This study focuses on the Koongie Park Formation (KPF), a deformed and metamorphosed
Palaeoproterozoic succession in northwestern Australia. The KPF hosts massive sulfide occurrences
collectively known as the Koongie Park Prospects (KPP). The research aims to assess whether or not
the KPF contains volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) deposits. Whereas Palaeoproterozoic
VHMS deposits are plentiful on other continents, there are very few examples of that age in
Australia. This thesis provides new information on the facies, facies architecture, depositional
environment and the regional setting, augmented by the geochemistry of volcanic rocks. The
Onedin prospect (1 Mt @ 11% Zn, 1% Pb, 1% Cu), the second largest of the KPP after Sandiego,
has been studied in detail. The alteration halo and the sulfide zones at Onedin are consistent with a
VHMS origin for this prospect. Finally, investigations of the carbonate at Onedin have helped
unravel the processes occurring during diagenesis, alteration and mineralisation beneath the seafloor.
The KPF (1843 ± 2 Ma) has undergone up to 6 deformation events and metamorphism. The
earliest deformations (D1 & D2) occurred during the regional Halls Creek Orogeny, with
subsequent peak metamorphism accompanying intrusion of the Loadstone Monzogranite (1827± 2
Ma). Metamorphic conditions were variable across the area, ranging from 650°–720°C at 5 kb in
the north near the Loadstone Monzogranite to <450°C at 5–6 kb near Onedin. Later deformation
(D3) was associated with the Yampi Orogeny and the King Leopold Orogeny (D4 & D5). Late
strike-slip faulting ended with the Phanerozoic Alice Springs Orogeny (D6).
Two units are recognised in the KPF. The lower KPF is found in the north and west of the
area and is composed of tholeiitic basalt, turbidites, hemipelagic mudstone, chert and some
ironstone with minor rhyolite-bearing breccias. The lower KPF is conformably overlain by the
upper KPF, comprising more diverse lithofacies. Coarse-grained sediment-gravity-flow deposits are
interbedded with turbidites and hemipelagic mudstone. Volcaniclastic, quartz-bearing units occur
in the main prospect areas, along with siliceous sandstone and mudstone. These facies are intruded
by rhyolite, tholeiitic dolerite and late tholeiitic basalt dykes. The syn-sedimentary rhyolitic sills
may represent the root zone of a large volcanic centre or part of a sill-sediment complex. The
cooling profile of one 50 m-thick sill is comparable to that of a large-volume rhyolitic lava. The
rhyolite is granopyhric near the base, the middle is spherulitic and an upper zone is broadly
(1–10 mm thick) flow banded. The KPF represents less than ten million years of deposition in a
subaqueous setting, which remained below storm wave base. The sedimentary rocks indicate
proximity to a continental source, with a change to more intra-basinal detritus during basin
evolution.
Immobile element geochemistry indicates that the volcanic rocks of the KPF rocks formed in
either an extending island arc or rifted continental/continental margin setting. Provenance of the
sedimentary facies indicates proximity to continental crust. Regional investigations by other
workers suggested a subduction-related tectonic setting, and so the KPF may have accumulated in a
continental backarc or forearc basin.
Deformation and metamorphism of the Onedin prospect has recrystallised, annealed and
locally remobilised massive sulfide minerals. Hydrothermal alteration at Onedin resulted in a low
Na footwall and host sequence. The footwall consists of quartz-bearing mudstone composed of
chlorite+quartz+white mica. The host sequence is mudstone, sandstone, chert and ironstone, and
contains abundant Mg, Si and Ca in carbonate, talc, chlorite, quartz, and white mica. The rhyolitic
sill of the hanging wall contains quartz+albite, commonly partially replaced by phyllosilicate
minerals. These minerals in the hanging wall indicate that the hydrothermal system was circulating
beneath the floor of the basin. This pattern of alteration is similar to VHMS-related alteration
patterns in modern and ancient systems.
Sulfide at Onedin is hosted in carbonate or chlorite schist. High grade, zinc-rich massive
sulfide comprising sphalerite+pyrrhotite+chalcopyrite ±pyrite with minor galena and silver
minerals, is hosted in two 10–60 m-thick carbonate lenses. Massive, vein and disseminated sulfides
are hosted in chlorite schist between and above the carbonate lenses. These sulfide zones contain
sphalerite+pyrite+pyrrhotite+chalcopyrite and minor galena. The carbonate-hosted massive sulfide
appears to be replacement style, but the deposit lacks the mineralogical zonation characteristic of
skarn ore deposits. Given the pattern of hydrothermal alteration, the simplest explanation is that
carbonate alteration pre-dated the base metal-bearing fluid. Carbonate caused an increase in the
pH of the metal-bearing fluid, thereby precipitating sulfide minerals.
The carbonate alteration at Onedin is complex, with 13 different petrographic carbonate
types forming eight carbonate facies. The carbonate types record processes operating during
diagenesis, hydrothermal alteration, mineralisation, deformation and metamorphism. Delicate
arcuate, cuspate and circular structures preserved in the carbonate are interpreted to be bubble-wall
glass shards. The carbonate is dolomite and ferroan dolomite. Carbonate associated with sulfides is
more iron-rich with some ankerite. Calcite is the main metamorphic carbonate mineral. Carbon
isotopes range from δ13C(PBD) –4.8 to 2.1‰ (av. –3.2‰) and oxygen isotopes from δ18O(SMOW) 6.7
to 8.2‰ (av. 7.1‰). Modelling of the carbon and oxygen isotopes is consistent with the formation
of carbonate alteration involving a glassy felsic volcanic sediment with fluid temperatures between
250° and 350°C.
Modern VHMS deposits occur in both backarc and forearc settings. A deep water
environment, with high-level intrusion and extension, as inferred for the KPF, is suitable for the
accumulation of VHMS deposits. Tholeiitic basalt as pillow lavas in the lower KPF and as latestage
dykes, attest to extension throughout the deposition of the KPF. A-type igneous rocks, such as
the rhyolite in the KPF, contain abundant zinc and can be associated with VHMS deposits.
There is no evidence for exhalites at Onedin and the best model for the base metal occurrence
is as a sub-basin floor replacement VHMS deposit. Local intrusion of rhyolitic sills resulted in
lithification of surrounding sediments and elevated temperatures, generating fluid circulation and
confining fluid flow beneath a cap. Fluid circulation in porous volcaniclastic sediments and the
host sequence resulted in a low abundance of Na and the precipitation of quartz, chlorite,
muscovite, carbonate and talc. Glass shards are preserved in some carbonate, indicating
hydrothermal input of Ca, Mg and probably CO2. Although carbonate was present as a component
of the host sequence, it was significantly upgraded by alteration and provided the chemical trap to
deposit base metal sulfide minerals.


We consider the problem of removing the divergences in an arbitrary gauge-field theory (possibly nonrenormalizable). We show that this can be achieved by performing, order by order in the loop expansion, a redefinition of some parameters (possibly infinitely many) and a canonical transformation (in the sense of Batalin and Vilkovisky) of fields and BRS sources. Gauge-invariance is turned into a suitable quantum generalization of BRS-invariance. We define quantum observables and study their properties. We apply the result to renormalizable gauge-field theories that are gauge-fixed with a nonrenormalizable gauge-fixing and prove that their predictivity is retained. A corollary is that topological field theories are predictive. Analogies and differences with the formalisms of classical and quantum mechanics are pointed out.


Coupling electroactive species with carbon supports to fabricate hybrid electrodes holds promise for high-performance supercapacitors. Nevertheless, the poor compatibility and weak bonding between carbon substrates and electroactive species remain a bottleneck to be tackled. Herein, we present a superhydrophilic "nanoglue" strategy for stabilizing NiCo-layered double hydroxide (NiCo-LDH) nanosheets on inert carbon cloth (CC) by employing a nitrogen-doped (N-doped) carbon layer as the structure/interface coupling bridge to make hybrids (denoted as CC–NC-LDH) for supercapacitors. Such a "nanoglue" on a CC substrate results in the formation of a superhydrophilic surface/interface, which is favorable for the robust and uniform growth of NiCo-LDH on the CC, and helps effectively tune the electronic structural states and results in a strong coupling interaction between the CC and NiCo-LDH nanosheets. Benefiting from these integrated merits, asymmetric supercapacitors fabricated with the CC–NC-LDH hybrids as the positive electrode and typical activated carbon as the negative electrode deliver a high energy density of 69.7 W h kg−1 at a power density of 0.8 kW kg−1, with an ultra-low average capacitance fade rate of ∼0.00065% per cycle within 20 000 cycles at a current density of 10 A g−1. This superhydrophilic "nanoglue" strategy can also be extended to assemble other kinds of active species on different inert substrates, and holds the potential for creating efficient and robust electrode materials for energy-related devices.


