This paper discusses the role that impact evaluations should play in scaling up. Credible impact evaluations are needed to ensure that the most effective programs are scaled up at the national or international levels. Scaling up is possible only if a case can be made that programs that have been successful on a small scale would work in other contexts. Therefore the very objective of scaling up implies that learning from experience is possible. Because programs that have been shown to be successful can be replicated in other countries while unsuccessful programs can be abandoned, impact evaluations are international public goods, thus the international agencies should have a key role in promoting and financing them. In doing this, they would achieve three important objectives: improve the rates of return on the programs they support, improve the rates of return on the programs other policymakers support by providing evidence on the basis of which programs can be selected, and build long-term support for international aid and development by making it possible to credibly signal what programs work and what programs do not work. The paper argues that considerable scope exists for expanding the use of randomized evaluations. For a broad class of development programs, randomized evaluation can be used to overcome the problems often encountered when using current evaluation practices.


The Kaliningrad region can be called a 'captive island', because of its specific geopolitical location - it is part of the Russian legal, political and economic space, yet it is geographically separated from the rest of the Russian Federation, and it is particularly open to co-operation with its neighbours in the European Union. Moscow is trying to compensate the region for its separation, offering it financial support and economic privileges.At the same time, it is sensitive to any potential challenges to Russia's territorial integrity - and the centre's desire for control over the region often limits the latter's potential for cooperation and internal development. This report presents the situation in the region, and is intended to help develop a model for its effective regional co-operation with its EU neighbours.


Occupational therapy practitioners working in the school setting play a role in contributing to student's lives. Through many interventions, these practitioners contribute to promoting student performance within the academic setting. Yet, there is more research to be done related to the overall impact school-based interventions have on performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between role perceptions of schoolbased occupational therapy, interventions implemented, and the impact on student performance. A qualitative approach guided this study. Participants currently employed through a local, rural school district participated in this research by completing an online survey. A total of five occupational therapy practitioners provided informative data used for analysis. Four were Registered Occupational Therapists (OTR) and one was a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA). The survey responses were analyzed for common themes that existed among the questions and throughout the data. Four themes emerged from the data. First, the role of the student in the academic setting is to learn. Second, the role of the occupational therapy practitioner in school-based practice is to help, assist, and provide support for students to achieve maximum ability and independence about their school learning. Third, intervention activities should address underlying deficits that compromise handwriting and other fine motor tasks. Fourth, focusing on underlying deficit skills improves student academic participation. These findings have implications for current occupational therapy practice, as well as future research. SCHOOL INTERVENTIONS AND STUDENT PERFORMANCE 3 Interventions Used Among School-Based Occupational Therapy Practitioners to Promote Student Performance


Abstract We exploit the idea of proving properties of an abstract machine by using a corresponding semantic artefact better suited to their proof. The abstract machine is an improved version of Pierre Crégut's full-reducing Krivine machine KN. The original version works with closed terms of the pure lambda calculus with de Bruijn indices. The improved version reduces in similar fashion but works on closures where terms may be open. The corresponding semantic artefact is a structural operational semantics of a calculus of closures whose reduction relation is purposely a reduction strategy. As shown in previous work, improved KN and the structural operational semantics 'correspond', i.e. both artefacts realise the same reduction strategy. In this paper, we prove in the calculus of closures that the reduction strategy simulates in lockstep (at every reduction step) the complete and standard normal-order strategy (i.e. leftmost reduction to normal form) of the pure lambda calculus. The simulation is witnessed by a substitution function from closures of the closure calculus to pure terms of the pure lambda calculus. Thus, KN also simulates normal-order in lockstep by the correspondence. This result is stronger than the known proof that KN is complete, for in the pure lambda calculus there are complete but non-standard strategies. The lockstep simulation proof consists of straightforward structural inductions, thanks to three properties of the closure calculus we call 'index alignment', 'parameters-as-levels' and 'balanced derivations'. The first two come from KN. Thanks to these properties, a proof in a calculus of closures involving de Bruijn indices and de Bruijn levels is unproblematic. There is no lexical adjustment at binding lookup, on-the-fly alpha-conversion or recursive traversals of the term to deal with bound and free variables as in other calculi. This paper contributes to the framework for environment machines of Biernacka and Danvy a full-reducing open-terms closure calculus, its corresponding abstract machine, and a lockstep simulation proof via a substitution function.


Pedestrians are the most sustainable category among user groups of roads. The
present study aims to describe some of the epidemiological and demographic aspects of pedestrian
road accident victims injured in road traffic accidents (RTAs) in the Shohada Referral University
Hospital, East Azerbaijan province.
Materials & Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 177 pedestrians injured by motor
vehicles in the RTAs and were hospitalized at Shohada University Hospital during May 2013 to April
2014. The investigated variables included: demographic and environmental characteristic of accidents
related to the injured pedestrian. Descriptive indices such as mean± SD, frequency (percentage) and
analytical statistics of Chi-square test were used.
Results: The mean age in the surveyed victims was 14.26±40.05 (SD) years. Men were 86.4% of the
total victims. And 27.7% of the victims had elementary education; 22.6% were illiterate; 27.8% of the
victims were self-employed and 16.5% were workers. Economic status among injured pedestrians was
13.29±32.46. Also, 43.5% of the victims had lower extremity injuries and 31.64% were injuries to
more than two organs. As well, 59.32% of pedestrians were injured in two-sided streets and 37.3% of
accidents occurred during 6-12 pm. and 80.8% of the injuries happened during working days of the
week. Considering weather condition, the higher proportion of accidents with 66.1% occurred in
sunny days and 70.1% during day time. Also, pedestrian status during accidents, 46.9% of pedestrians
were in moving and admissible line. There was significant association between type of job and site of
the body injury. (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that prevention and management of pedestrian
injuries needs appropriate implementation from both individuals and the environment.


High-density lipoproteins are involved in reverse cholesterol transport and possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. Paradoxically, CETP (cholesteryl ester transfer protein) inhibitors have been shown to increase inflammation as revealed by a raised plasma level of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. CETP inhibitors did not improve clinical outcomes in large-scale clinical trials of unselected patients with coronary disease. Dalcetrapib is a CETP modulator for which effects on cardiovascular outcomes were demonstrated in the dal-OUTCOMES trial to be influenced by correlated polymorphisms in the ADCY9 (adenylate cyclase type 9) gene (P=2.4×10-8 for rs1967309). Patients with the AA genotype at rs1967309 had a relative reduction of 39% in the risk of presenting a cardiovascular event when treated with dalcetrapib compared with placebo (95% confidence interval, 0.41-0.92). In contrast, patients with the GG genotype had a 27% increase in risk, whereas heterozygotes (AG) presented a neutral result. Supporting evidence from the dal-PLAQUE-2 study using carotid ultrasonography revealed that the polymorphisms tested in the ADCY9 linkage disequilibrium block were associated with disease regression for patients with the protective genotype, progression for the harmful genotype, and no effect in heterozygotes (P≤0.05 and ≤0.01 for 10 and 3 polymorphisms, respectively) when comparing dalcetrapib to placebo. Strikingly concordant and significant genotype-dependent effects of dalcetrapib were also obtained for changes in high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and cholesterol efflux capacity. The Dal-GenE randomized trial is currently being conducted in patients with a recent acute coronary syndrome bearing the AA genotype at rs1967309 in the ADCY9 gene to confirm the effects of dalcetrapib on hard cardiovascular outcomes.


Background: Breast cancer presents itself in a variety of histologic types, and the two most common types are invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC). Based on comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) analyses, ILC is more closely related to low grade IDC than it is to intermediate and high grade IDC. Results from the BIG 1-98 trial demonstrate that post-menopausal women who are affected with estrogen receptor positive (ER+) ILC or luminal B (high grade) IDC experience a greater magnitude of benefit when they are treated with the aromatase inhibitor (AI) letrozole compared to treatment with the antiestrogen tamoxifen. To contrast, it has been found in the same trial that women affected with luminal A (low grade) IDC experience more benefit when treated with tamoxifen when compared to letrozole. It is therefore imperative to accurately distinguish low grade IDC from ILC considering their varying responses to adjuvant treatment. Despite genetic evidence suggesting a close relationship between ILC and low grade IDC, a clinically relevant gene set underlying a tumor's biologic responsiveness to letrozole likely exists. The goal of this study is to use microgenomics to identify a clinically relevant candidate gene set that would discriminate between ILC and low grade IDC rather than relying solely on histomorphology and/or immunohistochemistry for the pathologic diagnosis, especially when conventional tests are conflicting. Methods: Using 247 de-identified human breast carcinoma biopsies collected under standardized, stringent conditions, total RNA was extracted from carcinoma cells procured by laser capture microdissection to perform microarray analyses of approximately 22,000 genes to identify expression signatures associated with breast cancer characteristics. Of the 247 LCM-procured samples, 14 were ER+ ILC, 9 were ER+ low grade IDC, and 43 were ER+ high grade IDC. The other 181 samples were either ERor of another cancer type other than ILC and IDC. Candidate genes were selected by identifying those that were differentially expressed between ILC and low grade IDC (luminal A) and at the same time, had similar expression levels between ILC and high grade IDC (luminal B). qPCR analyses of whole tissue samples were then utilized to validate the selected gene set. Results: Comparison of microarray data from hormone receptor positive tumors yielded 299 probes that were differentially expressed (p 0.01) between ILC and high grade IDC (luminal B). 11 of these 99 genes were initially chosen for further investigation by performing qPCR on whole tissue samples from 21 ILC, 19 low grade IDC and 19 high grade IDC tumors. Our initial analysis revealed expression of the gene coding for heparin-binding EGF like growth factor (HBEGF) and collapsin response mediator protein 1 (CRMP1) may be potential markers for differentiating between ILC and low grade (luminal A) IDC.


