"An original contribution to the literature not just of hate speech but of modern First Amendment issues generally...This is a fine piece of work; it deserves wide attention."--Kermit L. Hall, editor of The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States. The First Amendment protects even the most offensive forms of expression: racial slurs, hateful religious propaganda, and cross-burning. No other county in the world offers the same kind of protection to offensive speech. How did this free speech tradition develop? Hate Speech provides the first comprehensive account of the history of the hate speech controversy in the United States. Samuel Walker examines the issue, from the conflicts over the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s and American Nazi groups in the 1930s, tot he famous Skokie episode in 1977-78, and the campus culture wars of the 1990s. The author argues that the civil rights movement played a central role in developing this country's strong free speech tradition. The courts were very concerned about protecting the provocative and even offensive forms of expression by civil rights forces. Civil rights groups, therefore, preferred to protect rather than restrict offensive speech--even if it meant protecting racist speech. Samuel Walker is Kiewit Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. His previous publications include In Defense of American Liberties: A History of the American Civil Liberties Union.


Marc Ellis fine book about the future of the Jewish community was first published in 1987. But twenty years on, in the light of recent events in the Middle East and post-September 11, its powerful message of hope, directed towards a people 'poised between Holocaust and empowerment', remains as powerful, apposite, and pressingly relevant as it was before. Ellis begins with two poles: the holocaust and the pain and vision that issue from it. This leads him into ethics, and he highlights the contrast between the depth of Jewish ethical commitment and the paucity of renewal movements within Judaism. The author then addresses all suffering peoples, and the Christian liberation movements active among them, so that the holocaust may be set in a wider context. Against this background, Ellis sees it as essential that the journeys and visions of dissenting Jews - such as Etty Hillesum and Martin Buber - should be re-appraised. An alternative perspective of what it means to be Jewish begins to emerge, and in the final chapter a Jewish theology of liberation is essayed, which is a theology prepared 'to enter the danger zones of contemporary Jewish life', often at some cost.


Fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) is a promising technique for in vivo small animal imaging. In this paper, a two-stage reconstruction method based on normalized Born approximation is developed for FMT, which includes two steps for quantitative reconstruction. First, the localization of fluorescent fluorophore is determined by l1-norm regularization method. Then, in the location region of fluorophore, which is provided by the first stage, algebraic reconstruction technique (ART) is utilized for the fluorophore concentration reconstruction. The validity of the two-stage quantitative reconstruction algorithm is testified by simulation experiments on a 3D digital mouse atlas and physical experiments on a phantom. The results suggest that we are able to recover the fluorophore location and concentration.


This book expertly introduces and clearly explains all topics covered in marine insurance law courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, offering students and those new to the area a comprehensive and accessible overview of this important topic in commercial law. Beginning by introducing the general principles of the subject, the structure and formation of insurance contracts, Marine Insurance Law then looks to individual considerations in detail, including: brokers, losses, risks and perils, sue and labour, reinsurance, and mutual insurance/P&I clubs. This title has been developed with the needs of courses specifically in mind, and its content has been tailored to include the most important and commonly taught topics in the field. Each chapter contains end of chapter further reading to support student research, ensuring this new textbook provides a reliable and accessible gateway into this important topic in maritime law.


We analyze the dual random phase encoding technique in the temporal domain to evaluate its potential application for secure data transmission in fiber optic links. To take into account the optical fiber multiplexing capabilities, the noise content of the signal is restricted when multiple channels are transmitted over a single fiber optic link. We also discuss some mechanisms for producing encoded time-limited as well as bandwidth-limited signals and a comparison with another recently proposed technique is made. Numerical simulations have been carried out to analyze the system performance. The results indicate that this multiplexing encryption method could be a good alternative compared with other well-established methods.


Different pollinators may vary in their temporal flower-visitation patterns within crops, potentially extending the period pollination may occur. To assess whether this could be the case in kiwifruit, we conducted standardised observational surveys of insects visiting kiwifruit flowers within 31 orchards at three times: 10:00—11:00, 12:00—13:00 and 14:00—15:00 hr. Honey bees (Apis mellifera) represented 92% of visitations (n=5474), but temporal abundances were uneven (predicted abundances were lower at 14:00—15:00 hr). Predatory hover flies (Melangyna, Melonostoma, Allograpta spp.) also showed an uneven temporal pattern. There were no significant differences in the temporal abundances for buff-tailed bumble bees (Bombus terrestris), rat- tailed hover flies (Eristalis, Helophilus spp.), March flies (Dilophis nigrostigma), flower longhorn beetles (Zorion guttigerum) or the native bees (Leioproctus and Lasioglossum spp.) although, in some cases, low numbers may have masked potential unevenness trends. Variation in diurnal flower-visitation patterns among insects suggests the potential for complementarity between different pollinators.


Formidable barriers stand between the modern financial system and the hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens still using costly informal credit. For many, the financial data that could be used to give them a credit score that would lead to a fair priced loan exist but are not being used. This analysis finds that the most difficult barriers cutting these data off from their potential use for greater financial inclusion are the legal and political restrictions on data sharing and use, economic and competitive concerns from data holders, and the technical difficulty of integrating disparate systems. Policies that encourage coordination between public authorities and private actors in finance and technology can go a long way towards making these data available and driving access to credit in China. This shift would not only help borrowers: It would also encourage the needed economic rebalancing towards consumption, increase competition in the financial sector, raise efficiency through better credit allocation, and contribute to sustainable economic growth and social welfare.


Despite its approximative nature, the Langmuir theory has shown to be a very successful approach to describe experimental adsorption isotherms. Langmuir kinetics is based on systems of non- interacting particles that can transfer from the gas phase to the adsorbed phase with a transition flux that depends both on the gas pressure and surface coverage. Recent molecular simulation results suggest, however, that some systems can have isotherms that are apparently Langmuirian while the kinetics are not. This remarkably result seems to question the interpretation of innumerous adsorption experiments. The observed anomalous kinetics were described by thermodynamic rate equations giving exactly the same isotherms. Unidirectional rates, as obtained from mesoscopic non- equilibrium theory, correct for the non-ideality of matter using activities instead of concentrations and seem to suggest that fluxes from phase A to another phase B only depends on the properties of phase A alone. In this article we show, however, that the theories and simulations are actually consistent when the following two points are taken into account. The first point is methodological and related to how one should count crossing events considering the presence of possible correlations. The second point is theoretical and related to the microscopic link between the Langmuir and thermodynamic rate theory. Specifically, we show how to define diffusion and activity coefficients at the border of the gas/solid interface. If both points are taken into account, there is neither a contradiction between both theories, nor with the molecular simulation results.


