For years, scholars have been vigorously debating the precise role of customary international law within our federal legal system, including whether such is federal common law and whether claims for violation of customary international law arise under the "Laws of the United States" for purposes of both Article III and general federal questions jurisdiction, found at 28 U.S.C. § 1331. This question also remains unresolved by the U.S. Supreme Court. Yet, it is a question that is timely, given the increasing number of non-citizens and citizens alike that bring claims for violations of customary international law in U.S. court. In this Article, I conclude that common law claims for violations of customary international law arise under the "laws of the United States" for general federal question jurisdiction and within Article III, but only where such claims or defenses to them implicate uniquely federal interests, such as foreign relations. I do not take this position because the law of nations itself is, or historically was, part of the "laws of the United States" for Article III and 1331 purposes; in fact, the law of nations probably was not considered to be the "law of the United States" per se when each was enacted. Rather, I take this position for two other reasons. First, certain enclaves of federal common law have developed over time to include certain norms and rules of customary international law – i.e., those that affect uniquely federal interests such as foreign relations – and federal courts have the judicial authority to continue to develop such law when uniquely national interests are at stake. Second, federal common law has evolved to become "law of the United States" for purposes of both Article III and 28 U.S.C. §1331.


In this essay, I argue that a constitutional scheme grounded in the Rule of Law cannot rely primarily on a self-executing, mechanistic vision of Madison's ambitious branches checking one another. Rather, "We the People" depend on self-regulation — in the form of constitutional good faith — by the vast majority of our constitutional actors. I then offer a meditation on the nature of good faith required for healthy American constitutionalism.


A highly decentralized system of autonomous service components consists of multiple and interacting feedback loops which can be organized into a variety of architectural patterns. The highly complex nature of these loops make engineering and implementation of these patterns a very challenging task. In this paper, we present SimSOTA - an integrated Eclipse plug-in to architect, engineer and implement self-adaptive systems based on our feedback loop-based approach. SimSOTA adopts model-driven development to model and simulate complex self-adaptive architectural patterns, and to automate the generation of Java-based implementation code. The approach is validated using a case study in cooperative electric vehicles.


Achieving basic water security, both harnessing the productive potential of water and limiting its destructive impact, has always been a societal priority. To capture this duality, water security is defined here as the availability of an acceptable quantity and quality of water for health, livelihoods, ecosystems and production, coupled with an acceptable level of water-related risks to people, environments and economies. This paper looks broadly at those countries that have achieved water security, the paths they chose and the costs they paid, and those countries that have not achieved water security and how this constrains economies and societies. It defines three typologies: countries that have harnessed hydrology, those hampered by hydrology and those that are hostage to hydrology. It finds that countries remaining hostage to hydrology are typically among the world's poorest. They face "difficult" hydrologies often characterized by high inter- and intra-annual rainfall and runoff variability, where the level of institutional and infrastructure investment needed is very high and the ability to invest is low.

This paper seeks to capture the dynamics of achieving water security in a hypothetical water and growth "S-curve", which illustrates how a minimum platform of investments in water institutions and infrastructure can produce a tipping point beyond which water makes an increasingly positive contribution to growth and how that tipping point will vary in different circumstances. As there are inevitable trade-offs, achieving water security is never without social and environmental costs; in some countries these are significant, often unforeseen and even unacceptable. This brief analysis suggests that the only historically demonstrated path to achieving water security at the national level has been through investment in an evolving balance of complementary institutions and infrastructure, but that lessons exist for following this basic path in more sustainable and balanced ways. Insights are provided for balancing and sequencing investments, adapting to changing values and priorities, and pushing down the social and environmental costs.

The paper concludes that most water-insecure countries today face far greater challenges than those that achieved water security in the last century and are wealthy countries today. They face more difficult hydrologies and a greater understanding of and therefore greater responsibility for, the social and environment trade-offs inherent in water management. As the costs of poor countries not achieving water security, in terms of human suffering, sustained poverty, constrained growth and social unrest, would be very high, achieving water security is a challenge that must be recognized and must be met.


Introduction: Contrary to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), fifth edition, some studies indicate that ADHD-inattentive presentation (ADHD-I) is a distinct diagnostic disorder and not an ADHD presentation. Methods: In this study, 12 ADHD-combined presentation (ADHD-C), 10 ADHD-I, and 13 controls were enrolled and their resting state EEG recorded. Following this, a graph theoretical analysis was performed and functional integration and segregation of brain network was calculated. Results: The results show that clustering coefficient of theta band was significantly different among three groups and significant differences were observed in theta global efficiency between controls and ADHD-C. Regarding the alpha band, a lower clustering coefficient was observed in control subjects. In the beta band, clustering coefficient was significantly different between the control and children with ADHD-C and also between ADHD-I and ADHD-C. The clustering coefficient, in the subjects with ADHD-C, demonstrated a rapid decline and was significantly lower than the subjects with ADHD-I and control. Conclusion: Decreased clustering, in high thresholds, may be associated with hyperactivity while increased segregation in low thresholds with inattentiveness. A different functional network occurs in the ADHD-C brain that is consistent with several studies that have reported ADHD-I as a distinct disorder.


Seriales [FIacourtia jangomas (Lour) Raeusch] is a wild and underutilized fruit growing in rural areas in the Philippines. This study explored the potential of seriales as dehydrated product. A single factor experiment arranged in completely randomized design was undertaken to evaluate the effect of sugar level (40, 50, 60, 70 & 80%) on the physico-chemical properties of dehydrated seriales. The procedure in determining the physico-chemical properties of dehydrated seriales fruit follows standard AOAC (1980) procedures. Results revealed that sugar level significantly affects the TSS, pH, moisture content, and water activity of the product.


Secure authentication for smartphones is becoming important for many applications such as financial transactions. Until today PIN and password authentication are the most commonly used methods for smartphone access control. Specifically for a PIN and limited length passwords, the level of security is low and thus can be compromised easily. In this work, we propose a multi-modal biometric system, which uses face, periocular and iris biometric characteristics for authentication. The proposed system is tested on two different devices - Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. An extensive set of experiments conducted using the proposed system shows the applicability for secure authentication scenarios. The proposed system is tested using uni-modal and multi-modal approach. An Equal Error Rate (EER) of 0.68% is obtained from the experiments validating the robust performance of the proposed system.


While the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Charter has been read by commentators as a constitutional document, its use of the peoples of Southeast Asia as fictional authors of the text has not been fully explored. A people's reading of the ASEAN Charter provides a critical perspective that uncovers the elitist and statist nature of this document. A close textual analysis of the preamble reveals that these purported authors are displaced by the Heads of State as the speaking subject and creators of the new legal entity. This textual displacement transforms the constituent treaty into a state monologue as it imposes a utopian vision of capitalism on the geopolitical body of the region. Contrary to its democratic claims, the Charter has only constitutionalised reification, class structures, and the exclusion of the peoples from power. The ASEAN constitution silences its own authors.


This paper presents an Input-Output Analysis for Vietnam from 1996 to 2007, an important source of information for the investigation of the inter-relations existing among different industries. The Input-Output Analysis is used to determine the role and importance of different economic value added, incomes and employment and it analyses the existing connection in an economy. This paper is focused on clothing and textile industry and the input-output analysis is finished for the agricultural, clothing and textiles Sector. Our result show that the total output multiplier of agriculture is decrease from 1996 to 2007 where as the total output multiplier of clothing and textile is increasing during the period of time. However the earning multiplier as well as the value adds multiplier of the textile and clothing are lower and look like decrease compare with agriculture sector.


Abstract Cultivated bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an allohexaploid species resulting from the natural hybridization and chromosome doubling of allotetraploid durum wheat (T. turgidum) and a diploid goatgrass Aegilops tauschii Coss (Ae. tauschii). Synthetic hexaploid wheat (SHW) was developed through the interspecific hybridization of Ae. tauschii and T. turgidum, and then crossed to T. aestivum to produce synthetic hexaploid wheat derivatives (SHWDs). Owing to this founding variability, one may infer that the genetic variances of native wild populations vs improved wheat may vary due to their differential origin and evolutionary history. In this study, we partitioned the additive variance of SHW and SHWD with respect to their breed origin by fitting a hierarchical Bayesian model with heterogeneous covariance structure for breeding values to estimate variance components for each breed category, and segregation variance. Two data sets were used to test the proposed hierarchical Bayesian model, one from a multi-year multi-location field trial of SHWD and the other comprising the two species of SHW. For the SHWD, the Bayesian estimates of additive variances of grain yield from each breed category were similar for T. turgidum and Ae. tauschii, but smaller for T. aestivum. Segregation variances between Ae. tauschii—T. aestivum and T. turgidum—T. aestivum populations explained a sizable proportion of the phenotypic variance. Bayesian additive variance components and the Best Linear Unbiased Predictors (BLUPs) estimated by two well-known software programs were similar for multi-breed origin and for the sum of the breeding values by origin for both data sets. Our results support the suitability of models with heterogeneous additive genetic variances to predict breeding values in wheat crosses with variable ploidy levels.


Sensor nets are being widely proposed as a solution technology in a wide number of applications, e.g. health care. As part of this work some key challenges for the safety and sensor net communities are established in part by developing parts of a safety case for a fire detection system in a skyscraper. We then demonstrate how some of these issues can be resolved by modifying earlier work on Run Time Assurance of applications to satisfy some key safety and dependability requirements in the context of a sensor net used as part of a fire fighting system.


