Zebrafish are a genetically tractable vertebrate that hold considerable promise for elucidating the molecular basis of behavior. Although numerous recent advances have been made in the ability to precisely manipulate the zebrafish genome, much less is known about many aspects learning and memory in adult fish. Here, we develop a contextual fear conditioning paradigm using an electric shock as the aversive stimulus. We find that contextual fear conditioning is modulated by shock intensity, prevented by inhibition of (N-methyl-D-aspartate) NMDA receptors, lasts at least 14 days, and exhibits extinction. Furthermore, fish of various background strains (AB, Tu, and TL) are able to acquire fear conditioning, but differ in fear extinction rates. Taken together, we find that contextual fear conditioning in zebrafish shares many similarities with the widely used contextual fear conditioning paradigm in rodents. Combined with the amenability of genetic manipulation in zebrafish, we anticipate that our paradigm will prove to be a useful complementary system in which to examine the molecular basis of vertebrate learning and memory.


We study the effect of norm based regularization on the size of coresets for regression problems. Specifically, given a matrix $ \mathbf{A} \in {\mathbb{R}}^{n \times d}$ with $n\gg d$ and a vector $\mathbf{b} \in \mathbb{R} ^ n $ and $\lambda > 0$, we analyze the size of coresets for regularized versions of regression of the form $\|\mathbf{Ax}-\mathbf{b}\|_p^r + \lambda\|{\mathbf{x}}\|_q^s$ . Prior work has shown that for ridge regression (where $p,q,r,s=2$) we can obtain a coreset that is smaller than the coreset for the unregularized counterpart i.e. least squares regression (Avron et al). We show that when $r \neq s$, no coreset for regularized regression can have size smaller than the optimal coreset of the unregularized version. The well known lasso problem falls under this category and hence does not allow a coreset smaller than the one for least squares regression. We propose a modified version of the lasso problem and obtain for it a coreset of size smaller than the least square regression. We empirically show that the modified version of lasso also induces sparsity in solution, similar to the original lasso. We also obtain smaller coresets for $\ell_p$ regression with $\ell_p$ regularization. We extend our methods to multi response regularized regression. Finally, we empirically demonstrate the coreset performance for the modified lasso and the $\ell_1$ regression with $\ell_1$ regularization.


The Internet of Things (IoT) is playing an important role in different aspects of our lives. Smart grids, smart cars, and medical devices all incorporate IoT devices as key components. The ubiquity and criticality of these devices make them an attractive target for attackers. Therefore, we need techniques to analyze their security so that we can address their potential vulnerabilities. IoT devices, unlike remote servers, are user-facing and, therefore, an attacker may interact with them more extensively, e.g., via physical access. Existing techniques for analyzing security of IoT devices either rely on a pre-defined set of attacks and, therefore, have limited effect or do not consider the specific capabilities the attackers have against IoT devices. Security analysis techniques may operate at the design-level, leveraging abstraction to avoid state-space explosion, or at the code-level for ensuring accuracy. In this article, we introduce two techniques, one at the design-level, and the other at the code-level, to analyze security of IoT devices, and compare their effectiveness. The former technique uses model checking, while the latter uses symbolic execution, to find attacks based on the attacker's capabilities. We evaluate our techniques on an open source smart meter. We find that our code-level analysis technique is able to find three times more attacks and complete the analysis in half the time, compared to the design-level analysis technique, with no false positives.


Online marketing is becoming essential for many small businesses. Patients increasingly turn to the internet to seek and connect with service providers. The dental market has gone digital, with leading practices developing a web presence via websites and social media initiatives. This shift has made the internet a more crowded and competitive space for practices. Increasingly dentists and specialists are implementing sophisticated online promotion advertising to fortify their search engine visibility. Specifically we are experiencing a tremendous growth in online PPC advertising.


The influence of ground level temperature and humidity on the intensity and spectral distribution of the thermal radiation reaching ground level from the clear sky has been investigated in the spectral region between 4μ and 15μ. The influence of the thickness of the emitting layer or atmospheric path viewed by the detector has also been studied by making measurements of the sky radiation from various zenith distances. Empirical relationships between the intensity of the atmospheric emission spectrum in various spectral intervals and the ground-level conditions of temperature and humidity are developed and presented in graphical form.


Aerating hydroturbines have recently been proposed as an effective way to mitigate the problem of low dissolved oxygen in the discharge of hydroelectric power plants. The design of such a hydroturbine requires a precise understanding of the dependence of the generated bubble size distribution upon the operating conditions (viz. liquid velocity, air ventilation rate, hydrofoil configuration, etc.) and the consequent rise in dissolved oxygen in the downstream water. The purpose of the current research is to investigate the effect of location of air injection on the resulting bubble size distribution, thus leading to a quantitative analysis of aeration statistics and capabilities for two turbine blade hydrofoil designs. The two blade designs differed in their location of air injection. Extensive sets of experiments were conducted by varying the liquid velocity, aeration rate and the hydrofoil angle of attack, to characterize the resulting bubble size distribution. Using a shadow imaging technique to capture the bubble images in the wake and an in-house developed image analysis algorithm, it was found that the hydrofoil with leading edge ventilation produced smaller size bubbles as compared to the hydrofoil being ventilated at the trailing edge.


This paper presents a multicriteria analysis approach for evaluating knowledge management (KM) effectiveness in the university's administration. A framework is presented for identifying important properties to be considered in the KM evaluation process. A fuzzy multicriteria analysis algorithm is developed for evaluating KM effectiveness in the university's administration. As a result, the KM effectiveness can be properly assessed in a simple manner and effective decisions can be made for improving the KM implementation in the university. An example is presented for demonstrating the applicability of the proposed multicriteria analysis approach for effectively addressing the KM problem in real world settings.


Etk/Bmx, a member of the Tec family of tyrosine kinases, mediates various signaling pathways and confers several cellular functions. In the present study, we have explored the functional role of Etk in mediating EGF-induced apoptosis, using MDA-MB-468 cell line as a model. We first demonstrated that EGF-treatment induces Etk tyrosine phosphorylation in both HeLa and MDA-MB-468 cells. Overexpression of Etk by recombinant adenovirus in MDAMB-468 cells potentiates the extent of EGF-induced cell apoptosis. The observed Etk-enhanced MDA-MB-468 cell apoptosis is associated with the Stat1 activation, as demonstrated by electrophoresis mobility shift assays and reporter gene assays. By contrast, a kinase domain deletion mutant E∆K, functioning as a dominant negative mutant, ameliorates EGF-induced Stat1 activation and apoptosis in MDA-MB-468 cells. To explore whether the activated Etk alone is sufficient for inducing apoptosis, a conditionally activated Etk (∆Etk-ER), a chimeric fusion protein of PH domain-truncated Etk and ligand binding domain of estrogen receptor, was introduced into MDA-MB-468 cells. Upon β-estradiol ligand activation, the ∆Etk-ER could stimulate Stat1 activity and confer cell apoptosis independent of EGF-treatment. Taken together, our findings indicate that Etk is a downstream signaling molecule of EGF receptor and suggest that Etk activation is essential for transducing the EGF-induced apoptotic signaling.


We focus on assessing RES- and energy-efficiency promoting policy mixes for Russia from multicriteria perspective with emphasis on GHG emission reduction. We start from two surveys: the first one studies country's energy saving and RES potential to determine possible range of outcomes for policy mixes in question; the second one reviews corpus of relevant official documents to formulate policy alternatives, which the policymakers are facing. Our findings are then blended with forecasts of government and international agencies to obtain three scenarios, describing possible joint paths of development for Russian energy sector in the context of demographic, economic and climatic trends, as well as regulatory impact from three policy portfolios, for period from 2010 (baseline year) till 2050. Scenarios are modeled in Long-Range Energy Alternatives Planning (LEAP) environment, and the output in the form of GHG emissions projections for 2010-2050 is obtained. We then assess three policy portfolios with multi-criteria climate change policies evaluation method AMS. Our analysis suggests that optimistic scenario is most environmentally friendly, pessimistic one is easier to implement, and business-as-usual balances interests of all stakeholders in charge. This might be interpreted as an evidence of lack of governmental regulation and motivation to intervene in energy sector to make it greener and more sustainable.


The article provides an overview of the recent ECJ case law concerning free movement of persons under the EEC-Turkey Association Agreement (Ankara Agreement) in the following four areas: admission to a Member State; the right to residence in a Member State; the right to equal treatment; and expulsion from the territory of a Member State. To place the legal regime created by the Ankara Acquis (comprising the Ankara Agreement, its Additional Protocol, Association Council Decisions and the ECJ case law) in the wider legal context of Community law, rights enjoyed by Turkish nationals in these areas are compared to the rights enjoyed by other third-country nationals as well as Union citizens, especially in relation to free movement of workers, conditions of work, education, social security and protection against expulsion. Tum and Dari and Soysal, the most recent and interesting cases generated around the "standstill clause" of the Additional Protocol, are analysed in detail in the first part of the article. The wider implications of these judgments on the visa policies of various Member States, as well as the potential of future developments in the area of freedom of establishment and freedom to provide services under the Ankara Agreement are also examined.