The linear acoustic equations for the bounded slab of fluid ocean and elastic seabed with cylinderical symmetry are reduced to a set of coupled boundary value problems using separation of variables. In order to have a computational technique capable of handling stratification effects in the seabed, invariant imbedding is used to replace the boundary value problem with an initial value problem. As an initial approximation, the case of an ocean with a reflective bottom is considered and the change in the solution, as the depth of the seabed increases, is calculated. The method of invariant imbedding is shown to be numerically stable and has the advantage of assessing the effects of including an interactive seabed on the solution to the underwater acoustics problem with a reflecting seabed.


Introduction. Affective-respiratory paroxysm (ARP) or breath-holding spells is a common phenomenon that occurs in children from 6 months to 6 years. Up to 90% of children experience ARP for the first time before the age of 18 months. The mechanism of the condition is still unclear. Scientists have found that children with breath-holding spells are much more likely to be diagnosed with iron-deficiency anemia and, perhaps, it contributes to the development of pathology. 20-35% of children have a burdened family history. Some families have a dominant type of inheritance. Materials and Methods. The algorithm for examining children included: general clinical, neurological and psychological examination of children, conducting laboratory research, registration of an electroencephalogram, according to indications, conducting an echocardiographic study. We examined 50 children with ARP aged 6 months to 6 years. Research was carried out in the clinic of the Tashkent Pediatric Medical Institute. The diagnosis of ARP was established based on the history provided by mothers and observations of seizures. Paroxysms were defined as stopping the baby's breathing at exhalation after deep inhalation during crying. Paroxysms were classified as cyanotic, pale, and mixed. Results. A detailed study of the passage of the ante-, intraand postnatal periods made it possible to determine the significance of various unfavorable factors such as anemia (p <0.05), toxicosis (p <0.01), acute respiratory infections (p <0.1), stress, use of obstetric aids (p <0.05) and birth trauma. (p <0.1). In addition to perinatal risk factors, 13 (28%) children were found to have a hereditary predisposition to ARP and 4 children (8%) to epilepsy. In most cases, seizures began at 6–12 months of age (38%). According to our observations, the main provoking factors of seizures were: anger, inability to get what you want 70%, pain 18%, fear 12%. At clinical and neurological examination in children, ARP of neurotic nature (82%) prevailed over affectively provoked syncope (10%) and "epileptic" ARP (8%). The seizures in most cases were characterized by a typical course, medium duration and high frequency. When assessing psychoemotional and behavioral characteristics, children with ARP were more sensitive, intense, persistent, active, less distracted, and differed in mood variability compared to healthy children. According to the indicators of the functional state of the autonomic nervous system in children of the main group, the initial autonomic tone was characterized by sympathicotonia, normal autonomic reactivity was recorded significantly less than in the control group (p <0.05). According to the results of laboratory studies, anemia (88%) and hypocalcemia (82%) were significantly more common in children with ARP. Analysis of electroencephalographic data revealed: signs of age norm in 14 (28%) children, signs of dysfunction of nonspecific midline structures of the brain in 6 (12%) children, general cerebral changes. in 3 (6%) European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine ISSN 2515-8260 Volume 7, Issue 2, 202


The determinants and disease mechanisms of schizophrenia are largely unknown. This article discusses two genetic and two epigenetic models and examines to what extent they are capable of predicting epidemiological patterns, providing insight into the determinants and disease mechanisms, and to what extent they are based on empirical findings. The proposed litmus test is whether they are able to provide an explanation for discordance in monozygotic twins. The main lines of a synthetic model are presented on the basis of the assessments.


Submitted for the MAR12 Meeting of The American Physical Society Interactions between HIV-1 Neutralizing Antibodies and Model Lipid Membranes imaged with AFM STEFAN ZAUSCHER, GREGORY HARDY, MUNIR ALAM, Duke University, JOSEPH SHAPTER, Flinders University — Lipid membrane interactions with rare, broadly neutralizing antibodies (NAbs), 2F5 and 4E10, play a critical role in HIV-1 neutralization. Our research is motivated by recent immunization studies that have shown that induction of antibodies that avidly bind the gp41-MPER antigen is not sufficient for neutralization. Rather, it is required that antigen designs induce polyreactive antibodies that recognize MPER antigens as well as the viral lipid membrane. However, the mechanistic details of how membrane properties influence NAb-lipid and NAb-antigen interactions remain unknown. Furthermore, it is well established that the native viral membrane is heterogeneous, representing a mosaic of lipid rafts and protein clustering. However, the size, physical properties, and dynamics of these regions are poorly characterized and their potential roles in HIV-1 neutralization are also unknown. To understand how membrane properties contribute to 2F5/4E10 membrane interactions, we have engineered biomimetic supported lipid bilayers (SLBs) and use atomic force microscopy to visualize membrane domains, antigen clustering, and antibody-membrane interactions at sub-nanometer z-resolution. Our results show that localized binding of HIV-1 antigens and NAbs occur preferentially with the most fluid membrane domain. This supports the theory that NAbs may interact with regions of low lateral lipid forces that allow antibody insertion into the bilayer. Stefan Zauscher


The United States' policy of deporting noncitizen criminals to their countries of origin is fueling a proliferation of gang membership both in Central America and in the United States. Deportation does not deter gang activity but instead helps to facilitate the transnational movement of youth gangs. Rather than continue this failed approach, this Comment proposes that the United States work with Central American nations to develop an internationally cooperative model for regulating criminal gang activity. In order to strengthen its response, the United States must end its ineffective deportation policy. It must also impose sanctions and make the United States a more costly and less desirable place to conduct criminal activity. With insight from political economic theory, this Comment concludes that any new legislation must be part of an international crime control effort to combat the threat of gang transnationalization most efficiently.


