraging to the proponents of an African renaissance, which cannot materialise without democracy, the rule of law and development.


A central limit theorem is given for certain weighted sums of a covariance stationary process, assuming it is linear in martingale differences, but without any restriction on its spectrum. We apply the result to kernel nonparametric fixed-design regression, giving a single central limit theorem which indicates how error spectral behaviour at only zero frequency influences the asymptotic distribution, and covers long range, short range, and negative dependence. We show how the regression estimates can be studentized in the absence of previous knowledge of which form of dependence regime pertains, and show also that a simpler studentization is possible when long-range dependence can be taken for granted.


Our objective was to measure amniotic fluid amino acid concentrations in pregnant women diagnosed as having fetuses with non immune hydrops fetalis in the second trimester of pregnancy. Twenty-three pregnant women who had fetuses with non immune hydrops fetalis detected by ultrasonography (non immune hydrops fetalis group) in the second trimester and 19 women who had healthy fetuses (control group) were enrolled in the study. Amniotic fluid was obtained by amniocentesis. The chromosomal analysis of the study and control groups was normal. Levels of free amino acids were measured in amniotic fluid samples using EZ: fast kits (EZ: fast GC/FID free (physiological) amino acid kit) by gas chromatography (Focus GC Al 3000 Thermo Finnigan analyzer). The mean levels of alanine, cysteine, glycine and valine amino acids were found to be significantly higher in fetuses with non immune hydrops fetalis than in the control group (p<0.05). The detection of significantly higher amino acid concentrations in the amniotic fluid of fetuses with a non immune hydrops fetalis in healthy fetuses suggests loss of amino acids from the fetus through capillary permeability or/and the lymphatic system through the amniotic fluid may contribute to the etiology of non-immune hydrops fetalis.


This paper analyzed the economic feasibility of a mobile bioenergy pyrolysis system using a Monte Carlo simulation model. Pyrolysis transforms any cellulosic materials into i) a bio-oil similar to crude oil ii) a synthesis gas similar to natural gas, and iii) a bio-charcoal substance. The pyrolyzer machine is currently being manufactured and tested with various types of feed-stocks including corn stover and energy sorghum. The economic analysis focused on creating an automated process that integrates a transportation logistics cost optimization model with geo-graphic information system (GIS) data. The geographic data provides possible paths for the mo-bile bioenergy pyrolysis unit as it moves to and from each harvest area, depending on stochastic availability of feedstock (determined by historical crop yields) and distance to oil refineries. The results indicated that there is a low probability of a positive Net Present Value (NPV) with cur-rent economic conditions. In general, the NPV was highest with a stationary scenario and it de-creased with additional moving times. A sensitivity analysis is presented to assess the potential probability of success of a mobile pyrolysis system under alternative oil prices and feedstock costs scenarios.


The consideration of privacy issues introduces the need for rethinking authorization policies and models and the development of novel privacy-aware paradigms for access control. Goal of Work Package 5.2 is then the definition of a flexible and comprehensive privacy-enhanced policy language, which will be used as a basis for the work performed in other work packages, especially in Work Package 5.3. This document presents the advancements made in the research work during the second year of PrimeLife in Work Package 5.2. The document includes one chapter for each task of the work package that briefly describes the main research results along with an indication of what are the issues that will be addressed in the remaining year of the project. The last chapter lists the abstracts of the research papers reporting the findings of Work Package 5.2 published in the second year of the project.


Serbo-Croatian deverbal nouns in -VV.je show a striking dichotomy along three apparently unrelated dimensions - productivity, semantic transparency and prosodic faithfulness to the base. Nominalisations from imperfective verbs display full productivity, semantic transparency, and a prosodic pattern attested in the paradigm of the verb. Those from perfective verbs are derived only from a subset of S-C perfective verbs, semantically non-transparent, and display a prosodic pattern unattested in the paradigm of the verb. We argue that this match across different dimensions has a role in delimiting the domain of the paradigm of the verbal lexeme, and, consequently, in delimiting the verbal domain. We show that a prosodic pattern different from all the patterns attested in the verb's paradigm marks that the morphological complex containing the stem of the verb is a new separate lexeme. Our analysis has consequences for the theory of paradigms. We employ Lexical Conservatism (Steriade 1997) to model different levels of relatedness in the lexicon, making clear predictions on how forms converge and diverge overtime. Our model derives a coconut-like architecture of the lexicon, whose soft core contains paradigmatic derivations, and the outer layers involve the domains of increasingly constrained productivity, idiosyncratic semantics and new prosodic shapes.