Ion-ion interactions are a crucial but often overlooked aspect of many polymerization reactions. The precise nature of cation-anion binding is as yet poorly understood, and little is known of the extent of ionic interactions in the typically nonaqueous, low-polarity reaction media of most polymerizations. Nevertheless, adequate control of cation-anion interactions can greatly enhance the productivity and efficiency of chemical processes and can provide low-energy alternatives to current methods. This is illustrated here with the carbocationic polymerization of isoalkenes. Carbocationic polymerizations involve, as the name implies, carbocations as propagating species. Of the various types of substrates that can be polymerized cationically, the copolymerization of isobutene to isobutene-isoprene rubber stands out as the only large-scale, industrially important implementation of this reaction type. The products, elastomers with controlled degrees of unsaturation for subsequent cross-linking, have excellent gas barrier and mechanical dampening properties that make them indispensable components in polymer composites. For such applications, the polymer molecular weight has to be high, ∼5 × 10(5) g/mol, with 1-2 mol % isoprene. Cationic polymerizations are however notoriously difficult to control. As a means of suppressing chain transfer, the process is carried out at temperatures as low as -100 °C, with aluminum chloride initiators in chloromethane. Current industrial production of isobutene-isoprene butyl rubber is thus highly energy intensive and produces aluminum and chloride effluent. This Account summarizes how highly electrophilic organometallics coupled with new types of very weakly coordinating counteranions can provide the basis for a more environmentally friendly, lower energy alternative. Because any copolymerization of two monomers, here primarily isobutene and isoprene, leads to two different propagating species, each of which is characterized by different chain growth and chain termination kinetics, variation of the associated counteranions can give rather unexpected results. With judicious choice of the initiator and the counteranion, new chemistry can be injected into such processes and can open avenues to new families of polymer materials. Mechanistic investigations of the initiation process with zirconocene hydrides illustrate the complexity of this first step. Replacing aluminum with zinc initiators not only provides a nontoxic alternative but also generates a system in which the polymer molecular weight is much less affected by temperature and comonomer concentration, which can lead to a range of products, from oligomeric lubricant precursors to C═C-rich high-molecular-weight elastomers. The key in all these cases is the construction of either preformed or in situ-generated complex anions that are resistant to electrophilic or redox degradation and are capable of stabilizing tightly associated carbocations. Such initiator systems allow much more benign operating temperatures, reduce the need for chlorocarbon solvents, and can operate at concentrations as low as 5 × 10(-5) M. Along the way are provided the first examples of structurally characterized sec-alkyl carbocations and carbocation salts of organometallic zincates.


For five decades Wendell Berry has been a poet of great clarity and purpose. He is an award-winning writer whose imagination is grounded by the pastures of his chosen place and the rooms and porches of his family's home. In Given  his first collection of new poems in ten years now in paperback  the work is as rich and varied as ever before. With his unmistakable voice as the constant, he dexterously maneuvers through a variety of forms and themes  political cautions, love poems, a play in verse, and a long series of  Sabbath Poems" that resulted from Berry's recent Sunday morning walks of meditation and observation.Berry's work is one of devotion to family and community, to the earth and her creatures, to the memories of the past, and the hope of the future. His writing stands alongside the work of William Carlos Williams and Robert Frost as a rigorous American testament.


Abstract: Notwithstanding recent scholarly interest in comparative administrative law, the categories and concepts that structure comparisons and that facilitate communication among different legal systems have not changed much since the late 1800s. They are rooted in confidence in expert bureaucracy to accomplish public purposes and are twofold-administrative organization and judicial review. This outdated view of administrative law has limited the ability of the field to engage with contemporary debates on administrative governance, which instead are deeply skeptical of public administration and are premised on achieving the public good through a plural accountability network of public and private actors. This paper seeks to correct the anachronism by reframing administrative law as a set of rules designed to embed public administration and civil servants in their democratic societies: accountability to elected officials, organized interests, the courts, and the general public. Based on this new paradigm, the paper compares American and European administrative law, with reference to other parts of the world too. It concludes with a number of suggestions for how comparative law can speak to current debates on reforming administrative governance.


This book focuses on studies related to cochlear implants (and to a lesser extent auditory brainstem implants) performed at the Research Triangle Institute over two decades. By doing so, it provides the reader with an insight into how this field has evolved, culminating in the modern cochlear implant (CI). Four major lines of investigation are followed: design and evaluation of novel processing strategies; electrical stimulation on both sides with CIs; combined electric and acoustic stimulation of the auditory system; and representations of temporal information with CIs. What strikes me about this book is that it reads like a compilation of reports or publications, rather than a standard textbook that aims to give an overview of CIs. Indeed, there are a lot of unpublished data that may be of interest to certain readers. A detailed analysis of each subject and processor type is presented very clearly, using various figures. The in-depth explanation of the various processing strategies is really pitched at readers who are wellversed in this subject (not so much ENT surgeons making their first foray into this area). A summary at the end of chapters is a rarity rather than the norm, which is a shame. This book beautifully distils the experience at the Research Triangle Institute. I do not feel it is a starter text for someone wishing to learn about CIs. Priced at over £100, you would need a strong reason to buy this book over other, cheaper alternatives.


The development of optimal XY θz flexure mechanisms, which can deliver high precision motion about the z-axis, and along the x- and y-axes is highly desirable for a wide range of micro/nano-positioning tasks pertaining to biomedical research, microscopy technologies and various industrial applications. Although maximizing the stiffness ratios is a very critical design requirement, the achievable translational and rotational stiffness ratios of existing XY θz flexure mechanisms are still restricted between 0.5 and 130. As a result, these XY θz flexure mechanisms are unable to fully optimize their workspace and capabilities to reject disturbances. Here, we present an optimal XY θz flexure mechanism, which is designed to have maximum stiffness ratios. Based on finite element analysis (FEA), it has translational stiffness ratio of 248, rotational stiffness ratio of 238 and a large workspace of 2.50 mm × 2.50 mm × 10°. Despite having such a large workspace, FEA also predicts that the proposed mechanism can still achieve a high bandwidth of 70 Hz. In comparison, the bandwidth of similar existing flexure mechanisms that can deflect more than 0.5 mm or 0.5° is typically less than 45 Hz. Hence, the high stiffness ratios of the proposed mechanism are achieved without compromising its dynamic performance. Preliminary experimental results pertaining to the mechanism's translational actuating stiffness and bandwidth were in agreement with the FEA predictions as the deviation was within 10%. In conclusion, the proposed flexure mechanism exhibits superior performance and can be used across a wide range of applications.


This thesis is situated at the intersection of copyright legislation and literary critical theory on the issue of authorship of written work. Partly as a result of the solitary nature of the writing profession, there exists limited information on the relationship between Australian authors, publishers and copyright issues. Whilst there are numerous texts dealing with the history, justification and application of copyright law, there has been very little research on how authors view this legislation and how they are impacted by copyright issues. Australian copyright research has generally been limited to specific legal issues and Government commissioned reports in relation to economic issues. In this thesis, data has been drawn together from a range of primary sources, namely authors from each Australian State and Territory, small and large publishers and specialist academics, as well as secondary data analysis of legislation, case law, author contracts and the vast body of literature in this field. The findings are primarily based on responses obtained from 156 published Australian authors in a national online survey and 20 in-depth semi-structured interviews with authors and publishers, which provide a 'grass roots' based insight into the research topics. In gathering and interpreting the views, opinions and impressions of those most affected by copyright, copyright structures and the changing publishing industry and considering these against a backdrop of existing legislation, policy and theory, this research has ventured into new ground in Australian copyright research. Significantly, the research aims to provide a snapshot of this purposive sample of Australian authors' perspectives on copyright issues at a pivotal point in history when authors find themselves between the old and the new, grappling with the realities of traditional expectations and digital advances in publishing. Furthermore, it sets out to position the Australian author in the changing and expanding literary public sphere within which they find themselves. Admittedly, copyright law has been constantly evolving in response to economic demands, in an attempt to balance utilitarian principles with the changing times and technological advances. However, unprecedented advances in technology have challenged legislature globally and are having a disruptive effect on traditional publishing models and the copyright provisions that underpin them. It is in this unchartered terrain that both authors and publishers find themselves, with the legislature adopting a reactive position, trying to deal with copyright infringement problems as they present themselves on the one hand, and accommodating public demand for access to creative works on the other. This research focuses on the challenges presented by such a transitional environment from Australian authors' perspective and considers how the development of a digital publishing arena has impacted on authors' copyright expectations.