A four-year trial (1999–2002) was carried out in commercial vineyards in order to test the effect of manual leaf removal in the cluster zone at veraison on grape yield, berry composition, and stilbene concentration at harvest. Two Vitis vinifera L. red wine cultivars (Barbera and Croatina) and one white wine cultivar (Malvasia di Candia aromatica) were considered. The vines were Guyot trained, with 10 shoots per meter of row, and leaf removal accounted for approximately 22% of removed canopy surface. Meteorological data were recorded, as well as grape production, fruit composition, and stilbenes (trans-resveratrol, trans-piceid, cis-piceid) at harvest. Grape yield was not affected by leaf removal in any of the tested cultivars. Grape sugars and acidity were affected by leaf removal differently depending on meteorological conditions and cultivar. Leaf removal increased trans-piceid grape concentration in Barbera and decreased trans-resveratrol and cis-piceid in Croatina and Malvasia di Candia aromatica under cool meteorological conditions. Leaf removal had no effect on stilbene grape concentrations under warmer and drier climatic conditions.


"A reliable guide to what science fiction is" Christopher Priest, award-winning science fiction author "A really good introduction to the genre" SFX Magazine "Perceptive and glorious" Ian Watson, author of the screenplay for Steve Spielberg's A.I. Want to become a science fiction buff? Want to expand your reading in your favourite genre? This is a good place to start! From the publishers of the popular Good Reading Guide comes a rich selection of some of the finest SF novels ever published. With 100 of the best titles fully reviewed and a further 500 recommended, you'll quickly become an expert in the world of science fiction. The book is arranged by author and includes some thematic entries and special categories such as SF film adaptations, SF in rock music and Philip K. Dick in the mass media . It also includes a history of SF and a new definition of the genre, plus lists of award winners and book club recommendations. Foreword by Christopher Priest, the multiple award-winning SF author.


Aesthetic response to color is an important aspect of human experience, but little is known about why people like some colors more than others. Previous research suggested explanations based on sensory physiology and color-emotions. In this chapter we propose an ecological valence theory based on the hypothesis that color preferences are caused by people's average affective responses to color-associated objects. That is, people like colors that are strongly associated with objects they like (e.g. blues with clear skies and clean water) and dislike colors strongly associated with objects they dislike (e.g. browns with feces and rotten fruit). We report data that strongly support this claim: the ecological valence theory not only predicts average color preferences better than three alternative theories containing more free parameters, but it provides a plausible explanation of why color preferences exist and how they arise.


Purpose of the document In the present document, the Governing Body is provided with a summary of the findings and recommendations from the independent evaluation of the evaluation function (IEE) conducted in accordance with the process agreed upon by the Governing Body during its 325th Session. The IEE provides an assessment of the overall performance of ILO's evaluation function during 2011–16 along with explanations for this performance, lessons learned and good practices. The final section of the summary contains a set of recommendations requiring follow-up and an Office response. The Governing Body might wish to request the Director-General to take into account the recommendations and follow-up as appropriate (see the draft decision in paragraph 43.).


A gut bacterial containment system Trillions of bacteria selectively inhabit our guts, but how do our bodies keep them contained? Spadoni et al. describe a "gut-vascular barrier" that prevents intestinal microbes from accessing the liver and the bloodstream in mice (see the Perspective by Bouziat and Jabri). Studies with human samples and in mice revealed that the cell biology of the gut-vascular barrier shares similarities with the blood-brain barrier of the central nervous system. Pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella typhimurium could penetrate the gut-vascular barrier in mice, gaining access to the liver and bloodstream, in a manner dependent on the Salmonella pathogenicity island 2–type III secretion system. Science, this issue p. 830; see also p. 742 An endothelial barrier between the gut and the bloodstream helps keep intestinal microbes contained. [Also see Perspective by Bouziat and Jabri] In healthy individuals, the intestinal microbiota cannot access the liver, spleen, or other peripheral tissues. Some pathogenic bacteria can reach these sites, however, and can induce a systemic immune response. How such compartmentalization is achieved is unknown. We identify a gut-vascular barrier (GVB) in mice and humans that controls the translocation of antigens into the blood stream and prohibits entry of the microbiota. Salmonella typhimurium can penetrate the GVB in a manner dependent on its pathogenicity island (Spi) 2–encoded type III secretion system and on decreased β-catenin–dependent signaling in gut endothelial cells. The GVB is modified in celiac disease patients with elevated serum transaminases, which indicates that GVB dismantling may be responsible for liver damage in these patients. Understanding the GVB may provide new insights into the regulation of the gut-liver axis.


'Censorship may have to do with literature', Nadine Gordimer once said, 'but literature has nothing whatever to do with censorship.' As the history of many repressive regimes shows, this vital borderline has seldom been so clearly demarcated. Just how murky it can sometimes be is compellingly exemplified in the case of apartheid South Africa. For reasons that were neither obvious nor historically inevitable, the apartheid censors were not only the agents of the white minority government's repressive anxieties about the medium of print. They were also officially-certified guardians of the literary. This book is centrally about the often unpredictable cultural consequences of this paradoxical situation. Peter D. McDonald brings to light a wealth of new evidence - from the once secret archives of the censorship bureaucracy, from the records of resistance publishers and writers' groups both in the country and abroad - and uses extensive oral testimony. He tells the strangely tangled stories of censorship and literature in apartheid South Africa and, in the process, uncovers an extraordinarily complex web of cultural connections linking Europe and Africa, East and West. The Literature Police affords a unique perspective on one of the most anachronistic, exploitative, and racist modern states of the post-war era, and on some of the many forms of cultural resistance it inspired. It also raises urgent questions about how we understand the category of the literary in today's globalized, intercultural world.


Books are embedded in the culture and language of their origins. Some works may have achieved classic status within their own cultural realm, and yet, even if they have the good fortune to be successfully promoted abroad, they do not necessarily manage to get included in foreign literary canons. Classics or other longsellers from a particular nation, culture or linguistic area would normally stand a good chance of also being marketed to great effect beyond their national, cultural or linguistic borders, as long as the consumers' saturation point has not yet been reached. The international children's book market does not, however, categorically follow these common rules. Children's literature and children's publishing operate in a system in which cultural values, educational idea(l)s, considerations of profitability and cost-effectiveness, and consumers' tastes coincide. In this paper I shall analyze the interplay between those who make, market and consume children's fiction in conjunction with the initiation and spread of book market trends. By examining the itineraries of two children's book protagonists between the East and the West, namely Pippi Langstrump [Pippi Longstocking] and Sun Wukong, I will argue that the translation and adaptation of children's fiction may be regarded as a means of creating mobile and hybridized "book migrants" who have the potential to set and initiate trends in the international children's book market.