CD38 is a transmembrane protein with extracellular enzymatic activity that can produce adenosine diphosphate ribose (ADPR) and cyclic ADPR (cADPR). Mice deficient in CD38, which is expressed in both hematopoetic and nonhematopoetic cells including B cells and dendritic cells, are unable to mount an effective T cell-dependent antibody response. Although this was initially suggested to be due to loss of CD38 on B cells, Partida-Sánchez et al. provide evidence that the defect is at the level of the dendritic cells, which in CD38—/— mice do not migrate effectively to lymph nodes after inflammatory challenge in the skin. CD38—/— B cells were capable of responding when transferred by bone marrow transplant to B cell-deficient mice with otherwise normal bone marrow. B cell responses require T cell priming, which involves an interaction between T cells and antigen-presenting cells (such as dendritic cells). T cells were not effectively primed in CD38—/— mice. Although dendritic cells from CD38—/— mice were capable of maturing, they did not migrate properly to the sites for T cell interaction (lymph nodes). CD38—/— dendritic cells had defective migration in transwell assays with various chemokine receptor ligands, despite having apparently normal expression of the chemokine receptors. Indeed, CD38—/— dendritic cells had diminished calcium signaling in response to chemokines. Responses of wild-type dendritic cells (calcium signals and migration in transwell assays) were blocked by antagonists of cADPR, inositol triphosphate, or chelation of extracellular calcium. Thus, the authors suggest that CD38 enhances calcium mobilization in response to chemokine receptor activation through activation of plasma membrane calcium channels. Höpken and Lipp provide commentary. S. Partida-Sánchez, S. Goodrich, K. Kusser, N. Oppenheimer, T. D. Randall, F. E. Lund, Regulation of dendritic cell trafficking by the ADP-ribosyl cyclase CD38: Impact on the development of humoral immunity. Immunity 20, 279-291 (2004). [Online Journal] U. E. Höpken, M. Lipp, All roads lead to Rome: Triggering dendritic cell migration. Immunity 20, 244-246 (2004). [Online Journal]


Procedures for computing the parameters of a broad class of multifactor continuous time models of the term structure based on indirect estimation methods are proposed. The approach consists of simulating the unknown factors from a set of stochastic differential equations which are used to compute synthetic bond yields. The bond yields are calibrated with actual bond yields via an auxiliary model. The approach circumvents many of the difficulties associated with direct estimation of this class of models using maximum likelihood. In particular, the paper addresses the identification issues arising from singularities in the yields and spreads which tend not to be recognised in existing estimation procedures and thereby overcome potential misspecification problems inherrent in direct methods. Indirect estimates of single and multifactor models are computed and compared with the estimates based on existing estimation procedures. *All computations are performed using GAUSS 3.2. The optimization algorithm is BFGS in OPTMUM.


In our current challenging budgetary environment, school closures remain a potentially attractive choice. With a large panel of Illinois schools from 1991 to 2005, I investigate which factors contribute to school closures. Among elementary schools, declining enrolments and rural locations coincide with closures. However, schools with higher per-pupil spending are ceteris paribus less likely to close. Furthermore, better test scores also yield lower probabilities. High expenditures contribute to junior high closure, but the most significant predictors are the proportions of black and low income students. Administrators may claim that low enrolments and high spending motivate school closures, but in Illinois, that is not the whole story.


CEPA tools have been identified as one of the keys to achieving better outcomes in a broad range of environmental projects – increased community engagement, higher levels of collaboration among stakeholders, better targeted public awareness materials and increased sustainability of results. This book aims to bring more understanding to communicators, educators and policy makers working in environmental issues, in Europe and globally, about the powerful use of these tools for positive change.


The paper focuses on the dynamics of inclusion and coexistence in School between Italian and foreign students, a particularly relevant topic in Italy. The data provided by the Department of Education in 2011 and for the past 15 years show, in fact, that from 1996/1997 to 2010/2011 foreign students have increased from 0.7% to 7.9 % of the total number of students. The increased presence of migrant students in the schools of our country, however, does not automatically imply a change in the reciprocal representations of "foreign": the only Contact (simply sharing the same living spaces) is not sufficient to reduce the level of stereotype and prejudice and to promote inclusion. The study examines which other factors could influence inclusion by creating a typological index aimed at observing students' attitudes towards diversity/similarity, homogeneity/heterogeneity. Furthermore, Index is correlated with various social-demographic characteristics of the individuals involved and their families.


PURPOSE
Surface dose profiles of a kV skin treatment machine - SRT100™ were measured in order to investigate the output deviations due to the uncertainty of ion chamber positioning.

METHODS
GafChromic film (EBT3) and a parallel plate ion chamber (PTW Model 23342) were used to measure the dose profiles. The dose response of EBT3 film was calibrated by using 3-channel technique. The maximum cone size of 5 cm was used in this study. Because of the ion chamber size, the readings were limited to measure at 1 and 2 cm away from the central axis in 4 directions (+/- parallel and perpendicular to cathode-anode axis). The ion chamber was positioned by using Varian Exact Couch within 1-mm accuracy.

RESULTS
For 5-cm cone, the dose profile was not entirely uniform especially in cathode-anode direction and it showed on both ion chamber and film measurements. For film measurements, a maximum of 15% lower dose (normalized to the center) was observed at field edge on the anode side. On the cathode side, a maximum of 6% lower dose was observed. The cross line profile was symmetry and there was a maximum of 10% lower dose on the both side of field edges. Overall, the uniformity of the area of 2-cm diameter was within 4% in all 4 directions. The ion chamber readings agreed with film measurements within 1-3%.

CONCLUSION
The non-uniform dose profile may introduce uncertainty to measurements up to 15% for the field of 5-cm cone. Since there is no inherent tool (crosshair or field light) for aligning with beam axis, the users should be cautious with positions of ion chamber during output measurement.