The experimental analysis of single-molecule biomechanical interactions frequently involves sequentially repeated measurements that are used to obtain a sufficiently large amount of data. The validity of this approach depends on the assumption that such sequential measurements are identical and independent of each other, an assumption Zarnitsyna et al. tested using a micropipette adhesion frequency assay. Cells expressing a particular ligand were held in a micropipette, and their adhesion (or lack thereof) to a second cell expressing the cognate receptor was repeatedly determined after an identical period of contact. Analyses of different receptor-ligand pairs revealed three distinct behaviors. The interaction between lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was consistent with the assumption of independent and identical measurements. In contrast, interactions between the T cell receptor (TCR) and an antigen peptide bound to a major histocompatibility complex (pMHC) or between C-cadherins appeared to show molecular "memory." Thus, adhesion between a TCR-pMHC pair in one test increased the probability of adhesion in the next test, whereas adhesion between C-cadherins in one test decreased the likelihood that they would adhere in the next. Thus, the authors propose that receptor-ligand interactions involved in mediating cell adhesion show molecular memory, likely mediated through responses triggered by receptor engagement. V. I. Zarnitsyna, J. Huang, F. Zhang, Y.-H. Chien, D. Leckband, C. Zhu, Memory in receptor-ligand-mediated cell adhesion. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 104, 18037-18042 (2007). [Abstract] [Full Text]


The Philippines has made considerable progress in attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). However, achieving all the targets remains a daunting challenge, with goals for poverty, education, and maternal mortality unlikely to be attained by 2015. Focus has now shifted to informing the post-2015 development agenda, based on future scenarios for the macroeconomy and the MDGs. In this study, such assessment is done using an integrated macro-micro modelling approach, using the Maquette for MDG Simulation (MAMS), calibrated to Philippine data, over the period 2009-2025. Findings for the scenario analysis are as follows: In the Base or business-as-usual scenario, MDG targets for household water and sanitation, as well as child health, will be met (or approximated) by 2015. However, those for education and maternal health will be attained in 2025 and 2021, respectively. The goal for poverty will not be achieved even by 2025. The national debt follows a downward trajectory over the simulation period. Meanwhile in the alternative scenarios, significantly higher outlays for primary education, health, and infrastructure (equivalent to 2% of GDP) lead to earlier attainment of the education and maternal health goals (2019 and 2016, respectively); likewise significant gains will be realized in terms of per capita income and poverty reduction by 2025. Tax financing of higher outlays maintains the debt reduction path in the Base; however, financing through increased borrowing from abroad leads to persistent escalation of foreign debt. Hence, government should be cautious about proposals for dramatic increases in social spending and infrastructure to more quickly close development gaps, unless it is able to accompany increases in spending with commensurate tax effort.


This paper examines the preferred-habitat theory under time-varying risk aversion. The predicted positive relation between the term spread and relative supply of longer-term debt is stronger when risk aversion is high. To capture this effect, a time-varying coefficient model is introduced and applied to German bond data. The results support the theoretical predictions and indicate substantial time variation: under high risk aversion, yield spreads react about three times more strongly than when risk aversion is low. The accumulated response of term spreads to a one standard deviation change in debt supply ranges between 5 and 33 basis points.


This thesis comprises three essays on international finance, focusing on international capital flows, foreign exchange market and official foreign exchange intervention. The first chapter assesses the relative contribution of common (push) and country specific (pull) factors to the variation of bond and equity flows from the US to 55 other countries. Using a Bayesian dynamic latent factor model, we find that more than 80% of the variation in bond and equity flows is due to push factors from the US to other countries. Hence global economic forces seem to prevail over domestic economic forces in explaining movements in international portfolio flows. The dynamics of push and pull factors can be partially explained by US and foreign macroeconomic indicators respectively.

The second chapter presents new evidence on the microstructure of exchange rates in emerging markets. Using a novel dataset that records all spot US dollar transactions in the Chilean foreign exchange intraday market over 4 weeks in 2008 and 6 weeks in 2009, we investigate the relationship between exchange rates and order flows. We find supporting evidence that the contemporaneous relationship between exchange rates and order flows is time-varying. In this market, interbank order flow only accounts for a small portion of the exchange rate impact of total order flow, and the central bank orders influence private order flow behaviour. Compared to advanced economies, cointegration tests and long run relationship estimations between exchange rate and order flow indicate slow reversion from long run trend deviations.

In the third chapter, we examine the intraday effects and success rates of official intervention in the Chilean foreign exchange market. The impact of official intervention on exchange rate daily returns has been widely revised in the literature, confirming in many cases the signalling channel for the transmission of the intervention effects. Our investigation at a higher frequency indicates that microstructure channels also work for the Chilean case. Specifically, the central bank's order flow directly affects the exchange rate returns contemporaneously and within a 2 hours range around the intervention event. In addition, actual interventions affect the price impact of private order flows, and are successful at moderating its trend.


This paper presents the first fully integrated analysis of multimodal news frames. A standardized content analysis of text and images in newspaper articles from Brazil, Germany, India, South Africa, and the United States covering the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conferences 2010–2013 was conducted using a subset of photo-illustrated articles (n = 432) as well as the entire conference coverage (n = 1,311). In the photo-illustrated articles, four overarching multimodal frames were identified: global warming victims, civil society demands, political negotiations, and sustainable energy frames. The distribution of these global frames across the five countries is relatively similar, and a comparison of frames emerging from the national subsets also reveals a strong element of cross-national frame convergence. This is explained by the news production context at global staged political events, which features uniform media access rules and similar information supplies, as well as strong interaction between journalists from different countries and between journalists and other actors. Event-related frame convergence across vastly different contexts is interpreted as one mechanism by which truly transnational media debate can be facilitated that can potentially serve to legitimize global political decisions. In conclusion, perspectives for future qualitative and quantitative multimodal framing research are discussed.


Leading research is converging on the finding that citizens from immigrant-receiving nations strongly prefer the entry of high-skilled to low-skilled immigrants. Prior studies have largely interpreted this "skill premium" as deriving from sociotropic economic considerations. We argue that a purely economic conceptualization offers an incomplete understanding of the processes generating the skill premium, as it overlooks the role of prejudice as a factor undergirding citizens' preferences. We contend that the skill premium is a manifestation of prejudice inasmuch as it constitutes a preference for those atypical of the existing immigrant population. Through reanalysis of data from published work, as well as through original survey experiments, we demonstrate that a purely economic interpretation of the skill premium fails a range of critical tests. Our findings suggest that rather than solely representing a race-neutral preference for skilled immigrants, the skill premium partly represents a preference against disliked prevalent immigrants.


In the contemporary discussion of philosophy of mind a major issue is the relationship of folk psychology and scientific explanations of human behaviour. Ontologically folk psychology presupposes the existence of enduring subjects which are the bearers of intentional states. Propositional attitudes presuppose acting and thinking subjects which remain the same during time. Most contemporary naturalists deny that in the world conceived from a scientific point of view there can be proper physical correlates for enduring subjects as assumed in folk psychology. The entire folk psychological system and its ontology seem to be incompatible with scientific knowledge. According to Quitterer, however, an analysis of contemporary naturalistic literature in philosophy of mind creates the impression that enduring entities are excluded from the list of possible physical correlates of mental phenomena not so much on scientific grounds but because of a one-sided preference of event ontological accounts. This preference leads to the exclusion of "endurers" from a scientific approach to the human person. Quitterer shows that there are scientific findings about human consciousness and experience which can be interpreted more adequately from the point of view of an ontology of continuants. He concludes that an adequate understanding of the human person needs both—events and continuants. Hence, there are ways to reconcile folk psychological assumptions with current scientific knowledge.


The Bolognese Monte del matrimonio addressed the difficult problem of giving girls with moderate means a chance to marry, thus saving the honor of their families, not merely by charitable benevolence but by active planning. Mixing credit and piety, the Monte was designed in an innovative fashion and differed substantially from other similar institutions. Unlike the many dowry funds which dispensed bequests, it was tailored to give the respectable poor an opportunity to invest at interest their own savings. Parents, relatives, and would-be sponsors were invited to plan ahead by opening accounts for daughters and needy girls in order to provide a dowry at a lower cost. The Monte would manage the investment and pay the dowry when the beneficiary would claim it. Working to shore up the endangered pillar of early modern Bolognese society, the family, the Monte contributed substantially to perpetuating a civic tradition of solidarity by updating and forging a solid network of bonds, which in turn helped to reduce, govern, and channel growing social tensions.


It is commonly presumed that the Portuguese oyster Crassostrea angulata was introduced into the North East (NE) Atlantic from Asia. The analysis of the nucleotide sequence of a highly polymorphic non-coding mitochondrial region (major noncoding region - MNR) of C. angulata samples collected in Europe (Portugal), Africa (Morocco) and Asia (Shantou and Taiwan) provided new insight into the introduction of this species into the NE Atlantic. Sixty haplotypes and a nucleotide diversity of 0.0077 were observed in 130 analyzed sequences. Higher nucleotide diversity levels were observed in NE Atlantic sites than in Asian sites and significant genetic differentiation was found between the two. Our results suggest that C. angulata might have been introduced to the NE Atlantic by multiple introductory events, though the exact origins remain unknown since none of the analyzed Asian sites seemed to have been a source of introduction. The nucleotide diversity of C. angulata was higher than that previously reported for Pacific oyster C. gigas in Europe and Asia for the same mitochondrial region. The results obtained in the present study suggest that NE Atlantic C. angulata stocks are a unique genetic resource, which highlights the importance of their conservation.


Abstract This article looks at relations between Iran and India, with a focus on energy, in the past as well as currently. It will examine the state of the energy sector in Iran in light of the US-sponsored sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic and the Iranian threat to close off the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. It will analyse what this portends for Iran's position in the international oil and gas market, and the impact this may have on larger India–Iran relations, given that energy is a core factor in their bilateral ties.


We extend the rigorous eigenmode theory of binary surface-relief gratings to accommodate three-dimensional-modulation profiles, to formulate a synthesis problem for doubly periodic resonance-domain diffractive elements, and to demonstrate some of the problem's symmetry properties. Several solutions for multiple beam splitters with ~90% transmission-mode diffraction efficiency are obtained by nonlinear parametric optimization. The polarization sensitivity and the required fabrication accuracy are analyzed for some solutions.