There are more and more automated systems and people are led to interact with them everyday. They are also increasingly complex and exhibit more and more "smart" behaviour. One direct consequence is that it becomes harder for the human operators to drive those systems safely for both the system and the user. Due to that increasing complexity, interactions between users and automated systems are more likely to be error-prone. In particular, inadequately designed interactions may result in the user being surprised while interacting with the system. Several accidents are due to such surprising situations, as it can be testified by real accidents, including the Three Mile Island nuclear meltdown, the lethal radiation doses administered by the Therac 25 medical device or the shutdown of the aircraft of the KAL007 flight. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) has been studied for many years by researchers from various fields including psychology, human factors and ergonomics. This thesis follows a recent research direction that considers the use of formal methods to analyse the behavioural aspects of HMI. The focus is put on the actions or events exchanged between an operator and the system being used during an interaction. The work of this thesis builds on its initial inspiration from the recent work of Degani and Heymann that addressed the problem of automatically generating an adequate user interfaces for a given system model. In their work, an adequate user interface refers to one ensuring that potential mode confusion is avoided for the operator. The main contribution of this thesis is an analysis framework supported by formal methods that can be used to assess whether a system model is prone to potential automation surprises when being used by a human operator. The thesis develops a formalisation of automation surprises. It proposes and precisely characterises the full-control property that captures the fact that interactions between a system and its operator are free of potential automation surprises. It also defines a property, the full-control determinism, that guarantees the existence of a full-control conceptual model for a given system model. The thesis also defines precisely the minimal full-control conceptual model generation problem. The problem consists in finding a minimal conceptual model of the system model that allows full-control of it, which is only possible for fc-deterministic system models. Such full-control conceptual models can be used to generate artefacts to help the user to better understand them, such as user and training manuals. Three algorithms are proposed to solve the generation problem. The first one is based on Three-Valued Deterministic Finite Automata (3DFA) that are used to characterise the full-control property in terms of traces. The second one is based on a reduction approach inspired by the Paige-Tarjan algorithm that solves coarsest partition problems. Finally, the third one is based on an active learning approach based on the L* algorithm. The three proposed algorithms have been analysed for correctness and time complexity considerations. Moreover, the proposed framework, and therefore the proposed algorithms, have also been tested on various examples among which a large case study of an autopilot. That latter case study comes from ADEPT, a toolset to support designers in the early phases of the design of automation interfaces. That case study also shows how the proposed methodology could be integrated with ADEPT.


Camera modelling and calibration are important parts of machine vision. They can be used
for calculating geometric information from images. A camera model is a mathematical projection
between a 3D object space and a 2D image. The camera calibration is a mathematical
procedure calculating parameters of the camera model, usually based on several images of
reference points. These fundamental parts of machine vision are improved in this thesis.
One large part is the development of a generic camera model, GCM, that is accurate, computationally
efficient and can be used for both conventional, fisheye and even catadioptric
cameras. Different models were used in the past for conventional and omnidirectional cameras
and this is a well-known problem, the solution of which is described in this thesis. The accuracy of camera models is improved by introducing new ways of compensating
for different distortions, such as radial distortion, varying entrance pupil point and decentring
distortion. Calibration is improved by introducing new means of calculating start estimates of
camera parameters, from analysing shapes, sizes and positions of the reference points in the
images. These start estimates are needed in order to make the calibration converge. Methods
for calculating better reference centre points than the centres of gravity are developed in
order to increase the accuracy further. Non-trivial null spaces that occur during calibration
are identified. Awareness of these improve the calibration.
Calibrations with different camera models are implemented and tested for real cameras
in order to compare their accuracy. Certain models are better for certain situations, but the
overall performance and properties are favourable for the GCM. A stereo vision welding
robot system is developed, using the new model. It determines the geometry of a 3D weld
joint, so that a robot can follow it. The same system is implemented in a virtual environment
using a simulation software. Such simulation is important since it makes it possible to
develop robot vision systems off-line.


Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) in the form of wave, tidal and offshore wind has emerged as a potentially major component of strategies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and combat climate change. One factor influencing the implementation of MRE technologies is acceptance by people living near developments. This study investigated (i) attitudes towards MRE in small island communities as likely host communities for MRE developments; (ii) the underlying factors and values shaping these attitudes; (iii) how communities viewed MRE with regard to their place attachments; (iv) the inclusion of communities attitudes into MRE decision-making; and (v) contributions to policy and practice of MRE development. Data were collected using a mixed-methods approach, employing questionnaire surveys and interviews in three case study communities: 1) the Orkney Islands in Scotland which have considerable experience with MRE; 2) the Shetland Islands, also a Scottish community but with somewhat less experience; and 3) the Isles of Scilly, an English community with limited MRE experience. These study sites provided an opportunity to examine attitudes towards MRE in areas with different levels of MRE experience and differing government administrations and consenting procedures, thus offering novel insights into how local contexts shape attitudes towards MRE. The theoretical position adopted was place attachment, and the study made steps towards understanding how place attachment processes operate when people evaluate MRE development locally. Processes of place attachment were found to be based on a continuous flow of interactions between people and places based on an evaluation of what happens in specific local contexts and how these are valued against sets of local priorities and preferences. The study found generally positive attitudes towards MRE, and identified local context, place-based values and the perceived effects of MRE as dominant in shaping support. The study thus found two important contributors that shaped attitudes: (i) local references and influences through which people observed issues, including socio-historical references, relational factors, and pragmatic factors, and (ii) local values, through which MRE was evaluated, which were established by residents based on evaluations of local characteristics, and how they related to strategies to maintain the long-term community continuity, and whether they were considered to be a threat, and therefore, a priority for continuity or for change. Based on these factors, a heuristic model was developed to visualise how attitudes towards MRE developed based on local contexts. Although complex interplays of local factors were observed, support for MRE development was largely based on its perceived local socio-economic benefits and perceptions of minimal environmental disruption. To incorporate local attitudes into decision-making, a place-based approach instead of a technology-based approach was advocated in which community priorities becomes the first focal point of siting processes. This approach is based both on the identified importance of local context for engaging the community and on ensuring appropriate siting based on engagement processes in which communities are appropriately represented and processes are tailored to local circumstances. An added important benefit from such an approach is that it allows for the inclusion of local knowledge and expertise in MRE siting.


How are Christians to serve Christ at this point in history? We approach the question from the perspective of faith in a sovereign God, not in pessimism or defeatism. While activity is required, God's chief concern is with being rather than doing. We ask first, "Who are we?" Identity is not self-generated but given by God. Christians are Christlike people— redeemed, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, loving, and holy. They are also a covenant community—united with the Triune God and with one another. We then ask, "What should we be doing?" After repenting of our failures, we are, according to our particular callings and contexts, sent to preach the Word, spread the gospel, engage with society, and endure


Abstract Background: Adolescent drinking has declined across many developed countries from the turn of the century. The aim of this review is to explore existing evidence examining possible reasons for this decline. Methods: We conducted systematic searches across five databases: Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Informit Health and Scopus. Studies were included if association between declining alcohol consumption and potential explanatory factors were measured over time. Narrative synthesis was undertaken due to substantial methodological heterogeneity in these studies. Results: 17 studies met the inclusion criteria. Five studies found moderate evidence for changes in parental practices as a potential cause for the decline. Five studies that examined whether alcohol policy changes influenced the decline found weak evidence of association. Three studies explored whether alcohol use has been substituted by illicit substances but no evidence was found. Two studies examined the effect of a weaker economy; both identified increase in adolescent alcohol use during times of economic crisis. One study indicated that changes in exposure to alcohol advertising were positively associated with the decline and another examined the role of immigration of non-drinking populations but found no evidence of association. One study tested participation in organised sports and party lifestyle as a potential cause but did not use robust analytical methods and therefore did not provide strong evidence of association for the decline. Conclusions: The most robust and consistent evidence was identified for shifts in parental practices. Further research is required using robust analytical methods such as ARIMA modelling techniques and utilising cross-national data.


On June 10, 1858, the Attorney General of the United States issued an opinion concluding that a machine invented by a slave could not be patented, because neither the slave nor the slave owner could make an oath or affirmation that they were the inventor of the machine, as required by the Patent Act of 1836. The Attorney General's opinion caused the Patent Office to deny at least two patent applications, one of which was filed by Senator Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, who later became the President of the Confederate States of America. Notably, the Confederate States Patent Act of 1861 provided, inter alia, that slave owners could patent inventions and discoveries made by their slaves. The Attorney General's opinion seems to have relied on the fact that a slave was not a legal person and therefore could not make an oath or affirmation. But it may also have reflected an ideological dispute over whether slave owners should be entitled to benefit from the intellectual labor of their slaves. Ironically, the Attorney General and the Commissioner of Patents used the ideology of slavery to prevent slave owners from patenting the inventions of their slaves, and the Confederate States of America ignored the ideology of slavery in order to enable slave owners to patent the inventions of their slaves. In this way, a largely forgotten patent claim may offer a unique perspective on the politics and ideology of slavery in the antebellum United States.


The authors aim to extend previous literature on variations in returns across local commercial markets by examining the linkage of commercial market dynamics (viz. dynamics in stock, vacancy and direct and indirect returns for offices and retail units) at the European Metropolitan level to planning regulations as an important element of the institutional structure of local markets. Previous literature suggests that return rates differ widely across local office markets, substantiating the view that returns are intertwined with conditions at the local level. Whether and to what degree differences in local markets relate to differences in planning regulations has not been addressed. This is the central issue of this research proposed. The research design consists of three coherent steps to address the central issue. Step 1 addresses the issue of how institutions may determine differences in commercial market dynamics. The literature on institutions and regulations is vast, however typically addressing housing market institutions. Yet, this literature forms a relevant source to draw on when considering how planning regulations and commercial market behaviour are intertwined. We use current contributions in the literature, culminating in a concise review of the literature on planning regulations and commercial market behaviour. Step 2 aims to measure the degree of differences in commercial market returns. We use a cross-country approach to first determine the degree of differences in local markets between countries. For this we use data across European Metropolitan areas.. Step 3 considers the interrelations between commercial market dynamics and planning regulations to explain the observed differences in step 2. For this we model commercial market dynamics now including the various types of planning regulations identified in step 1. These results will indicate which and to what degree regulations explain observed differences in local commercial market dynamics.