The previous successful application of Beaufils' Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) to crops such as corn and sugarcane as a foliar diagnostic tool capable of revealing mineral imbalances led to the need for the development of DRIS norms for soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. Preliminary DRIS norms for soybean leaves are developed from 1,245 sets of data on elemental (NPK) leaf composition and corresponding yields. This is done by dividing the population of observations into two subpopulations on the basis of yield. The norms are calculated from those forms of expressing the leaf parameters which significantly discriminate between the two subpopulations. The degree of nutrient imbalance in the plant is expressed in terms of a DRIS index which measures the extent to which a particular nutrient deviates from the established norm. The norms are developed in such a way that the influence of age of tissue sampled on the diagnostic index is minimized. The DRIS norms enable one to diagnose whether N, P, or K is the nutrient most limiting to soybean production in a particular case to be diagnosed. The results show that the diagnosis can be made irrespective of variety and age at which the leaf is sampled. The advantage of the DRIS system in predicting nutrient imbalances even when the nutrient concentration in the plant is in or above the critical or sufficiency level range, is illustrated.


While the contribution of specific tumor suppressor networks to cancer development has been the subject of considerable recent study, it remains unclear how alterations in these networks are integrated to influence the response of tumors to anti-cancer treatments. Here, we show that mechanisms commonly used by tumors to bypass early neoplastic checkpoints ultimately determine chemotherapeutic response and generate tumor-specific vulnerabilities that can be exploited with targeted therapies. Specifically, evaluation of the combined status of ATM and p53, two commonly mutated tumor suppressor genes, can help to predict the clinical response to genotoxic chemotherapies. We show that in p53-deficient settings, suppression of ATM dramatically sensitizes tumors to DNA-damaging chemotherapy, whereas, conversely, in the presence of functional p53, suppression of ATM or its downstream target Chk2 actually protects tumors from being killed by genotoxic agents. Furthermore, ATM-deficient cancer cells display strong nononcogene addiction to DNA-PKcs for survival after DNA damage, such that suppression of DNA-PKcs in vivo resensitizes inherently chemoresistant ATM-deficient tumors to genotoxic chemotherapy. Thus, the specific set of alterations induced during tumor development plays a dominant role in determining both the tumor response to conventional chemotherapy and specific susceptibilities to targeted therapies in a given malignancy.


Wavelet image coding exhibits a robust error resilience performance by utilizing the naturally layered bitstream construction over a band-limited channel. In this paper, a closed form of the visual entropy is defined based on a visual weight over the wavelet domain, which is characterized by the HVS (human vision system) over the frequency and spatial domains. This visual weight is then utilized as a criterion for determining the coding order of wavelet coefficients and the resulting improved visual quality is demonstrated. In terms of visual entropy, a transmission gain of up to 20 % can be obtained at a normalized channel throughput of about 0.3.


AN INFRARED DEVICE TO MEASURE THE EYEBLINK FOR THE STUDY OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING By Alka Patel The classically conditioned eyeblink response is studied by various groups to study neurological functions. This is a form of associative learning that has many features to help diagnose and learn about neurological diseases. Electromyogram traditionally is used to detect eyeblinks for this experimentation in human. However, EMG can be expensive and difficult to use. It involves the utilization of electrodes and produces only an indirect measure of eyelid closure. The goal of the project was to develop an infrared device to detect eyeblinks and replace the EMG. The project involved two major components, a hardware and a software component. The hardware segment included emitters and detectors to collect the signal and electronics for signal conditioning. The software stored, displayed and processed the data. The aim of this study was to have an inexpensive and facile way of detecting eyeblinks To prove the reliability and validity of the signal, a small pilot study was conducted where both EMG and infrared were monitored continuously. The signal from the infrared was compared to the EMG signal in terms of reliability, validity and quality of the signal. The pilot study indicated that the infrared signal quality is better than the EMG. The pilot study also proved the infrared signal to be valid and reliable. The system's main goal was to replace EMG system with instrumentation that was less expensive but still reliable. AN INFRARED DEVICE TO MEASURE THE EYEBLINK FOR THE STUDY OF CLASSICAL CONDITIONING


Dense disparity maps can be computed from wide-baseline stereo pairs but will inevitably contain large areas where the depth cannot be estimated accurately because the pixels are seen in one view only. A traditional approach to this problem is to introduce a global optimization scheme to fill-in the missing information by enforcing spatial-consistency, which usually means introducing a geometric regularization term that promotes smoothness. The world, however, is not necessarily smooth and we argue that a better approach is to monocularly estimate the surface normals and to use them to supply the required constraints. We will show that, even though the estimates are very rough, we nevertheless obtain more accurate depth-maps than by enforcing smoothness. Furthermore, this can be done effectively by solving large but sparse linear systems.