Our results, based on the definition of coronary heart disease by cinearteriography, show that definite relationships exist among incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD), age, total cholesterol (TC), and total triglycerides, with less definite ones between free cholesterol, and phospholipids for a specific group of 450 male patients referred to the Cleveland Clinic because of suspected coronary heart disease. Equations and graphs of the association of incidence of CHD with these conditions are presented. The relationships were strong enough to be of aid in discriminating CHD from normal; the most useful being age, TC, and TG.Incidence determinations were presented in terms of total incidence and incidence associated with the variable itself. Coronary angiography demonstrated 350 CHD and 100 normals or a ratio of 3.5 to 1. This ratio is a reflection of the high accuracy with which physicians suspect CHD.Age and TC were good discriminators in these patients suspected of CHD. An improved relationship and better discrimination was obtained by relating incidence simultaneously to age, TC, and TG. The probability of having CHD is the total incidence corresponding to the patient's age, TC, and TG. The probability level of 0.90 gave 95% assurance of a correct prediction for the physician-selected group of patients. Twenty-nine per cent of them had probabilities above 0.90.


A series of europium(III) and terbium(III) complexes of three 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-based pyridine containing ligands were synthesized. The three ligands differ from each other in the substitution of the pyridine pendant arm, namely they have a carboxylic acid, an ethylamide, or an ethyl ester substituent, i.e., these ligands are 6,6′,6″-[1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triyltris(methylene)]tris[pyridine-2-carboxylic acid] (H3tpatcn), -tris[pyridine-2-carboxamide] (tpatcnam), and -tris[pyridine-2-carboxylic acid] triethyl ester (tpatcnes) respectively. The quantum yields of both the europium(III) and terbium(III) emission, upon ligand excitation, were highly dependent upon ligand substitution, with a ca. 50-fold decrease for the carboxamide derivative in comparison to the picolinic acid (=pyridine-2-carboxylic acid) based ligand. Detailed analysis of the radiative rate constants and the energy of the triplet states for the three ligand systems revealed a less efficient energy transfer for the carboxamide-based systems. The stability of the three ligand systems in H2O was investigated. Although hydrolysis of the ethyl ester occurred in H2O for the [Ln(tpatcnes)](OTf)3 complexes, the tripositive [Ln(tpatcnam)](OTf)3 complexes and the neutral [Ln(tpatcn)] complexes showed high stability in H2O which makes them suitable for application in biological media. The [Tb(tpatcn)] complex formed easily in H2O and was thermodynamically stable at physiological pH (pTb 14.9), whereas the [Ln(tpatcnam)](OTf)3 complexes showed a very high kinetic stability in H2O, and once prepared in organic solvents, remained undissociated in H2O.


In many plants, the asymmetric division of the zygote sets up the apical-basal axis of the embryo. Unlike animals, plant zygotes are transcriptionally active, implying that plants have evolved specific mechanisms to control transcriptional activation of patterning genes in the zygote. In Arabidopsis, two pathways have been found to regulate zygote asymmetry: YODA (YDA) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, which is potentiated by sperm-delivered mRNA of the SHORT SUSPENSOR (SSP) membrane protein, and up-regulation of the patterning gene WOX8 by the WRKY2 transcription factor. How SSP/YDA signaling is transduced into the nucleus and how these pathways are integrated have remained elusive. Here we show that paternal SSP/YDA signaling directly phosphorylates WRKY2, which in turn leads to the up-regulation of WOX8 transcription in the zygote. We further discovered the transcription factors HOMEODOMAIN GLABROUS11/12 (HDG11/12) as maternal regulators of zygote asymmetry that also directly regulate WOX8 transcription. Our results reveal a framework of how maternal and paternal factors are integrated in the zygote to regulate embryo patterning.


Purpose: To determine the maximally tolerated dose, toxicity, and pharmacokinetics of i.p. gemcitabine. Experimental Design: Patients had peritoneal carcinomatosis. Gemcitabine (40, 80, 120, or 160 mg/m2) was administered into the peritoneal cavity in 2 L of warmed saline on days 1, 4, 8, and 12 of a 28-day cycle. Results: Thirty patients received 63 (median, 2; range, 0-6) courses. Tumors included ovary (14), uterus (2), colon (6), pancreas (3), and others (5). Dose-limiting toxicity included nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dyspnea, fatal respiratory failure, and grade 3 elevation of alanine aminotransferase in three patients. Hematologic toxicity and pain were ≤grade 2. Three patients had decreased or resolved ascites. Of 19 patients evaluable for response, 10 had stable disease (median, 3.5 courses) and 9 had progressive disease. The median peak peritoneal concentration was 1,116-fold (range, 456-1,886) higher than the peak plasma level. Plasma and peritoneal levels were undetectable within 8 to 12 h. At 120 mg/m2, the median peritoneal area under the concentration versus time curve (AUC) was 82,612 ng/mL × h (range, 53,296-199,830) and the plasma AUC was 231 ng/mL × h (range, 47.6-259.5). The mean peritoneal advantage (AUCperitoneal/AUCplasma) was 847 (range, 356-1,385). Conclusions: I.p. administration of gemcitabine is tolerated within the tested dosage range. Technical problems with the Porta-Cath device and i.p. therapy per se may have been exacerbated by the enrollment of many patients with a variety of advanced i.p. diseases. Given the significant increase in local dose intensity and the documented activity of this drug, this agent may be an excellent candidate for i.p. therapy in optimally debulked ovarian cancer, either alone or in combination.