The high mortality associated with ovarian cancer is attributed to the lack of any reliable early detection method, unknown pathogenesis of the disease, and the development of recurrent and chemoresistant tumors. Current efforts have focused on the identification of therapeutics that may be used independently or in combination with current chemotherapeutic regimens to reduce tumor volume. To date, limited research has focused on preventing or delaying disease recurrence. The Hedgehog (Hh) signal transduction pathway is inactive in most adult cells. Malignant activation of the Hh pathway through the signaling protein Smoothened (Smo) occurs in a broad range of cancers, including ovarian. IPI-926 is a potent orally delivered small molecule that targets the Hh pathway by inhibiting Smo. Recent studies from our laboratory provide evidence that IPI-926 slows serous ovarian cancer growth in a primary human tumor xenograft model. More importantly, IPI-926 delays the resurgence of tumor growth typically observed after cytoreduction with paclitaxel and carboplatinum (T/C) treatment. Our current objective was to assess whether this effect of IPI-926 required that the Smo inhibitor be administered during a critical window following T/C treatment to prevent the resurgence of tumor growth. To test our hypothesis, mice bearing human ovarian cancer xenografts were treated with vehicle or T/C. T/C treatment was withdrawn following significant reduction (30-50%) in tumor volume. The original vehicle treated cohort was divided into 2 arms which then either received IPI-926 or continued on vehicle for the duration of the experiment. Mice in the T/C cohort were divided into 3 groups. Group 1 received vehicle alone (T/C-Vehicle), group 2 received IPI-926 immediately following the last T/C dose (T/C-IPI-926) and group 3 received no vehicle or IPI treatment for 14 days following the last T/C dose (Window). Group 3 was then maintained on IPI-926 treatment starting at day 15 post-T/C withdrawal. The withdrawal of T/C led to a dramatic increase in tumor volume in the T/C-Vehicle group. As previously observed, tumor growth inhibition was maintained in mice receiving IPI-926 immediately following the cessation of T/C treatment. In contrast, delaying the administration of IPI-926 following T/C prevented the suppression of tumor growth as evidenced by the increased tumor volume. Our data suggest that blocking Hh pathway activity immediately following chemotherapy maintains and prolongs the inhibitory effect of chemotherapy on ovarian tumor growth. The absence of an IPI-926-mediated inhibition of tumor resurgence following a 14-day delay in treatment supports the concept that there is a critical period for tumor re-establishment. Our data, along with those of others, suggest that the early stages of ovarian tumor re-growth may be dependent on Hh pathway signaling. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3285. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-3285


Philology seems to have come to a crossroads. One path leads back to the save haven of established core strengths and competences, the other path promises new perspectives through further expansion into the vastness of cultural studies. If philology is to continue as a discipline relevant to society as a whole, retreat into pure philology — concentrating only on the text itself, adhering to national boundaries — is no viable option. Instead, by opening itself up for the questions and methods of truly interdisciplinary inquiry, philology can emerge in new shape, powerful enough to adequately address issues of interdisciplinary, intercultural and intergenerational importance. This essay will argue for such an extension of philology into cultural studies through an examination of texts, songs and plays written in and about the Terezin ghetto. The songs of Leo Straus and Manfred Greiffenhagen, the ghetto opera "Der Kaiser von Atlantis" (The Emperor of Atlantis), as well as Roy Kift's play "Camp Comedy" and Frido Mann's parable "Terezin" will exemplify the potential of philology's conjunction with history, sociology and cultural studies.


This paper reports on an online survey eliciting effects of a decoy choice architecture for passwords. The survey measured preference for a given set of passwords and was conducted as a pre-study to a more interactive online-study to give us a feeling about the constraints of decoy passwords. The survey revealed that in some scenarios it is possible to influence the preference for a target password by introducing an unfavorable decoy password. However, the preference for our target password was generally high, which leads us to believe that the choice architecture needs to be evolved further.


This evaluation reviews the relevance, efficiency and effectiveness of the IDB's Program with Ecuador for 2007-2011. The period was characterized by an important political and institutional shift in Ecuador, embodied in the new Constitution of September 2008. Working within the framework provided by the Plan Nacional para el Buen Vivir, the IDB program was in alignment with the country's agenda. IDB's efficiency has been mixed. Despite improvements in timeliness and cost, the institutional capacity of agencies responsible for the execution of IDB projects has been varied. Available outcome indicators show progress in Ecuador's development path; however, it is difficult to establish to what extent IDB's interventions contributed to those improvements. In light of the findings, the IDB is advised, as one of the country's main lenders, to engage more actively in policy dialogue; prioritize sectors that can address problems of competitiveness, inequality and social exclusion; strengthen Ecuador's planning, evaluation, and monitoring capacity; and promote the establishment of training programs for national and subnational executing agencies.


Opinion holder extraction is one of the important subtasks in sentiment analysis. The effective detection of an opinion holder depends on the consideration of various cues on various levels of representation, though they are hard to formulate explicitly as features. In this work, we propose to use convolution kernels for that task which identify meaningful fragments of sequences or trees by themselves. We not only investigate how different levels of information can be effectively combined in different kernels but also examine how the scope of these kernels should be chosen. In general relation extraction, the two candidate entities thought to be involved in a relation are commonly chosen to be the boundaries of sequences and trees. The definition of boundaries in opinion holder extraction, however, is less straightforward since there might be several expressions beside the candidate opinion holder to be eligible for being a boundary.


At a K-12 school in Rural Louisiana, the principal and staff, in collaboration with the National Association for Child Development designed a model intended to increase the cognitive processing of identified at-risk students. A second, less intense part of the program targeted the general population of students. The Fairview Neuro-educational model (FNM) was funded through a grant from the Rapides Foundation and resource donations from the National Academy for Child Development. The results at the end of the school year showed significant improvements with both groups. The benefits to the general population of students were measured by increased scores on state mandated tests. With the at-risks students, substantial progress was reflected within the scores of standardized testing for reading recognition, reading comprehension and math computation. Within an eight month time period, tests scores increased at a level of approximate 2.9 years in reading recognition, 3.0 years in reading comprehension and 1.67 years in math computation.


This paper presents a comprehensive analytical study of two competitive secondary operators' investment (i.e., spectrum leasing) and pricing strategies, taking into account operators' heterogeneity in leasing costs and users' heterogeneity in transmission power and channel conditions. We model the interactions between operators and users as a three-stage dynamic game, where operators simultaneously make spectrum leasing decisions in Stage I, and pricing decisions in Stage II, and then users make purchase decisions in Stage III. Using backward induction, we are able to completely characterize the dynamic game's equilibria. We show that both operators' investment and pricing equilibrium decisions process interesting threshold properties. For example, when the two operators' leasing costs are close, both operators will lease positive spectrum. Otherwise, one operator will choose not to lease and the other operator becomes the monopolist. For pricing, a positive pure strategy equilibrium exists only when the total spectrum investment of both operators is less than a threshold. Moreover, two operators always choose the same equilibrium price despite their heterogeneity in leasing costs. Each user fairly achieves the same service quality in terms of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the equilibrium, and the obtained predictable payoff is linear in its transmission power and channel gain. We also compare the duopoly equilibrium with the coordinated case where two operators cooperate to maximize their total profit. We show that the maximum loss of total profit due to operators' competition is no larger than 25 percent. The users, however, always benefit from operators' competition in terms of their payoffs. We show that most of these insights are robust in the general SNR regime.


Drawing upon Robyn Longhurst's recent research on the embodied experiences of pregnant women in public places and her own empirical research on agoraphobia (fear and avoidance of social space), the author investigates the commonalities and possible synergies between the phenomenology of these two apparently disparate conditions. She argues that both pregnancy and agoraphobia might usefully be understood in terms of an experiential intensification of the problems associated with maintaining a stable self-identity by women in contemporary Western society. In both cases, subjects experience a heightened awareness of socially problematic aspects of womanhood and raised sensitivity to the feeling of being 'out of place' in the social sphere.


Cognitive science has revealed that past experiences and prior assumptions, even those of which we are not conscious, greatly influence how humans perceive the world. Emerging research has demonstrated that attorneys and judges, like everyone else, are the products of their gender, ethnicity, race, and socioeconomic status. As a consequence, legal decisionmaking is susceptible to the subtle influences of implicit bias. Effective and ethical client advocacy requires an attorney to understand how her own implicit biases will affect her interactions with clients. An attorney should also acknowledge that implicit biases may affect a judge's interpretation of her client's story and legal arguments. This Article explains how insights from cognitive science should inform an attorney's representation of clients in civil litigation.


Windowed Fourier ridge algorithm has been proposed for fringe pattern analysis. However, this algorithm produces a bias in the retrieved phase. In this paper, a method is proposed to correct the phase bias. The second order derivatives of the phase are estimated by using two frequency points and then used to compensate the phase. By testing the method on a simulated fringe pattern, improvement by the proposed phase compensation method is shown.


'"In Parenthesis" was first published in London in 1937. I am proud to share the responsibility for that first publication. On reading the book in typescript I was deeply moved. I then regarded it, and still regard it, as a work of genius...Here is a book about the experience of one soldier in the war of 1914-18. It is also a book about War, and about many other things also, such as Roman Britain, the Arthurian Legend, and diverse matters which are given association by the mind of the writer' - T.S. Eliot. 'This writing has to do with some things I saw, felt, and was part of: with quiet modesty, David Jones begins a work that is among the most powerful imaginative efforts to grapple with the carnage of the First World War. Fusing poetry and prose, gutter talk and high music, wartime terror and ancient myth, Jones, who served as an infantryman on the Western Front, presents a picture at once panoramic and intimate of a world of interminable waiting and unforeseen death. And yet throughout he remains alert to the flashes of humanity that light up the wasteland of war' - W.S. Merwin.


The pegmatite deposits situated in the centre of a triangular area between the settlements of Vioolsdrif, Henkries and Steinkopf in the lower Orange River region constitute the westernmost extension of the Northern Cape pegmatite belt. Aspects regarding the resource classification, geology, and the economic viability of these pegmatite deposits are considered here. Current ore deposit models are reviewed and the deposits are classified according to recognised classification schemes. Feldspar is regarded as the primary economic mineral for exploitation based on its abundance and the consistency in the demand for this product. A financial analysis demonstrates the exploitability of the deposits, based on the resources quantified and the analysis of the feldspar market. Other potentially economic mineral constituents, occurring in the pegmatite body, could only be considered when more information on their distribution and abundance is available.

Pegmatites of the study area belong to lithium-caesium-tantalum enriched group of rare element bearing granitic pegmatites (Ginsburg et al. , 1979). Both homogenous and zoned varieties are present. The currently prevailing ore deposit model for the formation of these pegmatites regards the pegmatite body as the final stage of crystallization of a cooling granitic magma (Cerny, 1998a). Recent studies suggest that crystallization of the pegmatite body happens at unexpectedly fast rates during under-cooling conditions, in which the rate of cooling exceeds the rate of crystallization (London, 2005).

The pegmatites of the study area are mostly developed in granites and granodiorites of the Vioolsdrif Suite, in a late- to post-orogenic tectonic setting. An apparent age discrepancy makes it improbable that the source of the pegmatite-forming liquids was the Vioolsdrif Suite. It is proposed that the pegmatites were derived from a younger suite of plutonic granitic intrusions, currently located largely beneath the surface, and that the late magmatic fluids derived from these crystallizing granites in depth, were injected into shear related tension fissures.

It is estimated that the larger pegmatite bodies in the study area host a global resource of approximately 50 million tons of pegmatite ore, belonging to a resource category referred to as resources of undetermined economic significance. The markets for feldspar currently display an increasing price tendency and there exists a positive outlook for the future demand for this mineral product. The financial analysis suggests that, although mining operations on pegmatite bodies are highly sensitive to changes in commodity prices, revenue, and costs related to fuel consumption (including transport), their exploitation is feasible under the current market conditions.


Report of the seventh annual UK Geophysical Assembly held at the University of Leicester from the 11–14 April 1983. The seventh annual UK Geophysical Assembly on 11–14 April 1983 was sponsored by the Geological Society, London and the Royal Astronomical Society, who also published the abstracts of the 108 papers in the April issue of the Geophysical Journal (vol. 73). It included the Bullerwell lecture on 'Seismic stratigraphy and the evaluation of depositional sequences and fades' by P. Vail of Exxon, in which he demonstrated how depositional environments and facies can be predicted from seismic data through an orderly approach to the interpretation of seismic reflections. A. H. Cook (Univ. Cambridge) gave a second invited lecture on 'The physics of matter at high pressures in planetary interiors'. At high pressures hydrogen will become metallic, melting behaviour will be affected and electrical properties altered. He discussed their implications for our understanding of the structure of the planets and of the physics of condensed matter. B. F. Windley (Univ. Leicester) gave the third invited lecture on 'The tectonic evolution of the Himalayas', which is the subject of multidisciplinary study by a number of international groups at present. The meeting was attended by over 200 geophysicists and graduate students from universities in the UK and Ireland and from industry. Three parallel sessions were held each day and were supplemented by about 30 research and commercial exhibits. The sessions comprised talks on lunar studies and geochronology; continental and oceanic structure; earth magnetism; earthquake and


Latent variable decomposition permits factorisation of posterior probability based, or likelihood based, speech unit discriminant functions into a composition of simpler functions which can be analysed separately and evaluated more accurately in the presence of band-limited noise, or other source of data mismatch. See [2,7] for a more self contained introduction to this subject. In this report we present the essential theoretical issues, and implementation details, for the key points concerning this approach to multiband ASR. In particular, we show that the posteriors and likelihood based multiband decompositions are very closely linked.


We believe that game playing in the real world finds such large appreciation because it is based on interaction between people in a physical environment. In this paper we present an example of how the gap between virtual and physical games can be bridged using sensing technology from a wearable computer. Unmasking Mister X is a game we propose, which incorporates sensor data from all the players. It is a first step in enhancing real world games with wearable computers and sensing technology.


Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in people with diabetes. Coronary heart disease is a common cause of death, and has been extensively studied in people with diabetes. Stroke is at least twice as common in people with diabetes than non-diabetic subjects, and is a common cause of morbidity and disability, but has been comparatively neglected. Limited studies suggest that the pathophysiology of stroke may differ in people with diabetes, with disseminated cerebral small vessel disease. Control of hyperglycaemia has shown limited benefit in reducing the development of strokes. A substantial evidence base demonstrates the benefit of aggressive blood pressure lowering in reducing stroke disease in people with diabetes, and ACE inhibitors may have extended benefit in reducing stokes and other forms of vascular disease beyond the reduction in blood pressure. Cholesterol lowering with statins has been shown to reduce strokes when used as secondary prevention in diabetic patients with coronary heart disease. More recently, this has also been proven to be beneficial for the primary prevention of strokes in people with diabetes. A non-invasive screening test for cerebrovascular disease would be useful in people with diabetes. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Summary Background Usefulness of anthropometric indices (AI) as predictors of CV risk is unclear and remains controversial. Material/Methods To evaluate the correlation between AI and CV risk factors in the Croatian adult population and to observe possible differences between coastal and inland regions and urban and rural settlements. CRISIC-fm (ISRCTN31857696) is a prospective, randomized cohort study conducted in GP (general practitioner) practices in Croatia. Between May and July 2008, 59 GPs each recruited 55 participants aged ≥40 years, who visited a practice for any reason. Height, weight, waist and hip circumference and blood pressure were measured. Blood samples were analyzed in accredited laboratories. Results Out of 2467 participants (61.9% women, 38.1% men), 36.3% were obese, with fewer in coastal than inland areas. More obese people were in rural areas. Logistic regression showed BMI was the most important predictor of hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidemia in both regions (except for diabetes in the coastal area), and for urban and rural settlements (except for diabetes in rural areas). WtHR was a significant predictor for hypertension and dyslipidemia in the coastal (but only for hypertension in the inland area), and in urban settlements (in rural only for hypertension). None of the AI showed significant correlation with total CV risk, but WC and BMI did with stroke risk. Receiver operating curve (ROC) analyses showed that WtHR was a better predictor than all other AI for hypertension and dyslipidemia. Conclusions Results encourage the use of BMI and WtHR as important tools in predicting CV risk in GP's practice.


This useful volume presents the major works of the five leading Pre-Raphaelite poets. Foremost in the collection, and included in their entirety are D. G. Rossetti's "The House of Life," C. G. Rossetti's "Monna Innominata," William Morris's "Defence of Guenevere," Swinburne's "Atalanta in Calydon," and Meredith's "Modern Love." Complementing these major poems is a fine, generous selection of the poets' shorter pieces that are typical of their work as a whole. For this second edition, Cecil Lang has substituted two early Swinburne poems, "The Leper" and "Anactoria," for Fitzgerald's "The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam." These poems, which the editor describes as "shocking," show a new aspect of Swinburne not discussed previously. Lang's Introduction describes briefly the founding of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, discusses each of the Pre-Raphaelite poets, both individually and in relation to the others, and grapples with the questions of definition of Pre-Raphaelitism and the similarities between its painting and poetry. The book is appropriately illustrated with thirty-two works by D. G. Rossetti, John Ruskin, William H. Hunt, and other Pre-Raphaelite artists. This is the only anthology available that provides a representative selection of the work of these important poets. It will be indispensable to students of Victorian poetry and appreciated by readers interested in the Pre-Raphaelites. "


Abstract This paper discusses non-State actors' motivation and capacity to develop and use chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) improvised weapons in attacks, as well as the possible consequences of such use. Six types of groups have been identified as potential CBRN weapons users that may increasingly be able to acquire relevant CBRN weapons-related knowledge, skills and possibly materials. As technical barriers still form a gap between the theoretical possibility and the operational reality, any potential future CBRN attacks would most likely be crude, low-level attacks, including chemical or radiological materials. CBRN attacks carried out by non-State actors in the future are likely to be more disruptive than destructive.