In Scotland the Revolution of 1688 1689 has received little academic attention considered little more than an adjunct of events in England. Traditionally, the political elite have been seen as reluctant to rebel, the resulting Convention Parliament containing few committed protagonists the reaction of most determined by inherent conservatism and the overwhelming desire to preserve their own interest and status. Motivated essentially by self-interest and personal gain, the predominance of noble faction crippled Parliament a constitutionally underdeveloped institution which became nothing more than a platform for the rivalry and ambition of the landed elite. However, this interpretation is based on the dated notion that Scottish history can be considered as simply a protracted power struggle between a dominant territorial nobility and a weak monarch, intent on centralising authority. Nonetheless, the aim of the thesis is not to rewrite the political history of the Revolution or to chart the constitutional development of Parliament although both aspects form part of the general analysis. Instead, this is principally a thematic study of the membership of the Con-. vention Parliament and what they achieved, in terms of legislation and procedure. Taking into account the European context, including a thorough membership analysis, and revising the practical aspects of the Revolution settlement, it is possible to offer a fresh account of contemporary politics. Introducing the extensive contest that characterised the general election of 1689, and the emergence and progress of court and country politics through 1698 1702, study reveals the continuing development of an inclusive party political system similar to that evident in England. In this respect, the objective of the thesis is to address the main themes associated with the Revolution and Convention Parliament, providing an alternative, more accurate interpretation of the Scottish Revolution experience.


A system for transformation, correlation, and unification of subordinations between d002 (Å) of semi-graphite and graphite, graphitization degrees and metamorphic temperature was created. The existing equations in the literature were analyzed and new equations, which determine correlation relationships between these parameters, were formulated. The effect of factors that control graphitization processes (temperature, general pressure and tectonic stress, structure and origin of primary carbon matter, orientation of carbon formations, fluids, mineral and chemical composition, and duration of processes) was also considered. It was concluded that the structural state of semi-graphite and graphite is reversible, and this can be used for facies diagnostics and studying of metamorphic history of graphite-bearing metamorphic rocks. A new scale for graphitization degrees was proposed.


BACKGROUND--Evidence from laboratory studies suggests that air pollution can produce bronchoconstriction and respiratory symptoms in selected subjects, but the relevance of these findings to exposure to natural pollution is unclear. This study was performed to determine whether air pollution at typical levels found in the UK has demonstrable effects on respiratory function and symptoms in subjects with airways disease. METHODS--Seventy five adult patients with diagnoses of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were studied for a period of four weeks during which they kept records of their peak expiratory flow (PEF) rates, symptoms (wheeze, dyspnoea, cough, throat and eye irritation), and bronchodilator use. Thirty six patients in whom the provocative dose of methacholine causing a 20% fall in FEV1 was below 12.25 mumol were classified as reactors. Ambient air pollution was measured with absorption spectroscopy. RESULTS--There were modest but significant increases in PEF variability, bronchodilator use, and wheeze with increasing sulphur dioxide levels; bronchodilator use, dyspnoea, eye irritation, and minimum PEF readings were related to ozone levels. In the subgroup of reactors falls in mean and minimum peak flow and increases in wheeze, dyspnoea, and bronchodilator use were associated with increases in levels of both sulphur dioxide and ozone. Some associations were seen with pollution levels on the same day, but for others the pollution effects appeared to be delayed by 24 or 48 hours. Pollution levels did not breach the WHO guide levels during the course of the study. CONCLUSIONS--Increases in environmental levels of ozone and sulphur dioxide are associated with adverse changes in peak flow measurements and both ocular and respiratory symptoms in subjects with obstructive airways disease. Although the peak flow and symptom changes were modest, they occurred at pollution levels below current WHO guide levels.


The main objective of this paper is to determine the perception degree of the role of university library by its users, its relevance in relation to academic learning and research. It is an analysis of possible ways to optimize the accessibility of university library structure, correlated with current information environment impact on its users. The conducted research follows several important aspects of the relationship between information-documentation and processes of learning and research, especially from the perspective of the analysis of services and electronic informational resources offered by the library, in conjunction with the profile of its users from the served academic environment. Analysis of conducted study results showed that the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Bucharest Library at present does not fully exploit its info-documentary potential in supporting learning and research. Thus, it certainly should be carefully reviewed its marketing policy in order to define optimal solutions for advertising, creating accurate and complete picture of the library both in terms of content and functionality and offered services; there should be developed specific practical ways to optimize accessibility through information literacy.


Recently, Husserl's phenomenology of the "life-world" has been given special emphasis in those areas of the social sciences that are concerned with the crisis of values and meaning in our contemporary world. Husserl conceived the concept of "life-world" as a final introduction to his system of transcendental phenomenology, the project of a lifetime. As Husserl puts it in The Crisis of the European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology (7), phenomenology is not only the act of "senseinvestigation" (Besinnung), but also the universal "coming to self-awareness" (Selbstbesinnung) of humanity in a reflective manner, and herein precisely lies humanity's responsibility towards itself. Husserl expected phenomenology to be the ultimate universal science, destined to ground all human achievements in the soil of the "life-world" (33-34). But can Husserl's phenomenology accomplish this task effectively outside the horizon of Europe, and outside the context of a critique of modern science and technology? So as to try to answer this question, our aim will be to introduce some key concepts and notions that characterize Husserl's phenomenology of the "life-world" or philosophy of genesis in the context of Aboriginal identity in Australia. For this purpose, we will offer a reading of Sally Morgan's My Place, an autobiographical novel which narrates the personal quest of a woman of Aboriginal descend to find her roots and identity in a Westernized world. In the course of our analysis, we will describe in what ways some of Husserl's notions related to the life-world are hindered in postcolonial contexts, and whether a phenomenological analysis can provide a means of reconcilement. Finally, we will also ask ourselves about the possibility of a phenomenological idea of history that respects the idiosyncracies of historicity.