When molecules move, their nuclei flow. The corresponding quantum observable, i.e., the nuclear flux density, was introduced by Schrödinger in 1926, but until now, it has not been measured. Here the first experimental results are deduced from high-resolution pump-probe measurements of the time-dependent nuclear densities in a vibrating diatomic molecule or molecular ion. The nuclear densities are converted to flux densities by means of the continuity equation. The flux densities are much more sensitive to time-dependent quantum effects than the densities. Applications to the sodium molecule and the deuterium molecular ion unravel four new effects; e.g., at the turns from bond stretch to compression, the flux of the nuclei exhibits multiple changes of directions, from small to large bond lengths, a phenomenon that we call the "quantum accordion."


Farmer hiring of agricultural machinery services is common in South Asia. Informal fee-for-service arrangements have positioned farmers so they can access use of machinery to conduct critical, timesensitive agricultural tasks like land preparation, seeding, irrigation, harvesting and post- harvesting operations. However, both the provision and rental of machinery services are currently dominated by men, and by most measures, it appears that women have comparatively limited roles in this market and may receive fewer benefits. Despite the prevailing perception in rural Bangladesh that women do not participate in agricultural entrepreneurship, women do not necessarily lack a desire to be involved. Using a mixed methods approach involving literature review, secondary data collection, focus groups and key informant interviews, and a telephone survey, we studied the gendered differences in women's and men's involvement in emerging markets for rice and wheat reaper-harvester machinery services in Bangladesh. We find that women benefit from managing and sometimes owning machinery services, as well as from the direct and indirect consequences of hiring such services to harvest their crops. However, a number of technical, economic, and cultural barriers appear to constrain female participation in both reaper service business ownership and in hiring services as a client. In addition, women provided suggestions for how to overcome barriers constraining their entry into rural machinery services as an entrepreneur. Men also reflected on the conditions they would consider supporting women to become business owners. Our findings have implications for addressing social norms in support of women's rural entrepreneurship and technology adoption in South Asia's smallholder dominated rural economies.


Background: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious and life-threatening psychiatric condition. With a paucity of approved treatments, there is a desperate need for novel treatment avenues to be explored. Here, we present (1) an overview of the ways through which Public Patient Involvement (PPI) has informed a trial of psilocybin-assisted therapy for AN and (2) a protocol for a pilot study of psilocybin-assisted therapy in AN currently underway at Imperial College London. The study aims to assess the feasibility, brain mechanisms and preliminary outcomes of treating anorexia nervosa with psilocybin. Methods: (1) PPI: Across two online focus groups, eleven individuals with lived experience of AN were presented with an overview of the protocol. Their feedback not only identified solutions to possible barriers for future participants, but also helped the research team to better understand the concept of "recovery" from the perspective of those with lived experience. (2) Protocol: Twenty female participants [21–65 years old, body mass index (BMI) 15 kg/m2 or above] will receive three oral doses of psilocybin (up to 25 mg) over a 6-week period delivered in a therapeutic environment and enveloped by psychological preparation and integration. We will work with participant support networks (care teams and an identified support person) throughout and there will be an extended remote follow-up period of 12 months. Our two-fold primary outcomes are (1) psychopathology (Eating Disorder Examination) across the 6-month follow-up and (2) readiness and motivation to engage in recovery (Readiness and Motivation Questionnaire) across the 6-week trial period. Neurophysiological outcome measures will be: (1) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain changes from baseline to 6-week endpoint and (2) post-acute changes in electroencephalography (EEG) activity, including an electrophysiological marker of neuronal plasticity. Discussion: The results of this pilot study will not only shed light on the acceptability, brain mechanisms, and impression of the potential efficacy of psilocybin as an adjunct treatment for AN but will be essential in shaping a subsequent Randomised Control Trial (RCT) that would test this treatment against a suitable control condition. Clinical Trial Registration: identifier: NCT04505189.


Founded in 2010 as a platform for image-based sharing among friends, Instagram has evolved into a locus of economic activity due to the emergence of 'Influencer marketing'. Some users monetise their followers by integrating sponsored 'advertorials' into posts. By cultivating a facade of honesty when making product recommendations to their audiences, Influencers leverage their perceived intimacy and relatability into profit. Influencers largely frame their success as merely the result of self-motivated perseverance. However, this framing obscures the offline-capital necessary for emulation. In line with previous research, we propose that Instagram is a highly unequal platform, reproducing or even reinforcing status hierarchies. Our contribution explores the paradoxical nature of the 'Instagram Influencer': they require different forms of capital to succeed but must suggest counterfactually that there is only limited distinction between them and their personal audience. To investigate this paradox, we conducted a mixed-methods empirical investigation in February 2017, relying on user-generated data. Firstly, Instagram posts were compiled (n=14,555) from two hashtags, #sponsored and #sponsoredpost. An initial social network analysis was carried out on this data. Secondly, 50 Influencer accounts were selected based on network centrality. Textual and visual data was collected from each account for in-depth qualitative coding. The data analysis revealed a proliferation of markers of socio-economic elevation, suggestive of the offline-capital necessary to succeed. However, corresponding to the need for Influencers to maintain relatability, there was limited ostensible distinction in the data. Instead, Influencers used language suggestive of intimacy and friendship, sharing their success with their followers.


In this paper, we describe the essential elements of a parallel algorithm for the FDTD method using the MPI (message passing interface) library. To simplify and accelerate the algorithm, an MPI Cartesian 2D topology is used. The inter-process communications are optimized by the use of derived data types. A general approach is also explained for parallelizing the auxiliary tools, such as far-field computation, thin-wire treatment, etc. For PMLs, we have used a new method that makes it unnecessary to split the field components. This considerably simplifies the computer programming, and is compatible with the parallel algorithm.


This paper reviews compliance with the right to health in Colombia following the reform of the Colombian health system in 1993. A case study in the department of Narino shows the differential effects of war on the guarantee of the right to health of Colombians. The poorest, most vulnerable populations are affected by war and suffer the greatest violation of their right to health. Violations of human rights, including the right to health, are greatest among poor homes, ethnic groups, sexual minorities and all those living in areas where war is at its most intense. Moreover, the social security health care system's philosophy and organization have enabled illegal armed agents, mainly the paramilitary, to appropriate and manage health resources and use them for their own ends.


Background: Non Productive Time OT causes potential loss or deferment of revenue for the hospital and internal customer dissatisfaction. The quality tool Lean Six Sigma may help to reduce the non-productive time. Aim: To use elements of a six sigma model to reduce non-productive time in Gastro Intestine Surgery OT. It focuses on the reduction of NPT between Patient In time and Induction Begin time, Induction End time and Incision In time, Patient Out time and OT Readiness Time. Method: In a five phase study using DMAIC (Define. Measure, Analyze, Implement & Control) model, business case, value analysis, brain storming, FMEA (Failure Mode & Effect Analysis), RPN (Risk Priority Number) calculation identified causes and solutions. In six sigma analysis process sigma, target sigma and achieved sigma was calculated. Results: The null hypothesis of no difference in old and new Non Productive Time between Patient In time and Induction Begin time, between Induction End time and Incision and between Patient Out Time and OT Readiness Time was rejected using 2test since the p-value was below 0.05 at 95% confidence level. The process sigma was at 0.91, 0.96 and 0.67 which got improved to 2.55, 2.22 and 3.28 which was better than target Six sigma. Overall bottom line improvement was 4.8CR for the study period by bringing efficiency in the system. Conclusion: The six sigma project in OT resulted in reducing NPTs, helping to take more cases, patient discharge becoming more systematic, and reducing chaos regarding scheduling OT cases.


National security refers to securing a nation's citizens, territory, resources, assets, ideologies, institutions, and interests against threats which may emanate from changing geopolitical state of affairs, changing relations between nations, groups, races, sects, advancing technology and changing ideology. In the prevailing complex geopolitical scenario, India's national security is facing new challenges and acquiring new dimensions with every passing year. India's security canvas needs to take into account the geopolitical and geo-economic manoeuvring, changing global equations, India's crucial centralised location in the Indian Ocean region, increasing capabilities of hostile neighbours, religious radicalisation, both internally and globally, and rapidly increasing role of high-end technology, among many others. India's National Security: Annual Review 2018 is the seventeenth edition in the series of annual security reviews edited by Professor Satish Kumar, published under the aegis of Foundation for National Security Research, New Delhi. The book focuses on India's national security in the current geopolitical environment and covers the events of 2016 and 2017. It presents an analysis of various internal and external facets of India's security by a variety of contributors and is helmed by the editor, an eminent academic and currently Director, Foundation for National Security Research.


The purpose of this study was to explore instructors' perspectives on the effect of using pen-based technology in the online mathematics courses and understand instructors' experiences in online mathematics teaching with pen-based technology. In this study, two instructors who taught online mathematics courses in fourteen weeks used digital pen as a pen-based technology. The data were obtained from semi-structured interviews and observation of online mathematics course records. The findings indicated that the use of digital pen in the online mathematics course was fairly beneficial in pedagogical and interaction aspects and it was necessary to use digital pen in online mathematics courses for displaying steps of problem solving process synchronously. It was concluded from the study that digital pen technology plays a positive role in the enhancement of interaction between the elements of an online learning environment by providing real-time feedback to students and permitting to digitize mathematical concepts. The observation findings also supported the statements of the instructors. The findings of the study have further provided some insight into how to use digital pen by an instructor in online mathematics course efficiently.


The log-normal distribution is a popular model in many areas, especially in biostatistics and survival analysis where the data tend to be right skewed. In our research, a total of ten different estimators of log-normal means are compared theoretically. Simulations are done using different values of parameters and sample size. As a result of comparison, ``A degree of freedom adjusted" maximum likelihood estimator and Bayesian estimator under quadratic loss are the best when using the mean square error (MSE) as a criterion. The ten estimators are applied to a real dataset, an environmental study from Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC), Super Fund Site in Rhode Island.


The authors introduce a time-frequency distribution of L. Cohen's (1966) class and examines its properties. This distribution is called exponential distribution (ED) after its exponential kernel function. First, the authors interpret the ED from the spectral-density-estimation point of view. They then show how the exponential kernel controls the cross terms as represented in the generalized ambiguity function domain, and they analyze the ED for two specific types of multicomponent signals: sinusoidal signals and chirp signals. Next, they define the ED for discrete-time signals and the running windowed exponential distribution (RWED), which is computationally efficient. Finally, the authors present numerical examples of the RWED using the synthetically generated signals. It is found that the ED is very effective in diminishing the effects of cross terms while retaining most of the properties which are useful for a time-frequency distribution. >


Prepared by the Civil Engineering Research Foundation. This report identifies key engineering research and construction issues for the 21st century that support sustainable development. The report reflects the findings of a two-phase Delphi survey involving construction industry experts from more than 20 countries and was prepared to provide the technical context for an international research symposium that will be hosted by the Civil Engineering Research Foundation in Washington, D.C., on February 4-8, 1996. The intended audience includes worldwide representatives from government, academia and business involved in engineering and construction research. The report is organized around five focus areas: Management and Business Practices, Design Technology and Practices, Construction and Equipment, Materials and Systems, and Public and Government Policy. A team of international experts from engineering and construction disciplines author the five papers comprising this report. Each paper covers research needs and barriers to implementation of new technologies and practices. The papers explore opportunities for international cooperation, present case studies of successful research efforts and offer preliminary recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of research in their respective areas. The papers are preceded by an introduction that address the conceptual links among the papers within the context of sustainable development.


Sweden provides strong support for childbearing and parenthood, including generously subsidized medical, maternal, and child care, paid parental leave, and child allowances. In this context, attitudes towards parenthood are likely to have a particularly strong impact on the decision about whether and when to have children. We examine the links between first births and holding attitudes about children, not just of positive and negative attitudes, but also of ambivalence, namely those who both value children but also value the things that compete with parenthood for young adults' time and other resources. Our analysis shows, measuring attitudes before the transition to parenthood, that ambivalence about childbearing delays the transition to parenthood, but not nearly as much as holding purely negative attitudes. Further, reporting an ambivalent experience from the first child had no significant effect on further childbearing, which testifies to the strong two-child norm in Sweden.


This thesis is the first study of the crowd psychology of the annual Hajj, or pilgrimage to Mecca (Makkah) in Saudi Arabia, to employ self-categorization theory (SCT). The thesis aims to document and understand the perspective of pilgrims from a social psychological point of view, since no one has done that before, as well as to understand the perceptions of the Hajj management. Specifically, the thesis focuses on crowd perceptions, feelings of safety and the reasons for these feelings, and relations between subgroups in the crowd and between pilgrims and management. A literature review in Chapter two highlights the history and culture of the Hajj and the issues in managing the Hajj. Academic perspectives on crowd psychology are discussed in chapter three. Chapters four and five present respectively a UK pilot study of pilgrims and a field pilot study of pilgrims and management. Chapter six (the main interview study with pilgrims) indicates that despite the inconveniences, participants felt safe, secure and wellbeing inside the Grand Mosque during Hajj. Chapter seven (the main interview study with Hajj management) explores the participants' understanding of crowd behaviour, crowd psychology and its relation to safety, danger and their own role. In Chapter eight (the major study of the thesis), a survey of 1194 pilgrims at the Hajj found that identification with the crowd predicted enjoyment of the crowd. Also, for those high in identification with the crowd, crowd density increased perceptions of safety. Perceived support was found to mediate these positive effects of social identity on feeling safe. Chapter nine critically explores the findings of the thesis and discusses them in relation to relevant literature. It also reflects on the implications of the study for the theory of crowd psychology, and considers what lessons there might be for the management of the Hajj. This chapter concludes the thesis and outlines suggestions for further research.


ABSTRACT Despite the centrality of research concerning both ethics and leadership styles in education administration, our knowledge of the relations between them is limited. The present study closes this gap by investigating the relations of transformational and transactional leadership with multiple ethical paradigms that have been suggested as relevant to solving moral dilemmas in education. Participants self-reported on their leadership behaviors, and the Ethical Perspectives Instrument (EPI) was administered to assess their moral reasoning. Transformational leadership predicted resorting to the ethics of critique and profession, whereas transactional leadership predicted use of the ethics of utilitarianism. The study's findings are discussed.


Circular surface-relief diffraction gratings with a constant pitch were photo-inscribed on thin films of a disperse red 1 functionalized glass-forming compound using a novel holographic technique. Various light-interfering metallic fixtures, which consisted of annular rings with a sloped and polished inner surface, were designed and fabricated. Each of them allowed the inscription of stable and high-quality circular diffraction gratings with pitches ranging from approximately 600-1400 nm and depths up to 250 nm. This was accomplished by exposure to a collimated laser beam with an irradiance of 604  mW/cm2 for 350 s. The resulting gratings had a diameter of 11.4 mm and had the advantage of being produced in a simple single-step procedure with no postprocessing or specialized equipment. The pitch and diameter of these circular gratings were dependent on the fixture geometry, while the depth was related to the exposure time.


The present study investigates how polysemous English words are translated into Norwegian by professional translators and by bilinguals without translating expertise when presented in context versus in isolation. The effects of translating expertise on information intake as well as on the quality of text production are measured experimentally using a new methodological approach developed within the framework of an EYE-to-IT European Research Project approach that integrates keystroke and eye movement data. Specific research questions address the differential creativity of professionals and bilinguals and the development of specific performance enhancing skills by professional translators. Results of the study show that context reduces polysemy, but increases creativity by multiplying reformulation possibilities. The results also show interesting qualitative differences between professional translators and bilinguals.


Even in today's world of multibillion-dollar grant programs, a few researchers fund some of their own work--sometimes out of necessity, sometimes for the pleasure of avoiding the hassles of grantsmanship. Over the past few months, Science has sought out this small fraction of scientists who pay their own way for a glimpse of what life is like outside the traditional granting structure. They are a diverse lot. Some are angry that they are driven to self-funding as a last resort. Others share a giddy enthusiasm for conducting experiments on their own terms and revel in the joy of sidestepping the time-gobbling, logic-defying, dignity-draining grantsmanship process. To a person, they have interesting tales to tell about why they have financed their own research, the freedom it has bought them, and the limitations of this iconoclastic work style.


In externally seeded free-electron lasers (FELs) that rely on a frequency upconversion scheme to generate intense short-wavelength light pulses, the slippage effect in the radiator imposes a lower limit on the FEL pulse duration, which is typically on the order of a few tens of femtoseconds. Recently it was proposed that a combination of a chirped microbunch and a tapered undulator can be used to break this limit. Although the method has the potential to reduce the FEL pulse duration down to a level that cannot be achieved by current state-of-the-art technology, it requires a very short seed pulse (∼ one optical cycle or less), making it challenging to put this concept into practical use. Here, we propose an alternative technique to relax the requirement on the seed pulse length. We show that the modified scheme allows generation of FEL pulses with durations much shorter than that determined by the seed pulse and the slippage effect. The performance of the method, which can easily be implemented at existing seeded FEL user facilities, is evaluated through a campaign of analytical calculations and simulations. For our set of typical seeded FEL parameters, we expect the generation of 1.6 fs long pulses at 26 nm with a peak power of 10 GW using a 20 fs long chirped seed pulse operating at 260 nm.


Protein folding problem (PFP) is a challenge in some areas, such as molecular biology, computational biology, combinatorial optimization, and computer science. This is due to the large number of conformational structures that a protein can take from its primary structure to the native structure (NS). The aim of PFP is to find the NS of a protein target sequence. In general, the NS which has the lowest Gibbs energy or an energy close to it. In this paper, a Simulated Annealing like algorithm is presented, using the Golden Ratio search strategy and evolutionary techniques for PFP in small peptides. This method looks for the NS using only the protein's amino acid sequence, and determines the three-dimensional structure with the minimum energy or a close value of it.


The polarizability of fullerenes may be used in the design of nanostructures with specific properties and behaviour. Recent studies have been reported on the exaltation of polarizability, for which costly quantum-mechanical studies were needed. Here we report the results of Thole's polarizability model that correctly predicts the exaltation effect in a matter of seconds.


SUMMARY Several factors such as insufficient harvesting and handling methods as well as inadequate methods of storage and distribution, poor processing techniques and poor quality of raw materials used in making ready to eat foods may lead to the cumulative causes of food borne illness particularly in developing countries. Public trend in the world nowadays are demanding access to more and more fresh eating products practical but nutritious, safe and preferably processed under non thermal treatments. The new and emerging post harvest technologies in controlling pathogen and maintaining quality of food products is ionizing radiation, because it is applicable for almost all type of foods without impairing the overall quality as well as sensory attributes. The foods either fresh, dried, or ready to eat meals in the packages can be exposed to ionizing radiation for different purposes such as quarantine measures, control of sprouting and germination, shelf-life extension of perishable foods, delaying ripening and aging of fruits and vegetables, destruction of parasites and harmful pathogenic microorganisms. International trade of agricultural commodities opens the possibility of the movement of pests such as insects from country to country. The countries involve in this business have established laws and regulations, including international trade regulation of irradiated foods, in order to minimize the risk and trade barrier. The future of food irradiation is filled with promise although the needs for this technique relates to consumer acceptance. Consumers will grow to appreciate the technology for the lifesaving and good food availability. It should be kept in mind that irradiation is controlling contamination and it does not prevent it. Key words : consumer acceptance, food irradiation, post harvest losses


This paper is concerned with comparing the actual sitting position of drivers of passenger vehicles with the position commonly considered optimal from the viewpoint of active and passive safety, and the long-term effects on the driver's health. The research described herein was conducted on a sample of randomly selected drivers in Czech Republic. All the measurements were conducted in a single, neutral, medium-sized passenger vehicle with which none of the test subjects had any previous experience. For this reason, none of the tested drivers had the advantage of familiarity with the environment. This research came about as an attempt to re-create the common situation wherein a driver adjusts his/her position behind the steering wheel solely on the basis, of intuition. Through a statistical evaluation of the acquired data, it was possible to confirm the initial hypothesis that a substantial portion of tested drivers assume a less than optimal driving position. This fact has a negative effect not only on reducing active and passive safety, but directly impacts upon the health of drivers who cover high annual mileage. The results of this paper can be used when designing cabins and modern interactive systems for passenger vehicles, which will be able to assist the driver in setting the optimal driving position. In this way, it will be possible to directly impact upon traffic safety and positively influence drivers' health.


The Caslon Analytics profile on the Australia Card considers 1980s proposals for a national identification card in Australia. It discusses earlier Australian national registration and ubiquitous personal identification schemes. It also discusses developments since 1987, including the Tax File Number (TFN), HealthConnect and enhanced passports. The profile includes an annotated bibliography of academic, government and industry studies, along with a detailed chronology


Fungi isolated from snap bean roots and rhizosphere soil where fungicides are not used included Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium equiseti, Fusarium subglutinans, Fusarium camptoceras, Fusarium chlamydosporum, Fusarium verticillioides, Fusarium proliferatum, Fusarium acuminatum, Fusarium solani, Peyronellaea pinodella, Macrophomina phaseolina, and Glomerella guttata. Only P. pinodella, M. phaseolina, and F. oxysporum were isolated on symptomatic plants. These soilborne fungi are common pathogens of diverse host plants. Pathogenicity tests under controlled environment demonstrated that these fungi were pathogenic on snap beans. Subsequently, bacterial endophytes isolated from snap bean roots, papaya roots and stems, and dogwood stems were evaluated as potential biological control agents against these diverse fungi. All bacteria isolated, including Bacillus vallismortis (PS), Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (Psl), Bacillus subtilis (Prt), Bacillus thuringiensis (Y and IMC8), Enterobacter sp. (E), Stenotrophomonas sp. (B17A), and Serratia sp. (B17B) suppressed growth of the fungal pathogens in vitro and formed clear inhibition zones in petri dish dual cultures. Growth media taken from the inhibition zones suppressed growth of the fungal pathogens in the absence of the bacterial cells, suggesting that the bacteria released unidentified antagonistic biochemical substances into the media. This study constitutes an initial screening of endophytes as biological control agents against diverse fungal pathogens and forms a basis for the discovery of novel strains that can be further developed and integrated into disease management systems for diverse fungal pathogens. Isolates B. vallismortis (PS), B. amyloliquefaciens (Psl), B. subtilis (Prt), and B. thuringiensis (Y IMC8) exhibited the best performance as potential biological control agents paving the way for larger-scale in vivo studies and characterization of their interactions with fungal pathogens.


The cow rumen is a specialised organ adapted for the efficient breakdown of plant material into energy and nutrients, and it is the rumen microbiome that encodes the enzymes responsible. Many of these enzymes are of huge industrial interest. Despite this, rumen microbes are under-represented in the public databases. Here we present 220 high quality bacterial and archaeal genomes assembled directly from 768 gigabases of rumen metagenomic sequence data. Comparative analysis with current publicly available genomes reveals that the majority of these represent previously unsequenced strains and species of bacteria and archaea. The genomes contain over 13,000 proteins predicted to be involved in carbohydrate metabolism, over 90% of which do not have a good match in the public databases. Inclusion of the 220 genomes presented here improves metagenomic read classification by 2-3-fold, both in our data and in other publicly available rumen datasets. This release improves the coverage of rumen microbes in the public databases, and represents a hugely valuable resource for biomass-degrading enzyme discovery and studies of the rumen microbiome


The concept of self correction and peer correction in foreign language teaching has been an important consideration in the past decades due to the increased attention to learner centered curricula. The researchers have concluded that active engagement happens when the students have to think and correct themselves. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of teacher, self and peer correction on the pronunciation improvement of Iranian EFL learners in oral productions. To do this, 45 participants were selected from among 60 English language learning students by assigning a PET test and they were divided into three groups. Some picture series were given to the participants to make and then tell a story based on the scripts. In the self correction group every participant had to correct her pronunciation errors individually, in the peer correction group the participants in pairs corrected each others' pronunciation errors and for the third group their errors were corrected by the teacher. This process continued for 15 sessions. A pre-test and post-test were administered. The results showed that the pronunciation of the self correction group improved more than the other two groups and peer correction group outperformed the teacher correction group.


OBJECTIVE
To estimate the occurrence of early-onset renal involvement in a nationwide population-based cohort of young adults with diabetes in Sweden and relate the findings to glycemic control, type of diabetes, sex, smoking, and blood pressure.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
The Diabetes Incidence Study in Sweden aims to register all incident cases of diabetes in the age-group 15-34 years. In 1987-1988, 806 patients were reported and invited to participate in a follow-up study focusing on microvascular complications. Of them, 469 subjects participated. The assessment was based on questionnaires (n = 469), blood samples (n = 424), urine samples (n = 251) and, when appropriate, medical records (n = 186).

RESULTS
During the follow-up time, median 9 years (range 6-12), 31 of 469 patients (6.6%) with incipient or overt diabetic nephropathy (i.e., micro- or macroalbuminuria) were found, 24 of 426 (5.6%) in type 1 and 7 of 43 (16%) in type 2 diabetic subjects (P = 0.016). Additionally, 24 of 31 patients (77%) had microalbuminuria and 7 (23%) had macroalbuminuria, which mainly occurred in patients with type 2 diabetes. In a Cox regression analysis, high mean HbA(1c) during the follow-up period and high blood pressure at follow-up increased the risk of developing signs of nephropathy (P = 0.020 and P = 0.003, respectively). Compared with patients with type 1 diabetes, those with type 2 diabetes tended to have an increased risk of renal involvement (P = 0.054) when adjusting for sex, tobacco use, glycemic control, and blood pressure.

CONCLUSIONS
Despite modern treatment and self-monitoring of blood glucose, young adult patients with diabetes may still develop renal involvement during the first 10 years of diabetes duration. Inadequate HbA(1c), high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes appear to be risk markers for early occurrence of diabetic nephropathy.


In this paper, we propose the technological complexity of a product and the level of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) protection to be the co-determinants of the mode through which multinational firms purchase their goods. We study the choice between intra-firm trade and outsourcing given heterogeneity at the product(complexity), firm(productivity) and country(IPRs) level. Our findings suggest that the above three dimensions of heterogeneity are crucial for complex goods, where firms face a trade-off between higher marginal costs in the case of trade with an affiliate and higher imitation risks in the case of sourcing from an independent supplier. We test these predictions by combining data from a French firm-level survey on the mode choice for each transaction with a newly developed complexity measure at the product-level. Our fractional logit estimations confirm the proposition that although firms are generally reluctant to source highly complex goods from outside the firm's boundaries, they do so when a strong IPR regime in the host country guarantees the protection of their technology.


This paper studies the statistical properties of the price, volatility and tick dynamics of the intraday Eurofutures markets by utilizing the transactions and quote data. We build two different types of price series, by position and by contract. The findings indicate numerous sources of intraday and intraweek seasonality. First, volatility tends to decrease towards the maturity date. Second, intraday price changes and tick activity display U-shaped seasonalities with peaks occuring at opening and closing hours. Third, there is evidence of intraweek seasonalities where the level of activity displays a minimum on Monday and a maximum on the last two working days of the weeks. The findings of this paper suggest that a model of volatility for futures markets should correct for the seasonality originating from the maturity effect. In addition, U-shaped intraday seasonalities and intraweek seasonalities should be properly taken into account in the conditional mean and conditional volatility models of futures markets. In addition, the return series exhibit serial correlation which provides evidence for predictability and timing ability. This predictability does not translate itself into net profitability in the short horizons such as three minutes data. However, the net profitability opportunities exist at the lower frequencies such as the thirty minutes horizon after taking trading costs into account.


Summary Proventricular dilatation disease (PDD) is characterised by weight loss, physical weakness, regurgitation and/or neurological signs. PDD is a serious problem for the population of Spix's macaws (Cyanopsitta spixii) at Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation (AWWP), Doha, Qatar. During their annual health checks, radiographs are taken in accordance with the official health programme guidelines for the species. Radiograph image measurements of proventriculus diameter, hourglass waist, liver width and keel height enable calculation of the proventriculus diameter-tokeel height ratio which might be a useful indicator of a birds PDD status. In addition, the change in these values from 2004 to 2007 was evaluated. From the measurements of proventriculus width, we did observe a trend of increased large proventricular diameters in positive birds, lower in birds suspicious for PDD and lowest in birds with no obvious PDD lesions, as diagnosed by crop biopsy. Proventriculus diameter-to-keel height ratio did not differ significantly between positive and non positive birds (classified by crop biopsy), but reflected a similar trend to proventriculus width. Therefore, radiographic proventricular diameter measurements might be a useful initial indicator for carrying out crop biopsies in birds to detect PDD. From January 2007 to September 2007, there was a significant decrease of proventriculus diameter, hourglass waist and liver width that was interpreted as an effect of significant dietary changes instigated in 2005 and further refined in 2007.


Purpose. Supporting Offenders through Restoration Inside (SORI) is a programme that aims to: increase victim empathy in offenders; motivate offenders to change their offending behaviour; and to take personal responsibility for the harm that he has caused. A 5-day course based on the SORI principles has been piloted across seven prison sites in the UK. The aim of the study reported here was to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme across these sites.

Methods. Three psychometric questionnaires [Victim Concerns, Locus of Control, and Stages of Change (SoC) scales] were administered to the participants immediately before and after the programme had taken place (data were available for 131 participants for the Victim Concern Scale, 82 participants for the Locus of Control measure, and 96 participants for the SoC questionnaire). These psychometric measures were the primary research outcome. Statistical analyses were employed to assess whether any changes had been effected by the programme.

Results. The results of this study found that: participants had an enhanced victim concern for all types of victims, were more motivated to change their offending behaviours, and were more willing to take responsibility for their actions, after completion of the course. No change was found in terms of participants seeing themselves as being more in control of their actions/environment.

Conclusions. The results lend support for the notion that the 5-day SORI course is effective in increasing participants' levels of victim concern and motivation to change, while not really impacting upon levels of ownership for one's ownership for one's actions. Suggestions for future research and limitations of the study are discussed in the paper.


Background Apart from the ethical imperatives and improved client outcomes in support of advance care planning, a compelling argument for health care administrators is the containment of escalating health care costs in ageing communities. Advance care planning activity has repeatedly been shown to reduce hospital admissions.1–3 In particular, care toward the end of life is expensive, and advance care planning reduces the use of invasive and expensive hospital treatments during terminal illness. Aim To estimate the impact of advance care planning activity on the number of hospital admissions, occupied bed days, and hospital costs in Adelaide, South Australia. Methods We apply the results of previous research on the impact of advance care planning,1–3 to the number of advance care plans made following implementation of the Respecting Patient Choices (RPC) Program in community and hospital settings in Adelaide, to estimate the number of saved hospital admissions, occupied bed days, and costs. Results Data records began in 2005 during The Queen Elizabeth Hospital RPC pilot. Data collection from community settings began in 2008, and then from other public hospitals in the Central and Northern Adelaide metropolitan area from 2010. A total of 2604 advance care plans were made and the estimated Occupied Bed Days saved was 23 957. The number of admissions to hospitals from the 42 Nursing Homes engaged in advance care planning was estimated to be reduced by 840 over the last 2–3 years. Discussion Several assumptions are used in applying previous research to calculate the estimated hospital savings. The estimates suggest significant savings, which should be of interest to health administrators. Costs and savings will be detailed in the presentation. Further investment and evaluation of the impact of advance care planning is clearly warranted. Conclusion A relative small investment in advance care planning has the potential to reap considerable savings in hospital use, particularly at the end of life.


Abstract. We study the contribution of tropopause folds in the summertime pool of tropospheric ozone over the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East (EMME) with the aid of the ECHAM5/MESSy Atmospheric Chemistry (EMAC) model. Tropopause fold events in EMAC simulations were identified with a 3-D labeling algorithm that detects folds at grid points where multiple crossings of the dynamical tropopause are computed. Subsequently the events featuring the largest horizontal and vertical extent were selected for further study. For the selection of these events we identified a significant contribution of the stratospheric ozone reservoir to the high concentrations of ozone in the middle and lower free troposphere over the EMME. A distinct increase of ozone is found over the EMME in the middle troposphere during summer as a result of the fold activity, shifting towards the southeast and decreasing altitude. We find that the interannual variability of near-surface ozone over the eastern Mediterranean (EM) during summer is related to that of both tropopause folds and ozone in the free troposphere.


How do citizens vote in rural Pakistan, and how much agency do they have in
relation to local landlords, patrons and kinship networks in making electoral
decisions? I explore this question in this dissertation through an empirical
investigation of the voting behaviour of Pakistan's rural majority in its most
populous and politically important province, Punjab, using a mix of qualitative and
quantitative methods and original data on the voting behaviour of about 2300
households in 38 villages.

The results of this dissertation counter the notions that rural Punjabi voters are
dependent and that national elections can be won on the basis of extended kinship
networks. My data reveals that the dependence of rural voters that so captivates
popular discourse about Pakistani politics describes only about 7 percent of voters,
and that kinship networks function more as forums for local collective action than
as extended political organisations. I found that a vast majority of rural Punjabi
citizens vote as members of village-level vote blocs that are organised by the landed
village elite. Nevertheless, most rural Punjabi voters do not participate in vote blocs
because of socio-economic dependence. Instead, I found that they are benefitseeking
political actors who organise within their kinship networks to strengthen
their bargaining position and then give their collective votes to vote bloc leaders
who act as broker-patrons and provide access to state officials and services. I also
found that voting behaviour varies significantly across villages and across
households within the same village. Most of the variation between villages is
explained by differences in social structure and varying levels of historical and
current land inequality, while the fact that households that lie within the same
village behave differently from one another is explained mainly by their wealth and
caste status.


The number of local energy initiatives in the Netherlands is rising. The so called 'Buurkrachtbuurten' are contributing to this growth. 'Buurkracht' is a non-profit organisation aiming to support neighbourhoods in their attempts to reduce energy consumption. Their goal is save as much energy as possible and, in the process, to contribute to social cohesion within local communities. An intervention to increase awareness of energy consumption and to increase social cohesion was tested in four villages in the northern part of the Netherlands (the province of Drenthe). The aim of this study was to help people to take their first step in the larger energy transition. Participants (N=75) measured their energy use with energy power meters and shared the results with their neighbours and with the researchers. Through "within-subject comparisons" (of different appliances within homes) and "between-subject comparisons" (of similar appliances within the neighbourhood), participants gained insight in their energy consumption. Furthermore, results showed that after this intervention ("Find the Energy Guzzler"), some participants acted according their insights, e.g. replaced some appliances. The evaluation of the intervention was very positive and participants would recommend this intervention to other people. Also, one of the experienced benefits of participation was that it increased contact with the neighbours. Other strengths and improvements are discussed as well in the paper.


Last year Charlotte Shreve and I (Adams and Shreve 2016) presented an argument that synesthesia contains evidence against higher order thought theories of consciousness. Rocco Gennaro (2016) took up the challenge and argued that H.O.T. theories like his could handle the example and dismiss the argument. Below we suggest otherwise. We think the traditional versions of H.O.T. theory are still vulnerable to our argument and we maintain that Gennaro's version is as well.


Abstract. In the Southern North Sea, 3D seismic data had been widely acquired to explore for hydrocarbons, but interpretations of these datasets until now focus mainly on the deep exploration targets of the petroleum companies. Less attention is given to shallow sediments. But these sediments often contain channels that can serve as potential reservoir units. Thus the mapping and identification of these shallow channels and defining their infill lithology is important. In this study, seismic spectral decomposition technique has been used to delineate shallow thin channel geometry in a 3D seismic data acquired in the Dutch sector of the North Sea. The concurrent interpretation of curvature and coherence cubes with seismic facies analysis based on reflection terminations and geometry, amplitude and continuity enables the discrimination between shale versus sand filled channels. The results of the spectral decomposition show two distinct low sinuosity channel features in NNE–SSW direction but becomes diffuse towards the North. The strong negative curvature anomaly along the channels's axes observed in the most negative curvature attribute implies that the sediments within the channels have undergone more compaction. These strong negative curvature anomalies are interpreted to be due to differential compaction of shale filled channels.


Shelterin the Ends The ends of linear chromosomes suffer two problems: They cannot be replicated to their termini, resulting in loss of terminal sequences; and they can be mistakenly sensed as DNA double-strand breaks, activating DNA repair pathways that can result in serious genome derangement. These problems are solved by the addition of telomeres, repeat sequences at the ends of chromosomes, which are shielded by a protein complex called shelterin. Sfeir et al. (p. 1657) show that the mouse Rap1 protein, which is part of the shelterin complex and which binds to a second shelterin protein called TRF2, helps prevent telomeres undergoing unscheduled homologous recombination. Such recombination could threaten telomere integrity by generating sequence exchanges between sister telomeres resulting in critically shortened telomeres. The mammalian telomere protein Rap1 prevents the ends of chromosomes from undergoing unscheduled homologous recombination. Shelterin is an essential telomeric protein complex that prevents DNA damage signaling and DNA repair at mammalian chromosome ends. Here we report on the role of the TRF2-interacting factor Rap1, a conserved shelterin subunit of unknown function. We removed Rap1 from mouse telomeres either through gene deletion or by replacing TRF2 with a mutant that does not bind Rap1. Rap1 was dispensable for the essential functions of TRF2—repression of ATM kinase signaling and nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ)—and mice lacking telomeric Rap1 were viable and fertile. However, Rap1 was critical for the repression of homology-directed repair (HDR), which can alter telomere length. The data reveal that HDR at telomeres can take place in the absence of DNA damage foci and underscore the functional compartmentalization within shelterin.


On January 27 and 28, 2005, New York Law School's Labor & Employment Law Program, in cooperation with the Justice Action Center and the Institute for Information Law & Policy, presented the Next Wave Organizing Symposium. The Symposium brought together worker organizers, trade union officials, technologists, students, and scholars in law, industrial relations, economics, public policy, and other fields to tell the story of how, despite all of the forces arrayed against them, workers are organizing. This article is the introduction to the Next Wave Organizing Symposium issue of the New York Law School Law Review. The purpose of the Next Wave Organizing Symposium was to seek answers to three questions. First, are the same workers who have been the traditional targets of organizing efforts also the targets of new organizing efforts, or are worker organizers redefining who is a "worker" or an "employee"? Second, are worker organizers using the same tactics they have employed in the past, or are they using new technologies and other tools and tactics in new ways? Third, are the goals of organizing efforts the same or have they changed? Are worker organizations pursuing increased bargaining power against a particular employer or in a labor market, or have their efforts expanded to encompass other social and economic goals? This article summarizes how the seven articles and six organization profiles contained in the symposium issue answer those questions.


A phenomenological description is sought of the dynamics operating in high energy elastic hadron-hadron scattering. The predictions of a simple Pomeron and weak cut model of high energy elastic scattering are compared with the new and surprising ρρ data from the ISR and SρρS Collider. The model, which gives a complete account of all the lower energy data, is incompatible with the unexpected energy dependence of the differential cross-section shown by the Collider data. Modifications within the original framework of the model are examined but found inadequate and it is concluded that new contributions are necessary. Two avenues are explored as likely candidates for the correct approach. The first approach considered is the possible existence of a small odd charge conjugation term with constant or increasing contribution to the cross-section. Two existing models of such an "Odderon" effect are studied which give good agreement with the new data but neither of which are entirely satisfactory. A reggeized Odderon contribution, analagous to these models, is examined and limitations are placed on its effect. The second possibility considered as a description of the additional contributions to the model are the correction terms necessary to prevent the violation of unitarity and the breaking of asymptotic bounds. An eikonalization model, in which a-channel unitarity is explicitly satisfied, is reviewed but several theoretical problems emerge due to the nature of the basic exchange and the model gives a relatively poor description of the data. A" similar model in which the born term is described by a Pomeron with the appropriate Regge phase is developed. This clears up some of the theoretical problems but is found to exaggerate the problems encountered in fitting the data and it is concluded that such an eikonal description is unlikely to work. A simple model of the unitarity corrections which gives a better chance of reproducing the data is proposed. The results of the phenomenology of the asymptotic and perturbative Reggeon field theory approaches to elastic scattering are briefly reviewed.


We used a longitudinal database from a natural fertility population in rural Gambia to compare the overall fertility of mothers who had given birth to twins at some point in their reproductive history and mothers who had only ever given birth to singletons. We found that twin mothers had shorter birth intervals, higher age‐specific fertility and more surviving children than singleton mothers. This suggests that, despite the considerably higher mortality of twins found in this population, twin mothers have a fitness advantage over singleton mothers, even in the absence of modern medical care. We ran a simple simulation model to estimate the relative fitness of twin and singleton mothers, and found that the model also estimated higher fitness for twin mothers. Further, girls who went on to become twin mothers were of higher anthropometric status during their teenage years than those who became singleton mothers.


The Eastern Weddell Gyre an overlooked high productivity regionThe Weddell Gyre (WG) is generally known as a region of low bioproductivity. This view has hitherto been supported by relatively low chlorophyll concentrations as detected by satellites, high nutrient concentrations at the sea surface, and very low sedimentation rates in the underlying sediments. However, recent results from inverse modeling suggest a completely different situation for the Eastern part of the Weddell Gyre, from about 10° E to 35° E. The high productivity proposed by the model in the Eastern Weddell Gyre (EWG) is mainly a consequence of a substantial nutrient depletion at the surface, and a corresponding oxygen consumption in deeper layers, as known from the very few data available for that region. Satellite data do not show elevated chlorophyll concentrations in the EWG compared to neighbouring regions.In order to contribute new data from this poorly know region, and to help understanding the contrasting satellite and model data, Polarstern expedition ANT XX/2 into the EWG was carried out in the season 2002/03. A synoptical investigation (Synpart project) of productivity-related ocean properties was performed by the Alfred Wegener Institute together with scientists from the University Cape Town during the cruise. The measurements include fluorimetric detection of chlorophyll in the water column, determination of nutrient and oxygen concentrations, 234Th as a tracer for particle concentration and export, tracers for shallow and deep water circulation (228Ra, 227Ac). In addition, samples from the sediment surface were taken to allow for the determination of particle fluxes into the sediments by means of 230Th. This dataset gives insights into particle flux from the very surface of the ocean to the deep-sea floor. Additionally, data of pCO2 and a comprehensive oceanographic dataset are available from the expedition.The results clearly confirm the strong nutrient depletion in the surface waters of the EWG, in our case observed at 23°E, from about 62°30Ž S to 57°30Ž S. High concentrations of particulate 234Th are found there, in some cases in combination with a depletion of 234Th, which means export of particles from the sea surface. The fluorimetric determination of chlorophyll-a revealed that deep chlorophyll maxima were responsible for the contrasting satellite and model data. In some cases, high nutrient depletion together with deep chlorophyll was found where hardly any chlorophyll was visible at the sea surface by satellite. Compared to other parts of the Weddell Gyre, high opal concentrations in surface sediments of the EWG suggest that at least a fraction part of this productivity reaches the sea-floor (see presentation by Seeberg-Elverfeldt, this meeting). As the feature of deep chlorophyll maxima was not only found in the Eastern Weddell Gyre, but observed throughout the Weddell Gyre, there are implications for the interpretation of satellite images from the entire region. The productivity of the Weddell Gyre, especially of its Eastern part, must be considered to be currently substantially underestimated.


This paper describes two pilot field experiments designed to examine the effects of classroom fear appeals on test anxiety, state anxiety and test scores in primary schoolchildren. In the first experiment, forty pupils were instructed during Mathematics classes for one week under a low fear appeals condition and for one week under a high fear appeals condition. Conditions were counterbalanced so that twenty pupils received the low fear appeals condition first and twenty pupils received the high fear appeals condition first. Pupils reported an increase in test anxiety related thoughts and autonomic reactions in the high fear appeals condition, but not in off-task behaviours, and performed worse on an end-of-week class test than in the low fear appeals condition. A mediational analysis suggested that the lower test scores observed in the high fear appeals condition were attributable to the higher test anxious thoughts and autonomic reactions. These findings suggest that fear appeals are not an effective strategy with which to prepare primary schoolchildren for tests. In the second experiment we examined whether pupils showed a differential response to fear appeals. The same procedure was used in experiment one, however we also included a test anxiety pre-measure to create high and low groups of test anxious pupils. Thirty eight pupils reported higher state worry and lower state positive affect in the high fear appeals conditions, and also performed worse on the on an end-of-week class test than in the low fear appeals condition. These effects did not differ between high and low test anxious pupils. A mediational analysis suggested that the decrease in test scores in the high fear appeals condition was not attributable to changes in state worry and positive affect. These findings suggest that the effect of fear appeals is not limited to highly test anxious pupils only.


Regulatory agencies are increasingly adopting ex ante rules to set market access terms and conditions for network industries. At the same time, in industries such as telecommunications and electric power transmission and distribution, antitrust laws play an important role in defining the terms and conditions of market access. Courts may have an important ex post enforcement role to play in the enforcement of the antitrust laws. In this Essay, I address the filed rate doctrine - a legal principle that determines when courts, rather than regulatory agencies, may serve as a standard-setter for or arbiter of market terms, independent of their widely-accepted role as the reviewer of decisions by an agency, such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). I begin by discussing the issue in the context of electric power deregulation. Then, I turn to the telecommunications context, in which the points of departure for this issue after the Telecommunications Act of 1996 are the Seventh Circuit's Goldwasser decision and the Second Circuit's Curtis Trinko case, which is currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court. It is argued that Goldwasser should be read narrowly, to preclude judicial consideration of only to poorly-pled antitrust claims.


It is widely accepted that the First Palaces emerged around 2000 B.C., MM IB in ceramic terms, and that a palatial elite was the principal political, economic, and religious agent in Minoan society. The appearance of a series of innovations, such as palatial architecture, wheelmade pottery, administration, script, and high-quality prestige craft goods, has traditionally been attributed to the emergence of the First Palaces in MM IB. Palaces supposedly exerted control over long-distance contacts, even though exotic materials, objects, and ideas from the East were making their way to Crete in the preceding EM III and MM IA phases, apparently without the involvement of the palaces. There is, however, little archaeological evidence to support this interpretation of the First Palaces as the principal agents in society. This article proposes that we view these important innovations and changes in society from a different perspective–one that specifically emphasizes the agency of elite groups resident outside the palaces. A new framework for analyzing "elite ideologies" within the archaeological record is presented, and it is argued that the above-mentioned changes were politically motivated and should be understood within the context of ideologies involving emulation of and competition with other elites, both on the island and in distant locations. This elite behavior was aimed at negotiating, displaying, and legitimating status and power. Such an alternative approach provides insights into the organization of power in society and ultimately into the relationship between the First Palaces and their surrounding settlements.