Recent transcriptional profiling technologies are uncovering previously-undefined cell populations and molecular markers at an unprecedented pace. While single cell RNA (scRNA) sequencing is an attractive approach for unbiased transcriptional profiling of all cell types, a complementary method to isolate and sequence specific cell populations from heterogeneous tissue remains challenging. Here, we developed Probe-Seq, which allows deep transcriptional profiling of specific cell types isolated using RNA as the defining feature. Dissociated cells are labelled using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) for RNA, and then isolated by fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS). We used Probe-Seq to purify and profile specific cell types from mouse, human, and chick retinas, as well as the Drosophila midgut. Probe-Seq is compatible with frozen nuclei, making cell types within archival tissue immediately accessible. As it can be multiplexed, combinations of markers can be used to create specificity. Multiplexing also allows for the isolation of multiple cell types from one cell preparation. Probe-Seq should enable RNA profiling of specific cell types from any organism.


Over two hundred years after James Madison wrote the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, there is still little agreement on the meaning of "the right of the people to keep and bear arms." The debate over this provision has focused on divining the intent of the Framers to determine what was meant by the "militia" in the eighteenth century. Interpreting the past, however, has failed to resolve the issue, evidenced by the fact that both those in favor of and those opposed to a private right to keep and bear arms point to the same authorities for support. This Note argues that rather than continually re-examining historical sources, we should determine whether there are contemporary justifications supporting the individual right of a citizen to keep and bear arms.


Roadside ecosystems are the pervasive, highly managed areas adjacent to roads that buffer neighboring ecosystems. While frequently studied and managed at significant cost to ensure motorist safety, roadside ecosystems are often undervalued for their ecological functions (e.g., water filtration, carbon storage, wildlife habitat). Reducing roadside mowing can provide native habitat, save money, and reduce habitat fragmentation. However, transitioning to a reduced mowing maintenance regimen raises concerns that invasive plants may proliferate. On roadside ecosystems with different mowing regimens, we tested the hotly debated diversity-stability hypothesis, which posits that high native species diversity may confer resistance to invasion. To test this relationship, we surveyed vegetation at four spatial scales (1000-m2, 100-m2, 10-m2, and 1-m2) using Modified-Whittaker plots in three types of roadside ecosystems—forested, early successional, and frequently mowed grasslands— under three types of vegetation management— Never Mowed (N=5), Reduce Mowed (N=5), and Fully Mowed (N=5). We then compared total, native, introduced (any non-native flora), and invasive (plants with a state conservation status of invasive) plant diversity and percent plant cover. We found that roadside ecosystems with high native plant species diversity tended to have the lowest introduced species richness at all four spatial scales. This evidence supports the diversity-stability hypothesis in these highly disturbed and human-manipulated areas. We also found that Never Mowed sites had higher species richness than Fully Mowed sites (P=0.046), higher native species richness than Fully and Reduce Mowed sites at the two largest spatial scales (1000-m2 P=0.0001, 100-m2 P<0.0001), lower introduced species richness than Fully and Reduced Mowed sites at three spatial scales (100-m2 P=0.003, 10-m2 P=0.003, 1-m2 =P<0.0001), and less introduced species percent cover (P=0.0001) when compared to adjacent communities. We found no significant differences between the community composition of Fully Mowed and Reduce Mowed communities. Additionally, we did not observe differences in invasive species richness or percent cover by mowing regimen. In addition to invasive species monitoring, we performed stormwater filtration monitoring to insure that this vital ecosystem provided by roadside ecosystems was not negatively affected by this change in maintenance. To determine if changes mowing practices affect filtration of pollutants, we analyzed soil water concentrations of Al, Cd, Cu, Fe, P, Pb, Mg, Mn, Ni, Zn, NO3, and NH4 in Frequently mowed (N=5) and Reduce mowed (N=5) roadside communities in Rhode Island using buried Ion-exchange resin membranes. We found that only iron (Fe) was significantly lower in concentration (p=0.04) than other nutrients and metals in Reduce mowed communities suggesting that reducing mowing on roadsides will not reduce the filtration services in a meaningful way. Based on these results, we recommend reducing or ceasing to mow roadsides where safety allows as it facilitates native biodiversity, is a cost-saving approach to passive restoration, and maintains early successional habitat, important for supporting rare and endangered wildlife.


Recently, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been shown to outperform the standard fully connected deep neural networks within the hybrid deep neural network / hidden Markov model (DNN/HMM) framework on the phone recognition task. In this paper, we extend the earlier basic form of the CNN and explore it in multiple ways. We first investigate several CNN architectures, including full and limited weight sharing, convolution along frequency and time axes, and stacking of several convolution layers. We then develop a novel weighted softmax pooling layer so that the size in the pooling layer can be automatically learned. Further, we evaluate the effect of CNN pretraining, which is achieved by using a convolutional version of the RBM. We show that all CNN architectures we have investigated outperform the earlier basic form of the DNN on both the phone recognition and large vocabulary speech recognition tasks. The architecture with limited weight sharing provides additional gains over the full weight sharing architecture. The softmax pooling layer performs as well as the best CNN with the manually tuned fixed-pooling size, and has a potential for further improvement. Finally, we show that CNN pretraining produces significantly better results on a large vocabulary speech recognition task.


The product of an 18 month empirical study which examined the use of restorative justice for hate crime in the United Kingdom, this book draws together theory and practice in order to examine the causes and consequences of hate crime victimisation. Hate Crime and Restorative Justice: Exploring Causes, Repairing Harms also identifies the key process variables within restorative practice that can help to repair the harms of hatred. In doing so, it challenges commonly held conceptions of both 'hate crime' and 'restorative justice' through its use of qualitative research of restorative interventions across the UK.

The study's findings provide original data on the contextual variables that are intrinsic to both the cause and effect of hate-motivated offences, revealing complex socio-cultural and socio-economic factors that are fundamental, both to our understanding of hate crime and to how such incidents can be best resolved. Through meticulous analysis and discussion, the book also provides new information on how restorative processes can be used to repair the harms of hate and challenge the prejudices which give rise to hate-motivated conflicts. The issue of group identity and cultural 'difference' amongst participants of restorative justice is explored and examined through the use of detailed case studies, allowing assessment of whether dialogical barriers to reconciliation can limit the success of restorative processes. In particular, the notion of 'community', a fundamental concept of restorative justice theory and practice, is reconceptualised by exploring both its healing and harming features.

Utilising data from the first study of its kind, Hate Crime and Restorative Justice draws together theoretical assumptions about restorative philosophy and empirical evidence of its use for hate crime to offer a more holistic understanding of how restorative justice can help repair the harms caused by processes of hate, while simultaneously challenging the identity-based prejudices that continue to pervade our multicultural communities.


We use publicly available galaxy merger trees, obtained applying semi-analytic techniques to a large high resolution cosmological simulation, to study the environmental history of group and cluster galaxies. Our results highlight the existence of an intrin-sic history bias which makes the nature versus nurture (as well as the mass versus environment) debate inherently ill posed. In particular we show that: (i) surviving massive satellites were accreted later than their less massive counterparts, from more massive haloes; (ii) the mixing of galaxy populations is incomplete during halo assem-bly, which creates a correlation between the time a galaxy becomes satellite and its present distance from the parent halo centre. The weakest trends are found for the most massive satellites, as a result of efficient dynamical friction and late formation times of massive haloes. A large fraction of the most massive group/cluster members are accreted onto the main progenitor of the final halo as central galaxies, while about half of the galaxies with low and intermediate stellar mass are accreted as satellites. Large fractions of group and cluster galaxies (in particular those of low stellar mass) have therefore been 'pre-processed' as satellites of groups with mass ∼ 10 13 M ⊙ . To quantify the relevance of hierarchical structure growth on the observed environmental trends, we have considered observational estimates of the passive galaxy fractions, and their variation as a function of halo mass and cluster-centric distance. Comparisons with our theoretical predictions require relatively long times ( ∼ 5 − 7 Gyr) for the suppression of star formation in group and cluster satellites. It is unclear how such a gentle mode of strangulation can be achieved by simply relaxing the assumption of instantaneous stripping of the hot gas reservoir associated with accreting galaxies, or if the difficulties encountered by recent galaxy formation models in reproducing the observed trends signal a more fundamental problem with the treatment of star formation and feedback in these galaxies.


Background: Although morbidity and mortality from COVID-19 have been widely reported, the indirect effects of the pandemic beyond 2020 on other major diseases and health service activity have not been well described. Methods: Analyses used national administrative electronic hospital records in England, Scotland and Wales for 2016-2021. Admissions and procedures during the pandemic (2020-2021) related to six major cardiovascular conditions (acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, stroke/transient ischaemic attack, peripheral arterial disease, aortic aneurysm, and venous thromboembolism) were compared to the annual average in the pre-pandemic period (2016-2019). Differences were assessed by time period and urgency of care. Results: In 2020, there were 31,064 (-6%) fewer hospital admissions (14,506 [-4%] fewer emergencies, 16,560 [-23%] fewer elective admissions) compared to 2016-2019 for the six major cardiovascular diseases combined. The proportional reduction in admissions was similar in all three countries. Overall, hospital admissions returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2021. Elective admissions remained substantially below expected levels for almost all conditions in all three countries (-10,996 [-15%] fewer admissions). However, these reductions were offset by higher than expected total emergency admissions (+25,878 [+6%] higher admissions), notably for heart failure and stroke in England, and for venous thromboembolism in all three countries. Analyses for procedures showed similar temporal variations to admissions. Conclusion: This study highlights increasing emergency cardiovascular admissions as a result of the pandemic, in the context of a substantial and sustained reduction in elective admissions and procedures. This is likely to increase further the demands on cardiovascular services over the coming years.


The Iranian economy has over 30-years been under several of US sanctions due to differences in their political objectives, affecting primarily their economic lifeblood, the oil business. Therefore during this period the Iranian economy has experienced setbacks in their development of national prosperity. This paper investigates the effect of the economic sanctions, during the time period 1975-2006, on Iran's trade flows by incorporating the gravity model. Also, including geographical proximity and cultural ties further extends the model, which has been shown to strongly influence trade. The findings suggest that sanctions have negative impact on trade flows and are consistent with previous findings. Further estimation methods such as the Heckman- and PPML method are applied accounting for zero trade flows. The empirical results indicate that sanctions have had a large negative effect on trade flows as expected. When further dividing the sanctions into five different time periods the results conclude the previous ones, however the five time periods have been influenced by sanctions in different varieties. Hence sanctions hamper trade and prevent the Iranian economy to thrive to its fullest potential.


Ice cream as we recognize it today has been in existence for at least 300 years, though its origins probably go much further back in time. Before the development of refrigeration, ice cream was a luxury reserved for special occasions but its advance to commercial manufacture was helped by the first ice cream making machine patented by Nancy Johnson in Philadelphia in the 1840s. The second edition of The Science of Ice Cream has been fully revised and updated with new material. The book still begins with the history of ice cream, subsequent chapters looking at the link between the microscopic and macroscopic properties and how these relate to the ultimate texture of the product you eat. Information on nutritional aspects and developments in new products and processes for making ice cream have been added and the books is completed with some suggestions for experiments relating to ice cream and how to make it at home or in a school laboratory. The book has authenticity and immediacy, being written by an active industrial practitioner, and is ideal for undergraduate food science students as well as those working in the food industry. It is also accessible to the general reader who has studied science to A-level and provides teachers with ideas for using ice cream to illustrate scientific principles.


The Craven Dales of North Yorkshire contain some of the finest examples of limestone geology and landscape in the UK. The extensive limestone pavements with their clints, grikes and other water‐worn features, are a key attraction for both scientists and recreational visitors. Likewise the cave systems attract attention with their remarkable sediment accumulations, some of which are in excess of 500 000 years old and others contain the bones of mammals that are either extinct or no longer present in the British Isles. The glacial erratic boulders at Norber and the loessic sediments that, in places, mask the limestone have also provided stimulus for investigation. Summarized below are the findings of several recent studies that focussed on establishing the age of various features. Whilst the reports answer some long‐standing questions, they also demonstrate that there is still much that can be learned about this seemingly familiar territory.


In Kenya, maize (Zea mays L.) is mainly grown on acid soils in high rainfall areas. These soils are known for low available phosphorus (P), partly due to its sorption by aluminium (Al) and iron oxides. The study determined soil P sorption, lime requirements and the effects of lime on soil pH, Al levels and available P on the main maize growing acids soils in the highlands east and west of Rift Valley (RV), Kenya. Burnt lime containing 21% calcium oxide was used. The soils were strongly to extremely acid (pH 4.85-4.07), had high exchangeable Al 3+ (> 2 cmol Al kg -1 ) and Al saturation (> 20% Al), which most maize germplasm grown in Kenya are sensitive to. The base cations, cation exchange capacity and available P (< 10 mg P kg -1 bicarbonate extractable P) were low, except at one site in the highlands east of RV indicative with history of high fertilizer applications. Highlands east of RV soils had higher P sorption (343-402 mg P kg -1 ) than the west (107-258 mg P kg -1 ), probably because of their high Al 3+ ions and also the energies of bonding between the soil colloids and phosphate ions. Highlands east of RV also had higher lime requirements (11.4-21.9 tons lime ha -1 ) than the west (5.3-9.8 tons lime ha -1 ). Due to differences in soil acidity, Al levels and P sorption capacities within and between highlands east and west of RV, blanket P fertilizer and lime recommendations may not serve all soils equally well.


In the mid-1980s, many European countries introduced fixed-term contracts. Since then their labor markets have become more dynamic. This paper studies the implications of such reforms for the duration distribution of unemployment, with particular emphasis on the changes in the duration dependence. I estimate a parametric duration model using cross-sectional data drawn from the Spanish Labor Force Survey from 1980 to 1994 to analyze the chances of leaving unemployment before and after the introduction of fixed-term contracts. I find that duration dependence has increased since such reform. Semi-parametric estimation of the model also shows that for long spells, the probability of leaving unemployment has decreased since such reform.


This special issue comprises eight studies that deal with Japanese narratives from the tenth to the fifteenth century, including theater and painting, from a narratological point of view, revolving around discourse, character, and time. While narratology provides useful tools for analysis, some theories need to be revised in order to apply to Japanese texts. The papers in this volume contain several such proposals, but their focus lies first and foremost on examining characteristics of premodern Japanese narrative, which—compared to Western (medieval) literature—stands out through its elusive qualities. The special issue is equally aimed at an audience with a background in Japanese Studies and at scholars who take an interest in diachronic and intercultural narratology.


Most recommendation methods (e.g., collaborative filtering) consist of (1) a computationally intense offline phase that computes a recommender model based on users' opinions of items, and (2) an online phase consisting of SQL-based queries that use the model (generated offline) to derive user preferences and provide recommendations for interesting items. Current application usage trends require a completely online recommender process, meaning the recommender model must update in real time as new opinions enter the system. To tackle this problem, we propose RecStore, a DBMS storage engine module capable of efficient online model maintenance. Externally, models managed by RecStore behave as relational tables, thus existing SQL-based recommendation queries remain unchanged while gaining online model support. RecStore maintains internal statistics and data structures aimed at providing efficient incremental updates to the recommender model, while employing an adaptive strategy for internal maintenance and load shedding to realize a balance between efficiency in updates or query processing based on system workloads. RecStore is also extensible, supporting a declarative syntax for defining recommender models. The efficacy of RecStore is demonstrated by providing the implementation details of three state-of-the-art collaborative filtering models. We provide an extensive experimental evaluation of a prototype of RecStore, built inside the storage engine of PostgreSQL, using a real-life recommender system workload.


Middleware eases the development of distributed applications. Expansion in the enterprise world entails integration of heterogeneous products, and there is a demand for a balance between performance, interoperability and security in the distributed applications. Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) offers a technology to build service-oriented, secure, reliable and interoperable distributed applications. The current literature contains few studies comparing the performance of WCF with other technologies, but it does not address the performance of WCF in a cross-technology communication. This master thesis experimentally evaluates the performance of WCF in unsecure and secure variants. It evaluates the performance in on-machine and cross-machine communication, and it addresses the performance of WCF's interoperability with ASMX and Java. We have developed the service and client applications in both secure and unsecure variants. The experiments are then conducted using these applications in a laboratory setting. We have measured the performance in terms of throughput, response time, processor and memory utilization during the experiments. Our results show that in unsecure variants, the WCF service in cross-machine communication has the best response time than on-machine communication on small datasets. However, on large datasets the service in on-machine communication has the best response time. In secure variants, the service in on-machine communication has better response time than the cross-machine communication. In both secure and unsecure variants, the service has better throughput and consumed lesser resources in cross-machine communication than in on-machine communication. In case of WCF's interoperability with ASMX and Java, both the secure as well as unsecure WCF service show more scalable performance for the WCF client than for ASMX and Java clients. The secure as well as unsecure service show better performance for the ASMX client than for the Java client. The unsecure variants of WCF service perform better than the secure variants, except in a few cases of memory utilization. Therefore, the performance of the WCF service degrades due to security.


INTRODUCTION: Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in elderly is rare and poses a special problem because of high degree of mortality, comorbidity, age-related impairment of functional ability, and increased chances of hypoglycemia. OBJECTIVES: The main objective is to study the precipitating factors, clinical and laboratory profile of DKA in elderly. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 100 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, ≥60 years, admitted in a rural tertiary medical center were included in this study. RESULTS: Most of them had prolonged diabetes with mean duration of 7.3 ± 4.6 years. 24 patients were newly detected diabetes mellitus. Systemic infections seen in 67 patients (respiratory –32.8%, sepsis – 28.4%, acute gastroenteritis – 22.4%, and urinary tract infections– 16.4%), were the main precipitating factors, followed by noncompliance to drugs (34). Osmotic symptoms were reported by most (62) followed by pain abdomen (56). Dehydration was seen in 72 patients, whereas altered sensorium in 48. Blood glucose at presentation (493.12 ± 72.38 mg/dl) and HbA1c levels (9.63 ± 0.94%) were found to be elevated with lowered arterial pH (7.14 ± 0.07) and bicarbonate (13.7 ± 4.2 mEq/L). 22 had severe acidosis and 10 had mild acidosis. There was no mortality in the present series. CONCLUSION: DKA is more common in T2DM than anticipated. The most common precipitating factor is infection followed by noncompliance even in elderly. Majority had poor glycemic control. All elderly diabetic patients with high serum glucose level must be investigated for ketosis as the symptoms of DKA are minimal and morbidity and mortality are high in these patients.


The expert contributors to this edited volume, representing a multidisciplinary selection of academics, examine the treatment of irregular migration, human trafficking and smuggling in EU law and policy. The various chapters explore the policy dilemmas encountered in efforts to criminalise irregular migration and humanitarian assistance to irregular immigrants. The book aims to provide academic input to informed policy-making in the next phase of the European Agenda on Migration.

In his Foreword, Matthias Ruete, Director General of DG Home Affairs of the European Commission, writes: "This initiative aims to stimulate evidence-based policy-making and to bring fresh thinking to develop more effective policies. The European Commission welcomes the valuable contribution of this initiative to help close the wide gap in our knowledge about the smuggling of migrants, and especially the functioning of smuggling networks."


This work consists of an overview part and three research papers. The subject of this work is a class of models for dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking, and new generations of fermionic matter. An introductory overview of the standard model of electroweak interactions is given, as well as an overview of some of the recent developments in the field of walking technicolor models. We study some recently proposed models for dynamical electroweak symmetry breaking, namely the minimal walking technicolor (MWT) and next to minimal walking technicolor (NMWT) model. We show that, as a result of cancellation of the global and gauge anomalies associated with the technicolor sector, a non sequential SM-like matter generation may naturally arise. We study the effects of this new matter generation on electroweak and flavor observables and derive constraints for the masses of the new fermions. We show that the new fermions may have a significant impact on the physics of the composite Higgs boson of the technicolor theory. We present the resulting decay branching ratios and production cross sections of the composite Higgs boson. We also find that the fermions themselves should be visible in the LHC experiment, and outline basic search strategies. We construct a model framework for the origin of fermion masses, in which a technicolor sector is accompanied by a scalar boson. In this bottom-up-approach the scalar represents the low energy spectrum of the yet unkown full gauge theory responsible for fermion masses. We construct a low energy effective Lagrangian and use electroweak and flavor precision observables, as well as direct detection limits, to constrain the parameters of the model. We find that the low energy particle spectrum of the model consists of one light and one heavy Higgs-like scalar, accompanied by three massive technipions. We find that all of the models studied in this work are viable in the light of all existing electroweak and flavor precision data. The LHC experiment will be able to give crucial information on the subject, and possibly confirm or rule out some of the models studied in this work.


TRADITIONALLY," which is to say in most times and places prior to the "New Geography" of early modern Europe, the tie between the body and geography ("description of the earth") has been primordial, intimate, and manifold. According to modern phenomenology, the body is made for earthly space, as--in an immediate sense--earthly space becomes manifest through the perceiving and feeling body. Bodies not only perceive space or things-in-space through any combination of their five senses, but their very design--their "handedness," their slightly uneven bifurcatedness--orientates or situates them qualitatively within space and fits them to manipulate things-in-space. Bipedalism not only equips the body to move through space but propels it as well. Little wonder, then, if traditional geographies or pictures of the earth are deeply imprinted by the body. One primordial entail of the body is "the practice of dividing the circle of the horizon into four cardinal directions," which (as a historian of religion writes) "is almost universal." Only with the development of a concept of azimuth (whereby one point was fixed on the horizon) did this directional scheme become "more abstract and useful." Azimuth itself, however, is also keyed to the body; to the felt value of one direction over (and indeed against) another. East is sacralized in Jewish and Christian tradition ("and, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came by the way of the East," Numbers 2.2.3). West and north are ominous. However, as east is (roughly) the direction of the rising sun, it tended to be sacralized by other religions as well. For this reason, and because of the growing importance of Jerusalem, the Jewish (and the traditional Christian) geographies tended to be keyed to Jerusalem as to a sacred center rather than to the sacred direction. As such, they resembled other omphalos- (or navel) centered cosmographies, such as ancient Greek and Chinese. In such cosmographies, geographic boundaries are equally valorized if somewhat paradoxical. Conceding that there is indeed earth beyond the boundaries of the earth, such boundaries assert the limits of the properly human or habitable. Beyond the limits of the Greek oikumene (or "house-world") are wild beasts, monstrous bodies, impassible deserts, mountains, ocean, insufferable heat or cold. Even within the oikumene, the rooms (continents) were of variable quality. Following Herodotus, the Hippocratic treatise Airs Waters Places pronounces that Europeans "will be well nourished, of very fine physique and very tall," because Europe is "situated midway between the heat and the cold [and] is very fruitful ... very mild." Asiatics, on the other hand, are "less homogeneous ... because of the changes of the seasons and the character of the region." If human races tend to be geographically imprinted in traditional geographies, so too the geographic image--the imago mundi--fairly glows with affect. (To the Beowulf poet, the earth is "wlite-beorhtne wang, swa waeter bebugeth" or "a gleaming plain girdled with waters.") From late Roman thought (primarily Macrobius) into the Renaissance, it was commonplace to think of the world as a macrocosm in which the human body was recapitulated as microcosm. Again, the "world of earth" (Orbis Terrarum) was astrologically predicated by the environing spheres. In all these contexts, the primary fact about early modern geography is the emptying of the body from the world picture. The so-called "New Geography" can be thought of as an amalgam of the new geographic discoveries (vast new lands and oceans) with the dramatic developments in cartographic science that had made these discoveries possible. In none of the three standard narratives of the New Geography is the body a real player. For the post-Baconian, scientistic narrative, the key development is an "objective" spatial awareness predicated on a mathematical "graticule" (keyed to itself alone) from which precisely the bodily "geography of myth and dogma" is absent. …


In this thesis we deal with binet matrices and the class of signed-graphic matroids which is the class of matroids represented over R by binet matrices. The thesis is divided in three parts. In the first part, we provide the vast majority of the notions used throughout the thesis and some results regarding the class of binet matrices. In this part, we focus on the class of linear and integer programming problems in which the constraint matrix is binet and provide methods and algorithms which solve these problems efficiently. The main new result is that the existing combinatorial methods can not solve the {lcub}0, 1/2{rcub}-separation problem (special case of the well known separation problem) with integral binet matrices. The main new results of the whole thesis are provided in the next two parts. In the second part, we present a polynomial time algorithm to construct a bidirected graph for any totally unimodular matrix B by finding node-edge incidence matrices Q and S such that QB = S. Seymour's famous decomposition theorem for regular matroids states that any totally unimodular matrix can be constructed through a series of composition operations called k-sums starting from network matrices and their transposes and two compact representation matrices B1 and B2 of a certain ten element matroid. Given that B1 and B2 are binet matrices, we examine the k-sums of network and binet matrices (k = 1,2, 3). It is shown that the k-sum of a network and a binet matrix is a binet matrix, but binet matrices are not closed under this operation for k = 2, 3. A new class of matrices is introduced, the so-called tour matrices, which generalises network and totally unimodular matrices. For any such matrix there exists a bidirected graph such that the columns represent a collection of closed tours in the graph. It is shown that tour matrices are closed under 1-, 2- and 3-sum as well as under elementary operations on their rows and columns. Given the constructive proofs of the above results regarding the k-sum operations and existing recognition algorithms for network and binet matrices, an algorithm is presented which constructs a bidirected graph for any totally unimodular matrix. In the third part of this thesis we deal with the frame matroid of a signed graph, or simply the signed-graphic matroid. Several new results are provided in this last part of the thesis. Specifically, given a signed graph, we provide methods to find representation matrices of the associated signed-graphic matroid over GF(2), GF(3) and R. Furthermore, two new matroid recognition algorithms are presented in this last part. The first one determines whether a binary matroid is signed-graphic or not and the second one determines whether a (general) matroid is binary signed-graphic or not. Finally, one of the most important new results of this thesis is the decomposition theory for the class of binary signed-graphic matroids which is provided in the last chapter. In order to achieve this result, we employed Tutte's theory of bridges. The proposed decomposition differs from previous decomposition results on matroids that have appeared in the literature in the sense that it is not based on k-sums, but rather on the operation of deletion of a cocircuit. Specifically, it is shown that certain minors resulting from the deletion of a cocircuit of a binary matroid will be graphic matroids except for one that will be signed-graphic if and only if the matroid is signed-graphic. The decomposition theory for binary signed-graphic matroids is a joint work with G. Appa and L. Pitsoulis.


In this reexamination of the allegorical dimensions of Paradise Lost, Catherine Martin presents Milton's poem as a prophecy foretelling the end of one culture and its replacement by another. She argues that rather than merely extending the allegorical tradition as defined by Augustine, Dante, and Spenser, Milton has written a meta-allegory that stages a confrontation with an allegorical formalism that is either dead or no longer philosophically viable. By both critiquing and recasting the traditional form, Milton describes the transition to a new epoch that promises the possibility of human redemption in history. Martin shows how Paradise Lost, written at the threshold of the enormous imaginative shift that accompanied the Protestant, scientific, and political revolutions of the seventeenth century, conforms to a prophetic baroque model of allegory similar to that outlined by Walter Benjamin. As she demonstrates, Milton's experimentation with baroque forms radically reformulates classical epic, medieval romance, and Spenserian allegory to allow for both a naturalistic, empirically responsible understanding of the universe and for an infinite and incomprehensible God. In this way, the resulting poetic world of Paradise Lost is like Milton's God, an allegorical "ruin" in which the divine is preserved but at the price of a loss of certainty. Also, as Martin suggests, the poem affirmatively anticipates modernity by placing the chief hope of human progress in the fully self-authored subject. Maintaining a dialogue with a critical tradition that extends from Johnson and Coleridge to the best contemporary Milton scholarship, Martin sets Paradise Lost in both the early modern and the postmodern worlds. Ruins of Allegory will greatly interest all Milton scholars, as well as students of literary criticism and early modern studies.


OBJECTIVE
To determine prevalence of various radiographic signs in cats with feline bronchial disease (FBD) and evaluate intra- and interobserver variability in radiographic interpretation for examiners with variable degrees of experience in radiographic interpretation.

DESIGN
Retrospective case series.

ANIMALS
40 cats with FBD and 40 control cats without thoracic disease.

PROCEDURES
Radiographic abnormalities in cats with FBD were scored by consensus of 2 radiologists. Radiographs of control cats and cats with FBD were examined twice by 5 other individuals, and diagnostic accuracy and observer agreement were assessed.

RESULTS
In cats with FBD, the most common radiographic signs were bronchial (n=37) and unstructured interstitial (30) lung patterns, lung hyperinflation (31) and hyperlucency (21), aerophagia (19), and lung soft tissue opacities (11). Ratios of lung inflation on ventrodorsal views were significantly higher in cats with FBD. For the 5 examiners, sensitivity ranged from 71% to 89% and specificity ranged from 43% to 74%. Intraobserver agreement was good (N=0.47 to 0.60), but the agreement between examiners was only poor to good (N=0.22 to 0.70). For most examiners, significant associations were found between examiner diagnosis (correct vs incorrect), level of examiner certainty, and bronchial pattern severity.

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE
Findings suggested that several radiographic abnormalities can commonly be seen in cats with FBD but highlighted the limitations of thoracic radiography. Examiner diagnosis and level of confidence were significantly associated with severity of a bronchial pattern.


This paper examines how organization and financing of maternal health services influence health-seeking behavior in Bosomtwe district, Ghana. It contributes in furthering the discussions on maternal health-seeking behavior and health outcomes from a health system perspective in sub-Saharan Africa. From a health system standpoint, the paper first presents the resources, organization and financing of maternal health service in Ghana, and later uses case study examples to explain how Ghana's health system has shaped maternal health-seeking behavior of women in the district. The paper employs a qualitative case study technique to build a complex and holistic picture, and report detailed views of the women in their natural setting. A purposeful sampling technique is applied to select 16 women in the district for this study. Through face-to-face interviews and group discussions with the selected women, comprehensive and in-depth information on health- seeking behavior and health outcomes are elicited for the analysis. The study highlights that characteristics embedded in decentralization and provision of free maternal health care influence health-seeking behavior. Particularly, the use of antenatal care has increased after the delivery exemption policy in Ghana. Interestingly, the study also reveals certain social structures, which influence women's attitude towards their decisions and choices of health facilities.


Marine hydrokinetic (MHK) device survivability is necessary to understand in order to develop the vast renewable wave and tidal energy resource. Antifouling coatings serve to ensure device longevity by preventing degradation associated with mollusk adhesives and general performance degradation due to hydrodynamic surface changes, clogged pinch points, and added drag. Coatings developed to serve the shipping industry are generally insufficient for MHK service due to finite biocide content, short service life, and operating condition requirements such as continuous movement at elevated speeds. Electrochemical antifouling methods have been shown to be effective in the prevention of fouling organism growth on objects submerged in seawater.[1] Service life has been provided in one study as 8 months with failure due to binder paint film degradation.[2] Appropriate selection of paint binder systems and rigid substrates may extend this time significantly. Degradation of the conductive pigment filler, in this work graphite, may also lead to performance loss and ultimately to system failure. The specific goal of the current work is to model the antifouling process at a charged graphite filled paint electrode and the degradation of system performance due to degradation of the graphite filler. Under accelerated aging conditions no significant degradation has been observed with simulated aging to 20 years of service life.


This paper explores opportunities for implementing activities for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) in areas with high poverty rates, rapid population growth and complex social dynamics. We focus on the potential role of localized Forest Management Units (or KPH) as an institutional partner, using the West Rinjani Protected Forest Management Unit (KPHL RB) on the island of Lombok, Nusa Tenggara Barat province, Indonesia as a case study. We relied on five essential elements for our analysis: (1) identification of land use changes, (2) estimation of average carbon stocks in forests and shrubland, (3) socioeconomic surveys to identify drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, (4) estimation of future reference emission levels, and (5) developing alternatives to reduce the rates of deforestation and forest degradation. From 1990 to 2010, the forested area of Lombok decreased by 28.6% in the project area, representing a loss of 7130 ha (18.0%), or 1 million tC ha-1. Without intervention, carbon emission in the project area is conservatively estimated at 25.7 million metric tCO2 during the next 30 years. With the global average price for forest carbon offset at $7.8/metric tCO2, we can expect a seven-fold return on investment. Our recommendations for this investment include: strengthening the KPH's institutional and technical capacity, assuring de facto usufruct rights for local communities, bundling ecosystem services, cultivating local intermediaries, developing alternative energy sources and improving efficiency, and addressing the underlying drivers of deforestation through economic development, capacity building, and social investment.


The Mechanism of Action of Liquid Seaweed Extracts in the Manipulation of Frost Resistance in Winter Barley (Hordeum vulgare. L) By Stephen Burchett Frost assays carried out on winter barley (Hordeum vulgare cv Igri) showed that a single (IOml I) application of liquid seaweed extract (LSE) marginally increased the frost resistance of non-acclimated (NA) plants by 2.3% compared to NA controls and coldacclimated (CA) plants by 2.1% compared to CA controls. Three applications of LSE increased the frost resistance of NA plants by 16% compared to NA controls and CA plants by 7.5% compared to CA controls. These observations were durable in a small scale field trial where LSE increased plant dry weights (control 0.55, single LSE, 0.611 and multiple LSE 0.621 log dry weight), but rain following LSE application reduced LSE mediated frost resistance. Glasshouse growth trials illustrated that LSE enhanced tiller production (control 2.8, one LSE 3.8 and three LSE 4.5 tillers) and dry weight gain, but where precipitation followed LSE application, up to 3 days post application, the LSE mediated effect was not sustained. Protein analysis demonstrated that cold-acclimation and LSE treatments increased the total soluble protein content of winter barley. A single application of LSE increased the soluble protein content of NA plants by 36.7% and three applications of LSE to NA plants increased protein concentration by 86.5%. There was not a significant increase in the soluble protein concentration of LSE treated CA plants. There was a significant increase in the number of high molecular weight proteins and the up-regulation of a 118kDa and a 57kDa protein when plants were treated with LSE. However precipitation following LSE application adversely affected LSE mediated protein expression. A tentative immunological identification of the up-regulated proteins suggested that the 118kDa protein is a dehydrin. There was a 2 fold decrease in plant water potential of NA plants treated with three applications of LSE compared to controls and a similar decrease in plant water potential was observed in cold-acclimated plants. The duration of LSE mediated decline in water potential lasted for 6 days, post LSE application. However there was no significant reduction in the percentage water content of cold-acclimated and LSE treated plants. Differential scanning calorimetry demonstrated that both cold-acclimated and LSE treated plants had significantly less frozen water in their crown tissue compared to non-acclimated controls. Further thermal analysis (infrared thermography and thermocouple data) showed that both cold-acclimation and LSE treatments reduced the speed of water removal from plant cells to the extracellular ice (NA 4.06, NA3LSE 13.4, CA 15.7 and CA3LSE 19.31 minutes). It is hypothesised that both CA and LSE treatments are modifying plant water status, so that water becomes more structured at the physico-chemical level, and thus alters the osmotic behaviour of cellular water. This higher level of water structuring reduces frost damage by conserving the cellular water environment and thus reducing protein denaturation and membrane damage.


This document introduces the use of triggers coming from layers higher
than the link layer to initiate the Low Latency Handoff in Mobile IPv4
(MIPv4) . The Low Latency Handoff for MIPv4 assumes availability of
Layer 2 (L2) triggers that contain Layer 3 (L3) information for the
Mobile Node (MN) to handoff. However, the low latency draft does not
describe the method by which the L2 trigger is produced neither does
it explicitly describe by what mechanism the L3 information present in
the L2 trigger is acquired. The Low Latency Handoff for MIPv4 relies
on availability of the L2 trigger. However relying only on the link
information to initiate a handoff does not generally gather enough
information for the MN to handoff to the most suitable available
access network. Information from higher layers such as Higher Layer
Triggers can be used to command a MN to quickly move from one access
to another one. Using Higher Layer Triggers to initiate the handoff
enables the implementation of policy based handoff to garantee load
balancing of the wireless networks and Quality of Services to the end
users.


A life worth living:A documentary film project by Ingrid Jonsson Wallin, Hallbus Totte Mattsson and Arni SverrissonThe Saami are the aboriginal peoples of the Scandinavian mountains and their destinies took a radical turn, like everyone else's, with the advent of industrialization and colonialism. The film relates the story of three young Saami families at the beginning of the twentieth century. Each found their own path into modern society and exploited the new opportunities that emerged. They could continue as nomads or integrate themselves in settled Swedish society or find ways of combining these alternatives. One family continues with the herding but on a large scale, another pursues different "middle-class" jobs, as photographers, tailors, teachers and mailmen and the third family builds up a business based on tourism, music and photography. Through archival photographs and film as well as interviews with descendants we follow their struggle for a new kind of life. The soundtrack of the film is based on musicological research (yoik, dances, popular songs, etc.), but it also includes the music suggested by instruments and other artefacts in the photographs. The houses of these families still stand and images old and new of these durable artefacts tie together the time frame of the film. In this way, we connect diverse worlds, theirs and ours, with visual methods and bring the result to different publics for further reflection. Ingrid Jonsson-Wallin is Senior Lecturer in Film Editing at Dalarna University College in Falun, Sweden.Hallbus Totte Mattsson is Senior Lecturer in Sound and Music Production at the College and part of the experimental music ensembles "Hedningarna" and "Hurdy-Gurdy".Arni Sverrisson is Professor of Sociology at Stockholm University and Professor of Visual Culture at the College.


Soil contamination with arsenic (As) is a serious environmental concern due to its highly toxicity and carcinogenic property. Iron oxides are known to be the most important factor for controlling As concentration in soil pore water. They adsorb large amount of As and coprecipitate with As. We tried to develop a new washing method of As contaminated soil by the dissolution of iron oxide and desorption of As employing pH and redox potential adjustment. An As contaminated soil sample was collected at a rice paddy field near a copper smelter, Korea. The As concentration of the soil sample was determined with an aqua-regia extraction method. Washing solutions were prepared to be 0.001– 0.1N HCl and 0–3% Na-dithionite. The soil and washing solution were mixed at 1:4 ratio and the mixtures were reacted for 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes. After the reaction, the soil and washing solution were separated with a centrifugation. The pH, Eh and concentrations of As, Fe and Mn of the washing solution were determined and the As concentration of the washed soil sample was also determined. The separated washing solution was treated with H2O2, CaCl2·2H2O and cationic organic polymer to remove As. The soil washing with the 0.01N HCl_3% Na-dithionite solution for 30 minutes was the most effective in the As removal from the soil reducing As concentration from 43 mg/kg to 18 mg/kg. The As concentration of the washing solution was reduce from 19.2 mg/L to 0.76 mg/L after the waste water treatment.


Infected aortic aneurysms are surgical urgencies, requiring prompt management to avoid the development of catastrophic complications. Although traditional open surgery composed of radical debridement and aortic reconstruction remains the gold-standard, many favorable results of the endovascular repair strategy have been reported. In this chapter, the etiology, bacteriology, clinical manifestation, and diagnostic criteria of infected aortic aneurysms will be discussed in detail at first, followed by a comprehensive review of both traditional open surgery and endovascular repair, based on current evidences and the authors' institutional experience. Along with long-term oral antibiotic suppression and aggressive adjunctive procedures, endovascular repair for uncomplicated infected aortic aneurysms could be a definite treatment alternative to traditional open surgery in the endovascular era.


BACKGROUND
Several large trials have indicated that a routine invasive strategy was favored for high-risk patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes. However, the optimal timing for this intervention is unclear.

METHODS
We included patients with unstable angina or non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) from the Taiwan acute coronary syndrome registry. Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) score was used to stratify our patients into three groups: low (TIMI 0-2), intermediate (TIMI 3-4) and high risk (TIMI 5-7).We analyzed outcomes according to the timing of PCI.

RESULTS
Overall, 984 patients were included in this study. For primary outcomes including cardiac death and recurrent myocardial infarction, early PCI within 24 hours did not show benefits over late PCI (24-72 or > 72 hours) (p > 0.05) in the low and intermediate risk groups. However, in the high risk group, patients who underwent PCI after 72 hours had significantly worse primary outcomes than those who underwent PCI within 24-72 hours. For secondary outcomes including non-cardiac death, unplanned revascularization, and major bleeding, the events rate was significantly higher for early or delayed PCI in low-risk patients when compared with patients who underwent PCI within 24-72 hours.

CONCLUSIONS
In our study, for high-risk NSTE-ACS patients, PCI within 24-72 hours from symptom onset is demonstrably the optimum time for PCI. Delayed PCI over 72 hours is associated with the worst outcomes and should be avoided. For patients with low risks, routine early PCI < 24 hours after PCI is not beneficial.

KEY WORDS
Acute coronary syndrome; Early invasive strategy.


Rationale Epidemic Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) plays an important role in cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease. A novel strain, the 'Prairie Epidemic Strain' (PES), has been identified in up to 30% of patients in Prairie-based Canadian CF centres. Objective To determine the incidence, prevalence and long-term clinical impact of PES infection. Methods A cohort of adults with CF was followed from 1980 to 2014 where bacteria isolated from clinical encounters were prospectively collected. Strain typing was performed using pulse-field gel electrophoresis and multilocus sequence typing. Patients were divided into one of four cohorts: no PA, transient PA, chronic PA with unique strains and chronic PES. Proportional Cox hazard and linear mixed models were used to assess for CF-associated respiratory death or transplantation, and rates of %FEV1 and body mass index (BMI) decline. Results 274 patients (51.7% male) were analysed: 44––no PA, 29––transient PA, 137––unique PA, 64––PES. A total of 92 patients (33.6%) died or underwent lung transplantation (2423.0 patient-years). PES infection was associated with greater risk of respiratory death or lung transplant compared with the no PA group (aHR, 3.94 (95% CI 1.18 to 13.1); p=0.03) and unique PA group (aHR, 1.75 (95% CI 1.05 to 2.92) p=0.03). Rate of lung function decline (%FEV1 predicted) was greatest in the PES group (1.73%/year (95% CI 1.63% to 1.82%); p<0.001). BMI improved over time but at an attenuated rate in the PES group (p=0.001). Conclusions Infection with PES was associated with increased patient morbidity through three decades and manifested in an increased risk of respiratory death and/or lung transplantation.


The FREEDM microgrid is a test bed for a smart grid integrated with Distributed Grid Intelligence (DGI) to efficiently manage the distribution and storage of renewable energy. Within the FREEDM system, DGI provides a unique way in applying distributed algorithms to achieve economically feasible and optimal utilization and storage of alternative energy sources in a distributed fashion. The FREEDM microgrid consists of residential nodes with each node running a portion of the DGI process called Intelligent Energy Management (IEM). Such IEM nodes within the FREEDM neighborhood coordinate among themselves to efficiently and economically manage their power generation, utility and storage. Among a variety of services offered by the DGI , the Load Balancing scheme optimizes the distribution of power generation and storage among the IEMs. This paper presents the key aspects in implementing such a scheme and outlines the preliminary results obtained by integrating the proposed methodology with the functional SST model of FREEDM. The results demonstrate the potential benefits of adopting advanced 'smart' technology on a regional grid.


Distributed protocols, typically expressed as stateful agents communicating asynchronously over buffered communication channels, are difficult to design correctly. This difficulty has spurred decades of research in the area of automated model-checking algorithms. In turn, practical implementations of model-checking algorithms have enabled protocol developers to prove the correctness of such distributed protocols. However, model-checking techniques are only marginally useful during the actual development of such protocols; typically as a debugging aid once a reasonably complete version of the protocol has already been developed. The actual development process itself is often tedious and requires the designer to reason about complex interactions arising out of concurrency and asynchrony inherent to such protocols. In this dissertation we describe program synthesis techniques which can be applied as an enabling technology to ease the task of developing such protocols. Specifically, the programmer provides a natural, but incomplete description of the protocol in an intuitive representation — such as scenarios or an incomplete protocol. This description specifies the behavior of the protocol in the common cases. The programmer also specifies a set of high-level formal requirements that a correct protocol is expected to satisfy. These requirements can include safety requirements as well as liveness requirements in the form of Linear Temporal Logic (ltl) formulas. We describe techniques to synthesize a correct protocol which is consistent with the common-case behavior specified by the programmer and also satisfies the high-level safety and liveness requirements set forth by the programmer. We also describe techniques for program synthesis in general, which serve to enable the solutions to distributed protocol synthesis that this dissertation explores.


OBJECTIVE
To assess the prevalence of self-reported symptoms and illnesses among military personnel deployed during the Persian Gulf War (PGW) and to compare the prevalence of these conditions with the prevalence among military personnel on active duty at the same time, but not deployed to the Persian Gulf (non-PGW).

DESIGN
Cross-sectional telephone interview survey of PGW and non-PGW military personnel. The study instrument consisted of validated questions, validated questionnaires, and investigator-derived questions designed to assess relevant medical and psychiatric conditions.

SETTING
Population-based sample of military personnel from Iowa.

STUDY PARTICIPANTS
A total of 4886 study subjects were randomly selected from 1 of 4 study domains (PGW regular military, PGW National Guard/Reserve, non-PGW regular military, and non-PGW National Guard/Reserve), stratifying for age, sex, race, rank, and branch of military service.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Self-reported symptoms and symptoms of medical illnesses and psychiatric conditions.

RESULTS
Overall, 3695 eligible study subjects (76%) and 91% of the located subjects completed the telephone interview. Compared with non-PGW military personnel, PGW military personnel reported a significantly higher prevalence of symptoms of depression (17.0% vs 10.9%; Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test statistic, P<.001), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (1.9% vs 0.8%, P=.007), chronic fatigue (1.3% vs 0.3%, P<.001), cognitive dysfunction (18.7% vs 7.6%, P<.001), bronchitis (3.7% vs 2.7%, P<.001), asthma (7.2% vs 4.1%, P=.004), fibromyalgia (19.2% vs 9.6%, P<.001), alcohol abuse (17.4% vs 12.6%, P=.02), anxiety (4.0% vs 1.8%, P<.001), and sexual discomfort (respondent, 1.5% vs 1.1%, P=.009; respondent's female partner, 5.1% vs 2.4%, P<.001). Assessment of health-related quality of life demonstrated diminished mental and physical functioning scores for PGW military personnel. In almost all cases, larger differences between PGW and non-PGW military personnel were observed in the National Guard/Reserve comparison. Within the PGW military study population, compared with veterans in the regular military, veterans in the National Guard/Reserve only reported more symptoms of chronic fatigue (2.9% vs 1.0%, P=.03) and alcohol abuse (19.4% vs 17.0%, P=.004).

CONCLUSIONS
Military personnel who participated in the PGW have a higher self-reported prevalence of medical and psychiatric conditions than contemporary military personnel who were not deployed to the Persian Gulf. These findings establish the need to further investigate the potential etiologic, clinical, pathogenic, and public health implications of the increased prevalence of multiple medical and psychiatric conditions in populations of military personnel deployed to the Persian Gulf.


Given an unsatisfiable k-CNF formula phi we consider two complexity measures in Resolution: width and total space. The width is the minimal W such that there exists a Resolution refutation of phi with clauses of at most W literals. The total space is the minimal size T of a memory used to write down a Resolution refutation of phi where the size of the memory is measured as the total number of literals it can contain. We prove that T = Omega((W - k)^2).


The current study utilized constant comparative thematic analysis to uncover antecedents of student misbehavior from the perspective of collegiate instructors. Results indicated nine distinct antecedents of student misbehavior that were classified into three distinct categories: deficiency antecedents, belief antecedents, and external antecedents. These findings extend previous research on antecedents of student misbehavior by forwarding a more nuanced classification structure that centers on attribution theory as an explanatory mechanism. Overall, by understanding the potential reasons that underlie student misbehavior, educators can create more meaningful and enriching experiences for students by thoughtfully addressing these problematic behaviors and the underlying conditions that promote them.


ABSTRACT Cores of shoreface sediments off Fire Island, Long Island, New York, in water depths ranging between 5 and 21 m, contain a distinctive three-part sequence; from base upward consisting of: (a) basal lag, up to 50 cm thick, containing coarse gravel; (b) finely laminated sand up to 2 m thick, having median diameters ranging from 0.210 to 0.125 ram, and (c) burrow-mottled sand coarser in size than unit (b), up to 30 cm thick. The boundaries between (a), (b), and (c) are sharp. The relatively coarser, mottled sand composing the upper part of this sequence results from processes operating in the shoreface zone during fair weather. Such processes create either wave-ripple laminae (between wave base and the breaker zone) or burrow-mottled sediment (seaward of wave base). The lower part of the sequence is inferred to result from storms. The basal gravel is interpreted as a lag formed during maximum storm intensity when the coarse material is jostled at the bottom and the finer sediment is kept dispersed or is in turbulent suspension. The fined laminated sand is inferred to have been rapidly deposited under conditions of intense bottom shear as the storm waned. Examples in the geologic record of what we regard as comparable storm-deposited sequences occur at the following locations: Relict Holocene sediments off Fire Island, New York; Pleistocene sediments underlying Fire Island barrier, Long Island, New York; Norfolk Formation (Pleistocene), Benns Church, southeastern Virginia; Eocene sandstones and conglomerates, Tehachapi and San Emigdio Mountains, southern California; and Cambrian sandstones and conglomerates, Parfrey's Glen, Baraboo Range, Wisconsin. In addition, other workers have identified characteristic sequences very similar to the one described here in the following localities: Recent sediments off Virginia; Recent sediments, southern North Sea; upper part of Sundance Formation (Jurassic) of Wyoming and Montana; Upper Cambrian, Ba aboo district, Wisconsin; and "sublittoral sheet sandstones" described from several locations. We speculate that the geologic record of shoreface sediments contains a minimal proportion of sediments deposited during fair-weather conditions and consists largely of storm deposits.


We explore how the gravitational self-force ~or ''radiation reaction'' force !, acting on a pointlike test particle in curved spacetime, is modified in a gauge transformation. We derive the general transformation law, describing the change in the self-force in terms of the infinitesimal displacement vector associated with the gauge transformation. Based on this transformation law, we extend the regularization prescription by Mino et al. and Quinn and Wald ~originally formulated within the harmonic gauge! to an arbitrary gauge. Then we extend the method of mode-sum regularization ~which provides a practical means for calculating the regularized self-force and was recently applied to the harmonic-gauge gravitational self-force! to an arbitrary gauge. We find that the regularization parameters involved in this method are gauge-independent. We also explore the gauge transformation of the self-force from the harmonic gauge to the Regge-Wheeler gauge and to the radiation gauge, focusing attention on the regularity of these gauge transformations. We conclude that the transformation of the self-force to the Regge-Wheeler gauge in Schwarzschild spacetime is regular for radial orbits and irregular otherwise, whereas the transformation to the radiation gauge is irregular for all orbits.


Three generations of selection for increased weight at 70 d of age was practiced in Landrace pigs. Performance records at 70 d were collected on 708 pigs from 47 sires and 105 dams. Each generation, nine boars and 27 gilts with heaviest 70 d weights were selected to produce the next generation of select line pigs. Random selection of one boar from each of the five foundation sire lines and a gilt from each litter was used to maintain the control line. Responses to selection were estimated by regression of generation means adjusted for environmental effects on generation number. Weight at 70 d increased 1.08 + .47 kg/generation which represented 10.4$ improvement. The realized heritability of 70 d weight was .27 ± .12. Selection for heavy weight at 70 d resulted in decreased leanness in the select line carcasses as indicated by the negative regression coefficients for loin eye area (-.58±.23 cm2) anci lean cuts percentage (-.35±.14$) and the positive regression coefficient for lOth-rib backfat thickness (.09±.02 cm).


OBJECTIVE
To critically review the antiobsessional properties of serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) (venlafaxine and clomipramine) in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) as an alternative to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which are currently considered the first-line treatment of OCD.

DATA SOURCES
A MEDLINE search was performed to identify clinical trials with the SNRIs venlafaxine and clomipramine published from 1996 to 2004 (keywords: SNRIs, venlafaxine, duloxetine, and clomipramine, each matched individually with the term OCD), focusing on the best-designed studies for inclusion.

DATA SYNTHESIS
Much of the literature about SNRIs in OCD supports the efficacy of these compounds in the treatment of OCD. However, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies with venlafaxine are lacking, and the most relevant studies consist of active comparison trials between SNRIs and SSRIs. In these studies, SNRIs seem to be as effective as SSRIs in OCD; SNRIs might be preferred for patients with certain types of treatment-resistant OCD or those with particular comorbid conditions. A large number of placebo-controlled and active comparison trials with clomipramine document efficacy in OCD, and meta-analytic studies suggest a small superiority over SSRIs. Compared with clomipramine, the SNRI venlafaxine showed fewer side effects and better tolerability.

CONCLUSION
The SNRIs may represent a valid alternative to the SSRIs, particularly in specific cases. Double-blind, placebo-controlled studies are, however, needed to confirm the positive findings reported by several studies with venlafaxine.


The acquisition of reading has an extensive impact on the developing brain and leads to enhanced abilities in phonological processing and visual letter perception. Could this expertise also extend to early visual abilities outside the reading domain? Here we studied the performance of illiterate, ex-illiterate and literate adults closely matched in age, socioeconomic and cultural characteristics, on a contour integration task known to depend on early visual processing. Stimuli consisted of a closed egg-shaped contour made of disconnected Gabor patches, within a background of randomly oriented Gabor stimuli. Subjects had to decide whether the egg was pointing left or right. Difficulty was varied by jittering the orientation of the Gabor patches forming the contour. Contour integration performance was lower in illiterates than in both ex-illiterate and literate controls. We argue that this difference in contour perception must reflect a genuine difference in visual function. According to this view, the intensive perceptual training that accompanies reading acquisition also improves early visual abilities, suggesting that the impact of literacy on the visual system is more widespread than originally proposed.


A novel method of simulating edge-emitting semiconductor lasers in a non-equilibrium steady-state is developed. The simulation is based on a non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) method. The Dyson equation (central equation of this method) is derived and written in a basis suitable for numerical implementation. The electronphoton self-energy is derived form scratch for the case of the edge-emitting laser. Other interactions present in the simulation are phenomenological scattering and scattering due to longitudinal optical phonons. This microscopic approach significantly reduce the number of phenomenological parameters needed to simulate laser. As an example, the theory is applied to analyze quantum well laser with the effective mass Hamiltonian. The major laser characteristics such as modal gain, threshold gain, carrier and current densities are determined.


We present a three-dimensional reconstruction of the velocity distribution of nearby stars (≲100 pc) using a maximum likelihood density estimation technique applied to the two-dimensional tangential velocities of stars. The underlying distribution is modeled as a mixture of Gaussian components. The algorithm reconstructs the error-deconvolved distribution function, even when the individual stars have unique error and missing-data properties. We apply this technique to the tangential velocity measurements from a kinematically unbiased sample of 11,865 main-sequence stars observed by the Hipparcos satellite. We explore various methods for validating the complexity of the resulting velocity distribution function, including criteria based on Bayesian model selection and how accurately our reconstruction predicts the radial velocities of a sample of stars from the Geneva–Copenhagen Survey (GCS). Using this very conservative external validation test based on the GCS, we find that there is little evidence for structure in the distribution function beyond the moving groups established prior to the Hipparcos mission. This is in sharp contrast with internal tests performed here and in previous analyses, which point consistently to maximal structure in the velocity distribution. We quantify the information content of the radial velocity measurements and find that the mean amount of new information gained from a radial velocity measurement of a single star is significant. This argues for complementary radial velocity surveys to upcoming astrometric surveys.


Since the landmark school finance decision Serrano v. Priest (1971) ruled that California's reliance on the property tax to finance public schools violated equal protection provisions in state and federal constitutions, a wave of school finance litigation swept the United States. Connecticut followed with Horton v. Meskill (1977) and most recently with CCJEF v. Rell (2005). The Connecticut State Supreme Court has been a key actor in the policy making process concerning school finance reform in Connecticut. This study will trace the history of school finance litigation in Connecticut and the evolving legal theories used to undergird major court cases. The legal theories that have been developed in Connecticut school finance litigation cases over a thirty year time period have mirrored national trends evolving from the utilization of equity claims then turning to adequacy provisions based on state constitutions in an attempt to redress spending inequities. This study will argue that despite the increasing sophistication of legal strategies as well as a broadening coalition of participants and earlier favorable court rulings in sister states, the plaintiffs now face a less hospitable environment towards school finance reform making the outcome of this latest case uncertain. This study will examine the major legal theories advanced in Horton I (1977), Horton III (1985) and CCJEF v. Rell (2008) and conclude by offering some tentative explanations of the jurisprudence of school finance litigation by providing a closer examination of judicial-legislative dynamics and the prospects for reform in Connecticut.


Usually, simulations are the first approach to evaluate wireless and mobile networks due to the difficulties involved in deploying real test scenarios. Working with simulations, testing, and validating the target network model often requires a large number of simulation runs. Consequently, there are a significant amount of outcomes to be analyzed to finally plot results. One of the most extensively used simulators for wireless and mobile networks is OMNeT++. This simulation environment provides useful tools to automate the execution of simulation campaigns, yet single-scenario simulations are also supported where the assignation of resources (i.e., CPUs) has to be declared manually. However, conducting a large number of simulations is still cumbersome and can be improved to make it easier, faster, and more comfortable to analyze. In this work, we propose a large-scale simulations framework called simulations manager for OMNeT++ (SMO). SMO allows OMNeT++ users to quickly and easily execute large-scale network simulations, hiding the tedious process of conducting big simulation campaigns. Our framework automates simulations executions, resources assignment, and post-simulation data analysis through the use of Python's wide established statistical analysis tools. Besides, our tool is flexible and easy to adapt to many different network scenarios. Our framework is accompanied by a command-line environment allowing a fast and easy manipulation that allows users to significantly reduce the total processing time to carry out large sets of simulations about 25% of the original time. Our code and its documentation are publicly available at GitHub and on our website.


Background: Lung cavities sometimes result from a number of pathological processes including suppurative necrosis, caseous necrosis, ischemic necrosis and cystic dilatation of lung structures. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of intercostals muscle flap as a successful method to fill the lung cavity for reduction of symptoms and treatment of patients presented with symptomatic pulmonary cavity and to avoid the risk of pulmonary resection. Methods: This is a prospective study conducted between 2009 to 2012, in department of cardiothoracic surgery, Zagazig University Hospital. The study included 32 patients suffering from cavitary lung lesions divided into two groups, group (A): 14 patients treated by using intercostal muscle flap to fill the defect after Cavernostomy without lung resection; and group (B): 18 patients treated by traditional methods by lung resection. Patients with high risk of lung resection, suspicion of dense adhesion, symptomatic chronic lung abscess and patients with bad pulmonary function tests were included in group (A). Results: 20 patients were male and 12 were females in both groups, the large numbers of cases were lung abscess in group A (4 cases 28.5%) followed by Aspergilloma and TB cavity (3 cases 21.4%). Hemoptysis, persistent cough and expectoration were the main presentation of our patients. Poor pulmonary function was significant finding in group A (7 cases 50%). Complications reported in our study were bleeding, recurrent symptoms and one case mortality in group B after Pneuomenectomy. Conclusion: Using the intercostal muscle flap implanted inside the lung cavity after cavernostomy is a successful alternative curative method especially in cases with high risk of lung resection.


We present an approach that aims to comprehensively account for scientists' academic engagement and commercialization activities. While previous research has pointed to the economic and social impact of these activities, it has also been hampered by the difficulties of accurately quantifying them. Our approach complements university administrative records with data retrieved from external sources and surveys to quantify academic consulting, patenting, and academic entrepreneurship. This allows us to accurately account for 'independent' activity, i.e., academic engagement and commercialization outside the formal university channels and often not recorded by universities. We illustrate this approach with data for 10,000 scientists at Imperial College London. Results indicate that conventional approaches systematically underestimate the extent of academic scientists' impact-relevant activities by not accounting for independent activities. However, with the exception of consulting, we find no significant differences between individuals involved in supported (university-recorded) and independent activity, respectively. Our study contributes to work concerned with developing appropriate and accurate research metrics for demonstrating the public value of science.


Arctic pollution is a topic of high priority on the global agenda, especially due to its connection with the rapid warming the Arctic is experiencing. During recent decades, the Arctic has warmed about 1 degree Celsius per decade, which is almost double the global average warming rate. Part of the warming is due to the deposition of black carbon to the ice, which decreases the surface albedo and thus leads to melting of the ice.

This study investigates the European origins of Arctic primary fine particulate matter (PPM2.5) and black carbon aerosol (BC). Five years of monthly averaged output from the EMEP Chemical Transport Model are analyzed to calculate the source-receptor relationships of PPM2.5 from European countries to the Arctic. These source-receptor relationships are then applied to BC emissions inventories in order to investigate the relevance of different source regions of Arctic BC both for the present and for future scenarios. Russia (European part) and Norway are identified as the largest European contributors to Arctic PPM2.5 and BC, together accounting for more than 50 percent of the European PPM2.5 input to the Arctic. The relative importance of these two countries for future contributions to Arctic BC depends on the emissions scenario used. As a rather unexpected result, ship emissions from the north-east Atlantic Ocean are among the largest contributors to Arctic PPM and BC, and are predicted to rank third by 2030. On a sectoral basis, emissions from the household sector dominate over industrial and other emissions. In addition to the emissions already accounted for in the EMEP model runs, vegetation fires are shown to play a significant role.

Furthermore, the variability of Arctic PPM2.5 levels, transfer coefficients, and contributions is investigated. Large annual cycles of sectoral contributions can be observed, which are partly due to annual cycles of emissions and partly to meteorological variability. The North Atlantic Oscillation is shown to influence Arctic PPM2.5 concentrations in the sense that under highly positive NAO conditions, Arctic PPM levels are significantly enhanced by up to factors of 20 and more, as compared to highly negative NAO conditions.


– The potential of electric power generation from marine renewable energy is enormous. Ocean waves are being recognized as a resource to be exploited for the sustainable generation of electrical power. The high load factors resulting from the fluid properties and the predictable resource characteristics make ocean waves particularly attractive for power generation and advantageous when compared to other renewable energies. Regarding this emerging and promising area of research, this paper presents a complete review of wave energy technologies describing, analyzing and fixing many of the concepts behind wave energy conversion. The proposed review will specifically highlights the main wave energy conversion projects around the world at different levels (demonstration stage, in production, and commercialized projects). In particular, mooring will be discussed, as it is a key feature behind massive deployment of wave energy converters. Finally, a discussion will highlight challenges that wave energy converters need to overcome to become commercially competitive in the global energy market. Nomenclature WEC = Wave Energy Converter; PTO = Power TakeOff ; P w_f = Power per meter of wave front; P w_mcl = Power per meter crest length; ρ = Water density (approximately 1000 kg/m 3); g = Gravity acceleration; A = Wave amplitude; T = Wave period.


This article examines Nollywood as a creative industry based in Africa's informal sector. By definition, the informal sector produces no financial records, so no quantitative economic data are presented. This research utilizes ethnographic methods and anthropological analysis to highlight the importance of the video movie industry to Nigerian people, its place in their economic life and its integral role in their culture. Nollywood's intimacy with Nigerians has been achieved by way of the industry's distinctive informal system of production and distribution. This same informality prevents the video industry from establishing financial legitimacy. Without the ability to generate capital, the industry is straining against its economic limits. Thus, the cultural success of Nollywood pushes it towards inevitable formalization and uncertain consequences.


Fostering translational research of advanced therapies has become a major priority of both scientific community and national governments. Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP) are a new medicinal product category comprising gene therapy and cell-based medicinal products as well as tissue engineered medicinal products. ATMP development opens novel avenues for therapeutic approaches in numerous diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. However, there are important bottlenecks for their development due to the complexity of the regulatory framework, the high costs and the needs for good manufacturing practice (GMP) facilities and new end-points for clinical experimentation. Thus, a strategic cooperation between different stakeholders (academia, industry and experts in regulatory issues) is strongly needed. Recently, a great importance has been given to research infrastructures dedicated to foster translational medicine of advanced therapies. Some ongoing European initiatives in this field are presented and their potential impact is discussed.


Over the past decade, enrollment in the exercise science graduate program at Texas State University has shown consistent growth. However, the program's level of diversity has been low, as indicated by the college's equity audit report. In response to the imperative of social justice and equity in the field of kinesiology, this article presents one recruitment strategy and two retention strategies aimed at fostering inclusivity in the graduate program. The recruitment strategy describes the steps to establish a partnership with Huston-Tillotson University (a historically Black university). This partnership serves as a means to create a pathway for underrepresented students to pursue graduate studies in exercise science. The two retention strategies explain how a peer-mentoring program and alumni connect can be used to foster an inclusive experience for current students and recent graduates and to promote student success and retention. The benefits of each strategy and suggestions to implement the strategies are also described.


In this paper, we study the initial recruitment of individuals in the political sector. We propose an equilibrium model of political recruitment by a party who faces competition for political talent from the lobbying sector. We show that a political party may deliberately choose to recruit only mediocre politicians, in spite of the fact that it could afford to recruit better individuals who would like to become politicians. We argue that this finding may contribute to explain the observation that in many countries the political class is mostly composed of mediocre people.