Abstract. Due to the errors of the global positioning system and the navigation map, the navigation map can only locate the approximate location of the points of interest on the map, which causes the navigation task to end at a distance of several meters to several tens of meters from the real destination. The navigation of the left distance needs to be done by the user himself. In addition, the number of points of interest on the navigation map is limited, and the user can only navigate to the points of interest near the destination and then complete the remaining navigation by himself. This paper proposes a navigation map guided by landmarks, where the user finds the exact location of the destination. The map has the following characteristics: 1) The map is produced by general users 2) The map can be displayed globally or in segments 3) Highlight landmarks 4) Map navigation does not depend on GPS 5) Simple spread.


Dothistroma needle blight (DNB), caused by Dothistroma septosporum and Dothistroma pini, is a highly damaging disease of pine. DNB was originally considered a problem on exotic Pinus radiata plantations in the Southern Hemisphere and on both exotic and native pines in parts of North America in the 1960s. Since the mid-1990s, however, DNB has increased in importance in various parts of the world, including Europe. On susceptible species, DNB causes premature needle drop, a loss of yield and, in some circumstances, mortality. In some areas, DNB is controlled by the application of copper-based fungicides and silvicultural techniques, such as thinning and pruning. In New Zealand, there has also been a long history of selection of more resistant P. radiata for use in breeding programmes. A richer understanding of the resistance mechanisms involved in the Dothistroma–Pinus interaction will play a critical role in helping the development of sustainable integrated DNB management strategies. This review therefore summarizes current knowledge of defence mechanisms involved in the defence of Pinaceae against needle and shoot pathogens and identifies research gaps. Collaborative research efforts from countries directly or indirectly affected by DNB are rapidly generating new knowledge to address these gaps.


The raison d'etre for the low-profit limited liability company ("L3C") is to encourage program-related investments ("PRIs") by private foundations. PRIs are special types of investments that can be both charitable and profitable. PRIs have been embraced by knowledgeable scholars, practitioners, foundation managers, and even the U.S. Treasury Department. Further, the L3C and PRIs are associated with the growing "social enterprise" movement. The L3C thus would seem to be in the right place at the right time and should have the full support of the charitable sector, practitioners, and lawmakers. Yet, after a fast start, adoption of L3C legislation across the U.S. has stalled. In fact, several states recently have considered L3C legislation and have either rejected it outright or deferred its passage indefinitely. Many highly-regarded scholars and practitioners adamantly oppose the L3C, even though those scholars and practitioners generally endorse PRIs. This slow pattern of adoption and strong opposition to the L3C contrasts sharply with the rapidly increasing acceptance of another type of "social enterprise" entity, the benefit corporation. Why is L3C legislation languishing? Because the L3C suffers from the following fundamental defects: (i) except in name, the L3C is indistinguishable from a regular LLC; (ii) without any type of statutory enforcement mechanism, the L3C lacks accountability and transparency; and (ii) because the L3C promises more than it can deliver absent new federal legislation, the L3C fails of its essential purpose of encouraging PRIs. Given these defects, the L3C's opponents maintain that the L3C is a well-intentioned but nonetheless failed experiment that should be abandoned. This article argues that even though the L3C in its current form is defective, the L3C should not be abandoned. Instead, the L3C can be a viable tool for tax-exempt organizations and PRIs if the current statutory framework is strengthened and improved. With the foregoing premise in mind, this article proposes seven relatively simple but impactful changes that would strengthen and improve the L3C statutory framework. If the L3C becomes more than just a brand, then perhaps the L3C can fulfill its raison d'etre.


The effect of elevated seawater carbon dioxide (CO2) on the activity of a natural bacterioplankton community in an Arctic fjord system was investigated by a mesocosm perturbation study in the frame of the European Project on Ocean Acidification (EPOCA). ApCO2 range of 175– 1085 μatm was set up in nine mesocosms deployed in the Kongsfjorden (Svalbard). The activity of natural extracellular enzyme assemblages increased in response to acidification. Rates ofβ-glucosidase and leucine-aminopeptidase increased along the gradient of mesocosm pCO2. A decrease in seawater pH of 0.5 units almost doubled rates of both enzymes. Heterotrophic bacterial activity was closely coupled to phytoplankton productivity in this experiment. The bacterioplankton community responded to rising chlorophyll a concentrations after a lag phase of only a few days with increasing protein production and extracellular enzyme activity. Time-integrated primary production and bacterial protein production were positively correlated, strongly suggesting that higher amounts of phytoplankton-derived organic matter were assimilated by heterotrophic bacteria at increased primary production. Primary production increased under high pCO2 in this study, and it can be suggested that the efficient heterotrophic carbon utilisation had the potential to counteract the enhanced autotrophic CO 2 fixation. However, our results also show that beneficial pCO2-related effects on bacterial activity can be mitigated by the top-down control of bacterial abundances in natural microbial communities.