Full applicability of physics to human biology does not necessarily imply that one can uncover a comprehensive, algorithmic correlation between physical brain states and corresponding mental states. The argument takes into account that information processing is finite in principle in a finite world. Presumbly the brain-mind-relation cannot be resolved in all essential aspects, particularly when high degrees of abstraction or self-analytical processes are involved. Our conjecture plausibly unifies the universal validity of physics and a logical limitation of human thought, and it does not regard consciousness the most basic human experience as a marginal phenomenon.


This paper presents a procedure based on the use of grey numbers for the calibration (with uncertainty) of pipe roughness in water distribution systems. The pipe roughness uncertainty is represented through the grey number amplitude (or interval). The procedure is of a wholly general nature and can be applied for the calibration (with uncertainty) of other parameters or quantities, such as nodal demands. In this paper, for the purpose of roughness calibration, a certain number of nodal head measurements made under different demand conditions is assumed to be available at different locations (nodes); all other topological and geometric characteristics of the system are considered to be known exactly. The general approach to pipe roughness calibration (taking account of uncertainty) focuses on identifying the grey roughness values which produce grey head values at the measuring nodes such as to encompass the observed values grouped on the basis of the different demand scenarios and, at the same time, have as small an 'amplitude' as possible. The proposed procedure was applied to two synthetic case studies and to one real network. The tests on the synthetic case studies show that the proposed procedure is able to correctly solve the inverse problem, i.e. it can identify the known grey roughness numbers even when they overlap; the same applies when the known grey roughness numbers collapse into known white roughness numbers. The test on the real case offers the possibility of highlighting the potentials of the procedure when applied within a context where measurement errors and other uncertainties are present. The procedure entails computing times that may become lengthy. However, it is possible to reduce these computing times considerably by replacing the hydraulic simulator—to which a number of calls must be made during the calibration procedure (for objective function evaluation)—with an approximation based on a first-order Taylor series expansion. This approach introduces acceptable approximations within the context of the problem considered.


Corneal biomechanics is the study of the mechanical properties and responses of the cornea. The cornea's remarkable transparency and strength allow it to contain the intraocular pressure, serve as a protective layer and act as the major refracting surface of the eye. The shape of the cornea, and hence its refractive properties, is directly determined by its ultrastructural and biomechanical properties. In keratorefractive surgery the aim is to alter the cornea's refractive power by changing its shape. In the early days of laser vision correction it was assumed that the postoperative change in corneal shape was determined directly by the pattern of tissue ablation.1 Now it is clear that this is an oversimplification because biomechanical and wound healing changes also influence final corneal shape.2 This is illustrated by the hyperopic shift that typically occurs following phototherapeutic keratectomy, a procedure that a simple shape subtraction theory would predict to be refractively neutral. Like all technical subjects biomechanics has its own language and this complicates understanding for the non-specialist. The purpose of this article is not to review biomechanical theory in general or even to describe all that is known about corneal biomechanics but rather to provide the reader with an understanding of the most clinically relevant concepts and principles so enabling an appreciation of how this important subject can impact on clinical practice.


Abstract The long-term fitness of individuals is examined in complex and temporally dynamic ecosystems. We call this multigeneration fitness measure "future fitness". Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a polyphagous insect that feeds on many wild and cultivated hosts. While four generations of H. zea occur during the cropping season in the U.S. Mid Southern agroecosysem, the latter two generations were of most interest, as corn (which has been largely nontransgenic in the Mid-South) dominates the first two generations in the cropping system. In simulations of the evolution of resistance to Bt-transgenic crops, cotton refuge areas were found to be significantly more effective than similar soybean acreages at delaying the evolution of resistance. Cotton is a suitable host for H. zea during two late summer generations, while a soybean field is suitable for only one of these generations, therefore soybean fields of other maturity groups were simulated as being attractive during the alternative generation. A hypothetical soybean variety was tested in which a single field would be attractive over both generations and it was found to be significantly more effective at delaying resistance than simulated conventional soybean varieties. Finally, the placement of individuals emerging at the start of the 3rd (first without corn) generation was simulated in either refuge cotton, conventional soybean and the hypothetical long attractive soybean and the mean number of offspring produced was measured at the end of the season. Although females in conventional and long soybean crops had the same expected fecundity, because of differences in temporal stability of the two crops, the long soybean simulations had significantly more H. zea individuals at the end of the season than the conventional soybean simulations. These simulations demonstrate that the long-term fecundity associated with an individual is dependent not only on the fecundity of that individual in its current habitat, but also the temporal stability of habitats, the ecosystem at large and the likelihood that the individual's offspring will move into different habitats.


Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are a heterogeneous group of highly malignant mesenchymal tumors that account for ~1% of all malignancies. Frequent heterogeneity and pleomorphism along with suboptimal diagnostic reproducibility and insufficient prognostic markers make clinical management of these tumors difficult. This thesis has applied microarray-based gene expression and copy-number profiling to STS. The studies provide clues to the genetic pathways involved in STS development and identify profiles linked to diagnosis and prognosis. The results from Study I that concerns intratumor versus intertumor heterogeneity of gene expression profiles in malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) and leiomyosarcoma (LMS), suggest that intratumor heterogeneity may be particularly relevant in small tumor series and thus serve as a reminder to run larger sample sets for increased reliability. Study II established expression patterns related to the SS18-SSX fusion variants and metastatic potential in synovial sarcoma (SS). The differential expression of various developmental genes, transcription factors, histones, and metallothioneins suggests that the gene fusion variants have distinct downstream effects. In Study III, 177 STS of mixed histopathological subtypes were profiled using cDNA microarrays. Distinct gene expression patterns were identified in subtypes with specific translocations or mutations. Herein, frequent upregulation of developmental genes, from e.g. the Wingless and Hedgehog signaling pathways, was demonstrated. The more pleomorphic STS showed overexpression of genes involved in proliferation, adhesion, motility and protein degradation. Moreover, a prognostic signature partly characterized by hypoxia-related genes was identified within the pleomorphic STS. Study IV applied array-based comparative genomic hybridization in MFH and LMS, and demonstrated extensive genetic complexity with multiple recurrent gains and losses, novel amplifications and homozygous deletions. Losses in chromosomal regions 6q14 and 7q36 provided prognostic information independent of previously established risk factors. In summary, these studies demonstrate the potential of genetic profiling in STS and herein, define intratumor heterogeneity, demonstrate that gene fusion variants in SS yield different downstream effects, identify diagnostic and prognostic subsets within STS, and in the pleomorphic tumors, discern prognostically important alterations within the plethora of genetic aberrations that characterize many STS. (Less)


Background: Patient work resumption after sickness absence varies even among patients with similar pathologies and characteristics. Explanations remain uncertain. One newly investigated field is "information asymmetry", a situation in which critical information is not appropriately exchanged between stakeholders in disability management. It is hypothesised that information asymmetry between social insurance physicians and occupational physicians prolongs sickness absence. Objectives: To assess the influence of enhanced information exchange between these physicians on patient outcome. Methods: Non-randomised controlled intervention study. The setting was the work inability assessment consultation of social insurance physicians in Belgium. Inclusion criteria were: employee, age 18–50, and subacute (more than one month) sickness absence. The intervention was a structured information exchange (through the use of a communication form) between the patient's social insurance physician and occupational physician. The intervention started when the patient's sickness absence reached the subacute stage, and ended when the sickness absence benefit was ceased or the duration exceeded one year. The primary outcome measure was the sickness absence benefit status of the patient assessed one year after benefit onset. Results: Of the 1883 patients asked to enrol in the study, 1564 (84%) participated; 505 (32%) of 1564 patients were assigned to the intervention group and 1059 (68%) to the control group; 1553 (99%) of 1564 patients completed the study. In the intervention group, 86% received no sickness absence benefit at the end of the study, versus 84% in the control group (95% CI 0.91–1.15). No significant differences in other outcome parameters were obtained. Conclusions: Information exchange between physicians may not be enough to influence work resumption among patients on sickness absence. Further research on stakeholders' information asymmetry and its effect on the outcome of patients are necessary. The complexity of information asymmetry in disability management cannot be underestimated.


Cultural relativism (Boas, 1887) and hedonic relativism (Easterlin, 1974) are reference points of a theory that addresses international differences in per-capita incomes and variations in the contribution of income to happiness. The pivotal concept in this analysis is diligence. Painstaking effort, i.e., diligence, is needed to produce high quality goods and services. The downside of such efforts lies in the psychological burden that comes with the necessary high level of self-control of the individual worker and the required organizational feedback mechanisms in firms. We present two competing views concerning the determination of diligence. The first, anthropologically inspired, hypothesis states that a society's cultural forces like cognitive styles, organizational traditions and religion determine the level of diligence. One implication of this perspective is that societies can have income levels that are either too high or too low relative to the welfare optimum. The second view holds that diligence is determined in a maximizing way balancing the gains and pains of diligence in the economic realm. Cross-country data are studied in order to assess the two competing views. The econometric evidence indicates that it is the maximizing view that can explain key aspects of the data.