This dissertation focuses on an occupational stressor that has been recently introduced to the literature, illegitimate tasks, or tasks that seem unreasonable or unnecessary at work. Previous work has demonstrated the relationship between illegitimate tasks and a narrow set of discrete emotions as well as negative employee performance behaviors. The current research contributes to the literature by expanding the nomological network associated with illegitimate tasks and uses a rigorous daily diary methodology in a full-time working sample. It was expected that illegitimate tasks reduce state levels of self-esteem as well as other employee well-being indicators including anger, depressive mood, fatigue, job satisfaction, and sleep quality. Ninety participants filled out trait level surveys and subsequently completed daily dairy questionnaires three times daily for two workweeks. Daily diaries assessed experiences of illegitimate tasks as well as self-esteem and well-being. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to test primary hypotheses. Results indicate that anger and job satisfaction are consistently, significantly associated with illegitimate task episodes throughout workdays; however, responses dissipate overnight. Depressive mood and fatigue tend to be related to illegitimate tasks as the workday carries on and these responses appear to persist into the following workday. Results are consistent with the notion that illegitimate tasks reduce state selfesteem. However, high trait levels of self-esteem may negate this relationship. No effects on sleep quality were evident. In sum, daily experience of illegitimate task episodes


To determine the relation of functional residual capacity and maximal expiratory flow at functional residual capacity to sex, age, height, and weight in healthy young children living in Portland, Oregon, we tested 37 boys and 36 girls using a modified helium-dilution technique and partial expiratory flow-volume curves. Within the age, height, and weight ranges studied, exponential or multiple regression techniques offered no substantial advantage over simple linear regression using height, weight, or age. There were no sex differences for the relationship between either variable and age, height, or weight. These techniques can readily be used in children as young as 3 years of age and may provide a method for studying lung growth and development in early childhood and a way to observe the progression of disease or the effect of treatment in the young child.


This dissertation focuses on the analysis of Costa Rican literature from 1885 to 1930 in order to explore the problematic configuration of national heroes in the construction of the modern Costa Rican social imaginary. Costa Rica was unique among Central American nations in that its participation in the regional campaign against William Walker (1856-1857) served as a foundational moment for its national project in the 1880s. Two major figures emerged as potential symbols of national heroism: Juan Rafael Mora Porras and Juan Santamaria. Authors Carlos Gagini, Manuel Arguello Mora and Ricardo Fernandez Guardia were the only writers who tried to narrate Mora Porras and Juan Santamaria's lives and legacies between 1885 and 1931. In addition, as intellectuals of the liberal elite, their works had to address the consolidation of a national discourse characterized by a desire to highlight distance from, and superiority to, the other Central American nations. According to that vision, Costa Rica could be singled out as racially white and politically peaceful, both attractive traits for enticing foreign investment. Interestingly the paradox of writing on war heroes in this context has not been explored in academia. In fact, publications and academic writing about Costa Rica's military conflicts and heroes are scarce. Within the field of literary criticism, which may have considered these topics taboo, I propose to begin filling this void by analyzing the liberal elite's literary writings on heroism within the context of constructing modern nationhood. My intention is to demonstrate how the literary representations of heroes fracture Costa Rican national discourse, thus explaining the intellectual's resistance to writing on the topic and giving voice to Santamaria and Mora Porras, regardless of the importance of their roles for the foundational "social drama". If we avoid studying how national discourse suppressed violence from its origins and cut short the narrative representations of heroic figures, we deny the possibility of understanding and embracing the need for reinventing traditions and heroes in the 21st century.


The article examines a phenomenon associated with the rural idyll – the dream of becoming the owner of a smallholding in the countryside. Much research and policy concern in Norway have focused upon rural–urban migration trends and the consequences of the urbanisation process on the sustainability of rural communities. Less attention has been given to the counter trend, that is, urban dwellers searching for a better quality of life in the countryside. The article is based on data from a Norwegian national survey and analyses a question measuring respondents' interest in buying a smallholding. The analysis involves an estimation of a regression model to determine which demographic, socioeconomic and attitudinal variables influence people's interest in buying a smallholding. Further, we were interested in their plans for the smallholding (farming, residence, second home) and the kind of influences these potential new smallholding owners might have on rural communities. Three categories of potential smallholders are identified: aspiring farmers, country-life lovers and recreation seekers. The results indicate that those who live in urban areas are more interested in buying a smallholding than those already living in rural areas. soru_513 225..241


The advent of initiatives to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation and enhance forest carbon stocks (REDD+) in developing countries has raised much concern regarding impacts on local communities. To inform this debate, we analyze the initial outcomes of those REDD+ projects that systematically report on their socio-economic dimensions. To categorize and compare projects, we develop a participation and benefits framework that considers REDD+'s effects on local populations' opportunities (jobs, income), security (of tenure and ecosystem services), and empowerment (participation in land use and development decisions). We find material benefits, in terms of jobs and income, to be, thus far, modest. On the other hand, we find that many projects are helping populations gain tenure rights. A majority of projects are obtaining local populations' free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC). However, for those projects interacting with multiple populations, extent of participation and effects on forest access are often uneven. Our participation and benefits framework can be a useful tool for identifying the multi-faceted socio-economic impacts of REDD+, which are realized under different timescales. The framework and initial trends reported here can be used to build hypotheses for future REDD+ impact evaluations and contribute to evolving theories of incentive-based environmental policy.


Background: Financial constraints and pressing priorities are major problems that delay implementation of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in some countries. This raised the need for improvisation and innovation [1],[2] . Endoclips are not available in some local markets. They cost $50 for a single set of six clips to import, in contrast to 2/0 polyglacin (Vicryl-Ethicon), which is available at a rate of $1.5 for one thread. Objective of the study: To compare the safety and cost between vicryl ligature and endoclips. Patients and Method: To secure the cystic duct, intracorporeal vicryl ligature (IVL) was applied in 64 LCs. These were divided into 32 patients presented with cystic duct, which was too wide to controlled with endoclips (group A) and 32 patients with normal diameter of cystic duct as controls (group B). Also we describe the test we used to prove the safety of IVL in the two groups. This ligature was tested with high pressure introduced and measured into the gallbladder by sphygmomanometer. Results: The gallbladder can withstand a mean (+ SD) pressure of 197 (+20.94)mmHg and 191.67 (+10.2) in group A and B respectively without statistically significant difference (P 0.1305). Total cost of vicryl was $128 compared to $3200 if endoclips were used. No complication was noted related to these ligatures in a period of two year-follow up. Conclusion: This method is easy, cost effective and suitable in some countries.


New federal water quality regulations regarding impaired waters and urban stormwater, alongside a growing need to reverse eutrophication of urban lakes, are creating demand to decrease nutrient export from urban landscapes, particularly lawns. We propose that Nowak et al.'s (2006) disproportionality framework could be used to target specific households likely to generate disproportionate levels of nutrient export. The biophysical dimension would be based on landscape vulnerability (slope, soil type, proximity to lakes); the social dimension would target "inappropriate" lawn management behaviors leading to high nutrient export on these vulnerable landscapes. Understanding of lawn nutrient cycling (biophysical dimension) and homeowner beliefs and attitudes (social dimension) would be used to develop targeted, specific messages for homeowners practicing inappropriate management. A lawn management program developed with this disproportionality framework would probably be very effective, highly economical and fair, targeting only homeowners who are creating a disproportionate impact.


********** a) State Preferences in International Monetary Diplomacy (1) Introduced only in 1948, the German mark (DM) quickly acquired a reputation of stability and trustworthiness in international currency markets. Due to the strength of its currency, the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) became a major player in international monetary policy from the mid-1950s onward. Its support was an essential factor in the preservation of the postwar international monetary order (the Bretton Woods system) which was characterized by fixed (but adjustable) exchange rates, the anchor role of the dollar, the dollar-gold exchange guarantee of the U.S., and the institutionalized transatlantic management of international monetary relations (Andrews 2003; Andrews, ed., 2008; Helleiner 1994). In the late 1960s, the system came under increasing strain and the U.S. called upon the major economic powers to support it by political and economic means. Shattered by a quick succession of speculative crises targeted at the DM-dollar exchange rate, German policy-makers saw themselves confronted with the increasing political constraints and economic costs of supporting the monetary system. With time, these costs seriously undermined their allegiance to the established framework of international monetary cooperation. As a result, alternative conceptions of monetary order emerged in Germany. The period of 1965-78 was characterized by uncertainty and conflicts about these alternatives which presented three different fundamental policy options to German monetary decision makers (Zimmermann 2001). The first option was the retention of (or return to) the transatlantic management of monetary relations. This required the close alignment of German monetary policy to trends in the dollar exchange rate in order to avoid excessive imbalances, the resulting, preferably institutionalized, cooperation with American (and British) monetary authorities, and the acceptance of the leading role of the dollar. The second was the option of "benign neglect" to external imbalances, which entailed flexible or floating exchange rates for the DM, liberated capital markets, and the orientation of monetary policy on purely domestic objectives. At the core of this option lay the idea of national autonomy, that is, the conduct of monetary policy with disregard to external considerations. The last option was a regionally managed monetary order in which monetary relations to the most important neighbors and trading partners were closely coordinated among the participating governments whereas the regional monetary zone as a whole appreciated (or depreciated) against the dollar. For German monetary policy, this option was in essence the idea of European monetary integration. Transatlantic cooperation, national autonomy, and European integration: those were the three conceptions of international monetary order which from about 1965 onward became the subject of intense debate in Germany. At the end of the 1970s, the FRG settled for option three, monetary integration in a European framework. Though this basic orientation was still contested and the creation of a working European monetary order was beset by numerous international and domestic conflicts, the result of which was by no means preordained, the European option prevailed at the end. The conceptual base of Germany's international monetary policy was transformed. Based on newly available classified material from German archives, this paper develops a framework for identifying the conditions leading to such fundamental policy changes in states and their reaction to external shocks (or monetary unions) in which monetary policy is co-decided by governments and a (more or less) independent central bank. It starts from the premise that the domestic constellation of monetary decision-making is a core factor explaining fundamental monetary orientations (2) of states (as opposed to explanations positing the explanation only on the level of the international monetary system). …


The six dockyards in England were engaged in
building, repairing and refitting the fleet. Hitherto the word
of the sea service has been taken in judging their performance;
since the sea officers were themselves involved, and could often
be faulted, in servicing the ships, this unfavourable evidence
should be treated with some reservation.
Nevertheless, there were many weaknesses in the yards.
The first among their organisational defects was the split in
executive control between the Admiralty and Navy Boards, which
led to inefficiency and delay. Instructions had been
formulated in the previous century, and subsequent orders were
confused; in an organisation where respect for precedent was
decisive, much was left in doubt. The yard officers were thus
allowed a damaging amount of independence, and this in turn
caused mistrust and a lack of understanding of yard problems
between these officers and the boards in London. The first
difficulty lay in the inadequate pay structure and consequent
lack of incentive of the shipwrights. It also proved impossible
to administer the huge amount of naval stores without a large
degree of waste. Other problems included navigational troubles and inadequate facilities, particularly at the allimportant
western yards. These problems led to delay,
particularly in the refitting which was vital in wartime.
The application of copper sheathing went some way to lighten
this burden.
Inefficiency was primarily caused by the fact that
the yards were overstretched by the increased size and number
of the ships in this war, and by the failure to utilize
inadequate resources more effectively. The system was at
fault. Individuals, such as Lord Sandwich and Charles
Middleton, worked hard to keep it going, while trying at the
same time to improve it. Fortunately, defeat in the war
encouraged the start of this reform in the 1780's.


This paper is about the allocation of tours of m targets to n vehicles. The motion of the vehicles satisfies a nonholonomic constraint (i.e., the yaw rate of the vehicle is bounded). Each target is to be visited by one and only one vehicle. Given a set of targets and the yaw rate constraints on the vehicles, the problem addressed in this paper is 1) to assign each vehicle a sequence of targets to visit, and 2) to find a feasible path for each vehicle that passes through the assigned targets with a requirement that the vehicle returns to its initial position. The heading angle at each target location may not be specified. The objective function is to minimize the sum of the distances traveled by all vehicles. A constant factor approximation algorithm is presented for the above resource allocation problem for both the single and the multiple vehicle case. Note to Practitioners-The motivation for this paper stems from the need to develop resource allocation algorithms for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Small autonomous UAVs are seen as ideal platforms for many applications, such as searching for targets, mapping a given area, traffic surveillance, fire monitoring, etc. The main advantage of using these small autonomous vehicles is that they can be used in situations where a manned mission is dangerous or not possible. Resource allocation problems naturally arise in these applications where one would want to optimally assign a given set of vehicles to the tasks at hand. The feature that differentiates these resource allocation problems from similar problems previously studied in the literature is that there are constraints on the motion of the vehicle. This paper addresses the constraint that captures the inability of a fixed wing aircraft to turn at any arbitrary yaw rate. The basic problem addressed in this paper is as follows: Given n vehicles and m targets, find a path for each vehicle satisfying yaw rate contraints such that each target is visited exactly once by a vehicle and the total distance traveled by all vehicles is minimized. We assume that the targets are at least 2r apart, where r is the minimum turning radius of the vehicle. This is a reasonable assumption because the sensors on these vehicles can map or see an area whose width is at least 2r. We give an algorithm to solve this problem by combining ideas from the traveling salesman problem and the path planning literature. We also show how these algorithms perform in the worst-case scenario


OBJECTIVES
The pattern of distribution of calcitonin-gene related peptide (CGRP), a neuropeptide, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter and GABA-converting enzyme, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) in the pancreas of diabetic patients was investigated to determine whether diabetes mellitus influences the expression of these biological transmitters.

METHODS
Pancreatic tissue samples retrieved, during pancreatectomy, from cancer patients with and without Type 2 diabetes were paraffin embedded. The expression of CGRP, GABA and GAD was examined in pancreatic tissue using immunofluorescence techniques.

RESULTS
CGRP, GABA and GAD were observed in many cells located in the central as well as the peripheral regions of pancreatic islet. The expression of CGRP, GABA and GAD decreased dramatically in pancreatic islet cells of diabetic patients compared to control. CGRP and GABA co-localized with glucagon in some pancreatic islet cells of both normal and diabetic patients. The pattern of distribution of CGRP, GABA and GAD in normal and Type 2 diabetic patients was similar to that of insulin.

CONCLUSION
The number of human pancreatic islet cells expressing CGRP, GABA and GAD decreased significantly after the onset of Type 2 diabetes. These neuropeptides and neurotransmitters may play a role in the regulation of pancreatic beta cell function.


The paper highlights the broad hydrogeomorphological characteristics of the Cox's Bazar coast of Bangladesh. High resolution air photographs of 1:20000 were interpreted for delineating the geomorphological boundaries of the coastal plain. Sediment samples collected from the each geomorphic units were analysed to understand the sedimentary environments. Based on the location and characteristics of the geomorphic units and types and spatial distribution of sediments, evolutionary history of the coast was developed. Finally, a weighted matrix was prepared for assessing the exposure of the geomorphic units to geohazards e.g., storm surges, flash flood. The study reveals that the coast of Cox's Bazar has landforms of two distinct origin: fluvial and marine. Beach and dunes are the two most prominent features of the coast. The sedimentation and its evolutionary sequence of the coastal plain indicates an infiling of a sheltered basin within a relatively high wave and micro- to meso tidal conditions. Cyclonic storms/storm surges appears to be the most common geohazard for most of the landform types of the area. Floodplain with most of the infrastructural investments would need protection from storm surge and flash flood.


The reunion chairman and committee members should answer some different questions. Evaluate staffing, organization, site selection, the decision-making process, coordination and supervision. Don't forget to discuss budget, fiscal controls and procedures. This questionnaire should cover the following:  Were working relationships supportive?  Did we start early enough? Were effective timelines set for completion of each important task?  Was the event well publicized? Were new members found and recognized?  How did registration go? Who attended? From where? Who did not attend? Why not? Compare with previous reunions. Are there trends?  Were destination and location right? large enough? Did we consider all functions thoroughly before the reunion and properly and adequately inform the hotel of all our requirements?  Were room layouts for events and meetings adequate?  Were we satisfied with audiovisual aids, seating, lights, etc?  Was there good support from the facility's departments: food and beverage, sales, reservations, front desk, bell service, etc?  Was on-site supervision and day-to-day operations satisfactory?  Did we have enough people to cover everything?  Was our business meeting effective?


A vast array of fusing two heterocyclic rings namely 1,2,4-triazolo[34-b]thiadiazine derivatives having excellent pharmacological activity forms an invaluable part of the present inventions. A series triazolo thiadiazine derivative were synthesized by using aromatic acid and ethyl alcohol in alkali by treating aromatic acid with hydrazine hydrate and substituted acetophenone under reflux. The synthesised compounds were undergone spectral and elemental analysis. The active compound was found to be 4-(3-(2-(2,6-dichlorophenylamino)benzyl)-7H-[1,34]thiadiazin-6- yl)phenol equipotent as standard drug diclofenac. Presence of electronegative functional moieties as phenyl ring due to C2 position of thiazole ring possessing large hydrophilic for enhanced anti-inflammatory activity.


People in violent neighbourhoods attribute violence in public spaces to, especially, poverty and unemployment, but agree that social disintegration, disrespect, drinking and drugs and the weaknesses of the criminal justice system also contribute substantially. However, data from a panel of young men in Cape Town provide little support for the hypothesis that unemployment and poverty are direct causes of violence against strangers. Growing up in a home where someone drank heavily or took drugs is, however, a strong predictor of violence against strangers in early adulthood. A history of drinking (or taking drugs) correlates with perpetration of violence, and might also serve as a mechanism through which conditions during childhood have indirect effects. Living in a bad neighbourhood and immediate poverty are associated with violence against strangers, but being unemployed is not. Overall, heavy drinking – whether by adults in the childhood home or by young men themselves – seems to be a more important predictor of violence than economic circumstances in childhood or the recent past. Heavy drinking seems to play an important part in explaining why some young men have been more violent than others in circumstances that seem to have been generally conducive to rising violence, for reasons that remain unclear. It seems likely that few young people in South Africa in the early 2000s come from backgrounds that strongly predispose them against the use of violence.


In classical target tissues, progesterone (P) down-regulates its own receptor, yet in the primate corpus luteum, progesterone receptors (PRs) exist within a very high local P milieu. The percentage of luteal cells staining PR-positive by immunocytochemistry is highest at the midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle during the period of peak serum P. To investigate the regulation of luteal PRs, we developed a solution hybridization/ribonuclease protection assay for the analysis of PR messenger RNA (mRNA) in macaque corpora lutea (n = 3-4/group). A 332-basepair fragment of the macaque PR complementary DNA corresponding to the hormone-binding region was used as a template for riboprobe production; the specific hybridization of this riboprobe with PR mRNA was confirmed with Northern analysis. P regulation of luteal PR mRNA was investigated by administering trilostane, a 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase inhibitor, to female rhesus macaques beginning on day 6 or 7 of the luteal phase, which reduced serum P until the time of lutectomy. By 18 h after trilostane treatment, luteal PR mRNA levels were significantly elevated compared to untreated control values (mean +/- SEM, 2.0 +/- 0.4 vs. 0.7 +/- 0.3; P < 0.05). Reduction in P levels for 4 days after trilostane administration decreased luteal PR mRNA levels compared with control values (0.50 +/- 0.02 vs. 1.1 +/- 0.2; P < 0.05). To characterize changes in PR mRNA during the lifespan of the corpus luteum, mRNA levels in luteal tissues from the early, mid-, mid-late, and late luteal phases were determined. PR mRNA levels were lowest during the early luteal phase and increased (P < 0.05) 3-fold by the mid-late luteal phase; this higher PR mRNA level was maintained throughout the remainder of the luteal phase. These data indicate that P or a metabolite may acutely regulate primate luteal PR mRNA in a manner consistent with PR regulation in classical P target tissues. In contrast, PR mRNA levels parallel increases in P and PR-positive luteal cells during the early, mid-, and mid-late portions of the luteal phase. High PR mRNA levels are maintained during luteal regression as P and the percentage of PR-positive cells decline, suggesting that PR and PR mRNA are regulated in an asynchronous manner during the lifespan of the corpus luteum in the menstrual cycle.


A new study of a novel undergraduate program at the University of Texas (UT), Austin, has found that giving college freshmen the opportunity to do research as part of their coursework significantly increases their chances of completing college and graduating with a science degree. It's the first conclusive evidence that so-called active learning courses, which science educators have promoted for decades as a better way to teach than lectures and cookbook labs, can lower the high attrition rates in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields at U.S. universities. And the relatively large size of the study, which appears in the current issue of CBE-Life Science Education , also has major policy implications. President Barack Obama has challenged the country to produce 1 million more STEM-trained workers by 2020, and the authors argue that scaling up the UT approach nationally would be a cost-effective way to help achieve that goal.


The exact mathematical expression for an arbitrary nth-order stellar
hydrodynamic equation is explicitly obtained depending on the central
moments of the velocity distribution. In such a form the equations are
physically meaningful, since they can be compared with the ordinary hy-
drodynamic equations of compressible, viscous fluids. The equations are
deduced without any particular assumptions about symmetries, steadi-
ness, or particular kinematic behaviours, so that they can be used in
their complete form, and for any order, in future works with improved
observational data. Also, in order to work with a finite number of equa-
tions and unknowns, which would provide a dynamic model for the stel-
lar system, the nth-order equation is needed to investigate in a more
general way the closure conditions, which may be expressed in terms of
velocity distribution statistics, as it is shown in a case example.


This paper explores the merits of macro and microbased tax rate measures within an open economy fiscal policy and growth model. Using annual data for 15 OECD countries we find statistically small, nonrobust longrun growth effects of macrobased average tax rates on capital income and consumption, but some evidence for average labour income tax effects. Changes in micro marginal income tax rates at both the personal and corporate levels yield statistically robust GDP responses of modest size. Both domestic and foreign corporate taxes appear relevant. In general, tax effects on GDP operate largely via factor productivity rather than factor accumulation.


One hundred seventy-nine patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia in first remission (n = 75), chronic myelocytic leukemia in chronic or accelerated phase (n = 48) or leukemia in advanced stage (n = 56) were given HLA-identical marrow grafts and randomized to receive methotrexate or cyclosporine for prevention of graft-v-host disease (GVHD). The current report updates the three prospective trials with follow-ups ranging from 3.2 to 6.2 years after marrow grafting. Results were analyzed separately for each individual study and for all three studies combined. Overall, 40% of patients given cyclosporine and 55% of those given methotrexate developed acute GVHD (P = .13); the incidence of chronic GVHD was 42% and 48%, respectively (P = .67). Twenty-two percent of cyclosporine-treated patients and 30% of methotrexate-treated patients developed interstitial pneumonia of any etiology (P = .25), and the figures for cytomegalovirus pneumonia were 18% and 20%, respectively (P = .41). The overall incidence of leukemic relapse was 31% in cyclosporine-treated patients and 36% in methotrexate-treated patients (P = .75). The probabilities of survival for cyclosporine-v methotrexate-treated patients were comparable for all three study groups: 52% v 48% in patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia (P = .42), 55% v 60% for those with chronic myelocytic leukemia (P = .61), 12% and 12% for those with advanced leukemia (P = .93), and 39% v 38% overall (P = .72). We conclude that cyclosporine and methotrexate are comparable regarding the likelihood of acute/chronic GVHD, interstitial pneumonia, leukemic relapse, and long-term survival.


[1] We present a discrete element model for simulating, at the grain scale, gas migration in brine-saturated deformable media. We rigorously account for the presence of two fluids in the pore space by incorporating forces on grains due to pore fluid pressures and surface tension between fluids. This model, which couples multiphase fluid flow with sediment mechanics, permits investigation of the upward migration of gas through a brine-filled sediment column. We elucidate the ways in which gas migration may take place: (1) by capillary invasion in a rigid-like medium and (2) by initiation and propagation of a fracture. We find that grain size is the main factor controlling the mode of gas transport in the sediment, and we show that coarse-grain sediments favor capillary invasion, whereas fracturing dominates in fine-grain media. The results have important implications for understanding vent sites and pockmarks in the ocean floor, deep subseabed storage of carbon dioxide, and gas hydrate accumulations in ocean sediments and permafrost regions. Our results predict that in fine sediments, hydrate will likely form in veins following a fracture network pattern, and the hydrate concentration will likely be quite low. In coarse sediments, the buoyant methane gas is likely to invade the pore space more uniformly, in a process akin to invasion percolation, and the overall pore occupancy is likely to be much higher than for a fracture-dominated regime. These implications are consistent with laboratory experiments and field observations of methane hydrates in natural systems.


The lack of clear boundaries and the distributed nature of Commons-Based Peer Production (CBPP) pose a challenge for the theoretical frameworks which aim to provide a useful methodological tool for its conceptualisation and analysis, such as Activity Theory (AT). This paper presents the use of AT in the ongoing study of the organisational dynamics of a large and diverse CBPP community: Drupal. This application of AT is being carried out by drawing on the model of activity system to analyse contribution activities; and by conceptualising Drupal as a runaway object, which operates as a nexus for the study of these coordination efforts. Hence, by presenting the conceptualisation and challenges which are currently being faced, this paper aims to provide evidence of the value of AT to untangle the dense and multidirectional dynamics which lie within these communities, as well as to contribute to the discussion on the limitations that this approach could have for the study of peer production.


About the Book:
The unfolding of the 'knowledge society' is crucially important for governments, the world of learning and research, and society at large in the 21st century. This volume explores the ramifications of the knowledge society in its special relationship to higher education. At stake is a deeper understanding of how to ensure sustainable human development in the future.

Although the knowledge society is a central construct, each discipline interprets it according to its own conceptual framework, intellectual territory, operational criteria and specific vocabulary. As the contributions to this book make clear, genuine dialogue across varied fields and intellectual paradigms must draw on scholarly heterodoxy and real diversity. In determining the research agenda in higher education, the dimensions and dynamic at the heart of the knowledge nexus should be explored in a way that does justice to global trends while accounting for their local implications.

Balancing the reflective and the provocative, Knowledge, Power and Dissent tackles these challenges through careful scholarship and grounded case studies setting the local impact of global trends in context. In setting forth the operational issues that the knowledge society lays before higher education, it opens a pathway for future scholarship, dialogue and analysis across national, disciplinary and substantive frontiers.


A new anionic surfactant, alpha-sulfonated polyhydric alcohol ester
(ASPA) was prepared by transesterification of palm-based alphasulfonated
methyl ester (SME) or by esterification of palm-based aJphasulfonated
fatty acid (SFA) with glycerol in non-solvent media. The
product was isolated as sodium salt by crystallization using methanol as
solvent. The purity of the product was confirmed by TLC, yielding a single
spot while the melting point was found to be sharp at 3SoC.
The structure of the ASPA was identified by Fourier Transform
Infrared (FTIR) and confirmed by 1 H and 13C n uclear magnetic resonance
spectroscopy (NMR). FTIR analysis of ASPA from SME indicated the
presence of broad OH group at wavenumber 3402 cm-1, while the presence of OH group in ASPA from SFA was detected at 3397 cm-1. The
presences of CH20H and CHOH groups of ASPA molecule via SME were
indicated by peak 8 at 3.6 and 3.7 ppm respectively in 1 H-NMR spectrum.
The two OH groups also appeared at 4.25 and 4.27 ppm corresponding to
primary and secondary alcohols respectively. The 1 H-NMR of ASPA via
SFA showed the overlapping of CH20H/CHOH at 3.6 ppm and the two
OH groups also overlapped at 4.11 ppm. The 13C-NMR of ASPA via SME
showed the presence of carbon primary alcohol at 70 ppm and carbon
secondary alcohol at 72 ppm, while the carbon primary alcohol and
carbon secondary of ASPA via SFA were overlapped at 72 ppm.
The effects of reaction temperatures, reaction times and catalyst
on the synthesis were also evaluated. The maximum yield of ASPA via
SME was 48%, at the reaction temperature of 70°C and the reaction time
of 50 minutes, while the optimum yield of ASPA via SFA was 95%, at
reaction temperature of 40°C and the reaction time of 60 minutes.
These new products gave low surface tension (26 dyne/cm). Other
properties, such as foaming power/stability, wetting ability and anti-rust
power were evaluated. The washing active substance (YVAS) as a
function of aging time was also studied.


We use a recently developed model and loan-level micro data to decompose movements in housing resales since 2015. We find that fundamental factors, namely housing affordability and full-time employment, have had offsetting effects on resales over our study period. Recent mortgage rule changes have likely contributed to slower resale activity in Canada, but their impact is estimated to be relatively small. Thus, much of the variation in resales since 2015 reflects deviations from long-run fundamentals, most notably in British Columbia and Ontario. We show that the deviations from fundamentals in these provinces are strongly correlated with house price expectations, which rose rapidly in 2016 but then retreated following provincial housing policy changes.