Abstract This paper discusses the meteorological conditions associated with tropical cyclone formation in the north Indian Ocean during the 1979 FGGE year. Seven developing systems are composited together using FUGE Ill-b analyses to show the common circulation features surrounding developing cloud clusters. Three systems are further discussed to show different environmental influences on the low-level buildup of circulation during formation. The characteristics of these three disturbances' 200 mb outflow patterns and a general discussion of north Indian Ocean tropical cyclone activity are also given. Results show that tropical cyclone formation generally follows the initial increase of strong low-level winds on one side (either equatorial or polar) of a precyclone disturbance. This early buildup of wind appears to result from environmentally forced asymmetric wind surge action. Some of this increase appears to result from inward advection of velocity, but part of the increase seems to occur in situ. Thes...


Abstract Building own business is a long-term and laborious process. A person who leads a startup tries to start with building own business by taking first steps toward financial independence. Analyzing conditions in Poland, on average every second startup sells its services abroad, admittedly it is good news, although half of them do not export at all. Half of the startups which export their services and goods generates more than 50% of their revenues outside Poland. Very interesting is the fact that 60% of exporters have conducted their foreign sale since the moment of establishing their business. On which markets do they sell their services? It turns out that the most popular are markets in the European Union (54%), including the United Kingdom 14% and Germany 9%. Only about 25% of Polish startups exports their products and services to the United States. Taking the United States into consideration, in 2008 the USA lost their leading position in the number of startups which are newly created and achieving success in business. Currently in terms of the number of new startups the USA is on a quite distant place after Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Hungary, New Zealand, Israel or Italy. In short, more companies were closed than created, so it was, as a matter of fact, like in Poland. Therefore, the condition to improve the development of startups both from Poland and other countries all the world is to increase cooperation and coopetition.


In this paper we investigate the diversity measure Ψ(Rh) of MIMO (Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) channels based on the eigenvalues of the full-correlation matrix of the channel matrix Rh. We apply this definition to antennas and channels based on the antenna scattering matrix and the spherical vector wave (svw) expansion of the electromagnetic fields. We derive bounds for this diversity measure in an isotropic propagation channel. We further analyze the diversity measure of a spherical volume occupied by decoupled λ/2-dipole antennas by means of Monte Carlo simulations assuming different polarizations, e.g., vertically or horizontally polarizations, 2 orthogonal polarizations and 3 orthogonal polarizations.


Older people's usage of mobile devices is increasing. This study is part of the GASEL project and seeks to increase the understanding of the use of mobile information technology and opinions towards it. Opinions are compared between genders and age groups. The population based data were collected by conducting a questionnaire survey. A random sample of 1,500 adults 65 years of age or older was obtained from the Finnish Population Register Centre. The number of respondents was 918 with a response rate of 61.2 %. About one fifth (n=169) had used a tablet computer and approximately one third (n=226) had used a mobile phone with a touch screen in the past 12 months without encountering major difficulties. The respondents had mostly thought that using the devices would not be easy. They had also thought that the usage would not be too expensive for them. Men and younger old people held more positive opinions towards these new technologies. Older people are slower in adapting and accepting new technologies and this should be taken into account when designing services, applications and content, as these technologies have the potential to enrichen the lives of this specific population group.


The choices we make every day have created lifestyles that are a key driver of all major threats to the environment. This makes influencing human behaviour the ultimate challenge for a conservationist. This challenge is not unique to conservation science. In the commercial sector there have been decades of research on how to influence consumers. This knowledge has not gone unnoticed in the non-profit sector, and since the s social marketing (i.e. the use of marketing principles for social good) has grown in popularity. The use of marketing principles has also expanded in areas such as public health but has remained relatively scarce in biodiversity and environmental conservation. Conservationists have largely been uneasy about relying on the same dark arts used to sell products such as cigarettes and alcohol, leaving untapped the potential of using marketing to drive the adoption of environmentally friendly behaviours. But shouldn't the ethic behind the need to conserve nature be powerful enough to drive change? In August more than , conservationists from  countries gathered in Montpelier, France, for the th International Congress of Conservation Biology, organized by the Society for Conservation Biology (SCB). Amongst the  symposia there was a newcomer in the social sciences: the first session dedicated to the use of marketing tools in biodiversity conservation. This session built on the success of an event at the International Marine Conservation Congress in Glasgow in . The symposium brought together academics and practitioners from the commercial and non-profit sectors to discuss how marketing can best support conservation. The topics covered were diverse, from wildlife trade and marine conservation to the use of celebrity endorsements. Our goal was to reframe what marketing means in the context of conservation, away from the perception of being a dark art and towards its adoption as a new path for more effective behaviour change. The symposium was well attended, with those present exceeding the seating capacity of the room and revealing a yet untapped interest in conservation marketing. To address this demand and interest the Conservation Marketing and Engagement Working Group (ConsMark), which will function within the SCB, has been formed. The group defines conservation marketing as 'the ethical application of marketing strategies, concepts and techniques to influence attitudes, perceptions and behaviours of individuals, and ultimately societies, with the objective of advancing conservation goals'. ConsMark has several objectives. One is to promote the use of marketing techniques and strategies to tackle environmental issues. Another is to improve access for conservation practitioners to marketing tools and to build capacity for their effective use. With the support of the SCB, ConsMark now has a website and a mailing list open to non-SCB members, where you can find out more about the group and its work (http://conbio. org/groups/working-groups/conservation-marketingworking-group). We urge all who see the adoption of more environmentally friendly behaviours as a key to address the challenge of conserving biodiversity to join our efforts to mainstream the use of marketing tools and principles.


Objective To analyze the short and long term safety and efficacy of ureteroscopic evaluation and management of chronic unilateral hematuria. Methods We retrospectively reviewed patients with chronic unilateral hematuria from 1987 to 2008. The distal to middle ureter was evaluated with a semi-rigid ureteroscope without a guidewire. Subsequently, the flexible ureteroscope was advanced into the upper ureter to the renal pelvis using a low-pressure automated irrigant system (Uromat™). Lesions identified ureteroscopically were treated with diathermy fulguration. Results One hundred and four (56 male, 48 female) patients were identified, with a median age of 37 (14–80) years and median follow-up of 139 (34–277) months. The median preoperative duration of gross hematuria was 5 (1–144) months. Endoscopic findings included 61 (56%) minute venous rupture (MVR; a venous bleeding without clear abnormalities), 21 (20%) hemangioma (vascular tumor-like structure), 3 (3%) varix (tortuous vein), 1 (1%) calculus and 18 (17%) no lesions. The incidence of "no lesions" was less in the recent 12 years (9%) than the first 10 years (27%), while the incidence of MVR increased from 40 to 66% (p<0.05). All patients were treated endoscopically. Immediate success rate was 96% (100% in the recent 12 years). Long-term recurrent gross hematuria rate was 7%. Six resolved spontaneously and only 1 required ureteroscopy, revealing a different bleeding site. Conclusion Ureteroscopy and diathermy fulguration is highly useful for evaluation and treatment of chronic unilateral hematuria. Sophisticated technique and improved instrumentation contributes to a better outcome.