PURPOSE
To explore the possibility of the PEGylated liposome-protamine-hyaluronic acid nanoparticles (PEG-LPH-NP) loaded with siRNA (PEG-LPH-NP-S) in ARPE19 cells and a laser-induced rat model for the treatment of choroidal neovascularization (CNV).

METHODS
PEG-LPH-NP-S was characterized by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The encapsulation efficiency of siRNA in PEG-LPH-NP was analyzed by ultracentrifugation, whereas the protection of siRNA by PEG-LPH-NP was evaluated by electrophoresis. Human RPE cells (ARPE19) were used as the cell model for the studies of cellular uptake and the inhibition of VEGFR1 expression, visualized by a laser scanning confocal microscope. The area of CNV in the laser-induced rat model after intravitreous injection was measured. The distribution of the lipid nanoparticles in the retina after intravitreous administration was investigated by fluorescence microscopy. Finally, the TUNEL test and morphologic observation of the retina were conducted.

RESULTS
It was indicated that PEG-LPH-NP-S was approximately 132 nm in particle size with a positive charge of approximately 20 mV, whereas the encapsulation efficiency of siRNA in PEG-LPH-NP was >95%. PEG-LPH-NP could protect the siRNA load and could facilitate the intracellular delivery of fluorescein-labeled siRNA to ARPE19 cells. VEGFR1 expression in ARPE19 cells could be inhibited, and the CNV area in the murine model could be reduced more effectively by PEG-LPH-NP-S compared with naked siRNA and by PEG-LPH-NP with negative siRNA. It seems that the toxicity of PEG-LPH-NP-S on the rat retina is low, based on the results of TUNEL testing and morphologic observation.

CONCLUSIONS
PEG-LPH-NP may be a promising lipid nanoparticle system for the siRNA treatment of CNV.


Human milk contains a complex combination of lipids, proteins, carbohydrates, and minerals, which are essential for infant growth and development. While the lipid portion constitutes only 5% of the total human milk composition, it accounts for over 50% of the infant's daily energy intake. Human milk lipids vary throughout a feed, day, and through different stages of lactation, resulting in difficulties in sampling standardization and, like blood, human milk is bioactive containing endogenous lipases, therefore appropriate storage is critical in order to prevent lipolysis. Suitable sample preparation, often not described in studies, must also be chosen to achieve the aims of the study. Gas chromatography methods have classically been carried out to investigate the fatty acid composition of human milk lipids, but with the advancement of other chromatographic techniques, such as liquid and supercritical fluid chromatography, as well as mass spectrometry, intact lipids can also be characterized. Despite the known importance, concise and comprehensive analysis of the human milk lipidome is limited, with gaps existing in all areas of human milk lipidomics, discussed in this review. With appropriate methodology and instrumentation, further understanding of the human milk lipidome and the influence it has on infant outcomes can be achieved.


"All advertising is crap," John Farquhar, AdVantage's esteemed editor was quoted somewhat contentiously as saying during the latter half of 2007. He admits this is a generalization but insists that much of the advertising we see is "rubbish". The Journal of Marketing spoke to Farquhar about his impressions of advertising and asked Net#work BBDO creative director Mike Schalit to respond to his comments.


When no presidential candidate wins a majority in the electoral college, the House of Representatives holds a "contingent election" between the top three candidates. Unfortunately, if one of those three candidates should die there is no way to provide a substitute, so the dead candidate's supporters and party would be disenfranchised.Section 4 of the Twentieth Amendment, ratified in 1933, addressed this situation; it authorized Congress to legislate a process for substituting a new candidate. But for eighty-three years Congress (along with scholars) has never seriously considered Section 4 — let alone passed legislation under it. This neglect has fostered a dangerous incentive for assassination in the presidential electoral system. In every other stage in the process, dead candidates can be replaced; only here can an assassin eliminate an entire party from consideration in the election. A contingent election would be dramatic enough as it is; without Section 4 legislation, a candidate's death could turn the election from a drama into a disaster.Part I of this Article provides context and background on Section 4. Part II considers what Congress should provide if it ever enacts Section 4 legislation and concludes with draft legislation. Part III briefly considers why Congress has failed for so long to use its Section 4 power.


Since the earliest excavations in Arkansas and the Southeast, prehistoric architecture related to mound building societies has been of particular interest. The Caddo of the TransMississippi South are a Mississippian period mound building culture that emerged as early as A.D. 1000 and persisted to and beyond European contact. Many Caddo structures are found under and on mounds. Some of these structures, identified as special-purpose or non-domestic in function, were burned and buried. Often structures were purposefully burned and buried forming a conical or platform mound. The Ferguson site (3HE63), located in the Little Missouri River basin of Southwest Arkansas, contains architectural remains in Middle Caddo contexts. Many of the structures excavated from within the large platform Mound A and the smaller conical Mound B were burned and buried, resulting in a complex mound building sequence. The larger mound, Mound A, contained the "A-6 house," which was extremely well preserved in the stratigraphic record as a result of the burning and burying process, which carbonizes organic material. This thesis provides an analysis of the A-6 structure, which has had no formal analysis since its excavation in 1974. This thesis focuses on identifying the architectural characteristics of this special-purpose building in order to gain better understanding of the characteristics of buildings of its variety in the Caddo archaeological area.


In suspension-based film fabrication techniques, the material synthesis undergo a series of physical and chemical transformation - from suspension deposition until particle sintering. To further improve the process, additives are used to control suspension dynamics during deposition and to enhance particle mobility during heat treatment. A divalent metal chloride salt, magnesium chloride (MgCl2), was used as an additive for fabrication of YBa2Cu3O7−δ (Y123) films to act both as a flux and a binder. The as-deposited Y123 film with 0.05 wt% MgCl2 featured closely-packed particles while the resulting post-annealed film showed large grain formation. The increased particle mobility brought by an increased amount of liquid phase in Y123 films with MgCl2 improved the microstructure formation and enhanced the particle growth in the Y123 films.


For an integrated evaluation of the effect of nutritional strategies on the utilization and losses of N at dairy farms, reliable estimates of excreta production and composition are indispensable. An extant, dynamic, mechanistic model of rumen functioning was extended with static equations that describe intestinal digestion to simulate the composition of dairy cow faeces and urine as a function of diet composition. The extended model predicts organic matter (OM), carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) output of both faeces and urine, classified in different components. Total N excretion was partitioned in three fractions based on the C:N ratio of individual components representing their availability of N following manure application to crops, viz. NM (immediately available), NE (easily decomposable) and NR (resistant). Forty nutritional strategies for stall-fed dairy cows, covering diets with a wide range in protein content and OM digestibility, were evaluated. The simulated ranges in faecal and urinary composition were largely in line with values reported in literature. Diet intake and composition had a substantial effect on simulated total N excretion and excreta composition, mainly because of differences in the level of NM excretion and the C:N ratio of the NR fraction. Furthermore, it was shown that the type of OM excreted varies considerably between different diets. A simplified simulation of degradation processes during the first four months of excreta storage produced average values and ranges of slurry characteristics that were in line with values reported in literature. The simulated variation in slurry characteristics suggested a strong variability in ammonia N losses from the slurry pit and a moderate variability in plant availability of slurry N. Further efforts are required to integrate effects of manure storage conditions on the storage processes. In conclusion, the model can be a tool to predict faecal and urinary composition of cattle, and ultimately to improve the utilization of N from field applied manure as well as to evaluate the effects of different nutritional strategies on the whole-farm N balance.


The effect of solid-liquid interfacial energy on the long-range attraction between self-assembled thiolate monolayers in water has been studied by direct force measurements. The solid-liquid interfacial energy was tuned by changing the properties of the solid surface: the thiolate monolayers were prepared by self-assembly of mixtures of methyl- and hydroxyl-functionalized alkylthiols onto thin gold films. The wetting properties were examined by contact angle measurements with the Wilhelmy plate method. Our results show that the shape of the long-ranged attractive force is sensitive to the advancing solid-liquid contact angle: whenever it exceeds 90° the force profiles are discontinuous and contains steps, whereas no attraction beyond the van der Waals force is observed for contact angles lower than 90°. We attribute the steps in the long-range attraction between hydrophobic surfaces to bridging of microscopic bubbles residing on the surfaces, and we conclude that the stability of these bubbles are related to macroscopic contact angles.


We consider sensor networks with mobile access points where data at sensor nodes are collected by multiple mobile access points. Using throughput and energy efficiency as performance measures, we address the optimal coverage areas of and the cooperation among the mobile access points. We show that when the mobile access points do not cooperate in demodulation, disjoint coverage areas are optimal for throughput while completely overlapped coverage areas are optimal for energy efficiency. When the mobile access points decode their received packets jointly, the optimal configuration appears to have a phase transition. Specifically, in order to maximize throughput, the coverage areas of the mobile access points should be completely overlapped when SNR is smaller than a threshold and disjoint otherwise. Length: Regular Paper.


Generations of historical trauma and colonisation continue to oppress Native families and communities today leaving many Native youth in despair.  While issues and problems involving Native youth are a priority.  It is important to look at those Native youth who try to cultivate hope through agency and activism in promoting awareness and healing of these issues and crisis. This article is centred in understanding the resiliency and activism of Native youth, by focusing on a Native youth group known as The Spirit of the Youth . This group travelled on foot through their ancestral lands (Canada and USA) from 2005-2008, and 2011 and brought awareness regarding the importance of cultural knowledge, language and sovereignty not only for their lives, but for the future of their Peoples. The study also incorporates a qualitative Indigenous methodology from fourteen Haudenosaunee youth and five parents, as well a quasi-ethnographic methodology by the researcher.  The knowledge gained from this research recognises that efforts of decolonising while incorporating Indigenous culture, knowledge and ways of knowing into a cultural praxis that empowers the resilience in Native youth in taking pride of their Native identity and nurturing their well-being through cultural approaches.


Computing the gradient of rigid body dynamics is a central operation in many state-of-the-art planning and control algorithms in robotics. Parallel computing platforms such as GPUs and FPGAs can offer performance gains for algorithms with hardware-compatible computational structures. In this letter, we detail the designs of three faster than state-of-the-art implementations of the gradient of rigid body dynamics on a CPU, GPU, and FPGA. Our optimized FPGA and GPU implementations provide as much as a 3.0x end-to-end speedup over our optimized CPU implementation by refactoring the algorithm to exploit its computational features, e.g., parallelism at different granularities. We also find that the relative performance across hardware platforms depends on the number of parallel gradient evaluations required.


Childhood obesity has more than tripled over the past four decades and disproportionately affects low-income and minority populations. The objective of this study was to examine and compare obesity rates and diet and physical activity behaviors of low-income Black and Hispanic children (2-18 y) by age as well as gender within each ethnic group. Secondary data analysis was conducted on parent/self reported diet and physical activity questionnaires for child patients (n=2,722) of a community medical clinic. Questionnaires were specifically designed for toddlers 2-4 years (n=1017), school aged, 5-12 years (n=1287) and adolescents aged 13-18 years (n=418) and were available in Spanish and English. Variables included measured heights and weights , body mass index (BMI) percentile based on CDC growth charts, intake of fast food, salty snacks, sweets, fruits, and vegetables and level of physical activity. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used identify associations among variables. Results showed obesity prevalence differences between Black and Hispanic children in all age groups as well as gender differences within Black children.


ABSTRACT For many years, the network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) claiming a human rights agenda has consistently sought to delegitimise Israel's counterterrorism strategy. This phenomenon was prominent during the 2008–2009 and 2014 Gaza wars, when these groups issued hundreds of statements condemning Israel, and in campaigns calling for UN commissions of inquiry (e.g. the Goldstone and Schabas/Davis investigations) into Israeli 'war crimes'. NGO allegations were also the foundations of lawfare, including efforts to prosecute Israeli officials in the International Criminal Court and other venues, and for BDS campaigns against Israeli and Jewish targets. In this soft-power strategy, the perception of NGO officials as 'security experts' provides a major source of legitimacy, lending credence to their reports, despite the lack of credible fact-finding methodologies. Similarly, NGO legal analyses, based on problematic and aspirational interpretations, are accepted and echoed widely, without independent verification. In response, the IDF and Ministry of Defence first ignored and then sought to engage the NGOs in order to persuade them to accept Israeli perceptions and counterterror policies. When these responses failed, the emphasis shifted to countering NGO credibility in legal and diplomatic venues, which has also had limited impact to date.


Pia Mellody creates a framework for identifying codependent thinking, emotions and behaviour and provides an effective approach to recovery. Mellody sets forth five primary adult symptoms of this crippling condition, then traces their origin to emotional, spiritual, intellectual, physical and sexual abuses that occur in childhood. Central to Mellody's approach is the concept that the codependent adult's injured inner child needs healing. Recovery from codependence, therefore, involves clearing up the toxic emotions left over from these painful childhood experiences.


This research was carried out to determine the superior walnut genotypes grown within seedling population between 2009-2012 years in the Central District of Bitlis. For this purpose, fruit samples were taken from 120 walnut genotypes. It was found that 17 walnut genotypes were determined as promising with regard to fruit characteristics. The quantity of fruit weight, kernel weight and kernel ratio were determined as 10.42-14.25 g, 4.52-7.44 g, 42.38-54.07 % respectively for the promising genotypes. The contents of protein (12.45 - 20.04 %), fat (58.44 - 67.14%) and ash (1.44 - 2.14 %) were determined as the quantity in the selected genotypes. The quantity of K, Ca, Mg, Cu and Zn contents in kernels of the selected genotypes were analyzed. The following results were found for K contents changing from 408.37 to 569.48 mg/100g, for Ca contents 194.79 to 267.85 mg/100g, for Mg contents 241 to 426 mg/100g, for Cu contents 0.72 to 1.43 mg/100g and while Zn contents were determined as 1.93-3.47 mg/100g in kernels. In conclusion, some of these selected genotypes can be recommended for the farmers in the region.


We consider a market in which sellers can exert an information-gathering effort to advise buyers about which of two goods best fits their needs. Sellers may steer buyers towards the higher margin good. We show that for sellers to collect and reveal information, profits on both goods must be sufficiently close to each other, i.e., lie within an implementability cone, which competition or regulation may ensure. Instruments to do so vary with the context. Controlling market power while improving the quality of advice is more difficult when sellers have private information on the profitability of the goods.


Technological limitations on current interfaces have made researches to develop new devices to interact with objects in the virtual environment. The goal of this project is to develop and build a hands-free navigation system to be integrated into virtual environments. One of the most important fields in virtual realty (VR) research, is the development of systems that allow the user to interface with the virtual environment. The most intuitive method for moving through a virtual landscape is by walking. The implementation of a walking interface for a virtual reality system also allows a greater range of biomechanical experimentation and game research. Systems ranging from different platforms have already been implemented to produce virtual walking; however, these systems have been designed primarily for use with head mounted display systems. We believe that hands-free navigation, unlike the majority of navigation techniques based on hand motions, has the greatest potential for maximizing the interactivity of virtual environments, due to more direct motion of the feet. To make this possible, we created a new and simple device using acceleration sensors to detect ankle movements within the virtual environment. The acceleration sensors are attached to the foot and detect movement based on direction for three different angles. The design was called "Joyfoot's Cyber System". This experimentation could prove beneficial in future virtual gaming. Validation of our approach is given by discussion and illustration of some results.


Although the effect of resource quality on density, biomass, growth rate and secondary production of consumers has been frequently documented, the direct repercussion of resource quality on reproduction has been less investigated. Here we tested the hypothesis that resource quality can limit body-condition recovery of reproducing individuals. For this, we reared ovigerous females of the freshwater amphipod Echinogammarus berilloni in the laboratory and fed them with leaves differing in quality (native Alnus, Quercus, or the exotic Eucalyptus) conditioned in three streams differing in the concentration of dissolved nutrients. Both consumption and growth rate, as well as the length-corrected mass and protein content of females after the release of the eggs, were negatively related to the C : N and C : P ratios of the resource. Survival was significantly lower with the exotic eucalypt leaf litter compared to native alder and oak, a result likely explained by the toxicity of the leaves. The conditioning of the leaves in the different streams did not affect the measured variables, although it interacted with survival. The present study suggests that resource quality can affect the recovery of body condition of reproducing females and shape the population structure of iteroparous species.


The research sought to find out: the degree to which improved roads influence farm size and market participation of different typologies of farmers; the factors that contribute to forest cover change; and the extent to which forest cover changes along roads. In answering these questions, rural areas in Ghana were used for the study.

Five districts in three regions of Ghana were mapped for the research. Ten communities from the five districts were selected for field survey; five with improved roads and five without improved roads. Thirty farmers were interviewed in each of the selected communities. Data on their farming operations, household characteristics, and other factors were sought and analysed using regression in SPSS. This provided the results for the farm size dynamics and farmers' market participation in rural Ghana. Satellite images for 1986, 2002, and 2015 were downloaded from Landsat archives, pre-processed, mosaicked, and used to analyse the contributory factors to forest cover change as well as the changing patterns of forest cover along roads in the study area. ArcGIS 10.2.1 and ENVI 5.3 software was used for the spatial analyses.

The regression results showed that improved roads reduce the rate of farm expansion net all other factors. Furthermore, improved road farmers have relatively small farm sizes than hinterland farmers. The rate of farm size reduction with time is higher at the improved road zone than in the hinterlands. Despite the relatively small farms of the improved road farmers, they sell 84% of their farm produce as compared to 31% of the hinterland farmers. The hinterland farmers grow mainly for consumption due to the challenges they face with transportation.

The spatial analysis showed that agriculture and settlements expansion were the main causes of deforestation in the study area. Within the 29-year period, more than 50% deforestation occurred along both the improved and unimproved roads. However, the extent of deforestation along the unimproved road was higher (62.8%) than along the improved road (7.5%) especially between 2002 and 2015. Deforestation along the improved road declined overtime while that along the unimproved road increased. This is because agricultural expansion was 63% higher along the unimproved road than the improved road for the 29 years and it kept on increasing overtime.

Agricultural transformation through the application of modern farm inputs should be recommended to the farmers such that they could increase their outputs on the existing farmlands without increasing their farm sizes. This would lead to surpluses beyond the consumption of farm households. To encourage commercialisation of farm produce, roads in the hinterlands should be improved to avoid post-harvest losses resulting from the surpluses.

Improving the roads would attract more farmers since they could easily connect to the markets, attract more investors to the agricultural corridor, and enhance the creation of other non-farm jobs. Although, this might exert pressure on the existing farmlands and the forest, when farm intensification is practiced and strict environmental laws are enforced, agricultural production could increase with minimal threat to forest. Livelihoods of farmers would improve through the sale of the surpluses produced as well as the other non-farm jobs they might engage in resulting from the road's improvement. Improved roads could promote agricultural transformation, transform farmers' wellbeing, enhance community development, and conserve nature when environmental measures are adhered to.


Habitat heterogeneity influences pathogen ecology by affecting vector abundance and the reservoir host communities. We investigated spatial patterns of disease risk for two human pathogens in the Borrelia genus–B. burgdorferi and B. miyamotoi–that are transmitted by the western black-legged tick, Ixodes pacificus. We collected ticks (349 nymphs, 273 adults) at 20 sites in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA. Tick abundance, pathogen prevalence and density of infected nymphs varied widely across sites and habitat type, though nymphal western black-legged ticks were more frequently found, and were more abundant in coast live oak forest and desert/semi-desert scrub (dominated by California sagebrush) habitats. We observed Borrelia infections in ticks at all sites where we able to collect >10 ticks. The recently recognized human pathogen, B. miyamotoi, was observed at a higher prevalence (13/349 nymphs = 3.7%, 95% CI = 2.0–6.3; 5/273 adults = 1.8%, 95% CI = 0.6–4.2) than recent studies from nearby locations (Alameda County, east of the San Francisco Bay), demonstrating that tick-borne disease risk and ecology can vary substantially at small geographic scales, with consequences for public health and disease diagnosis.


We address the issue of ambipolar diffusion in Herbig-Haro (HH) jets. The current consensus holds that these jets are launched and collimated via MHD forces. Observations have, however, shown that the jets can be mildly to weakly ionized. Beginning with a simple model for cylindrical equilibrium between neutral, plasma, and magnetic pressures, we calculate the characteristic timescale for ambipolar diffusion. Our results show that a significant fraction of HH jets will have ambipolar diffusion timescales equivalent to, or less than, the dynamical timescales. This implies that MHD equilibria established at the base of an HH jet may not be maintained as the jet propagates far from its source. For typical jet parameters one finds that the length scale at which ambipolar diffusion should become significant corresponds to the typical size of large (parsec) scale jets. We discuss the significance of these results for the issue of magnetic fields in parsec-scale jets.


Summary We propose optimal choice of the design parameters for random discontinuation designs (RDD) using a Bayesian decision‐theoretic approach. We consider applications of RDDs to oncology phase II studies evaluating activity of cytostatic agents. The design consists of two stages. The preliminary open‐label stage treats all patients with the new agent and identifies a possibly sensitive subpopulation. The subsequent second stage randomizes, treats, follows, and compares outcomes among patients in the identified subgroup, with randomization to either the new or a control treatment. Several tuning parameters characterize the design: the number of patients in the trial, the duration of the preliminary stage, and the duration of follow‐up after randomization. We define a probability model for tumor growth, specify a suitable utility function, and develop a computational procedure for selecting the optimal tuning parameters.


Recognizing the identities of people in everyday photos is still a very challenging problem for machine vision, due to issues such as non-frontal faces, changes in clothing, location and lighting. Recent studies have shown that rich relational information between people in the same photo can help in recognizing their identities. In this work, we propose to model the relational information between people as a sequence prediction task. At the core of our work is a novel recurrent network architecture, in which relational information between instances' labels and appearance are modeled jointly. In addition to relational cues, scene context is incorporated in our sequence prediction model with no additional cost. In this sense, our approach is a unified framework for modeling both contextual cues and visual appearance of person instances. Our model is trained endto-end with a sequence of annotated instances in a photo as inputs, and a sequence of corresponding labels as targets. We demonstrate that this simple but elegant formulation achieves state-of-the-art performance on the newly released People In Photo Albums (PIPA) dataset.


The rapid expansion of economic analysis is visible in many areas of law. In some of them – in antitrust in particular – economic reasoning is already perceived as the dominant discourse. This article is an attempt to contemplate a reverse analysis. Instead of addressing the legal domain from the perspective of economics, it tries to explore the economic discipline through the lens of a lawyer. The analysis is directed at one of the main principles of neoclassical economics – the concept of perfect competition: partly to explore its constitutive role in economic reasoning, but also in order to articulate the misconception with which some economists approach legal regulation of economic relations.I presume that the concept of 'perfect competition' is often intuitively confused with that of 'competitive process'. These are two independent concepts, but both are called 'competition', which causes an epistemic confusion and leads to important normative consequences. In the last section I revert to the communicative problems between law and economics, concluding that true interdisciplinarity means understanding the language of the other discipline rather than developing an uncritical Esperanto which is sometimes the case with the rapid proliferation of the 'more economic approach' in contemporary antitrust discourse.


The expression 'publish or perish' has probably never been as cruelly applicable as it is today. Universities in many countries now require their staff to publish in major, high-impact, peer-reviewed Anglophone journals as a pre-requisite for tenure, promotion and career advancement, making participation in this global web of scholarship an obligation for academics all over the world. Junior scholars therefore suddenly find themselves having to navigate the unfamiliar and dangerous waters of the international publication process. But while this all looks rather daunting, it serves important learning purposes for novice authors and with some planning and care, the process need not be as traumatic as it first seems. In this short forum piece I want to support the editors of this new journal in encouraging aspiring scholarly writers in their efforts to share their research as broadly as possible, thus bringing work that would otherwise remain local to the attention of international audiences.


Many studies have explored how the tourism sector and tourism policies understand and relate to the concept of sustainable development. A common conclusion is that tourism concentrates on economic and social viability at the expense of environmental sustainable development. This paper considers if and how the concept of environmental policy integration (EPI) could improve sustainable tourism policy implementation. It defines EPI, and explores both the three-level (co-ordination, harmonization and prioritization) and four-level (inclusion, consistency, priorities and reporting) EPI approaches. It notes that there is both strong and weak EPI, and both political systems and policy analysis approaches. The paper then describes Norway's post-2007 adoption of sustainable tourism as a central part of its national tourism development strategy, with 10 defined principles, and suggested defined development standards, and assesses the implementation of the national strategy through the lens of the EPI concept. While there are now 18 pilot sustainable tourism destinations, with 44 criteria and 108 indicators, there remain many difficult issues to address. A series of suggestions are made, the chief of which is the need for a politically strong central authority that has been entrusted with having environmental concerns within the tourism sector as its key mandate.


A feature based relation classification approach is presented in this paper. We aimed to exact relation candidates from Wikipedia texts. A probabilistic and a semantic relatedness features are employed with other linguistic information for the purpose. The experiments show that, relation classification using the proposed relatedness features with surface information like word and part-of-speech tags is competitive with or even outperforms the one of using deep syntactic information. Meanwhile, an approach is proposed to distinguish reliable relation candidates from others, so that these reliable results can be accepted for knowledge building without human verification. The experiments show that, with the relation classification approach presented in this paper, more than 40% of the classification results are reliable, which means, at least 40% of the human and time costs can be saved in practice.


The aim of this work is the search of a unified theory of cell bioenergetics in the context of clarifying the mechanism which can initiate selected diseases. In this work a proposal of a universal bioenergetics model of eukaryotic cells is presented. This universal model can be
treated as an extension of the integrated model of eukaryotic cell bioenergetics shown in our previous study. Using the universal model we would like to demonstrate the possible existence of a singular fundamental description of cell bioenergetics. Moreover, we attempt to
show that if this universal model exists, analyses of cell bioenergetics phenomena, including analyses of selected mitochondrial and heart diseases can be based on it. The presented idea explains among others the behaviour of the cells in the initial phase of these diseases.


The study was aimed at studying the correlation between venous clinical severity score (vcss), venous disability score (vds) and venous reflux grading by venous doppler in Varicose veins of lower limbs. This study was conducted in the Department of General surgery, ESI-PGIMSR, over a period of 18months. The study group consisted of 75 patients between 24 to 75yrs (mean 44.41 ± 12.967), inclusive of both males (n=70) and females (n=5). They were assessed for severity of varicose veins by documenting a detailed history, clinical examination findings and imaging studies on a pre structured proforma. It was found that majority of the patients were ≤ 60yrs and the right lower limb was predominantly affected in both sexes. Using the VCSS system, 66.7% (n=50) cases had mild disease, 33.3% (n=25) cases had moderate disease and none had severe disease. In the present study, as per the VDS system, majority of the patients (n=71, 94.7%) had grade II disability. And 76% (n=57) of the patients had severe grade of venous reflux i.e. venous reflux duration >1second.A statistically significant correlation was found between clinical manifestations of varicose veins and the degree of reflux in the veins, assessed using the VCSS and VRS system, respectively.


Abstract. This paper discusses on-going research related to zoning regulation for the remote sensing drone in the urban applications. Timestamped maps are presented here follow a citation-based approach, where significant information is retrieved from the scientific literature. The emergence of drones in domestic air raises lots understandable issues on privacy, security and uncontrolled pervasive surveillance that require a careful and alternative solution. The effective solution is to adopt a privacy and property rights approach that create a drone zoning and clear drone legislatures. In providing a differential trend to other reviews, this paper is not limited to drones zoning and regulations, but also, discuss on trend remote sensing drones specification in designing a drone zones. Remote sensing drone will specific according to their features and performances; size and endurance, maximum airspeed and altitude level and particular references are made to the drones range. The implementation of laws zoning could lie with the urban planners whereby, a zoning for drone could become a new tactic used to specify areas, where drones could be used, will provide remedies for the harm that arise from drones, and act as a different against irresponsible behaviour. Finally, underlines the need for next regulations on guidelines and standards which can be used as a guidance for urban decision makers to control the drones' operating, thus ensuring a quality and sustainability of resilience cities simultaneously encouraging the revolution of technology.


We investigated solvent induced transition of surface instability from wrinkles to creases in poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) gels with depth-wise crosslinking gradients. The mode of surface instability and morphology of surface patterns was found to be dependent on the equilibrium linear expansion, which was a function of crosslinker concentration and the solvent–polymer interaction. The maximum linear expansion was obtained when the PHEMA film was swollen in a good solvent, which had the Hildebrand solubility parameter (δs) close to that of PHEMA gels, 26.6 to 29.6 MPa1/2. In a relatively poor solvent (e.g. water), wrinkling patterns were obtained and the morphoplogy was determined by the concentration of the crosslinker, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). In a good solvent, such as alcohol and alcohol/water mixture, the equilibrium linear expansion ratio increased significantly, leading to the transition from wrinkling to creasing instability. In an ethanol/water mixture, we systematically varied the ratio between ethanol and water and observed the transition from wrinkling to creasing when gradually adding ethanol to water, and the reverse transition when adding water in ethanol. The onset of the linear expansion ratio for creasing (αc,c) was again found dependent on EGDMA concentration: αc,c ≈ 2.00 and 1.3, respectively, for gels with 1 and 3 wt% EGDMA. Finally, we demonstrated confinement of the creases by combining swelling and photopatterning.


Simplified equations describing the transport and energy spectrum of runaway electrons are derived from the basic kinematics of the continuity equations. These equations are useful in modeling the energy distribution of energetic electrons in strong electric fields, such as those found inside thunderstorms. Dwyer and Babich (2011) investigated the generation of low‐energy electrons in relativistic runaway electron avalanches. The paper also developed simple analytical expressions to describe the detailed physics of Monte Carlo simulations of relativistic runaway electrons in air. In the current work, the energy spectra of the runaway electron population are studied in detail. Dependence of electron avalanche development on properties such as the avalanche length, radiation length, and the effective Møller scattering efficiency factor are discussed in detail. To describe the shapes of the electron energy spectra for a wide range of electric field strengths, the diffusion term responsible for random deviation of electron energy ionization loss from the mean value is added to the kinetic equation. We find that the diffusion in energy space helps maintain an exponential energy spectrum for electric fields that approach the runaway electron threshold field.


The effectiveness of n-type nitrogen doping of bulk 4H-SiC grown on seeds of different orientation is studied by optical absorption measurements. The 4H-SiC ingots have been grown by physical vapour transport (PVT), with nitrogen doping from the SiC source. The nitrogen concentration was determined at room temperature from the absorption peak intensity at 464 nm, with account for the degree of donor ionization. It has been shown that 4H-SiC ingots grown on Si (11-22) faces are significantly less doped by nitrogen than the ones grown on C (11-2-2).


Obsessions and compulsions are driven by the goal of preventing or neutralizing guilt. We investigated whether inducing deontological versus altruistic guilt in healthy volunteers could activate checking behaviors and physical cleaning. Participants were asked to listen to stories that induced deontological guilt, altruistic guilt, or a neutral control state, and then were asked to classify 100 colored capsules into 12 small pots (Study 1) or to clean a Plexiglas cube (Study 2). Before and after hearing the story and after completing the task, participants completed a visual analog scale that assessed their current emotions. Finally, participants completed a self-report questionnaire about discomfort, doubts, and perceived performance. Participants in the deontological group checked more (Study 1), cleaned the cube more times (Study 2), and scored higher in doubts and discomfort than did participants in the altruistic or control groups. These data suggest that deontological guilt is the mental state specifically related to checking and cleaning compulsions.


The Reign of Terror in America: Visions of Violence from Anti-Jacobinism to Antislavery. By Rachel Hope Cleves. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Pp. 296. Cloth $82.00.)Reviewed by Todd EstesSeveral years ago, Rachel Hope Cleves wrote eloquently in these pages about how violence had affected her life personally and shaped her as a scholar intellectually ("On Writing the History of Violence," JER 24 [Winter 2004]). In some ways, this book is a fuller, more developed rumination on those same themes. But it is also much more: a provocative, resonant first book about significant topics both timely and timeless.While scholars have long noted the impact of the French Revolution on U.S. politics in the 1790s, Cleves argues that, from the first decade of the new government through the end of the Civil War, a French Revolutionary discourse dominated American politics and religion and was reflected in newspapers, letters, periodicals, poetry, fiction, drama, and pedagogical materials. Propounded mainly by New England Federalists and Calviniste, this strain produced numerous denunciations of "violent Jacobinism" (2), an imprecise, catch-all term of opprobrium that provided the basis for a deep and long-lasting anti-Jacobin persuasion that lingered long after the French Revolution played itself out. In short, she tracks the growth of "the anti-Jacobin sensibility" (234) and its surprising but powerful effect on antebellum American life and culture. Her book traces "the vital role that the fear of democratic violence played in the genesis of abolitionism, the antiwar movement, and support for public education" (9). As a fascinating subtheme, the work also interrogates the power of words, specifically the links between violent language and violent acts. Indeed, Cleves writes that "the power of violent words as an instrument of battle is what drives" her book (13).While some welcomed the democratizing potential of the French Revolution in the 1790s, American conservatives reacted with horror. From Federalist podiums and Calvinist pulpits across New England came potent, visceral counterattacks on the destabilizing democratic excesses in France. Cleves argues that to anti-Jacobins the violence and bloodshed of the French Revolution suggested how quickly a republic could devolve into anarchy, and it galvanized them into action. Anti-Jacobinism arose as a warning that violence by individual citizens and by the state could destabilize the social order in the United States.Calvinists and Federalists tended toward pessimism about the future and believed in man's fundamental depravity; hence, their skepticism about democracy and their support for strong institutions and the use of force to check democratic passions and violence. When news of horrific violence reached the United States, anti-Jacobins emphasized the bloodthirsty and the grisly in their denunciations of French excesses, connecting them to democracy run amok. They turned their animosity toward American democrats who they believed spoke the same French democratic language of bloodshed. In the process, they decoupled the American and the French Revolutions but then linked American and French democrats, attacking them through the language of bloodshed and displacing anti-Jacobinism from external to internal enemies. To Federalists, the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1 798 seemed vital national security measures when viewed through these lenses.But even as they denounced violence, Federalists and their Calvinist supporters did so in an expressive language of violence that curiously, for a movement decrying riotousness, was dripping in blood. Anti-Jacobins developed a vocabulary and rhetoric of sensationalism to shock readers emotionally, emphasizing the most horrific, depraved, and bloody scenes they could. Early American literature reflected this Gothic strain also, as Cleves shows in a close reading of Charles Brockden Brown's Wieland. And she reminds us, "To pick up the pen and write in lines of blood is a violent act" (103). …


The evaluation of the effectiveness of SME-oriented projects has gained particular relevance in recent years, as they have been used as an instrument to help achieve IDB's strategic goals, defined by the IDB's Ninth General Capital Increase (IDB-9) mandate, such as poverty reduction and competitiveness. LAC experienced considerable economic growth over the past decade, and SME projects have been considered as tools to contribute and sustain progress based on private sector initiatives. The Bank has undertaken significant efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of different individual SME support models and their spillovers. However, less is known on whether and how alternative SME-oriented interventions reinforce each other. Accordingly, the main objective of this evaluation is to provide rigorous evidence of impacts of different models of SME support where IDB has been active.


An automatic computer-based analysis of histological sections, which are differently stained, requires that they are related to each other. Histological images are, in general, accompanied with several artifacts and different contrasts, which require non-rigid registration. In this proceedings we present a novel hierarchical non-rigid registration algorithm able to align images, which contain small image artifacts. The proposed algorithm is decomposed into a fast coarse rigid registration step and a slower, but finer non-rigid step using the elastic thin-plate spline interpolation. Accuracy tests, performed for histological images obtained from human arteries, have shown that the error measure is acceptable, and that the image noise does not cause any problem. The algorithm can be applied to various multi-contrast elastic registration problems in medical imaging.


Public procurement represents an important part of the current economy reality. Throughout the procurement process, due to the effect of the interaction among the components of the public procurement system, certain actions with significant negative effects on its optimal operation may occur. Risks may turn into certainty either because of a simple error in the development and administration of the procurement process, or because of a deliberate deviation from the existing legal provisions. Therefore, there is an imperative for the implementation of certain risk-avoiding measures, as well as of measures aiming to reduce their negative effects in case of their occurrence.


Ethanol is a drug that is classified as a general CNS depressant. Long-term exposure can result in tolerance and physical dependence. Ethanol consumption can affect the pharmacologic and therapeutic actions of prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and illicit drugs. Ethanol-drug interactions have been reported to be the most frequent cause of drug-related medical crises in the United States. Alcohol misuse has a pervasive and potentially detrimental effect on the body from its point of entry through the gastrointestinal tract, to related organs such as the liver and the pancreas. The liver is one of the organs most significantly damaged and physiologically deranged as a result of alcohol ingestion. The two most common hepatic complications of alcoholism are hepatitis and cirrhosis. Cirrhosis was the seventh most common cause of death in the United States in 1975. Alcohol abuse interacts with physiological and metabolic processes of digestion to contribute to nutrient deficiency. Alcohol abuse has been suggested as the most common cause of vitamin and trace element deficiency in adults in the United States. Alcohol-derived nutritional deficiencies result in suboptimal health and are contributory to such abnormalities as anemia, convulsions, small-bowel dysfunction, and overt disorders such as Wernicke's encephalopathy. Brain dysfunction has been estimated to be present in from 50% to 70% of detoxified alcoholics entering treatment. Abstracting and adaptive abilities of social drinkers who had consumed no alcohol for 24 hours at the time of testing were found to be negatively associated with the amount of alcohol normally consumed per drinking occasion. Alcohol consumption alters numerous functions of the endocrine system, and excessive consumption has been implicated in impotency and early onset of postmenopausal amenorrhea. Recent evidence suggests that alcoholism may be a multifactorial genetically influenced disorder. In addition to genetics, social and environmental influences play significant roles. There is an association between alcoholism and depression in both men and women. Alcoholics often have high levels of depression and alcohol itself can increase depression. A disproportionately high number of people with drinking problems commit suicide, and more than a third of suicides involve alcohol. A propensity for suicide is thought to be associated with certain alcohol-related conditions such as depression, anxiety, mood fluctuations, and deteriorated social integration. Alcoholism has been associated with a number of adverse effects on the cardiovascular system, including a specific cardiomyopathy, low mean cardiac output, and depressed myocardial contractility. The drinking of large amounts of alcohol is associated with significant increases in blood pressure. Noncardiac myopathy has also been related to alcohol consumption. Heavy drinking increases the risk of cancer developing in the tongue, mouth, oropharynx, hypopharynx, esophagus, larynx, and liver. In the United States, these sites represent 6.1% to 9.1% of all cancer in the white population and 11.3% to 12.5% in the black population. In the broadest scope, alcohol abuse appears to be a risk factor in adverse fetal outcome. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) has been identified among some children of alcoholic women. Fetal alcohol syndrome is characterized by CNS dysfunction, growth deficiency, a specific cluster of facial abnormalities, and other malformations, particularly skeletal, urogenital, and cardiac. It has been suggested that FAS is one of the leading causes of birth defects associated with mental retardetion. Short of the full complement of defects that characterize FAS, heavy alcohol use by women has been associated with birth anomalies. These effects of alcohol are independent of likely confounding variables, including smoking. Decreased birth weight is frequently associated with increased neonatal risk and has been observed among the children of women who consume an average of 30 mL of absolute alcohol per day (two standard drinks). Teratogenesis has also been noted in studies using alcohol-consuming animal models in whom the human condition is mimicked. Laboratory experiments have found that alcohol significantly impairs performance on sensory-motor and cognitive tasks at blood alcohol levels as low as 40 mg/dL. Such acute alcohol effects may contribute to other health hazards that may require medical treatment. For example, one third of all traffic fatalities are alcohol related; a significant number of industrial accidents, drownings, burns, and falls have been attributed to drinking; and a relatively high involvement of alcohol has been reported in assault, rape, child abuse and neglect, child molestation, and family violence in general. ( JAMA 1981;246:648-666)


INTRODUCTION A shared concern among librarians who work in an academic environment is finding effective mechanisms to help faculty identify suitable publication venues. Determining the suitability is now also complicated by the need to determine the credibility of the venue itself, to ensure that faculty select a venue that is held in esteem. DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT At Loyola Marymount University (LMU), a medium-sized, private institution in the United States, three librarians developed a tool to assist faculty in determining the credibility of a publication venue, specifically for open access journals. This article outlines the development of a tool to evaluate journals, the pilot testing process, and some of the measures taken for the promotion, outreach, and implementation of the tool. The goal of the tool is to inform publishing decisions using an objective measure of credibility and to empower authors to make publishing decisions for themselves. NEXT STEPS The authors have released the tool with a Creative Commons CC-BY license in order to enable the broad dissemination, use, and enhancement of it by anyone interested in using or developing the tool further. It will be valuable to understand the adapted use cases of the tool and learn about experiences from other librarians using this tool at their institutions.


Studies increasingly indicate that dietary indole-3-carbinol (I3C) prevents the development of estrogen-enhanced cancers including breast, endometrial and cervical cancers. Epidemiological, laboratory, animal and translational studies support the efficacy of I3C. Whereas estrogen increases the growth and survival of tumors, I3C causes growth arrest and increased apoptosis and ameliorates the effects of estrogen. Our long-range goal is to best use I3C together with other nutrients to achieve maximum benefits for cancer prevention. This study examines the possibility that induction of growth arrest in response to DNA damage (GADD) in genes by diindolylmethane (DIM), which is the acid-catalyzed condensation product of I3C, promotes metabolically stressed cancer cells to undergo apoptosis. We evaluated whether genistein, which is the major isoflavonoid in soy, would alter the ability of I3C/DIM to cause apoptosis and decrease expression driven by the estrogen receptor (ER)-alpha. Expression of GADD was evaluated by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Proliferation and apoptosis were measured by a mitochondrial function assay and by fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis. The luciferase reporter assay was used to specifically evaluate expression driven by ER-alpha. The estrogen-sensitive MCF-7 breast cancer cell line was used for these studies. We show a synergistic effect of I3C and genistein for induction of GADD expression, thus increasing apoptosis, and for decrease of expression driven by ER-alpha. Because of the synergistic effect of I3C and genistein, the potential exists for prophylactic or therapeutic efficacy of lower concentrations of each phytochemical when used in combination.


BACKGROUND
Demineralized bone matrix is an osteoinductive and osteoconductive material that is often used in orthopaedic surgery to induce bone formation. Autologous platelet-rich plasma, which contains proliferative and chemoattractant growth factors, has been used as a demineralized bone matrix adjuvant with mixed results. One variable during clinical use appears to be whether the platelet-rich plasma is activated with thrombin or is implanted in a liquid form with intact platelets. The objective of the present study was to determine if platelet-rich plasma can increase the osteoinductivity of demineralized bone matrix when used without thrombin activation.

METHODS
The bioactivity of the demineralized bone matrix was evaluated in vitro by determining alkaline phosphatase production by C2C12 myoblast cells. The effect of thrombin activation on platelet-rich plasma was studied in vitro by evaluating osteosarcoma and bone marrow stromal cells for cell number and transforming growth factor-beta1 activation. Demineralized bone matrices supplemented with platelet-rich plasma, with or without thrombin activation, were implanted intramuscularly in athymic rats and were examined at fourteen, twenty-eight, and fifty-six days. Histological samples were analyzed for osteogenesis and chondrogenesis. Osteogenesis was further characterized on the basis of alkaline phosphatase activity.

RESULTS
In vitro, thrombin triggered an immediate release of growth factors from the platelet-rich plasma, and the platelet-rich plasma increased the number of both osteosarcoma and stromal cells in a dose-dependent manner. Thrombin activation of the platelet-rich plasma eliminated such stimulatory effects. In vivo, the platelet-rich plasma stimulated chondrogenesis on Day 14 and osteogenesis on Days 28 and 56, whereas thrombin-activated platelet-rich plasma acted as an inhibitor of such events. In addition, inflammatory cells were detected in demineralized bone matrix samples that were mixed with thrombin-activated platelet-rich plasma. These cells were not present in matrix mixed with platelet-rich plasma alone.

CONCLUSIONS
Platelet-rich plasma significantly increased in vivo demineralized bone matrix osteoinductivity only when used without thrombin activation.


Extreme floods may inundate populated areas of a river valley that are normally dry. Two-dimensional flow analysis is a useful method for predicting the spatial and temporal behavior of water as it leaves a defined channel and enters an initially dry area. Although the analysis of flow behavior in regions of discontinuous or unbounded geometry is complex, the governing equations are known and generally agreed upon. When the water contains a significant amount of sediment or the unbounded region is subject to scour and deposition, the flow behavior becomes less predictable. Results from both clear water, fixed boundary simulation models and models that attempt to incorporate sedimentation effects must be carefully evaluated to determine their validity. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of reliability and validity in analyzing the potential sedimentation and flood hazards in off-channel areas. Watersheds that yield large amounts of granular sediment often create depositional fans in the downstream regions. Over time, as these regions become densely populated, flood control facilities are designed and built. Such facilities may fail or overtop when the combined discharge of water and sediment exceeds the capacity of the system. Failure may also occur if bridge crossings become blocked with debris or if a channel experiences extreme sediment deposition. In order to assess the validity of computed results, two factors must be considered in the analysis of sedimentation/flooding events. First, the presence of sediment may effect the characteristics of the fluid itself rendering traditional resistance formulas inapplicable. This is the case for debris flows which are often governed by laminar resistance when they deposit over initially dry areas. Second, the presence of sediment or debris within the source water may drastically impact the characteristics of the receiving area thus blocking off preferential flow paths and flooding areas that may have been previously considered safe.


The seismic behaviour of reinforced concrete framed structures involves a number of nonlinear material and geometrical phenomena that are impossible to model exhaustively in a single model. Furthermore, past studies showed that the most correct modelling options from the scientific viewpoint are sometimes challenged by experimental results. Over the years, attempts have been made to identify and measure the importance of different modelling options. This work intends to consolidate some of these findings and further extend them in order to progressively bridge the gap between solidly established theoretical principles and shaking table test results. The response of three different structures used in international blind prediction test challenges serves as benchmark to assess the goodness-of-fit of alternative numerical solutions. The interpretation of the results highlights the sensitivity of the response with respect to the modelling choices and provides indications towards the development of optimized numerical analyses.


Estimating the abundance of long-lived, migratory animals is challenging but essential for managing populations. We provide the first abundance estimates of endangered humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae from their breeding grounds in Oceania, South Pacific. Using fluke photo-identification (1999−2004, n = 660 individuals) and microsatellite genotypes (1999−2005, n = 840 individuals), we estimated abundance with open capture-recapture statistical models. Total Oceania abundance and trends were estimated from 4 primary and 5 secondary sampling sites across the region. Sex-specific genotype data enabled us to account for the difference in capturability of males and females, by doubling male-specific estimates of abundance derived from genotypes. Abundance estimates were congruent between primary- and secondary-region data sets, suggesting that the primary regions are representative of all Oceania. The best estimate of total abundance was 4329 whales (3345−5313) in 2005, from a sex-specific POPAN super-population model, which includes resident whales and those migrating through the surveyed areas. A doubled-male POPAN abundance estimate from 2003 (n = 2941, 95% CI = 1648−4234) was considered the most plausible for the 4 primary survey areas and was similar to the 2003 doubled-male estimate derived from Pradel capture probabilities (n = 2952, 95% CI = 2043−4325). Our results confirm that Oceania is the least abundant humpback whale breeding population in the southern hemisphere. Pradel models showed no significant trend in abundance, which contradicts the recovery seen in most other populations throughout the world. Thus we suggest that the whales in this area warrant continued study and management attention.


Real world data is mostly multi-labeled ie., it belongs to multiple classes simultaneously, as opposed to single labeled data belonging to a single class. At times these multiple labels fit into a logical hierarchy such that parent labels up in the hierarchy are generic and the related child labels down the hierarchy are more specific. Most of the machine learning classifiers are either serving single label classification tasks or have been transformed to perform flat mutli-label classification. At present, dedicated classifiers for hierarchical classification do no exist. For the purpose, strategies are designed relying on the single labeled classifiers to perform hierarchical classification. For such strategies are well-known in literature. Hierarchical classification has been researched in many domains like text categorization, webpages classification and medical diagnosis and has been found very useful. So far Twitter has been neglected by the researchers in hierarchical classification perspective. For developing supervised models labeled data is needed and labeling task requires resources in terms of humans, money and time, delimiting the amount of data which can be labeled. Active learning, a type of supervised learning, achieves acceptable performance with minimal amount of labeled data as compared to supervised learning models. In active learning, the learner selects the possible to achieve comparable model performance to that of supervised learning with lesser labeling effort and resources. Active learning is well-suited to the situations where unlabeled data is abundantly available. Hierarchical classification of tweets complemented by active learning as a viable labeling mechanism presents an interesting research problem. We implemented the prevailing four hierarchical classification approaches with active learning for twitteer domain. Based on the results, we can safely say that active learning is equally beneficial in Twitter. Comparing the results of the four approaches, hierarchical prediction through flat classification with active learning approach outperforms the other approaches.


Electric servodrives are characterized by precise tracking and its derivations. The way to meet this goal cost them a number of obstacles, whether variations associated with end-stage of astatism, changes in the positioning system parameters or to changes in load torque than the failing values. Problems arise in situations where the link between the servomotor and the load is not driven by "perfect" solid coupling. And the basic rules of control system affected by this phenomenon are given in this article.


Background and Aims: Identify factors affecting academic adjustment is important identifying these factors because of their negative effects on the psychological, educational and material costs can be prevented. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationship between self-efficacy and achievement motivation and academic adjustment in the first year undergraduate students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences were selected. Methods: This descriptive correlation cross-sectional study in 2015 that 231 students participated in the first semester of Kerman University of Medical Sciences. The data collection tool consists of four parts: demographic information, general self-efficacy, achievement motivation and academic adjustment. Data were analyzed using descriptive and analytical. Results: The mean ±SD score of self- efficacy has been 51/15 ± 5/55, achievement motivation 73/72 ± 4/04 and academic adjustment 124/28 ± 25/72. Results related to the relationship between self-efficacy and achievement motivation and academic adjustment showed a significant positive correlation between self-efficacy and compatibility, there have been positive ( P =0/043). Also no statistically significant relationship between achievement motivation and academic adjustment is ( P =0/816). Conclusion: According to the results of this study and presented the results of studies on self-efficacy and motivation affect academic adjustment is therefore appropriate intervention programs must be designed for college students, particularly freshmen. Students who have less compatibility can be used counseling programs.


Background Well-being is an important health outcome and a potential national indicator of policy success. There is a need for longitudinal epidemiological surveys to understand determinants of well-being. This study examines the role of personal social support and psychosocial work environment as predictors of well-being in an occupational cohort study. Methods Social support and work characteristics were measured by questionnaire in 5182 United Kingdom civil servants from phase 1 of the Whitehall II study and were used to predict subjective well-being assessed using the Affect Balance Scale (range -15 to 15, SD = 4.2) at phase 2. External assessments of job control and demands were provided by personnel managers. Results Higher levels of well-being were predicted by high levels of confiding/emotional support (difference in mean from the reference group with low levels of confiding/emotional support  =  0.63, 95%CI 0.38–0.89, ptrend<0.001), high control at work (0.57, 95%CI 0.31–0.83, ptrend<0.001; reference low control) and low levels of job strain (0.60, 95%CI 0.31–0.88; reference high job strain), after adjusting for a range of confounding factors and affect balance score at baseline. Higher externally assessed work pace was also associated with greater well-being. Conclusions Our results suggest that the psychosocial work environment and personal relationships have independent effects on subjective well-being. Policies designed to increase national well-being should take account of the quality of working conditions and factors that facilitate positive personal relationships. Policies designed to improve workplaces should focus not only on minimising negative aspects of work but also on increasing the positive aspects of work.


Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse the scientific production on entrepreneurship, reviewing researches by different authors on the subject. The intellectual production examined was that generated internationally from 2011 to 2015. Design/Methodology/Approach: For the elaboration of the article, the main database containing information related to the research topic was identified and accessed, namely Scopus and thesaurus identification and definition. Findings: Results evidence that literature has focused mainly on isolated aspects, such as the individual, the environment, the opportunity, and with less intensity in multidimensional or integrative perspectives. It can be affirmed that the field has been built from the disciplines of economics, psychology and sociology —the latter with emphasis on network and institutional theories. Practical Implications: The study proposes an integrative approach for the study of entrepreneurship. Originality/Value: The value of this review is the proposition of overcoming monodisciplinary positions and integrating time-space dimensions in the understanding of entrepreneurship.


The current exact Rayleigh scattering calculation of ocean color remote sensing uses the look-up table (LUT), which is usually created for a special remote sensor and cannot be applied to other sensors. For practical application, a general purpose Rayleigh scattering LUT which can be applied to all ocean color remote sensors is generated. An adding-doubling method to solve the vector radiative transfer equation in the plane-parallel atmosphere is deduced in detail. Compared with the exact Rayleigh scattering radiance derived from the MODIS exact Rayleigh scattering LUT, it is proved that the relative error of Rayleigh scattering calculation with the adding-doubling method is less than 0.25%, which meets the required accuracy of the atmospheric correction of ocean color remote sensing. Therefore, the adding-doubling method can be used to generate the exact Rayleigh scattering LUT for the ocean color remote sensors. Finally, the general purpose exact Rayleigh scattering LUT is generated using the adding-doubling method. On the basis of the general purpose LUT, the calculated Rayleigh scattering radiance is tested by comparing with the LUTs of MODIS, SeaWiFS and the other ocean color sensors, showing that the relative errors are all less than 0.5%, and this general purpose LUT can be applied to all ocean color remote sensors.


Abstract In recent years, a new "supply-side" climate politics has emerged as activists have turned their attention from fossil fuel combustion to fossil fuel extraction and transport. This article investigates conditions for success of anti–fossil-fuel activism by comparing the fate of two proposed coal terminals on either side of the Canada–United States border. Both cases highlight that fossil fuel transport infrastructure is especially vulnerable to opposition as a result of concentrated costs and limited economic benefits in transit jurisdictions that did not produce the fossil fuels in question. Still, not all contexts are equally amenable to supply-side contestation. Institutional differences explain approval of a new coal port in Canada, while a similar US facility was rejected: a weaker environmental assessment regime and more limited opportunities for local government and Indigenous vetoes. However, the regulator's subsequent withdrawal of the still-pending Canadian terminal's permit five years later reveals that delay can be as good as victory for opponents when markets for fossil fuels decline.


The purpose of the present paper is to examine work motivation (willingness to work) and the related variable of perceived risks. The paper reports results from two studies. The two studied groups were people employed in childcare and employees of a Swedish insurance company. The questionnaires were similar in both studies. The perceived risk variables were divided into two groups: accepted risks that were positively correlated with work motivation, and a risk burden that had a negative correlation to work motivation. The risk variables accounted for 36.9% of the explained variance in work motivation for employees of the insurance company and the variance in work motivation was explained to 23.3% by the risk variables for the group employed people in childcare. Hence, risk is an important factor in work motivation.


The academic profession is an occupation in which pay has fallen dramatically, resulting in the setting up of a Committee of Inquiry to examine both pay relativities and mechanisms for pay determination. This paper considers salary determination and the gender salary gap in the academic labour market drawing upon a particularly detailed data set of 900 academics from five traditional Scottish Universities. Results reveal an aggregate gender salary differential for academic staff of 15%. Most of this differential can, however, be explained by our model. Evidence suggests a limited opportunity for female academics to combine career and family, despite the flexibility of an academic job and emphasises the importance of mobility to the male career. Publication record, but not teaching ability, is found to be an important determinant of salary. The dominant contribution of rank to both the determination of female academic salaries and the gender salary gap suggests vastly differential opportunities for promotion faced by men and women.