Decisions about whether or not to include non-conventional therapies in a cancer treatment regimen are potentially critical. An illness such as cancer, perceived to be life threatening, inevitably raises existential questions which, in the present study, were posited to underlie the cognitive approach to treatment choice for cancer patients. The hypotheses tested in the study were that those who use non-conventional medicine will be more knowledgeable and have a more positive belief system about cancer, will be more interested in and motivated about health matters, will desire more personal control and assume more responsibility for their health and its treatment, and will be more intrinsically oriented in terms of meaning in illness and life. It was further hypothesised that the differences between those who use only conventional treatments and those who include non-conventional treatments will become more marked as the boundary between the two is altered to incorporate more non-conventional treatments in the conventional category, suggesting that patients' perceptions of the distinction varies from the medical establishment's view. An important underlying objective of the study included the exploration of the conceptualisation of meaning in life and its events in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic orientations. 212 adult participants, all having been diagnosed with any form of cancer for at least three months, volunteered and completed a postal survey. Overall, the results indicated that the conceptualisation of meaning as intrinsically or extrinsically oriented was an appropriate basis for exploring the role of existential issues in treatment decision making. The combination of constructs in the study was also confirmed as appropriate. In terms of the specific hypotheses, the expectation that users of non-conventional medicine would be more knowledgeable and more positive in their beliefs about cancer was supported only when conventional treatment was deemed to include certain physical and natural types of treatment usually labelled as non conventional. Users of non-conventional medicine were found to be more interested in and more motivated to be involved in health matters than those who used only iii conventional medicine. They were also found to be those who desired more personal control over their health and its treatment and were also prepared to assume more responsibility. The results also supported the hypothesised difference between conventional only and non-conventional users in terms of intrinsic life meaning, but results for extrinsic life meaning only partially supported the expectation that this would be associated with conventional medicine use. These were discussed in terms of measurement issues and the reconceptualisation of the religious, spiritual and philosophical derivations of extrinsic meaning. No difference was found between users of conventional only and users of non-conventional medicine in terms of illness meaning, suggesting that conceptualisation in intrinsic and extrinsic terms was inappropriate for this sub-construct. There was also support for the view that treatments are viewed by many as being on a continuum from conventional to non-conventional, rather than being in defined dichotomous groups. Multivariate results (from a series of2-group discriminant analyses) confirmed that health interest and motivation, attnbutions of contro� responsibility and blame, and intrinsic and extrinsic meaning in life were the most important contributors to discrimination. Internal control attributions were consistently the most important relative discriminator. These results also showed that the influence of the discriminating variables in combination, including sociodemographic control variables, explained variances ranging from 25.4% to 33.6% across the altered groupings of treatment type. The results are discussed in relation to the conceptualisation of meaning and attributions of control and responsibility as pivotal concepts, and in relation to the indication that the greatest separation between conventional and non-conventional use was found when certain physical and natural treatments were classified as conventional rather than non-conventional. Psychometric, and conceptual limitations of the study are discussed, suggestions for future research are made, and some applications of the findings for health professionals are offered.


Woodland vegetation data from the UK Environmental Change Network (ECN) terrestrial sites. These data are collected at all of ECN's terrestrial sites using a standard protocol (see Supporting documentation). This survey is conducted when plots surveyed during the coarse-grain survey fall in woodland. Seedlings, diameter at breast height (dbh), height and species dominance are recorded within a surrounding 10m x 10m plot. ECN is the UK's long-term environmental monitoring programme. It is a multi-agency programme sponsored by a consortium of fourteen government departments and agencies. These organisations contribute to the programme through funding either site monitoring and/or network co-ordination activities. These organisations are: Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru - Natural Resources Wales, Defence Science & Technology Laboratory, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Environment Agency, Forestry Commission, Llywodraeth Cymru - Welsh Government, Natural England, Natural Environment Research Council, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scottish Government and Scottish Natural Heritage.


Glucose transport in skeletal muscle is stimulated by two distinct stimuli, insulin and exercise. The mechanism by which exercise stimulates glucose transport is not known, although it is distinct from the insulin-mediated pathway. Recently, it has been shown that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is activated by exercise in skeletal muscle, whereas pharmacological activation of AMPK by 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide riboside (AICAR) leads to increased glucose transport. It has been postulated, therefore, that AMPK may be the link between exercise and glucose transport. To address this, we have examined the signaling pathway involved in the stimulation of glucose uptake after activation of AMPK. Here we show that activation of AMPK by AICAR in rat muscle and mouse H-2Kb muscle cells activates glucose transport approximately twofold. AMPK in H-2Kb cells is also activated by hyperosmotic stress and the mitochondrial uncoupling agent, dinitrophenol, both of which lead to increased glucose transport. In contrast, insulin, which activates glucose transport two- to-threefold in both rat muscle and H-2Kb cells, has no effect on AMPK activity. A previous study has shown that AMPK phosphorylates and activates endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS). We show here that NOS activity in H-2Kb cells is activated after stimulation of AMPK by AICAR. Treatment of H-2Kb cells or rat muscle with NOS inhibitors completely blocks the increase in glucose transport after activation of AMPK. In addition, an inhibitor of guanylate cyclase also blocks activation of glucose transport by AICAR in H-2Kb cells. These results indicate that activation of AMPK in muscle cells stimulates glucose transport by activation of NOS coupled to downstream signaling components, including cyclic GMP.


In recent years, free space optical (FSO) communication has gained significant importance owing to its unique features: large bandwidth, license free spectrum, high data rate, easy and quick deployability, less power, and low mass requirements. FSO communication uses optical carrier in the near infrared band to establish either terrestrial links within the Earth's atmosphere or inter-satellite/deep space links or ground-to-satellite/satellite-to-ground links. It also finds its applications in remote sensing, radio astronomy, military, disaster recovery, last mile access, backhaul for wireless cellular networks, and many more. However, despite of great potential of FSO communication, its performance is limited by the adverse effects (viz., absorption, scattering, and turbulence) of the atmospheric channel. Out of these three effects, the atmospheric turbulence is a major challenge that may lead to serious degradation in the bit error rate performance of the system and make the communication link infeasible. This paper presents a comprehensive survey on various challenges faced by FSO communication system for ground-to-satellite/satellite-to-ground and inter-satellite links. It also provides details of various performance mitigation techniques in order to have high link availability and reliability. The first part of this paper will focus on various types of impairments that pose a serious challenge to the performance of optical communication system for ground-to-satellite/satellite-to-ground and inter-satellite links. The latter part of this paper will provide the reader with an exhaustive review of various techniques both at physical layer as well as at the other layers (link, network, or transport layer) to combat the adverse effects of the atmosphere. It also uniquely presents a recently developed technique using orbital angular momentum for utilizing the high capacity advantage of optical carrier in case of space-based and near-Earth optical communication links. This survey provides the reader with comprehensive details on the use of space-based optical backhaul links in order to provide high capacity and low cost backhaul solutions.


For many producers and consumers, geographical indications (GIs) are more than mere economic tools as in many cases they also represent the historical and social identity of particular communities located in a particular territory. However, other interested producers and consumers, because of differing historical and economic backgrounds, do not share the same understanding of GIs and, to a certain extent, consider their protection as a form of unjustified protectionism.This paper presents a study of the international regulation of GIs on products. The purpose of this research is to understand the level of protection that this kind of identifier should receive in order to protect consumers against increasing research costs and balance the promotion of high quality products with the needs of a competitive global market.Despite the recognition of the existence of other significant factors involved in the investigation of this topic, I developed this research through an economic approach, which allowed me to understand the problems underlying the international negotiations on GIs in a more dispassionate manner. I concluded that given the absence of a more efficient alternative, the adoption of a multilateral register for wine and spirits is required. The extension of TRIPS art.23 to products other than wine and spirits should be warranted only in the presence of a strong economic justification. Finally, the EU request to regain the exclusive use of certain GIs should be rejected, as this initiative is not supported by any legitimate basis.


The story of Pickering v. Bd. of Education, a foundational case in public employment law, prominently foreshadows more generally the coming prominence of the doctrine of unconstitutional conditions in constitutional law. Under that doctrine, the Supreme Court limits a government actor, like a government employer, from being able to condition governmental benefits, like public employment, on the basis of individuals forfeiting their constitutional rights. It would thus seem to follow that a public employee should not have to sacrifice constitutionally-protected rights in order to enjoy the benefits and privileges of public employment. Yet, today, that is far from the actual case. So why have First Amendment public employee speech rights, which have traditionally enjoyed protection under the doctrine of unconstitutional conditions, suddenly diminished in recent years? I want to suggest in this contribution to First Amendment Law Stories that a certain jurisprudential school of thought – the "subsidy school" – has significantly undermined the vitality of the unconstitutional conditions doctrine through its largely successful sparring with an alternative school of thought, the "penalty school." Under the subsidy school of thought, in contexts as different as abortion funding to the provision of tax exemptions, the unconstitutional conditions doctrine has become largely toothless, as government actors can simply compel a given result by saying they are doing nothing but subsidizing (or not subsidizing) a right a citizen or public employee already has under the Constitution. In order to more concretely illustrate the genesis of the unconstitutional conditions doctrine, and its recent distortions, this Chapter returns to an in-depth exploration of the case that started it all: Pickering v. Bd. of Education. Although the Court decided this case in Marvin Pickering's favor, the resulting framework has, over the years, been interpreted by the Supreme Court in a manner that significantly limits public employee free speech rights.