A water supply tariff is a powerful water management tool that can be used to promote a number of economic, environmental and social-political objectives. In South Africa, increasing block tariffs are deemed to satisfy the domestic tariff regulations of the Water Services Act of 1997. The regulations require that the tariff supports the viability and sustainability of water supply services to the poor and discourages wasteful or inefficient water use. The application of increasing block tariff structures presents a number of problems. The main issue being the size and price of each block. Ramsey pricing proposes that consumer welfare is maximised when the mark-up in price above cost of a good is proportional to the price elasticity of demand of the good. This principle was applied in setting the block prices of an increasing block water tariff. The sizes of the blocks were based on the average water consumption of low, middle and high income consumers. The water demand characteristic of low, middle and high income households from a sample of domestic consumers in Durban were investigated. The water demand functions and price elasticity of demand for the three groups were estimated using econometric models. Two tariff structures based on Ramsey pricing principles were proposed and compared with the current increasing block tariff applied in Durban. The frequency distribution of demand of each of the three consumer groups were applied in a model to ensure the proposed tariffs met a certain revenue target. The water demand functions of each of the consumer groups were used to model how the proposed tariff structures impacted consumer surplus and water demand. The investigation found that increasing block tariffs designed with Ramsey pricing principles have a positive impact on social welfare, provide sufficient revenue for water service providers and support the conservation of water resources.


A variability mechanism is a software implementation technique that realizes a choice in the features that are incorporated into a software system. Variability mechanisms are essential for the implementation of configurable software, but the nature of mechanisms as structuring abstractions is not well understood. Mechanisms are often equated with their stereotypical realizations. As a consequence, certain variability mechanisms are generally viewed as having limited applicability due to run-time performance overhead.
We claim that it is feasible and useful to realize variability mechanisms in novel ways to improve the run-time performance of software systems. This claim is supported by the implementation and evaluation of three examples.
The first is the flexible generation of performance-optimized code from high-level specifications. As exemplified by Flick, an interface definition language (IDL) compiler kit, concepts from traditional programming language compilers can be applied to bring both flexibility and optimization to the domain of IDL compilation.
The second is a method for realizing design patterns within software that is neither object-oriented nor, for the most part, dynamically configured. By separating static software design from dynamic system behavior, this technique enables more effective and domain-specific detection of design errors, prediction of run-time behavior, and more effective optimization. The method is demonstrated using a suite of operating-system components.
The third, middleware-based brokering of resources, can improve the ability of multi-agent, real-time applications to maintain quality of service (QoS) in the face of resource contention. A CPU broker, for instance, may use application feedback and other inputs to adjust CPU allocations at run time. This helps to ensure that applications continue to function, or at least degrade gracefully, under load.


Abstract. Cultural Heritage constitutes a fundamental resource for all Countries, even in economic terms, as it can be considered an extraordinary tourist attraction. This is particularly true for Italy, which is one of the Countries with the richest artistic heritage in the world. For this reason, restoration becomes an essential step towards the conservation and therefore valorisation of architecture. In this context, this paper focuses on one of the first stages that allow us to reach a complete knowledge of a building. Because of the earthquake of May 2012, the Castle of San Giorgio in Mantova (Italy) presented a series of structural damages. On the occasion of its upcoming re-opening to the public, the Soprintendenza per i Beni Architettonici e Paesaggistici per le province di Brescia, Cremona e Mantova has requested an analysis and evaluation of the damages for the development of an intervention project. In particular, a special attention was given to the "Camera degli Sposi" ("Bridal Chamber"), also known as the Camera picta ("painted chamber"). It is a frescoed room, with illusionistic paintings by Andrea Mantegna, located in the northeast tower of the Castle. It was painted between 1465 and 1474 and commissioned by Ludovico Gonzaga, and it is well-known for the use of trompe l'oeil details and for the decoration of its ceiling. The seismic shakes damaged the wall decorated with the "Scena della Corte" ("Court Scene"), above the chimney, re-opening an old crack that had to be analysed, in order to understand whether the damage was structural or just superficial. The diagnostic analyses constitute a fundamental prerequisite for the elaboration of any kind of intervention or restoration in any architectural, artistic or archaeological framework. To obtain a description of the conservation state of the Camera, non-invasive integrated survey techniques were applied. The purpose of the study presented here is the definition of a methodology able to support the necessity of a rapid restoration. In order to acquire the useful data for the damage evaluation, we used three different kinds of laser scanners. These were chosen according to the dimension of the object that had to be surveyed. The first is Riegl LMS-Z390i, a time of flight laser scanner that was used to survey the external surface of one of the fronts of the Castle. The second one is Faro Focus 3D, a phase-based scanner, used for the indoor survey of the "Camera degli Sposi" and the touristic path from the "Scalone di Enea" to the Camera itself. Finally, a triangulation laser scanner, Konika Minolta Vivid VI-9i, was used to measure the dimension of the crack, for its whole length. All the data acquired by these scanners were georeferenced in the same reference system, defined through a topographic network. The data collected were processed in order to obtain a number of representations, both in two and three dimensions, useful for a complete knowledge of the state of condition of the building. This paper analyses the surveying process in all its different phases: from the planning, to the data collection, and the postelaborations.


Half masks are certified by the competent, national institutions--National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the USA and the respective European national institutions applying common European regulations. However, certification testing is conducted with particles of NaCl, paraffin oil, or dioctyl phthalate (DOP) and at the constant flow rate, whereas particles commonly found in workplaces may differ in size, shape, and morphology from these particles. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate filtration efficiency of commercially available filtering facepiece half masks under the condition of exposure to diesel fumes. In this study, we focused on the particulate phase [diesel exhaust particles (DEP)] of three (petroleum diesel, ecodiesel, and biodiesel) diesel fuel combustion types. Two types of European standard-certified half masks, FFP2 and FFP - Filtering Facepiece, and three types of popular diesel fuels were tested. The study showed that the filtration efficiencies for each examined half mask and for each of diesel exhaust fumes were lower than the minimum filtration efficiency required for the standard test aerosols by the European standards. For FFP2 and FFP3 particulate half masks, standard minimum filtration efficiency is 94 and 99%, respectively, whereas 84-89% of mass of DEP from various fuels were filtered by the tested FFP2 and only 75-86% by the FFP3. The study indicated that DEP is more penetrating for these filters than the standard salt or paraffin oil test aerosols. The study also showed that the most penetrating DEP are probably in the 30- to 300-nm size range, regardless of the fuel type and the half-mask model. Finally, the pressure drops across both half masks during the 80-min tests remained below an acceptable maximum of breathing resistance-regardless of the fuel types. The respiratory system, during 40-min test exposures, may be exposed to 12-16mg of DEP if a FFP2 or FFP3 particulate half mask is used. To conclude, commercially available half masks may not ensure a sufficient level of protection of the respiratory tract against diesel exhaust fumes.


Highly expressive models such as deep neural networks (DNNs) have been widely applied to various applications. However, recent studies show that DNNs are vulnerable to adversarial examples, which are carefully crafted inputs aiming to mislead the predictions. Currently, the majority of these studies have focused on perturbation added to image pixels, while such manipulation is not physically realistic. Some works have tried to overcome this limitation by attaching printable 2D patches or painting patterns onto surfaces, but can be potentially defended because 3D shape features are intact. In this paper, we propose meshAdv to generate "adversarial 3D meshes" from objects that have rich shape features but minimal textural variation. To manipulate the shape or texture of the objects, we make use of a differentiable renderer to compute accurate shading on the shape and propagate the gradient. Extensive experiments show that the generated 3D meshes are effective in attacking both classifiers and object detectors. We evaluate the attack under different viewpoints. In addition, we design a pipeline to perform black-box attack on a photorealistic renderer with unknown rendering parameters.


The Supreme Court decided two important standing cases during the October 2006 term: Hein v. Freedom from Religion Foundation and Massachusetts v. EPA. The latter is important for what it did, the former for what it did not do. Whereas Hein hewed closely - perhaps too closely - to prior standing precendents, the Massachusetts decision substantially departed from existing precedent and established a new doctrine of special solicitude to state standing. Both decisions involved generalized grievances about federal government policies that affect citizens as a whole, but point in opposite directions. In many respects the opinions are in significant tension with each other, and embrace competing conceptions of the role of the judiciary in the separation of powers. What neither decision did, however, is etch a conservative imprint on the law of standing. This article is based upon remarks delivered at the Regent University Law Review symposium, Justiciability After Hein and Massachusetts: Where Is the Court Standing? Nov. 30, 2007.


Characteristics of ultrafiltration membranes with respect to the removal of nanoscale particles can be determined by surrogate challenge tests (SCTs). Key elements of a successful SCT are the selection of a suitable surrogate and a reliable quantification method. A major challenge when using nanoparticles as surrogates is their quantification in the filtrate, since commonly used particle detection methods are often lacking in sensitivity. The applicability of laser-induced breakdown-detection (LIBD) as a monitoring tool for SCTs has therefore been evaluated. The SCTs were carried out using polystyrene (PS) and silicate particles spiked into ultrapure water and into bank filtrate. Nanoparticles were detectable down to 10 nm and, depending on the material, down to a few ng/L. The nominal pore-size of the ultrafiltration membrane could be confirmed during the tests, demonstrating the suitability of LIBD as a highly sensitive monitoring technique for SCTs.


We study the international propagation of long-run risk in the context of a general equilibrium model with endogenous growth. Innovation and international diffusion of technologies are the channels at the core of our mechanism. A calibrated version of the model matches several asset pricing and macroeconomic quantity moments, alleviating some of the puzzles highlighted in the international macro-finance literature. Our model predicts that country-pairs that share more R&D have less volatile exchange rates and more correlated stock market returns. Using data from a sample of 19 developed countries, we provide suggestive empirical evidence in favor of our model's predictions.


The liver stages of Plasmodium parasites are important targets for the development of anti-malarial vaccine candidates and chemoprophylaxis approaches that aim to prevent clinical infection. Analyzing the impact of interventions on liver stages in the murine malaria model system Plasmodium yoelii has been cumbersome and requires terminal procedures. In vivo imaging of bioluminescent parasites has previously been shown to be an effective and non-invasive alternative to monitoring liver stage burden in the Plasmodium berghei model. Here we report the generation and characterization of a transgenic P. yoelii parasite expressing the reporter protein luciferase throughout the parasite life cycle. In vivo bioluminescent imaging of these parasites allows for quantitative analysis of P. yoelii liver stage burden and parasite development, which is comparable to quantitative RT-PCR analysis of liver infection. Using this system, we show that both BALB/cJ and C57BL/6 mice show comparable susceptibility to P. yoelii infection with sporozoites and that bioluminescent imaging can be used to monitor protective efficacy of attenuated parasite immunizations. Thus, this rapid, simple and noninvasive method for monitoring P. yoelii infection in the liver provides an efficient system to screen and evaluate the effects of anti-malarial interventions in vivo and in real-time.


Glucocorticoid hypersensitivity syndrome has been reported to date only in several patients. This article describes a unique case of this syndrome in a 24-year old female admitted to hospital because of arterial hypertension and obesity. Although her clinical picture suggested Cushing's syndrome, she had low adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol levels with a poor response to corticotrophin-releasing hormone and Synacthen. In turn, an overnight dexamethasone suppression test with 0.25 mg of dexamethasone led to a dramatic decrease in morning cortisol. A diagnosis of glucocorticoid hypersensitivity was made and the patient started treatment with ketoconazole and cabergoline, which resulted in some clinical improvement. This case illustrates the need for clinical awareness of glucocorticoid hypersensitivity in patients suspected of Cushing's syndrome.


Many machine learning algorithms are based on the assumption that training examples are drawn independently. However, this assumption does not hold anymore when learning from a networked sample because two or more training examples may share some common objects, and hence share the features of these shared objects. We show that the classic approach of ignoring this problem potentially can have a harmful effect on the accuracy of statistics, and then consider alternatives. One of these is to only use independent examples, discarding other information. However, this is clearly suboptimal. We analyze sample error bounds in this networked setting, providing significantly improved results. An important component of our approach is formed by efficient sample weighting schemes, which leads to novel concentration inequalities.


Artistic labour markets have some particular characteristics that make them potentially interesting to labour economists. This paper discusses three areas where labour market research in the economics of the arts and culture might have wider application. First are the characteristics of creative workers, including particularly artists, and the contribution of the creative industries to aggregate employment. In these industries labour content is particularly high; thus in times of acute or chronic unemployment they may provide an effective means for the generation of new jobs, especially in urban and regional centres where traditional industries have been declining. Second, artists' employment conditions and careers set them apart from other workers, and indeed artists can be seen as leading the way in mapping out new employment arrangements in the workforce in general, where attributes of flexibility and job-mobility are becoming more widely required of workers. Third, models of artists' labour supply decisions have thrown light on the role of non-pecuniary incentives in affecting time allocations to creative activity; these models may have wider application, especially to professional labour.


Abstract. Within the framework of coupled meteorological-hydrological predictions, this study aims at comparing two high-resolution meteorological ensembles, covering short and medium range. The two modelling systems have similar characteristics, as almost the same number of members, the model resolution (about 7 km), the driving ECMWF global ensemble prediction system, but are obtained through different methodologies: the former is a multi-model ensemble, based on three mesoscale models (BOLAM, COSMO, and WRF), while the latter follows a single-model approach, based on COSMO-LEPS (Limited-area Ensemble Prediction System), the operational ensemble forecasting system developed within the COSMO consortium. Precipitation forecasts are evaluated in terms of hydrological response, after coupling the meteorological models with a distributed rainfall-runoff model (TOPKAPI) to simulate the discharge of the Reno river (Northern Italy), for a severe weather episode. Although a single case study does not allow for robust and definite conclusions, the comparison among different predictions points out a remarkably better performance of mesoscale model ensemble forecasts compared to global ones. Moreover, the multi-model ensemble outperforms the single model approach.


In this thesis we assessed whether the risk factors known to affect markers of brain damage in the general population, also effectuate brain damage in patients who already have symptomatic arterial disease.
We found that elevated levels of homocysteine were related to slightly lower global cognitive function. The results suggest that vascular mechanisms are not responsible for the relationship between homocysteine and cognitive function.
The relation between the metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cognitive function was investigated. The analyses showed that global cognitive function was not affected more in patients with than in patients without the metabolic syndrome. Only the scores on visuoperception and construction were slightly lower. Adjustment for markers of macro- and microvascular disease, and of metabolic disease, did not attenuate the results. Cognition in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was similar to cognition in patients with the metabolic syndrome. This suggests that most of the relation between the metabolic syndrome and cognitive function in the general population is attributable to arterial disease.
We analysed the relation between four vascular growth factors and cognitive function. The presence of the communicating arteries in the circle of Willis was assessed, as a measure of presence of cerebral collateral vessels; also the total volume flow rate (tVFR) through both internal carotid arteries and the basilar artery was assessed. In patients with internal carotid artery stenosis, higher basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) levels were related to higher scores on cognitive function. This relation was weakened by adjustment for tVFR, suggesting a mediating effect. Furthermore, patients with higher vascular endothelial growth factor levels had slightly lower performance on visuoperception and construction. We concluded that bFGF seems the most promising of the four studied growth factors for future clinical studies.
Cognitive function was assessed in three categories of patients with manifest arterial disease: no stroke or TIA, and no silent infarcts; silent infarcts; or stroke or TIA at inclusion. While silent infarcts did not influence cognitive function in these patients, patients with stroke or TIA had lower scores than patients with symptoms elsewhere in the arterial tree. Thus, when patients already are vascular compromised, the presence of a silent brain infarct does not add to the cognitive dysfunction due to the arterial disease itself, while symptomatic cerebrovascular disease does affect cognitive function more severely.
Patients with manifest arterial disease did not have lower flow to the brain compared with the general population. Presence of diabetes mellitus was associated with lower total volume flow rate, as was increasing BMI. Patients with cerebrovascular disease had lower tVFR values than patients with symptomatic vascular disease elsewhere in the vascular tree.
We have reviewed the literature on the fetal type posterior (FTP) circle of Willis. In FTPs there is an embryonic derivation of the posterior cerebral artery from the internal carotid artery. Besides the fact that a larger area is thus dependent on the internal carotid artery, leptomeningeal vessels can not develop between the anterior and posterior circulation.
Patients with a bFTP circle of Willis did not have statistically significant different WML volumes than patients without an FTP in our study. These preliminary results will be followed by extended analyses in patients with a unilateral FTP and comparison of different techniques to assess WML.


This paper describes a wearable navigation system based on a haptic directional display embedded in the back of a vest. The system consists of a 4-by-4 array of micromotors for delivering haptic navigational signals to the user's back, an infrared-based input system for locating the user in an environment, and a wearable computer for route planning. User testing was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of this system as a navigation guide for sighted users in an unfamiliar lab area. It is hoped that such a system can be a useful navigation guide for individuals with severe visual impairments in an unfamiliar environment. Future work will address the specific issues concerning blind navigation.


Chat communication has been investigated within the frames of 5thD (Fifth Dimension). The study is based in field-material from two chat sessions, between children in Ronneby-Barcelona and Ronneby-Denver. During the chats there was plenty of interaction between children and, assistants, which is illustrated with the help of patterns of communication. The analysis of the data shows that chat is more than an interaction between two persons, it even connects two social settings. The thesis also deals with the question of how to create meaningful chat, since this did not occur in an entirely satisfactory way during the above-mentioned chats.


type="main"> Attitudinal data are commonly used to measure values, which in turn represent moral doctrines that are resistant to change and are the foundation for societal norms. This article examines changes in the attitudinal climate in Japan. