[1] The spaceborne 94 GHz radar onboard the CloudSat polar orbiting satellite offers new opportunities in estimating parameters of precipitating cloud systems including hurricanes. CloudSat measurements can resolve the vertical extent of storms and hurricanes, thus providing a view of their complex structure. These measurements can be used to retrieve with high spatial resolution rainfall and ice content parameters in an atmospheric vertical column as the satellite moves over the precipitating systems. Two major Atlantic hurricanes of the 2008 season, Gustav and Ike, were observed by CloudSat near their landfalls on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. CloudSat measurements indicated cloud top heights at around 14–16 km above the ground and extended areas of startiform-like precipitation with estimated rain rates in a range of about 3–12 mm h−1. The radar bright band features observed just below the freezing level were identifiable for most measured reflectivity profiles. Maximum retrieved ice water path values reached about 20,000 g m−2. CloudSat rain rate retrievals over land and water agreed reasonably well with approximately coincident estimates from surface precipitation radars in the areas where measurements from these radars were available and were not contaminated by melting layer returns. Hurricane Gustav remnants observed by CloudSat several days after the landfall were characterized by smaller values of rain rate and ice water path (∼2–3 mm h−1 and 1000–10,000 g m−2, correspondingly). The hurricane parameters retrieved from CloudSat measurements may complement data from other satellite sources, which are traditionally used for hurricane observations.


ABSTRACT This paper suggests some Liu type shrinkage estimators for the dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) estimator that may be used to combat the multicollinearity problem. DOLS is an estimator suggested to solve the finite sample bias of OLS caused by endogeneity issue when estimating regression models based on cointegrated variables. In this paper using simulation techniques it is shown that multicollinearity and non-normality of the error term is a problem in finite samples for the DOLS model. The merit of proposed Liu type estimator are shown by means of a Monte Carlo simulation study and using an empirical application.


Restoration is a young and swiftly developing field. It has been almost a decade since the inception of one of the field's foundational documents—the Society for Ecological Restoration International Primer on Ecological Restoration (Primer). Through a series of organized discussions, we assessed the Primer for its currency and relevance in the modern field of ecological restoration. We focused our assessment on the section entitled "The Nine Attributes of a Restored Ecosystem" and grouped each of the attributes into one of four categories: species composition, ecosystem function, ecosystem stability, and landscape context. We found that in the decade since the document's inception, the concepts, methods, goals, and thinking of ecological restoration have shifted significantly. We discuss each of the four categories in this light with the aim of offering comments and suggestions on options for updating the Primer. We also include a fifth category that we believe is increasingly acknowledged in ecological restoration: the human element. The Primer is an important document guiding the practice of restoration. We hope that this critical assessment contributes to its ongoing development and relevance and more generally to the development of restoration ecology, particularly in our current era of rapid environmental change.


A 1:20,000 scale model was built of the island of Oahu and neighboring topography. The model was undistorted and rotatable so that an incoming tsunami from any direction could be easily incorporated by turning the 12' x 12' model to face the wave generator from the desired angle. The wave basin was 30' wide and 40' long; with a I-10 wave absorbing beach situated at the opposite end from the wave generator. The waves were modeled to a vertical scale of I:2000. The model was supplemented by a small-scale (1-247,500) model, also undistorted, in a transparent 6' x 12' ripple tank. This model represented the eight principal islands of the island chain and their surrounding topography. Nature data of runup height for four different tsunamis around Oahu show a strong tooal amplification effect, varying more with respect to fixed positions around the Island (prominent features, points, bays, reefs, etc.) rather than with respect to variations in deep sea direction. A less pronounced local effect was obtained in the model tests and direct point-to-point correlation of model and nature data was not very meaningful beyond a general trend agreement. The orientation effect was similar on the model as in prototype.


In addition to its role as neurotransmitter, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) mediates trophic effects during neuronal development. These long-term actions have been hypothesized to depend on Ca2+ influx through voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels, a consequence of activation of GABAA receptors (ligand-gated ion channels that are permeable to Cl− and HCO3−), which can lead to depolarization in developing neurons. Chavas et al. loaded interneurons in cerebellar slices from juvenile rats with a calcium indicator and observed that application of the GABA agonist muscimol elicited a rise in [Ca2+]i, which was greater in dendrites than in the cell body. The authors used cell-attached recordings in which they measured currents through single BK channels to simultaneously evaluate membrane potential and [Ca2+]i, and they observed that a late phase of increased [Ca2+]i did not correlate with membrane depolarization. Moreover, the [Ca2+]i increase was not blocked by cadmium, and the threshold for calcium channel activation was higher than the peak depolarization in response to muscimol. Both changes in membrane potential and changes in [Ca2+]i required HCO3−; the late phase of increased [Ca2+]i was inhibited by ryanodine. Dendrites expanded in size during muscimol application, and hypoosmotic solutions mimicked, whereas hyperosmotic solutions inhibited, the [Ca2+]i response to muscimol. Thus, the authors proposed that the rise in [Ca2+]i that occurs following GABAA receptor activation depends on increased osmotic tension following bicarbonate-dependent influx of Cl−. The sensitivity to ryanodine suggested that this might involve release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores, linking ion flux through a ligand-gated channel to a metabotropic receptor-like response. J. Chavas, M. E. Forero, T. Collin, I. Llano, A. Marty, Osmotic tension as a possible link between GABAA receptor activation and intracellular calcium elevation. Neuron 44, 701-713 (2004). [Online Journal]


Google and YouTube use Python because it's highly adaptable, easy to maintain, and allows for rapid development. If you want to write high-quality, efficient code that's easily integrated with other languages and tools, this hands-on book will help you be productive with Python quickly -- whether you're new to programming or just new to Python. It's an easy-to-follow self-paced tutorial, based on author and Python expert Mark Lutz's popular training course. Each chapter contains a stand-alone lesson on a key component of the language, and includes a unique Test Your Knowledge section with practical exercises and quizzes, so you can practice new skills and test your understanding as you go. You'll find lots of annotated examples and illustrations to help you get started with Python 3.0. Learn about Python's major built-in object types, such as numbers, lists, and dictionariesCreate and process objects using Python statements, and learn Python's general syntax modelStructure and reuse code using functions, Python's basic procedural toolLearn about Python modules: packages of statements, functions, and other tools, organized into larger componentsDiscover Python's object-oriented programming tool for structuring codeLearn about the exception-handling model, and development tools for writing larger programsExplore advanced Python tools including decorators, descriptors, metaclasses, and Unicode processing


We present an autoregressive model for modelling samples autocorrelation from the same access point in WLAN location determination systems. Our work is in the context of the Horus system, which is a probabilistic WLAN location determination system. We show that the autocorrelation between consecutive samples from the same access point can be as high as 0.9. Using our model, we describe a technique to use multiple signal strength samples from each access point, taking the high autocorrelation into account, to achieve better accuracy. Implementation of the technique in the Horus system shows that the average system accuracy is increased by more than 50%. Our results show that assuming independence of samples from the same access point can lead to degraded performance as the number of samples used in the estimation algorithm is increased, due to the wrong independence assumption. We also discuss how to incorporate the new technique with other algorithms for enhancing the performance of WLAN location determination systems.


Background Malaria transmission intensity is a crucial determinant of malarial disease burden and its measurement can help to define health priorities. Rapid, local estimates of transmission are required to focus resources better but current entomological and parasitological methods for estimating transmission intensity are limited in this respect. An alternative is determination of antimalarial antibody age-specific sero-prevalence to estimate sero-conversion rates (SCR), which have been shown to correlate with transmission intensity. This study evaluated SCR generated from samples collected from health facility attendees as a tool for a rapid assessment of malaria transmission intensity. Methodology and Principal Findings The study was conducted in north east Tanzania. Antibodies to Plasmodium falciparum merozoite antigens MSP-119 and AMA-1 were measured by indirect ELISA. Age-specific antibody prevalence was analysed using a catalytic conversion model based on maximum likelihood to generate SCR. A pilot study, conducted near Moshi, found SCRs for AMA-1 were highly comparable between samples collected from individuals in a conventional cross-sectional survey and those collected from attendees at a local health facility. For the main study, 3885 individuals attending village health facilities in Korogwe and Same districts were recruited. Both malaria parasite prevalence and sero-positivity were higher in Korogwe than in Same. MSP-119 and AMA-1 SCR rates for Korogwe villages ranged from 0.03 to 0.06 and 0.07 to 0.21 respectively. In Same district there was evidence of a recent reduction in transmission, with SCR among those born since 1998 [MSP-119 0.002 to 0.008 and AMA-1 0.005 to 0.014 ] being 5 to 10 fold lower than among individuals born prior to 1998 [MSP-119 0.02 to 0.04 and AMA-1 0.04 to 0.13]. Current health facility specific estimates of SCR showed good correlations with malaria incidence rates in infants in a contemporaneous clinical trial (MSP-119 r2 = 0.78, p<0.01 & AMA-1 r2 = 0.91, p<0.001). Conclusions SCRs generated from age-specific anti-malarial antibody prevalence data collected via health facility surveys were robust and credible. Analysis of SCR allowed detection of a recent drop in malaria transmission in line with recent data from other areas in the region. This health facility-based approach represents a potential tool for rapid assessment of recent trends in malaria transmission intensity, generating valuable data for local and national malaria control programs to target, monitor and evaluate their control strategies.


The human senses play an important role in people's understanding and experience of products. The overall aim of this explorative study was to further investigate users' haptic product experiences in respect of how they are verbalised and how they relate to visual product experiences. The pilot studies revealed an important result, showing the participants' difficulty in verbalising product experiences. A mediating tool was therefore introduced to trigger the information. The main results of the study are that haptic product experiences appeared to contribute to all experience dimensions, but especially those concerning the dimensions "interface qualities" and "objective/ measurable". The results indicate that the information received from one sense created expectations for experiences through other senses and the information perceived through the second sense was used to confirm or modify anticipated experiences. The less prior knowledge participants had of the particular product, the more important the additional information delivered through the second sense appeared to be. Finally, haptic product experiences appeared to be related to a few haptic product properties, but more systematic studies need to be carried out to confirm these results and to identify the effect of the product properties on the intensity of different haptic product experiences.


Professors James E. Pfander's and Daniel D. Birk's bold reinterpretation of Article III's justiciability requirements in their recent article, "Article III Judicial Power, the Adverse-Party Requirement, and Non-Contentious Jurisdiction," 124 YALE L.J. 1346 (2015), challenges the widely accepted principle that federal courts may adjudicate only live disputes between adverse parties. Pfander and Birk provide a fascinating analysis of the various roles that federal judges and courts have played throughout American history, and offer an elegant reinterpretation of the distinction between "cases" and "controversies" under Article III. While many of their conclusions are sound, this Response contends that their proposed reinterpretation of Article III goes too far. Even assuming that Article III grants federal courts non-contentious jurisdiction to hear certain ex parte matters, it should not extend so far as to allow federal courts to become or remain involved in matters where all interested parties affirmatively agree and seek the same relief. In other words, despite their historical pedigree, Article III should not be read as conferring non-contentious jurisdiction upon federal courts to enter consent decrees. This Response begins by questioning the utility of Pfander and Birk's primary methodology — a largely historical analysis — in the context of Article III. It goes on to argue that Pfander and Birk erred in concluding that consent decrees are a valid exercise of the judicial power under Article III. The historical and current practices from which they derive their conclusions are susceptible to an alternate analysis: for a case or controversy to exist, the interested parties must not have not reached a complete accord on all issues in a legal dispute. Indeed, even if one accepts Pfander and Birk's arguments, consent decrees are not justiciable under their own proposed conception of non-contentious jurisdiction. This Response concludes by demonstrating that their proposed distinction between "cases" and "controversies" can have profound effects on Supreme Court jurisdiction that may, in themselves, constitute a basis for rejecting or modifying their proposal.


We study gradient-based optimization methods obtained by directly discretizing a second-order ordinary differential equation (ODE) related to the continuous limit of Nesterov's accelerated gradient method. When the function is smooth enough, we show that acceleration can be achieved by a stable discretization of this ODE using standard Runge-Kutta integrators. Specifically, we prove that under Lipschitz-gradient, convexity and order-$(s+2)$ differentiability assumptions, the sequence of iterates generated by discretizing the proposed second-order ODE converges to the optimal solution at a rate of $\mathcal{O}({N^{-2\frac{s}{s+1}}})$, where $s$ is the order of the Runge-Kutta numerical integrator. Furthermore, we introduce a new local flatness condition on the objective, under which rates even faster than $\mathcal{O}(N^{-2})$ can be achieved with low-order integrators and only gradient information. Notably, this flatness condition is satisfied by several standard loss functions used in machine learning. We provide numerical experiments that verify the theoretical rates predicted by our results.


This study examines the effects of contamination on the redevelopment and valuation of industrial land. The period covered by the study was one in which environmental legislation in the United Kingdom was undergoing significant changes. The Government's proposal to introduce registers of 'potentially contaminated sites' was fiercely opposed by different interest groups and was abandoned. New legislative proposals followed but will not take effect before 1997. During the same period, the guidance given to the valuers of industrial properties, and of other properties which may be affected by contamination, has been limited in scope and difficult to implement.It is argued that contaminated land is an important resource and that a 'risk assessment' approach should be adopted for valuation purposes and the appraisal of redevelopment proposals. The processes involved in the investigation of contaminated sites, the selection of treatment methods and the role of the valuer in these actions are considered. Alternative approaches to the valuation and appraisal of contaminated sites are described, both in situations where the existing industrial use is to continue and where redevelopment is proposed. Value was found to be affected both by the cost to treat the contamination and perceived 'risk factors', which are collectively termed 'stigma'.Besides valuers, many different actors are involved in the property development process. These actors are likely to hold differing views in respect of treatment methods, the value and desirability of redeveloping contaminated sites, according to the nature of their involvement. Questionnaire surveys were undertaken of valuers and other professionals involved in redevelopment, in order to test their perceptions of the risks involved. The views of a 'general population' sample were also obtained in respect of a number of environmental issues, in order to compare the views of two 'expert' groups with those of a wider population. Interviews were conducted with a number of leading valuers, so as to assess current practice in reflecting the possibility of contamination in valuations. The surveys enabled professional perceptions of the stigma effect to be determined. Case studies involving the redevelopment of contaminated sites were researched and the impact of stigma upon transaction prices was assessed.The findings of the research enabled a predictive model to be developed for use in the valuation of contaminated land and this was tested by reference to ten case studies. The perception of risk, associated with contaminated land, held by valuers was clearly identified to be higher than that perceived by the other group of'experts' involved in the development process. All of the professionals were generally supportive of current Government proposals but with some reservations. Property investors were identified as being the most cautious of all actors involved in property development. Further research proposals are described.


Educational hypermedia has been heralded as providing instruction that accommodates learners' individual differences, allowing them to learn in accordance with their unique needs, desires, and preferences. Advocates of hypermedia point to learner control, multimedia capability, and parallels to theories of human memory as evidence for educational hypermedia's efficacy. While intuitively appealing, empirical research has not confirmed (or rejected) this assumption. Nor is there compelling evidence to suggest that learners who posses different cognitive styles benefit equally from educational hypermedia environments. This study reports on an examination of cognitive style field dependence/independence and learner control of presentation mode within an educational hypermedia environment. Participants were 122 high school juniors and seniors enrolled in classes whose curricula dealt with the political process. The experimental sites were three high schools located in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Learners classified as field dependent and field independent were asked to explore a commercial hypermedia program concerning the presidential primary election process. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two versions of the program, a control group which utilized the commercially designed multimedia presentations and a treatment group that offered the choice of single-channel presentations in addition to the multiple-channel presentations. After interacting with the program participants completed a ten item post test consisting of five recall and five problem-solving questions. Their actions within the hypermedia environment were automatically tracked by the computer. Data analysis consisted of a 3 x 2 ANOVA to examine interaction between field dependency and learner control of presentation mode as measured by the post test. Field dependency was correlated with frequency of multiple-channel selections. A secondary analysis examined main effects and interactions on the recall and problem-solving questions separately utilizing a 3 x 2 ANOVA. Data analysis revealed no correlation between field dependency and frequency of multimedia selections. The study found no significant interaction between field dependency and control (program or learner) of presentation mode as measured by the ten item post test. Separate analysis of the recall and problem-solving questions also revealed no significant interaction.


There is ample evidence that sports have performed an enlightening function in human history--that precisely by dint of their inherently competitive and agonistic nature, they foster a profound meritocracy and cosmopolitanism that few other venues in social life have. By virtue of these integrative qualities, sports enhance intercultural tolerance and understanding. However, just like in most realms of human activity, so too in sports do cosmopolitanism and inclusiveness meet with resistance by forces that the philosopher and cultural theorist Kwame Anthony Appiah has so aptly termed "counter-cosmopolitanism." Newcomers, immigrants, and "alien" languages and cultures are met with ridicule, hostility, and even violent reactions by entrenched forces and institutions. Since cultural changes inevitably imply some threat to established identities, such changes exact tensions and defensive responses. This is evident in sports since adversity, opposition, contest, and thus conflict are their most essential markers. By their very nature in demanding winners and losers, sports feature a zero-sum essence that extols tensions, rewards the victors, and punishes the vanquished. Counter-cosmopolitanism's ugliest expression is resilient racism and random violence against "others." However, the quantity and quality of such counter-cosmopolitan activities varies over time and space. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This article argues that at least over the past tour to five decades, there has existed perhaps no greater difference between US and European hegemonic sports culture (i.e. sports that attract a mass following well beyond its actual producers and most immediate fans) than in the expression of counter-cosmopolitanism. Briefly put, while racism, xenophobia, and--above all--regularized fan violence, often on a massive scale, have accompanied and marred European soccer for decades, few, if any, similar occurrences have accompanied the most popular US spectator sports. This fact constitutes an interesting puzzle precisely because US society, by virtually any available measure, is much more violent than its European counterpart. Contrasts between Fan Cultures To be sure, US sports featured many "European" traits in their history. They were bastions of the most ugly racism and counter-cosmopolitanism both among players and spectators prior to their gradual incorporation of African Americans and Latinos from the late 1940s to the 1960s. But by reaching a critical mass in the quantity--and more importantly, the quality--of players of the "Big Three" American spectator sports of baseball, football, and basketball during these decades, and by the civil rights movement's gains and the general discourse of empathy that changed what constitutes acceptable language and behavior toward the disempowered in general and racial minorities in particular, overtly racist taunts accompanied by violent acts against players and viewers in the United States' major sports venues have all but disappeared and lack any kind of legitimacy in contemporary sports. This, alas, is not the case in Europe's most popular sport, that of Association Football, better known in the United States by the term "soccer," a mid-nineteenth century English student slang abbreviation of the cumbersome "Association." Starting in the early 1970s in the United Kingdom and spreading across the continent during the last four decades--precisely when racism and counter-cosmopolitanism became taboo in US sports venues--soccer grounds (and almost exclusively those in contrast to other sports venues featuring rugby, cricket, basketball, or any other team sport) have become the last bastion in contemporary Europe in which the worst kind of racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, xenophobic--i.e. counter-cosmopolitan--language and behavior have not only been tolerated, but actually extolled. But it is not the activities of a committed counter-cosmopolitan minority in European venues that differentiates the European case from its US counterpart; rather, it is what the majority on each continent tolerates as acceptable discourse and behavior. …


ABSTRACT Cavities in the dolostones of the Cayman Formation (Miocene) on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brae commonly contain spar calcite cements and/or a variety of exogenetic (derived from sources external to the bedrock) and endogenetic (derived from sources in the bedrock) internal sediments. Micrite is a common component in many of these internal sediments. The exogenetic micrite, which is typically laminated and commonly contains fragments of marine biota, originated from the nearby shallow lagoons. The endogenetic micrite formed as a residue from the breakdown of spar calcite crystals by etching, as constructive and destructive envelopes developed around spar calcite crystals, by calcification of microbes, by breakdown of calcified filamentous microbes, and by precipitation from pore waters. nce produced, the endogenetic micrite may be transported from its place of origin by water flowing through the cavities. Endogenetic micrite can become mixed with the exogenetic micrite. Subsequently, it is impossible to recognize the origin of individual particles because the particles in endogenetic micrite are morphologically like the particles in exogenetic micrite. Formation of endogenetic micrite is controlled by numerous extrinsic and intrinsic parameters. In the Cayman Formation, for example, must endogenetic micrite is produced by etching of meteoric calcite crystals that formed as a cement in the cavities or by microbial calcification. As a result, the distribution of the endogenetic micrite is ultimately controlled by the distribution of the calcite cement and/or the microbes--factors controlled by numerous other extrinsic variables. Irrespective of the factors involved in its formation, it is apparent that endogenetic micrite can be produced by a variety of processes that are operating in the confines of cavities in karst terrains


Since holding elections in 2010, Myanmar has transitioned from a direct military dictatorship to a formally democratic system and has embarked on a period of rapid economic reform. After two decades of military rule, the pace of change has startled almost everyone and led to a great deal of cautious optimism. To make sense of the transition and assess the case for optimism, this article explores the political economy of Myanmar's dual transition from state socialism to capitalism and from dictatorship to democracy. It analyses changes within Myanmar society from a critical political economy perspective in order to both situate these developments within broader regional trends and to evaluate the country's current trajectory. In particular, the emergence of state-mediated capitalism and politico-business complexes in Myanmar's borderlands are emphasised. These dynamics, which have empowered a narrow oligarchy, are less likely to be undone by the reform process than to fundamentally shape the contours of reform. Consequently, Myanmar's future may not be unlike those of other Southeast Asian states that have experienced similar developmental trajectories.


This paper examines the relationships between time of transfer from community college to four-year college and three outcomes of attending four-year college: probability of baccalaureate, time to baccalaureate, and credits earned at baccalaureate. Using enrollment data from the State University of New York, I establish that transfer students from community colleges have a longer and more widespread time-to-baccalaureate distribution than do non-transfer ("native") students, are more likely to have taken time off than natives with the same number of terms completed, and also have fewer credits accumulated than equivalent natives. Multinomial Logit estimations show that "transferring up" after the first, second, and fourth semester of community college attendance is associated with the highest probability of eventual baccalaureate receipt. However, when I add controls for time taken off and credits accumulated, there is a "U-shaped" impact of time spent at a two-year college on the probability of earning a baccalaureate within eight years, with transferring after five semesters now yielding the lowest likelihood of 8-year baccalaureate. Those who transfer "early"—having completed fewer than four community college terms—and do not quickly attrite do not maintain the credit and enrollment statuses of equivalent natives; those who transfer "late"—after six or more semesters at community college—typically earn more credits in a semester than equivalent natives. Without controlling for pre-transfer attendance factors, transferring after four semesters appears to yield the shortest time-to-baccalaureate for those who eventually graduate; when controls for demographics and credits accumulated are added, transferring after exactly one semester yields a significantly higher time-tobaccalaureate for engineering and biological science majors. Transferring up after four or more semesters is associated with extra credits at baccalaureate receipt for students in both math/science majors and majors in large occupational fields, though the impacts are not particularly large in important fields of study.


This paper presents an efficient method for calculating damped critical speeds of a build-in motorized spindle. In this method, the dynamic model of a build-in motorized spindle is established first by an improved Riccati transfer matrix method. Based on the dynamic model, the characteristic polynomial is obtained. Instead of finding all roots of the characteristic polynomial, the argument principle is used to retrieve the number of roots in the effective resonance region which is the most interested region for predicting stability. Then, the micro genetic algorithm is used iteratively to find those roots. Finally, this method is applied to calculate the damped critical speeds of a typical build-in motorized spindle supported by two identical fluid film cylindrical bearings. Numerical results indicate that the present method is efficient and effective. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.23.3.14240


It is well known that the presence of rock fragments on the soil surface and the soil's initial characteristics (moisture content, surface roughness, bulk density, etc.) are key factors influencing soil erosion dynamics and sediment delivery. In addition, the interaction of these factors increases the complexity of soil erosion patterns and makes predictions more difficult. The aim of this study was (i) to investigate the effect of soil initial conditions and rock fragment coverage on soil erosion yields and effluent particle size distribution and (ii) to evaluate to what extent the rock fragment coverage controls this relationship. Three laboratory flume experiments with constant precipitation rate of 74 mm h-1 on a loamy soil parcel with a 2% slope were performed. Experiments with duration of 2 h were conducted using the 6-m × 2-m EPFL erosion flume. During each experiment two conditions were considered, a bare soil and a rock fragment-protected (with 40% coverage) soil. The initial soil surface state was varied between the three experiments, from a freshly re-ploughed and almost dry condition to a compacted soil with a well-developed shield layer and high moisture content. Experiments were designed so that rain splash was the primary driver of soil erosion. Results showed that the amount of eroded mass was highly controlled by the initial soil conditions and whether the steady-state equilibrium was un-, partially- or fully- developed during the previous event. Additionally, results revealed that sediment yields and particle size composition in the initial part of an erosion event are more sensitive to the erosion history than the long-time behaviour. This latter appears to be mainly controlled by rainfall intensity. If steady-state was achieved for a previous event, then the next event consistently produced concentrations for each size class that peaked rapidly, and then declined gradually to steady-state equilibrium. If steady state was not obtained, then different and more complex behaviour was observed in the next event, with large differences found between fine, medium and coarse size classes. The presence of rock fragments on the topsoil reduced the time needed to reach steady state compared with the bare soil. This was attributed to the reduction of rain splash erosion caused by the rapid development of the overland flow, as a result of rock fragments reducing the flow cross-sectional area.


The operation of a Ti:sapphire-laser-pumped femtosecond optical parametric oscillator based on the new nonlinear material RbTiOAsO(4) is described. Oscillation has been observed for pump powers as low as 50 mW, and output powers as high as 185 mW have been measured. With intracavity prisms for dispersion compensation, transformlimited pulses of less than 70-fs duration have been produced. Under noncritical phase matching, a signal (idler) tuning range over 110 nm (330 nm) is demonstrated with pump tuning.


Participation in summer session has benefits for students including improved retention and degree completion and increased contact with faculty (Adelman, 2006; DiGregorio, 1998). Just as some characteristics of students limit their access to participate in higher education in general, participation in summer session may also be affected by certain student characteristics. This study used a nationally representative sample to explore how undergraduate students who enroll in summer session may differ from undergraduate students who do not enroll in summer session in a variety of financial, geographic, academic, programmatic and cultural/social/physical characteristics historically associated with access to higher education. Significant differences between summer enrolled and not enrolled students were found in a number of instances. Some characteristics that are negatively associated with enrollment, persistence and attainment in higher education were positively associated with summer enrollment. A regression analysis revealed that the combined predictive value of student characteristics accounts for only a small portion of the overall decision to enroll in the summer term.


Traditionally, the evolution of customary international law was understood as a gradual process: in some idealized model, we might see first a few states, and then a few more, implicitly agreeing to follow a practice, and then we would gradually begin to see additional states doing the same thing. We would also gradually accumulate evidence that these various states are acting in such a way because they consider themselves legally bound to do so. Then, over time, we'll see more and more states following suit both in word and deed, until at some point we can say with a great deal of confidence that such and such has evolved into a binding norm of customary international law.That's the idealized process through which norms of customary international law develop. In real life, of course, it's rarely so neat and tidy. In fact, much of the time, the evolution of customary international law looks less like a gradual, trouble-free emergence of consensus than a continual process of contestation — a continual process of resistance and conflict between states, if you will. By "conflict" the author doesn't necessarily mean armed force, but rather diplomatic conflict of all sorts: dueling demarches, dueling public statements, and so on.Norms relating to humanitarian intervention offer a typical example. We are in a period in which we are seeing a norm struggling to emerge, if you will, but that process is not a smooth one, has not been a smooth one, and is unlikely to be a smooth one in the future. Indeed, when we think about norms related to humanitarian intervention or the Responsibility to Protect, if anything what we have seen has been a process of reaction, counter-reaction, counter-counterreaction and counter-counter-counter-reaction. We are still going through that cycle.


Industrial policies have played an important role in successful development. Through these policies, governments intervene in the market's sectoral allocation of resources and choice of technologies. Earlier industrial policies had a narrow remit and made use of a limited number of instruments. This paper argues that they should pursue broader objectives with a wider range of instruments. In particular, it argues that 'learning' is central to development, there are intrinsic market failures associated with learning, and that carefully crafted industrial policies can promote learning and development.


Visa recently announced that its debit card transactions now exceed Visa credit card transactions in the U.S. There were 3.04 billion Visa check card transactions in the first two quarters of 2002, compared with 2.96 billion credit card transactions, despite the fact that the number of credit cards exceeds the number of debit cards in circulation. Meanwhile, MasterCard's signature-based debit volume rose 22% during the first half of the year. Compared with other countries, Americans had been slow in migrating to debit cards. "Now more and more consumers, particularly the younger ones, are beginning to realize the convenience of debit," says Stan Paur, CEO of the Pulse EFT Association. "They trust it, it works and with it they can avoid writing a check." "Of those who don't have debit cards, 25% say they would take one if offered," says Ruth Ann Marshall, president of MasterCard North America. This would be all well and good except for a few storm clouds on the horizon that threaten to dampen these cheerful prognostications. There's the matter of a lawsuit that could burden the banking industry with billions of dollars in damages. Then there's the evolution of a dispute over the fees charged to consumers who make PIN-based purchases. And this is all coming to a head at a time when a soggy economy and greater credit card scrutiny by federal regulators threaten to dampen consumer spending. The lawsuit is no small potatoes. Wal-Mart and other large retailers have filed a class action suit, claiming that Visa and MasterCard rules, which require all merchants who accept their credit cards to also accept their signature debit cards, constitutes an illegal tie-in in violation of antitrust law. The card networks argue that the claim fails to meet the definition of tying since their honor-all-cards agreement with merchants doesn't prevent them from steering their customers toward PIN-based debit transactions with their concomitant lower merchant fees. In addition to Wal-Mart, defendants in the lawsuit include The Limited, Circuit City, Safeway, and Sears, and large trade organizations such as the Food Marketing Institute and the International Mass Retail Association. Most observers believe the future viability of debit cards depends on the outcome of the case, which is set to go to trial on April 28 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn. Point, counterpoint The lawsuit pits one major industry, banking, against another, retailing. The banking industry is lending its support to Visa and MasterCard, while the list of merchant plaintiffs continues to grow with each passing day. Class action notices have been mailed to nearly 7.7 million existing or former merchants who have accepted Visa or MasterCard. "Visa and MasterCard are trying to monopolize the debit transaction business and destroy other card networks," says Lloyd Constantine of Constantine & Partners, New York, the lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the merchants' case. He also argues that the two biggest networks have destroyed equitable debit card pricing by moving to pricing that emulates credit card pricing. Others believe the merchants are misusing antitrust law. Presumably the antitrust laws were enacted to give the courts power to break up monopolies so that citizens would have access to the largest number of goods and services possible at the cheapest, most competitive prices. A win for the merchant plaintiffs in the Wal-Mart suit might make it easier for other networks to compete, but a single debit card may no longer be accepted at the unlimited number of purchase points where credit cards are honored today. For his part, Constantine believes debit card transactions would increase if he wins the case. "When debit is offered to merchants on a competitive basis, the cards would get cheaper," he says. …


This article addresses the political aspects of the structural marginalization of Adivasis (Scheduled Tribes) in India. Relating to critical debates about the changing nature of state–society relations in India, the article assesses the argument that the best way for social movements in India to advance their oppositional projects is to harness the state to their attempts to deepen democracy and advance subaltern emancipation. The trajectories of two Adivasi movements in western Madhya Pradesh are analysed, and I discuss the conceptual and political lessons that can be learnt from these case studies in terms of the relationship between subaltern politics and state power in contemporary India. Theoretically grounded in Marxian state theory, the article puts forward the argument that it is necessary to move beyond both anti-statism and state-centrism in order to develop a politically enabling engagement with contemporary Adivasi mobilization in India.


A boxer's workout is a fantastic way to burn calories--it is engaging, exhilarating, and effective. Going beyond jumping rope and punching the heavy bag, this guide describes intermediate and advanced boxing skills that will help anyone improve their performance in the ring. This boxing workout will help develop body and character so that athletes can get into the best shape of their lives, build self-confidence, and be winners in and out of the ring.


In this paper, I examine whether U.S.-Mexico economic integration is causing economic activity in the United States to relocate to the U.S.-Mexico border region. The approach I take is to study U.S.- Mexico border-city pairs. Border cities are natural laboratories in which to study the effects of trade policy. To the extent transport costs are the main non-trade policy barriers to trade, we expect regional economic integration to cause economic activity in border cities to expand. I exploit the fact that U.S.-Mexico integration has effectively been underway since the early 1980s. A large portion of U.S.-Mexico trade is the result of U.S. multinationals establishing export assembly operations in Mexico. Mexico's export assembly plants are concentrated in cities on the U.S.-Mexico border. The question I ask is whether the growth of export manufacturing in Mexican border cities increases the demand for goods and services produced in neighboring U.S. border cities. I estimate demand links between Mexican and U.S. border cities using data on the six largest border- city pairs over the period 1975-1989. The results indicate that the growth of export manufacturing in Mexico can account for a substantial portion of employment growth, in general, and of manufacturing employment growth, in particular, in U.S. border cities over the sample period. This suggests that NAFTA will contribute to the formation of binational regional production centers along the U.S.- Mexico border.


In Digital Vertigo, Andrew Keen presents today's social media revolution as the most wrenching cultural transformation since the Industrial Revolution. Fusing a fast-paced historical narrative with front-line stories from today's online networking revolution and critiques of "social" companies like Groupon, Zynga and LinkedIn, Keen argues that the social media transformation is weakening, disorienting and dividing us rather than establishing the dawn of a new egalitarian and communal age. The tragic paradox of life in the social media age, Keen says, is the incompatibility between our internet longings for community and friendship and our equally powerful desire for online individual freedom. By exposing the shallow core of social networks, Andrew Keen shows us that the more electronically connected we become, the lonelier and less powerful we seem to be. Praise forThe Cult of the Amateur: 'A shrewdly argued jeremiad against the digerati effort to dethrone cultural and political gatekeepers and replace experts with 'the wisdom of the crowd'. Keen writes with acuity and passion'. New York Times 'A staggering new book by Andrew Keen. He is an English-born digital media entrepreneur and Silicon Valley insider who really knows his stuff and he writes with the passion of a man who can at last see the dangers he has helped unleash. His book will come as a real shock to many. It certainly did to me'. A N Wilson, The Daily Mail


The Robert W. Kolb Series in Finance is an unparalleled source of information dedicated to the most important issues in modern finance. Each book focuses on a specific topic in the field of finance and contains contributed chapters from both respected academics and experienced financial professionals. As part of the Robert W. Kolb Series in Finance, Financial Engineering aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of this important discipline by examining its fundamentals, the newest financial products, and disseminating cutting-edge research.A contributed volume of distinguished practitioners and academics, Financial Engineering details the different participants, developments, and products of various markets—from fixed income, equity, and derivatives to foreign exchange. Also included within these pages are comprehensive case studies that reveal the various issues associated with financial engineering. Through them, you'll gain instant insights from the stories of Countrywide (mortgages), Societe Generale and Barings (derivatives), the Allstate Corporation (fixed income), AIG, and many others. There is also a companion website with details from the editors' survey of financial engineering programs around the globe, as well as a glossary of key terms from the book.Financial engineering is an evolving field in constant revision. Success, innovation, and profitability in such a dynamic area require being at the forefront of research as new products and models are introduced and implemented. If you want to enhance your understanding of this discipline, take the time to learn from the experts gathered here.


Chalcone synthase (CHS) is a key enzyme in the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway. CHS genes were cloned from genomic DNA and cDNA from the petals of 'Buntharik' white lotus and 'Sattabangkacha' pink lotus by the PCR technique using a specific primer of the CHS gene designed from the GenBank database. Semi-quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that the highest CHS gene expression was found in the early budding stage of the pink lotus and was reduced in later stages. Shoot tips from embryos of Buntharik and Rachinee lotus were used to induce shoot clusters by cultivation on a MS medium supplemented with 40 μM NAA and 0.5 μM TDZ for 8 weeks and a MS medium supplemented with 50 μM BA for 8 weeks. An antisense CHS gene (450 bp) from the cDNA of Buntharik lotus was used to construct a plant transformation vector; pCAMBIA1302CHSA. The vector construct was transformed into Buntharik and Rachinee shoot clusters by particle bombardment. After transformant selection and regeneration, two transformants of Buntharik shoot clusters showed GFP green spots and existence of the GFP gene and hptII gene in the genomic DNA amplified by the PCR technique. In the Rachinee transformants, 3 of 5 showed the GFP green spots and the GFP and hptII genes were identified in amplification by PCR. After CHS gene expression analyses by semi-quantitative RT-PCR, two transformed Rachinee shoot clusters had a reduction in CHS gene expression.


Everything we see is lit by one source or another. The questions are: what and how? That is what this book is designed to teach you. Through Rosanne Olsons tried-and-true course on lighting principles for photography, video, and art in general, you will discover how the angles and heights of your light sources affect your pictures. You will learn how to work with light modifiers to change the quality of your light, and how to control light to create a feeling of depth and dimensionwhether youre shooting with natural light, continuous artificial light, studio strobes, dedicated flash, or a combination of sources. Assignments are included to help you put each concept into practice as you perfect your skills and train your eyes to see the subtleties of light. You will never look at a photograph or painting in the same way after you read this book!


There is significant interest in developing small ultra wide band (UWB) antennas that operate from 20 MHz up to several GHz. Often, numerous antennas are used to cover such a large frequency range leading to issues such as space limitations, payload and electromagnetic interference (EMI). Moreover, antennas used at lower frequencies tend to be large and protruding making them unsuited for many applications. Size reduction can be often achieved at the expense of gain. However, as size is reduced, it is important to ensure that optimal gain is achieved for a given size. Toward this goal, theoretical Chu antenna size limits were developed subject to a pre-specified gain. For example, a min. aperture size of Dcong24" is needed to operate down to 30 MHz with -15 dBi gain (fMHz=18/Dmeters). Also, a min. size of D=35" is needed to operate down to 30 MHz with - 10 dBi gain (fMHz=24/Dmeters). These are optimal miniaturization limits and cannot be exceeded based on the prevailing Chu limit theory. Nevertheless, it is challenging to achieve them, and over the years, we have made consistent progress in antenna miniaturization of wideband antennas. Such miniaturization are even more challenging when conformal (as part of the platform's skin) design are required. This paper reviews spiral miniaturization using a variety of loading (inductive, ferrite and combinations).


Reflux method was used to prepare MoV oxide catalysts for one controlled sample where no additional species was added, then EDTA, hexane, hydrazine sulphate and urea as organic species were added during the synthesis procedure for another 4 samples. The catalysts obtained based on different calcination environment conditions and temperatures have been compared in order to determine their influence on the physicochemical properties of the catalyst. The precursors were characterised using thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) and x-ray diffraction (XRD), and the calcined samples were characterised using XRD, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and BET surface area measurements (SBET).
It has been found that the organic-metal salt complexes facilitate well dispersed, organised structure and high SBET MoV oxide based formation. This is only true for hydrazine sulphate- and urea- metal salt complexes with SBET of 5.5 and 10.9 m2g-1 respectively, as EDTA- and hexane- metal salt complexes lead to aggregated and low SBET oxide formation with the SBET of 0.1 and 1.8 m2g-1 respectively. Catalytic test of the MoV oxide, MoVTe oxide and MoVTeNb oxide shows notable effects of the addition of tellurium and niobium to the molybdenum vanadate matrix. It is found that MoV oxide is sufficiently active for propane selective oxidation to acrylic acid with high conversion percentage of 45 to 62%. When tellurium is added the catalytic activity remains almost constant but the selectivity decreases from 31% to 7%. However, niobium is found to increase the catalyst stability in high heat pre-treatment whereby the quaternary oxides showed better selectivity than the ternary oxides and increases from 7% to 32%. Niobium has a significant role in the insertion of oxygen into the hydrocarbon intermediate, although the metal itself is not part of the crystal system. Thus niobium is needed for the selectivity of the reaction. In overall, the MoV and MoVTeNb is active and selective when bear the mixture of orthorhombic structure where molybdenum is part of the lattice and a phase where vanadium is present.


BRIEF SESSION DESCRIPTION:This presentation focuses on problem-based learning (PBL) methodology and how a multi-disciplinary team is using it to create a new course combining global health and engineering.A'  Course design considerations and strategies for managing PBL are discussed. Attendees will work on materials that will help them decide if this methodology is appropriate for their course. Participants will be able to define PBL, determine whether PBL is appropriate for their course and will develop a PBL activity using principles of backward design.A'  Participants will also be able to apply strategies that facilitate PBL._______________________________________________________________FULL ABSTRACT:Project-based learning (PBL) is a high impact teaching methodology that allows students to gain knowledge and skills by actively engaging in investigating and responding to real-world questions, problems or challenges. Courses of this type allows students to work on meaningful issues, meeting MasonA¢â'¬â"¢s goal of transforming the Mason Student into the Mason Graduate A¢â'¬â€œ an engaged citizen and well-round scholar who is prepared to act.A'  Knowledge of this methodology will be particular beneficial for faculty seeking to redesign courses as the University moves toward implementing M-Pact, MasonA¢â'¬â"¢s commitment to offering every student a transformative learning experience.A'  A' A' The presenters, an interdisciplinary team of faculty members from Global and Community Health and Engineering attended the 2017 Institute on Project-Based Learning at Worcester Polytechnic Institute to learn about best practices regarding this methodology. The team will describe how they are using PBL methodology to create an undergraduate Engineering Global Health course. Team will then facilitate a workshop focused on implementation of PBL across a variety disciplines.A' Presenters will:A¢â'¬Â¢Define project-based learningA¢â'¬Â¢Discuss design approaches with an emphasis on using backward design principlesA¢â'¬Â¢Suggest strategies for managing PBL, including handling team dynamicsA¢â'¬Â¢Lead participants in small group discussion and activities to brainstorm ideas for implementing PBLA' Participants will brainstorm challenges and potential solutions to implementing PBL through facilitated small group discussion. Participants will apply PBL methodology using backward design principles to begin to create a PBL experience for a course.A' A' Attendees will be able to define PBL, determine whether PBL is appropriate for their course and will develop a PBL activity using principles of backward design.A'  It is hoped that faculty engaged in this session will move on to form a community of practice around PBL at Mason.


The study of peers as an influence on sport participation has received minimal exploration. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine how peer created motivational climates (task-involved and ego-involved) impact positive and negative affective states of intramural sport participants post-participation. Three hundred and fifteen intramural sport participants (N=315) at a Canadian university completed a questionnaire after participating in their intramural sport. Hierarchical regression analyses and MANCOVAs were used to examine the effects of peer motivational climates on positive and negative affect. Results revealed that task-involved peer climates are more conducive of positive affective states post-participation whereas ego-involved climates result in lesser positive affective states and more negative affective states. Teams that promote improvement and effort instead of intra-team competition and conflict will have more positive recreational sport experiences. Future research should explore other psychological outcomes that can result from peer created motivational climates in recreational sport team settings.


In Restructured power systems, Power quality is one of the major concerns in the present era. The problem of voltage sags and swells and its major impact on sensitive loads are well known. To solve this problem, custom power devices are used. One of those devices is the Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR), which is one of the most efficient and effective modern custom power devices used in power distribution networks. A new control algorithm for the DVR is proposed in this paper to regulate the load terminal voltage during sag, swell in the voltage at the point of common coupling (PCC).This new control algorithm is based on synchronous reference frame theory (SRF) along with PI controller is used for the generation of reference voltages for a dynamic voltage restorer (DVR). These voltages, when injected in series with a distribution feeder by a voltage source inverter (VSI) with PWM control, can regulate the voltage at the load terminals against any power quality problem in the source side. It first analyzes the power circuit of the system in order to come up with appropriate control limitations and control targets for the compensation voltage control through the DVR. The control of the DVR is implemented through derived reference load terminal voltages. The proposed control scheme is simple to design. Simulation results carried out by MATLAB with its Simulink and SimPower System (SPS) tool boxes to verify the performance of the proposed method.


Carta, Guy R. (Rutgers, The State University, New Brunswick, N.J.), and Vernon Bryson. Mutants of Escherichia coli variably resistant to bacteriophage T1. J. Bacteriol. 92:1055–1061. 1966.—Mutants resistant to bacteriophage T1 were isolated from ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated cultures of Escherichia coli B/r, a UV-resistant variant. Bacterial populations derived from some of these mutants were partially but not completely resistant to the bacteriophage. Such mutants, designated variably resistant (B/r/1v), could not be obtained from E. coli B. Phage-free mutant populations taken from different stages in growth consisted of significantly different proportions of T1-resistant and T1-sensitive cells. The growth stage-dependent range of variation exceeded 1,000-fold. In broth cultures, the highest proportion of resistant cells consistently appeared at mid-log phase, and the highest proportion of sensitive cells at lag and stationary phases. Comparable evidence for environmentally dependent changes in host-cell phenotype was obtained by efficiency of plating and cloning efficiency analysis tests. Micromanipulation showed that, in clones growing in the presence of phage T1, sensitive bacteria appeared with high frequency and underwent lysis.


This study of the social and economic disparities in Israel spans the period from the early 1920s up to the present. An investigation into historical development is combined with a thorough analysis of causes of economic inequality and poverty. Special attention is paid to the socio-economic differences between and within the communities -- the two main Jewish groups (European and Oriental) and the Arab population. Further subjects include the examination of the impact of economic growth and structural changes on inequality; the analysis of income distribution by family types; and the influence of the working wife on family income and inequality. International comparisons and the analysis of inequality in the world show Israel in a wider perspective and lend the study a more general character. Contents: Introduction: Concepts and Measurement / The Mandatory Period / Socioeconomic Development of Income Distribution / An Historical Aspect / Factors Affecting Earning and Income Differentials / Determinants of Family Income / Poverty in Israel / Israel in the World / Income Distribution in the World


Neurophysiological and neuroimaging work suggests that the cerebellum is critically involved in sensorimotor adaptation. Changes in cerebellar function alter behaviour when compensating for sensorimotor perturbations, as shown by non-invasive stimulation of the cerebellum and studies involving patients with cerebellar degeneration. It is known, however, that behavioural responses to sensorimotor perturbations reflect both explicit processes (such as volitional aiming to one side of a target to counteract a rotation of visual feedback) and implicit, error-driven updating of sensorimotor maps. The contribution of the cerebellum to these explicit and implicit processes remains unclear. Here, we examined the role of the cerebellum in sensorimotor adaptation to a 30° rotation of visual feedback of hand position during target-reaching, when the capacity to use explicit processes was manipulated by controlling movement preparation times. Explicit re-aiming was suppressed in one condition by requiring subjects to initiate their movements within 300ms of target presentation, and permitted in another condition by requiring subjects to wait approximately 1050ms after target presentation before movement initiation. Similar to previous work, applying anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS; 1.5mA) to the right cerebellum during adaptation resulted in faster compensation for errors imposed by the rotation. After exposure to the rotation, we evaluated implicit remapping in no-feedback trials after providing participants with explicit knowledge that the rotation had been removed. Crucially, movements were more adapted in these no-feedback trials following cerebellar anodal tDCS than after sham stimulation in both long and short preparation groups. Thus, cerebellar anodal tDCS increased implicit remapping during sensorimotor adaptation, irrespective of preparation time constraints. The results are consistent with the possibility that the cerebellum contributes to the formation of new visuomotor maps that correct perturbations in sensory feedback, even when explicit processes are suppressed during sensorimotor adaptation.


Perovskite solar cells have revolutionized the field of photovoltaics. Apart from their impressive photo-conversion efficiencies, the ease of their fabrication – principally when carried out by solution processing – has permitted addition of new functionalities to the photovoltaic cell. Some of these features are related to the optical properties. In this review, the different materials chemistry approaches that allow controlling the spectral absorption of ABX3 perovskite layers and the changes that they produce in the visual aspect of the solar cell will be covered. These modifications can be done either by playing with the composition of the precursors or by integrating different types of nanostructures. Spectral bandgap tuning, semitransparency, color and enhancement of light absorption are examples of how these modifications operate in the core of ABX3 perovskite solar cells. These optical features bring benefits in terms of photo-conversion efficiencies or else in the aesthetical integration of perovskite solar cells with architectonic elements for building integrated photovoltaics. Additionally, surface passivation approaches are covered to show its effect over the photo-conversion efficiency and stability of the cell.


Critics of pro-tenant residential laws have argued that such laws actually hurt tenants. Law-and-economics scholars, for instance, argue that such reforms raise the cost of doing business to landlords. Forced to bring their dwellings up to code and wary of costly tenant lawsuits, landlords experience higher costs of doing business. However, the effects of pro-tenant residential rights cannot be evaluated without, as a first-step, coming to some conclusions about whether tenants actually use them and whether judges ever enforce them. That is, if pro-tenant residential rights are seldom enforced, landlords have little incentive to expend additional resources to meet new regulations, and no new costs need be passed on to tenants. Judges, for example, decide whether a tenant may forgo paying all, or part of, her rent if a dwelling is uninhabitable. And it is the judge who grants punitive damages if a landlord who fails to return a security deposit in a timely manner. This Essay conducts a brief qualitative study of whether judges ever enforce such laws in the first place. Specifically, this study focuses on one product of landlord-tenant reforms in Connecticut – damage awards for landlords who do not return a tenant's security deposit. Security deposit disputes between landlords and tenants are one of the most common kinds of landlord-tenant disputes and thus a good place to investigate whether pro-tenant residential laws actually help tenants as designed. In Connecticut, most landlord-tenant disputes are heard in informal settings by small claims magistrates. Their decisions are largely unreported and their decisions cannot be appealed. Thus, it is largely the small claims judge or magistrate who control whether the law, as written, will favor tenants. To conduct this study, the author conducted interviews of nine of the seventeen housing magistrate judges in Connecticut. In addition to the interviews with the nine magistrates, the author interviewed the caseload management specialist for small claims housing. Taken together, the interview findings suggest that landlords fare surprisingly well in small claims courts, in spite of pro-tenant protections. In fact, because civil penalties against landlords are rarely, if ever, imposed by magistrates, landlords need not expend much worry about such reforms.


The type A trichothecenes T-2 toxin (T-2) and HT-2 toxin (HT-2) are hazardous Fusarium products that contaminate many field crops growing in cold to temperate regions across the world. Toxicity studies in laboratory and farm animals have been used to derive a temporary tolerable daily intake (t-TDI) for the sum of T-2 and HT-2 of no more than 60 ng/kg body weight. To protect the consumers, it is now necessary to screen a large number of food samples for the presence of these poisonous fungal metabolites. Towards that goal, we discovered that the transcriptional apparatus of a human carcinoma cell line (MCF7) provides a sensitive biological sensor of type A trichothecenes. In fact, exposure of this easy-to-culture cell line to T-2 or HT-2 results in the regulation of >2,000 different transcripts with expression changes ranging from >5,000-fold gene inductions to >40-fold gene repressions. These transcriptional responses have been exploited to develop practical microchip and reverse transcription-polymerase...


Drawing on her experience as director of the international touring exhibition, Figuring Landscapes, (2009-2010) Elwes considers the issues that face both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists when, armed with a camera, they confront the mythic landscape of their homeland. This chapter highlights the varying senses of entitlement to 'figure' the landscape of the Australian continent as expressed by a range of contemporary artists. The ongoing legacy of colonial invasion forms the backdrop to an examination of the 'cultural awkwardness' demonstrated by the descendents of white settlers that led, in the last 20 years to a retreat into 'non-territorial' digital abstractions of landscape. This contrasts with indigenous Australians' growing confidence in the appropriation of film and video as legal artefacts in the ongoing struggle to establish their land rights. Indigeneity is itself a contested term in Australia and this chapter considers a revival of interest among all native-born Australians in Wolfgang Stechow's contention that "nature redeems all". The author asks, are we witnessing a return to a 're-particularised' imaging of landscape among non-Aboriginal artists such as Sean Gladwell and Lyndal Jones, and how does this relate to Aboriginal appropriation of 'white' Australian cultural forms in the work of artists such as Vernon Ah Kee? Elwes argues that the totality of this body of work represent a new, truly post-colonial state of landscape film and video that embraces Jones' optimistic view of the land that "we are all simply part of it".


Starting from a low level, in recent years the battery-supported self-consumption of solar electricity (solar prosumage) has grown significantly in Germany. Its growth is primarily due to the opposing trends in household electricity prices and feed-in tariffs in conjunction with government incentives for battery storage. Various benefits of solar prosumage speak to its positive potential in the German energy transformation. It takes consumer preferences into consideration, may increase general acceptance of the energy transformation—facilitating private participation in investment in the process—and relieves distribution networks. However, solar prosumage also has potential disadvantages, especially with regard to economic efficiency. Total system costs are lower if decentralized batteries are operated in a system-oriented way and if they are available for further electricity market activities, as compared to a case where distributed storage is purely focused on self-consumption. This is the finding of a model analysis carried out at DIW Berlin. It is also the reason why policymakers should focus on ensuring that photovoltaic battery systems are designed and operated to serve the overall system. Conversely, the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) surcharge for solar prosumage should be abolished. In addition, models allowing tenants to generate and store their own solar electricity should not be disadvantaged, and political scenarios relevant to energy policy must take solar prosumage into adequate consideration. The political framework for photovoltaic battery storage systems must be structured in a way that minimizes undesirable effects.


Phytic acid is important for plant germination as the primary store of phosphorus but has become very important in animal nutrition due to the sheer volume of plant feedstuffs that are used in feeding non-ruminant animals. Phytases on the other hand enable the utilisation of the phosphorus that is bound in phytic acid. Animals do not produce phytase in any appreciable amount and hence the phytase primarily used in animal feed are of microbial origin. Biochemical studies have provided insights into the role of this vital compound, and have enabled development of a spectrum of enzymes that are capable of tolerating the heat treatment of some animal feed, escape the denaturing action of the gastric HCl and the digestive action of both gastric and intestinal proteases. In spite of the progress in understanding of phytic acid and phytase in monogastric animals, much still need to be learnt. A better understanding of the action of phytic acid in the digestive tract of animals is still needed and newer generation of phytases that allowed greater reduction in the use of inorganic phosphorus are continually being discovered and developed. The future of animal feeding will continue to require a better understanding of the biochemical principles underpinning nutrient utilisation by animals.


Detailed geological-geomorphological investigations, carried out in the Ionian coastal belt between the Trionto River and the Colognati River, allowed us to set up a tectonic-sedimentary model of the northern flank of the Sila Massif during Pliocene-Pleistocene times. The study area is characterised by a distinct step-like topography displaying a well-preserved flight of coastal plain (alluvial/marine) terraces, arranged in five altimetric orders (T1 to T5). The deposition of sandy-clayey marine sediments of Middle Pliocene age ( CTSL Unit ) and beach sandstones grading upward to gray silty clays, referred to the Emilian-Sicilian ( Bisciglia Unit ) on the basis of micropaleontological analysis, has been related to a phase of subsidence, likely induced by the activity of E-W trending extensional faults. The Bisciglia Unit grades westward into conglomerates, sandstones and silty-clay sediments forming part of juxtaposed and superimposed deltaic (and subordinate alluvial/beach) deposits. A phase of subaerial landscape modelling, starting from the Middle Pleistocene, marks the end of subsidence and the onset of a rapid uplift which, interacting with eustatic sea-level changes, gave rise to the five orders of terraces. The uplift rate of the whole area, inferred by correlating the terrace surfaces with the paleoclimatic curve proposed by Bintanja et alii (2005), is 0.65 ± 0.1 mm yr −1 . However, the contemporaneous occurrence of extensional fault activity in the area induced variations in the uplift rates, which actually range between 0.52 and 0.88 mm yr _1 in relation to the distance from the fault trace. These data highlight the competing role of fault activity and regional uplift in controlling vertical movements and surface topography at the local scale.


An accessible and enjoyable introduction to pathology and the mechanisms of disease, this book puts pathology into its historical, scientific and clinical context. Organized in four main themes - What is a Disease, Defense Against Disease, Circulatory Disorders and Disorders of Cell Growth - the text highlights key mechanisms and their interplay in producing symptoms, signs and disease. Supplemented throughout with colorful cartoons, and much-praised clinical scenarios, this entertaining look at pathology offers historical anecdotes and helpful key-points boxes.


Introduction
Exposure to noise stress during early life may permanently affect the structure and function of the central nervous system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of prenatal exposure to urban traffic noise on the spatial learning and memory of the rats' offspring and the expression of glucocorticoid receptors (GRs) in their hippocampi.

Methods
Three g\roups of pregnant rats were exposed to recorded urban traffic noise for 1, 2 or 4 h/day during the last week of pregnancy. At the age of 45 days, their male offspring were introduced to the Morris water maze (MWM) for assessment of spatial learning and memory. The corticosterone levels were measured in the offspring's sera by radioimmunoassay, and the relative expression of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) in their hippocampi was evaluated via RT-PCR.

Results
Facing urban traffic noise for 2 and 4 h/day during the third trimester of pregnancy caused the offspring to spend more time and to travel a larger distance than the controls to find the target platform. Analogously, these two groups were inferior to their control counterparts in the probe test. Also, prenatal noise stress elevated the corticosterone concentration in the sera of the rats' offspring and dose-dependently decreased the relative expression of the mRNA of both GRs and MRs in their hippocampi.

Conclusions
Urban traffic noise exposure during the last trimester of pregnancy impairs spatial learning and memory of rat offspring and reduces GRs and MRs gene expression in the hippocampus.


The purpose of this study was to examine if fat oxidation was affected by menopausal status and to investigate if this could be related to the oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle. Forty-one healthy women were enrolled in this cross-sectional study [premenopausal (n = 19), perimenopausal (n = 8), and postmenopausal (n = 14)]. Estimated insulin sensitivity was obtained from an oral glucose tolerance test. Body composition was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and magnetic resonance imaging. Fat oxidation and energy expenditure were measured during an acute exercise bout of 45 min of ergometer biking at 50% of maximal oxygen consumption (Vo2 max). Muscle biopsies from the vastus lateralis of the quadriceps muscle were obtained before and immediately after the exercise bout. Postmenopausal women had 33% [confidence interval (CI) 95%: 12-55] lower whole body fat oxidation (P = 0.005) and 19% (CI 95%: 9-22) lower energy expenditure (P = 0.02) during exercise, as well as 4.28 kg lower lean body mass (LBM) than premenopausal women. Correction for LBM reduced differences in fat oxidation to 23% (P = 0.05), whereas differences in energy expenditure disappeared (P = 0.22). No differences between groups were found in mRNA [carnitine palmitoyltransferase I, β-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase (β-HAD), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α, citrate synthase (CS), pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC-1α)], protein [phosphorylated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), vascular endothelial growth factor, pyruvate dehydrogenase-1Eα, cytochrome oxidase I], or enzyme activities (β-HAD, CS) in resting skeletal muscle, except for an increased protein level of cytochrome c in the post- and perimenopausal women relative to premenopausal women. Postmenopausal women demonstrated a trend to a blunted exercise-induced increase in phosphorylation of AMPK compared with premenopausal women (P = 0.06). We conclude that reduced whole body fat oxidation after menopause is associated with reduced LBM.


Users of the BitTorrent file-sharing protocol and its variants are incentivized to contribute their upload capacity in a bilateral manner: Downloading is possible in return for uploading to the same user. An alternative is to use multilateral exchange to match user demand for content to available supply at other users in the system. We provide a formal comparison of peer-to-peer system designs based on bilateral exchange with those that enable multilateral exchange via a price-based market mechanism to match supply and demand. First, we compare the two types of exchange in terms of the equilibria that arise. A multilateral equilibrium allocation is Pareto-efficient, while we demonstrate that bilateral equilibrium allocations are not Pareto-efficient in general. We show that Pareto efficiency represents the "gap" between bilateral and multilateral equilibria: A bilateral equilibrium allocation corresponds to a multilateral equilibrium allocation if and only if it is Pareto-efficient. Our proof exploits the fact that Pareto efficiency implies reversibility of an appropriately constructed Markov chain. Second, we compare the two types of exchange through the expected percentage of users that can trade in a large system, assuming a fixed file popularity distribution. Our theoretical results as well as analysis of a BitTorrent dataset provide quantitative insight into regimes where bilateral exchange may perform quite well even though it does not always give rise to Pareto-efficient equilibrium allocations.


Domain walls may be treated as single entities that can be used to convey bits of information in potential magnetic memory devices such as magnetic logic and racetrack memory, which use controlled domain wall movement in complex magnetic nanowire networks. Greater understanding and control over certain aspects of their behaviour is required, however, before such devices can be realised. The structure of magnetic domain walls in ferromagnetic nanowires is both material and geometry dependent, thus providing an extremely large parameter space to explore. The structure and control of magnetic domain walls in permalloy nanostructures is investigated throughout this thesis using static and pulsed magnetic fields in combination with deliberately fabricated pinning features using Lorentz microscopy.

The effect of an abrupt corner on the structure of domain walls is investigated with the use of a castellated wire geometry. Two different domain wall structures are observed at the corners of the wire, and a completely different domain wall is observed in a straight segment of the wire. Additionally, the reversal behaviour observed is entirely
different depending on the direction of the applied field. Reproducibility experiments are also performed to asses the suitability of this geometry for potential use in magnetic
memory applications.

The ability to control the behaviour of both vortex and transverse domain walls in nanowires with deliberately fabricated defects is also explored, using a range of domain
wall nucleation techniques. The magnetic spin structure of a vortex domain wall is completely different from a transverse domain wall and as a result their interaction
with deliberately fabricated pinning sites differs greatly. Both domain wall types possess a chirality or sense of rotation. In wider wires however, transverse domain walls
also possess an asymmetry which acts as an additional degree of freedom in the interaction with a trap. The result of both increasing and decreasing the wire width on a
domain wall is investigated by patterning a single or double notch or anti-notch along a permalloy wire.

The propagation of a magnetic domain wall along both a gently tapered and straight wire under the application of a pulsed magnetic field is also investigated, where a distorted vortex domain wall structure is observed to form. The distance a domain wall travels following the application of a short field pulse is measured and a lower
limit of the velocity is calculated. Additionally, a domain wall is observed to undergo a number of changes in structure and chirality as it is moved along a wire under
pulsed fields. The wire edge roughness also has a significant effect on the domain wall propagation velocity and focused ion beam irradiation is utilised to smooth the wire edges.


Worldwide, cancer is a leading cause of death and reducing cancer inequalities is an urgent health priority. Attention is turning to factors which sustain cancer survival, including quality of care. Moreover, in recent policy initiatives, the vision is for care personalised to individual need representing a cultural shift to recovery, health and well-being. This paper discusses a knowledge exchange project that transferred findings from an empirical study, which revealed distinctive patient experiences among lesbian and bisexual (LB) women, to inform the work of two UK national cancer charities. Participatory Action Research methods, involving service users, nursing and other professionals, were key to ensuring outputs were grounded in service user experiences and their involvement lent authority with stakeholders. The project sought to maximise the impact of social science research; embed equality in institutional cultures and practices; influence policy and develop wider knowledge economies about LB women's health. Adopting the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, the paper reflects on what works to promote the sustainability of interventions across five domains for enabling knowledge exchange. It contributes to current debates about ways of achieving impact of research on policymaking and practice and to questions about the co-production of knowledge.


Recent advances in molecular dynamics simulation technologies (e.g., Folding@Home, NAMD, Desmond/Anton) have, for the first time, enabled scientists to perform all-atom simulations over timescales relevant to protein folding. Unfortunately, the concomitant increase in the size of the resulting data sets presents a barrier to understanding the molecular basis of folding. In particular, long simulations make it harder to identify and characterize important microstates, and the collective conformational dynamics that influence and enable the transitions between them. We address these problems by introducing a novel tensor-based method for performing a spatio-temporal analysis of protein folding pathways. We applied our method to folding simulations of the villin head-piece generated by the Pande group using Folding@Home. Using our method, we were able to identify three regions in this protein that exhibit similar collective behaviors across multiple simulations. We were also able to identify cross-over points in these simulations leading to different conformational subspaces. Our results indicate that these three regions may act as folding units, and that the observed collective motions may represent important dynamic invariants in the folding process. Thus, our spatio-temporal analysis method shows promise as a means for obtaining novel insights into protein folding pathways.


This paper details a complete crush model for composite materials with focus on shear dominated crushing under a three-dimensional stress state. The damage evolution laws and final failure strain conditions are based on data extracted from shear experiments. The main advantages of the current model include the following: no need to measure the fracture toughness in shear and transverse compression, mesh objectivity without the need for a regular mesh and finite element characteristic length, a pressure dependency of the nonlinear shear response, accounting for load reversal and some orthotropic effects (making the model suitable for noncrimp fabric composites). The model is validated against a range of relevant experiments, namely a through-the-thickness compression specimen and a flat crush coupon with the fibres oriented at 45° and 90° to the load. Damage growth mechanisms, orientation of the fracture plane, nonlinear evolution of Poisson's ratio and energy absorption are accurately predicted.


The proliferation of mobile computing devices and local-area wireless networks has fostered a growing interest in location-aware systems and services. In this paper we present RADAR, a radio-frequency (RF)-based system for locating and tracking users inside buildings. RADAR operates by recording and processing signal strength information at multiple base stations positioned to provide overlapping coverage in the area of interest. It combines empirical measurements with signal propagation modeling to determine user location and thereby enable location-aware services and applications. We present experimental results that demonstrate the ability of RADAR to estimate user location with a high degree of accuracy.


Managed DirectX was released with the latest version of the core DirectX libraries in DirectX9. It enables developers using the new .NET languages (i.e. C#, VB.NET, etc.) to develop rich multimedia applications with DirectX. Unfortunately the Managed DirectX runtime was released without adequate documentation, and developers are having a hard time figuring out the best way to write managed applications. This book covers how to use the Managed DirectX objects, how they differ from the core DirectX libraries, and how to create these rich multimedia applications in C#. It also covers in depth graphics techniques and the new high-level shader language shipping with DirectX9.


A well-known fact in the field of lossless text compression is that high-order entropy is a weak model when the input contains long repetitions. Motivated by this fact, decades of research have generated myriads of so-called dictionary compressors: algorithms able to reduce the text's size by exploiting its repetitiveness. Lempel-Ziv 77 is one of the most successful and well-known tools of this kind, followed by straight-line programs, run-length Burrows-Wheeler transform, macro schemes, collage systems, and the compact directed acyclic word graph. In this paper, we show that these techniques are different solutions to the same, elegant, combinatorial problem: to find a small set of positions capturing all distinct text's substrings. We call such a set a string attractor. We first show reductions between dictionary compressors and string attractors. This gives the approximation ratios of dictionary compressors with respect to the smallest string attractor and allows us to uncover new asymptotic relations between the output sizes of different dictionary compressors. We then show that the k-attractor problem — deciding whether a text has a size-t set of positions capturing all substrings of length at most k — is NP-complete for k≥ 3. This, in particular, includes the full string attractor problem. We provide several approximation techniques for the smallest k-attractor, show that the problem is APX-complete for constant k, and give strong inapproximability results. To conclude, we provide matching lower and upper bounds for the random access problem on string attractors. The upper bound is proved by showing a data structure supporting queries in optimal time. Our data structure is universal: by our reductions to string attractors, it supports random access on any dictionary-compression scheme. In particular, it matches the lower bound also on LZ77, straight-line programs, collage systems, and macro schemes, and therefore essentially closes (at once) the random access problem for all these compressors.


In view of the operational validation of EGNOS, some early tests are being performed with the EGNOS System Test Bed (ESTB). This prototype has been broadcasting an EGNOS-like signal since early 2000. The performance of ESTB is reduced compared to the full deployed EGNOS, but it gives the opportunity to test EGNOS equipment and gain experience. Eurocontrol, skyguide and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) are active in data collection and analysis in order to study the signal-in-space performance for the civil aviation users. The objective of this work was to analyse the system's performance during flight tests in the Swiss Alps where the topography is a challenge for satellite-based navigation systems. Sion regional airport was selected for its location in a valley surrounded by very high mountains. Moreover, the use of EGNOS on regional places is expected to bring significant operational benefits. A new GNSS procedure including both the approach and a special missed-approach with a 89° turn in the valley was designed for these tests. A total of 13 approaches and missed-approaches were flown in November 2002 by a Dornier 128 belonging to the Technical University of Braunschweig (TUBS) and a King Air 100 belonging to SENASA (Sociedad para las Ensenanzas Aeronauticas Civiles S.A.). Around 8 hours of data were recorded from different receivers on the ground and in the air. This paper shows that the accuracy and integrity obtained during the tests with the EGNOS System Test Bed fulfils the stringent requirements of civil aviation even in a difficult environment. However, some progress still has to be made on the availability and continuity parameters. This will be the case once the real EGNOS will be operational. It also demonstrates that EGNOS-based procedures are feasible and that it could bring important operational benefits to regional places with a limited ground navigation infrastructure.


Biosecurity Dilemmas examines conflicting values and interests in the practice of "biosecurity," the safeguarding of populations against infectious diseases through security policies. Biosecurity encompasses both the natural occurrence of deadly disease outbreaks and the use of biological weapons. Christian Enemark focuses on six dreaded diseases that governments and international organizations give high priority to for research, regulation, surveillance, and rapid response: pandemic influenza, drug-resistant tuberculosis, smallpox, Ebola, plague, and anthrax. The book is organized around four ethical dilemmas that arise when fear causes these diseases to be framed in terms of national or international security: protect or proliferate, secure or stifle, remedy or overkill, and attention or neglect. For instance, will prioritizing research into defending against a rare event such as a bioterrorist attack divert funds away from research into commonly occurring diseases? Or will securitizing a particular disease actually stifle research progress owing to security classification measures? Enemark provides a comprehensive analysis of the ethics of securitizing disease and explores ideas and policy recommendations about biological arms control, global health security, and public health ethics.


This research was case studied at PG. Kebon Agung Malang, the title is ?Analysis of Planning and Controlling Maintenance Cost of Machine and Installation at PG. Kebon Agung Malang ?. This purpose of research is to analysis controlling of maintenance cost of machine and installation at PG. Kebon Agung. The analysis would be analyzing with the regression analys with the least square method. This analysis used to separate semi variable cost from fixed cost and variable cost and also that controlling it with four variances analysis. Analysis with four variances resulted were favourable dispute at spending variance Rp. 584,-. In unfavourable dispute have at capasity variance Rp. 10.532.271,-. The Result at fixed efficiency variance Rp. 298.515,- and at variable efficient variance Rp. 585.116,00. The variance results report that the efficiency level was not optimal because the human resource quality is still low and also to make budget plan at TUK staff is not balance with external factor such as inflation level. Planning of company budget just used to predicted it and if occur variance, didn?t investigate the cause and how responsible of it. Based on the conclusion, the writer implicate that PG. Kebon Agung should be make a suitable standart that reached by each staff to avoid the waste of fund. The result of variance analysis should be accurately, if occur variance in favourable although unfavourable should be investigate about that factors cause it and take correction and also take responsible of that variance. Keyword : PERENCANAAN; PENGENDALIAN BIAYA; PEMELIHARAAN MESIN; DAN INSTALASI Link Terkait : http://skripsi.umm.ac.id/files/disk1/266/jiptummpp-gdl-s1-2008-finiswijay-13284-1.+Penda-n.pdf


This paper provides an assessment of the extent to which Indigenous labour force status has changed over the period 1994 to 2008. It finds that over the period 1994 to 2008 the non-CDEP employment rate of the Indigenous population increased from 31.1% to 50.5%. There were increases for both Indigenous men and women. The non-CDEP employment rate increased by 21 percentage points from 37.9% to 58.8% for Indigenous men and by 18 percentage points from 25.0% to 42.9% for Indigenous women. These increases are very substantial: to put them in context, the increase in the employment rate for the working age Australian population as a whole for men during this period increased by 5 percentage points, and for women it increased by 10 percentage points. Image: Milkwooders / flickr


The phase relations in the systems Cu–O–R2O3(R = Tm, Lu) have been determined at 1273 K by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy and electron probe microanalysis of samples equilibrated in evacuated quartz ampules and in pure oxygen. Only ternary compounds of the type Cu2R2O5 were found to be stable. The standard Gibbs energies of formation of the compounds have been measured using solid-state galvanic cells of the type, Pt|Cu2O + Cu2R2O5+ R2O3‖(Y2O3)ZrO2‖CuO + Cu2O‖Pt in the temperature range 950–1325 K. The standard Gibbs energy changes associated with the formation of Cu2R2O5 compounds from their binary component oxides are: 2CuO(s)+ Tm2O3(s)→Cu2Tm2O5(s), ΔG°=(10400 – 14.0 T/K)± 100 J mol–1, 2CuO(s)+ Lu2O3(s)→Cu2Lu2O5(s), ΔG°=(10210 – 14.4 T/K)± 100 J mol–1 Since the formation is endothermic, the compounds become thermodynamically unstable with respect to component oxides at low temperatures, Cu2Tm2O5 below 743 K and Cu2Lu2O5 below 709 K. When the chemical potential of oxygen over the Cu2R2O5 compounds is lowered, they decompose according to the reaction, 2Cu2R2O5(s)→2R2O3(s)+ 2Cu2O(s)+ O2(g) The equilibrium oxygen potential corresponding to this reaction is obtained from the emf. Oxygen potential diagrams for the Cu–O–R2O3 systems at 1273 K are presented.


ISSUE: States are a locus of policy and leadership for health system performance. GOAL: To compare and evaluate trends in health care access, quality, avoidable hospital use and costs, health outcomes, and health system equity across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. METHODS: States are ranked on 44 performance measures using recently available data. KEY FINDINGS: Nearly all states improved more than they worsened between 2013 and 2015. The biggest gains were in health insurance coverage and the ability to access care when needed, with states that had expanded their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act experiencing the most improvement. There were also widespread state improvements on key indicators of treatment quality and patient safety; hospital patient readmissions also fell in many states. However, premature deaths crept up in almost two-thirds of states, reversing a long period of decline. Wide variations in performance across states persisted, as did disparities experienced by vulnerable populations within states. CONCLUSION: If every state achieved the performance of top-ranked states, their residents and the country as a whole would realize dramatic gains in health care access, quality, efficiency, and health outcomes. MARCH 2017 AIMING HIGHER: Results from the Commonwealth Fund Scorecard on State Health System Performance, 2017 Edition David C. Radley, Douglas McCarthy, and Susan L. Hayes