Relational query languages can effectively express continuous queries on data streams after modest extensions. However, implementing such queries efficiently in data stream management systems requires major changes in execution models and optimization techniques. In particular, finer-granularity execution models that are conducive to effective time-stamp management and response-time optimization must replace databases' relational algebra schemes. This article introduces such a model and uses it to solve the idle-waiting problems of data stream operators, such as unions, joins, and aggregates over windows with slides.


Leishmaniasis is a vector borne disease, which is caused by a protozoan parasite. Infected female sandflies \textit{(Phlebotomine sp.)} are responsible for such disease transmission. People can carry some species of Leishmania for long periods and the incubation period for Leishmaniasis may be few weeks or several months. Migration depends on host immunological status also. Leishmaniasis is endemic globally in ninety eight countries. Spread of the disease is intensely dependent on migration of the disease among human and vector between various regions or countries. Here, we formulate an $n$-patch mathematical model (such patches can be some states, regions or countries) considering each patch have susceptible, infected human as well as susceptible and infected vector population. We have derived basic reproduction ratio for each patch as well as the general basic reproduction ratio for the system and shown that there exists a disease-free equilibrium that is locally asymptotically stable. Further, we study the system analytically and numerically when the migration between each patch of individual class of humans and vector effects the spreading of the disease. We also established the results taking into account for different number of patches for $n=2$. Our result reveals that the movement of human and vector from each patch to another patch plays an important role for spreading of the disease. https://doi.org/10.28919/cmbn/3361


Introduction The emergency department (ED) presents a challenging task-management environment to emergency medicine (EM) trainees. However, equipping residents with a tool to improve task switching (generically known as multitasking) could have positive impacts on patient care and physician emotional state. We designed a task-management tool and educational curriculum with the goal of improving emergency medicine resident task-switching ability. Methods The task-management tool uses the acronym SPRINT: (1) stabilize critical patients, (2) perform procedures, (3) rack (see new patients in the chart rack), (4) in or out (reassess and disposition), (5) type it up (chart completion). These tasks and their order were decided on by two seasoned clinicians based on their years of experience in the ED. The SPRINT tool was taught to EM residents through a 1-hour curriculum consisting of an introductory video, a classroom-based workshop with multimedia didactics, and team learning with a card game simulating the use of the SPRINT tool on a shift. Residents were surveyed to evaluate their task-management confidence and perceived effectiveness of the curriculum. Results A total of 34 EM residents participated in this training on the SPRINT tool. There was an improvement in resident confidence in task management, and residents reporting having a strategy for task prioritization 8 weeks after the workshop. Discussion The SPRINT curriculum provides EM residents with a tool to manage the complex task-management environment of the ED. Further research in task-management education should focus on patient-oriented outcomes among physicians who have received this training.


Diarrhea is the second leading cause of morbidity in developing countries and many factors are responsible for it including infectious and non-infectious. This study aimed to investigating the effect of using Mentha pulegium powder in controlling non-bacterial diarrhea in adults referring to clinics of Yasouj was done. In this randomized clinical trial of a blind, random sampling for block allocation. Number of samples 20 samples in the control group and sample size was 20 samples. In addition to drug therapy, patients in the experimental group with 60 grams of Mentha pulegium powder over 2 days (every day three times and each time 10 g) were treated. The collected data analyzed by SPSS version 16 and descriptive statistics and chi-square test was used. The minimum term specified in diarrheal cases in the experimental group according to his statement given time 1 day and maximum was 6 days. After taking the drug and Mentha pulegium, powder in the experimental group was 70 percent claimed fully was recovered. 85 percent of those with Mentha pulegium powder used for treatment and recovery time were under 10, and recovery 15% between 24-10 hours long. There was statistically significant relationship between Mentha pulegium powder and stop the diarrhea time (p = 0.005). Mentha pulegium powder along with medication can greatly contribute to the cessation of nonbacterial diarrhea. Thus, given the trend toward traditional medicine recommended policy powder used in the treatment of non-bacterial diarrhea.


Dentist and patient have limited treatment options for management of extremely atrophic jaws. The Cortically Fixed at Once implant system was developed to meet challenges in patients with severely resorbed jaw bones. The CF@O protocol requires no bone graft, no sinus lift or nerve displacements. The CF@O implant system consists of several types of components specifically developed for different locations in the jaw. These components are Pterygoid implants, compressive implants and hybrid plates. The Pterygoid implants and the Hybrid plates are developed to be placed in the posterior zones of the maxilla. The compressive implants with specific macroand micro-threads are used in the cortical and spongy bone, mostly in the frontal bone of the upper and lower jaw. The presented case reports describe the steps followed for the functional restoration of edentulous patients with the CF@O implant system.


This essay is a critical perspective of the applicability of behavioral ethics in business and policy interventions. I summarize a series of proposed interventions to increase people's honesty, inspired by ethical dissonance theory, such as increasing salience of moral norms, visibility, and self-engagement. Although I agree that behavioral ethics could offer simple, low-cost interventions with the potential of reducing unethical behavior (not only) in organizations, there are several risks and methodological limitations not sufficiently discussed. The interventions thus could eventually lead to weaker positive impacts or even long-term negative consequences. I suggest several alternative approaches to decrease dishonesty such as making the moral choice easier, implementing salient accountability, and removing dishonesty temptations and dishonest employees. The article concludes with a warning that unrealistic expectations may damage the credibility of behavioral ethics.


This paper first introduces the forecasting problems faced by large retailers, from the strategic to the operational, from the store to the competing channels of distribution as sales are aggregated over products to brands to categories and to the company overall. Aggregated forecasting that supports strategic decisions is discussed on three levels: the aggregate retail sales in a market, in a chain, and in a store. Product level forecasts usually relate to operational decisions where the hierarchy of sales data across time, product and the supply chain is examined. Various characteristics and the influential factors which affect product level retail sales are discussed. The data rich environment at lower product hierarchies makes data pooling an often appropriate strategy to improve forecasts, but success depends on the data characteristics and common factors influencing sales and potential demand. Marketing mix and promotions pose an important challenge, both to the researcher and the practicing forecaster. Online review information too adds further complexity so that forecasters potentially face a dimensionality problem of too many variables and too little data. The paper goes on to examine evidence on the alternative methods used to forecast product sales and their comparative forecasting accuracy. Many of the complex methods proposed have provided very little evidence to convince as to their value, which poses further research questions. In contrast, some ambitious econometric methods have been shown to outperform all the simpler alternatives including those used in practice. New product forecasting methods are examined separately where limited evidence is available as to how effective the various approaches are. The paper concludes with some evidence describing company forecasting practice, offering conclusions as to the research gaps but also the barriers to improved practice. Keywords; retail forecasting; product hierarchies; big data; marketing analytics; user-generated web content; new products; comparative accuracy; forecasting practice.


The Boise Basin Experimental Forest was established in 1933 to study ponderosa pine. It consists of 3,537 ha with elevations ranging from 1,200 to 3,630 m. Boise Basin is divided into three units surrounding Idaho City in southern Idaho. Idaho City was a booming mining town in the 1870s and the surrounding forests supplied material to the community. Two units were heavily affected by mining activities and the majority of trees in them now are the results of post-mining regeneration. The third unit, on steeper slopes, has many undisturbed areas (containing large areas of ponderosa pine), including a Research Natural Area.


Spatio-temporal representational learning has been widely adopted in various fields such as action recognition, video object segmentation, and action anticipation. Previous spatio-temporal representational learning approaches primarily employ ConvNets or sequential models,e.g., LSTM, to learn the intra-frame and inter-frame features. Recently, Transformer models have successfully dominated the study of natural language processing (NLP), image classification, etc. However, the pure-Transformer based spatio-temporal learning can be prohibitively costly on memory and computation to extract fine-grained features from a tiny patch. To tackle the training difficulty and enhance the spatio-temporal learning, we construct a shifted chunk Transformer with pure self-attention blocks. Leveraging the recent efficient Transformer design in NLP, this shifted chunk Transformer can learn hierarchical spatio-temporal features from a local tiny patch to a global video clip. Our shifted self-attention can also effectively model complicated inter-frame variances. Furthermore, we build a clip encoder based on Transformer to model long-term temporal dependencies. We conduct thorough ablation studies to validate each component and hyper-parameters in our shifted chunk Transformer, and it outperforms previous state-of-the-art approaches on Kinetics-400, Kinetics-600, UCF101, and HMDB51.


Radio Tomographic Imaging (RTI) is a form of Device Free Passive Localization (DFPL) that utilizes the Received Signal Strength (RSS) values from a collection of wireless transceivers to produce an image in order to localize a subject within a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). Radio Mapping is another form of DFPL that can utilize the same RSS values from a WSN to localize a subject by comparing recent values to a set of calibration data. RTI and Radio Mapping have never been directly compared to one another as a means of localization within a WSN. The goal of this research is to compare using TelosB mote devices these approaches in a side-by-side manner. A real world WSN was constructed and both RTI and Radio Mapping methodologies were applied to identical data sets with the results compared and discussed. Initial results show that both methodologies have inherent advantages and disadvantages respective to one another; Radio Mapping performs significantly better in WSNs with a low number of transceivers being 100% accurate within the bounds of this experimentation, while RTI has significantly more simple calibration procedures.


Stable, higher income democracies often have both a strong middle class and relatively low levels of inequality. In contrast, lower and middle income countries with highly unequal patterns of income distribution and stratified social structures often have a weak middle class, more social conflict and a tendency to populist and/or authoritarian politics. This paper investigates, for a sample of more than 120 countries, some empirical correlations between the size of the middle class and the following set of variables: the level (mean); of per capita income and wealth, the degree of inequality (Gini coefficients); of per capita income and wealth, the level and composition of public expenditure, the share of small and medium size enterprises in employment and output and an indicator of democracy. Our results show that in high income economies the relative size of the middle class (using a broad definition of deciles 3 to 9); is near 6 percentage points higher than the share of the middle class in low income countries, suggesting a positive relationship between the level of economic development measured by per capita income levels and the share of the middle class. However, the relationship between the share in income of the middle class and the level of per capital income is non-linear and shows more dispersion for low and middle income countries with per capita income below US$ 10,000 than for rich economies. We found weak correlations between the share of the middle class and the level of public spending and the relative size of the small and medium size enterprises (measured both as shares of total employment and total output);. When we correlate an index of democracy and the middle class shares we find little or no correlation between both variables except for the group of high-income economies.


Research shows that physical activity (PA) -related professionals perpetuate weight stigma and discrimination in their practices by holding antifat attitudes. Given the adverse outcomes associated with weight stigma and discrimination (including PA avoidance), researchers and fat activists have proposed and implemented a range of strategies to reduce weight stigma and cultivate inclusive PA settings. In this paper, we summarized and organized research-informed strategies for reducing weight stigma and creating weight-inclusive climates in fitness spaces. We adopted a socioecological model to organize a variety of strategies for improving weight inclusivity in fitness spaces at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and structural levels. Ranging from staff training to adjusting the physical space, the strategies proposed in this paper aim at dismantling limited and harmful weight-centric narratives and practices that keep fat individuals marginalized from PA settings.


The world of work is changing. Increased globalization, greater workforce diversity (at least in North America), and the need to apply a wide variety of skills to increasingly complex jobs has resulted in flatter organizational structures and an increased use of work groups and teams that are demographically and functionally diverse. Fortunately, diverse teams are more creative and perform better than homogeneous teams—right? After all, it's intuitively obvious that diverse teams can exploit a variety of perspectives and skills. On the other hand, it's also obvious that birds of a feather flock together for a reason: They get along well. Might conflict and miscommunication cause diverse teams—containing birds of different feathers—to perform poorly? Elizabeth Mannix and Margaret A. Neale have reviewed the research on team diversity and have found support for both the positive and the negative effects. They conclude that there are ''no consistent main effects for diversity.'' Instead, they explore the conditions under which diversity affects performance and the reasons for those effects. Some significant conditions may be under the control of managers and team leaders; Mannix and Neale advise them how to exploit the advantages and avoid the disadvantages of diverse teams. Which effects are observed in research may depend on how diversity is defined, because different operational definitions stimulate and draw attention to different psychological processes. Diversity is sometimes operationalized in terms of factors or types, either dichotomous (e.g., visible vs. nonvisible) or multifaceted (e.g., race, gender, age, etc.). A second approach focuses on the proportions of minorityand majority-group members, ignoring the factors underlying the division. An integrative approach looks at group faultlines, which are determined by the consistency of majority–minority splits across multiple factors. Mannix and Neale prefer the multifaceted approach and define diversity as ''any attribute that another person may use to detect individual differences.'' The importance of perspective in this definition is consistent with their emphasis on the psychological processes that must underlie any effect of team diversity on performance. The theoretical arguments for the advantages and disadvantages of diversity in teams mirror the intuitive arguments expressed above. The optimistic view focuses on diverse teams' access to a variety of resources that, if properly exploited, should enhance performance. This work tends to look at functional diversity, which serves as a proxy for diversity in knowledge, skills, information, and expertise. Information processing provides the theoretical basis. The pessimistic view concentrates on affective problems, as predicted by the similarity–attraction paradigm (birds of a feather really do flock together) and by social-categorization and social-identity theories (with the resulting distinction between in-group and out-group). This work typically defines diversity in terms of tenure and social categories such as race and sex. As one might expect from these incompatible theoretical perspectives and predictions, results are complex and inconsistent. Some types of diversity (e.g., race, gender, and age) are more likely to have negative effects, whereas other types of diversity (e.g., functional background, personality) are more likely to have positive effects, at least when the group process is controlled. So where does this leave the manager? Should she create diverse teams or homogeneous ones? And what can she do to maximize performance of these teams? Mannix and Neale offer three suggestions. First, diverse teams are likely to be especially appropriate for tasks involving innovation and exploration of new opportunities, whereas homogeneous teams are better for exploitation and implementation of what is already known. Second, special efforts must be made to reduce process problems in diverse teams. Mannix and Neale stress the value of helping the team develop a superordinate identity. Third, steps should be taken to ensure that minority opinions are heard. A broader point is that organizational leaders should develop open organizational cultures that encourage and reward learning and change. Team leaders play a key role in implementing such cultures or at least creating them within the team. Mannix and Neale have done a fine job of summarizing what is known about the performance of diverse teams and suggesting PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST


Turbulence affects molecular mixing in a large variety of physical processes both in the environment, in astrophysics and in industrial situations. In some events it is interesting to enhance the transport of mass, heat, humidity and pollutants, while sometimes it is interesting to reduce mixing. Here we analyse some turbulent descriptors which reflect the mixing processes in the compressible induced instabilities that take place in shocks, such as Richtmyer-Meshkov and Rayleigh-Taylor (RM and RT). We present results related to both instabilities and discuss their spatial and temporal variability during the advance of a mixing front, and also their relationships with other scaling arguments. Two types of experiments were used in this study: Mixing generated by gravitational acceleration in low Atwood number incompressible experiments using fluids; and the full compressible shocktube experiments using interfaces between different density gases. The role of local turbulence has mostly relied on advanced visualization measurements through multifractal methods. Comparisons with numerical experiments of shock driven fronts occurring at density interfaces are also relevant. The global advance of the fronts is also measured and fractal descriptors are calculated in both Large Eddy Simulation (LES) and Kinematic Simulation KS models.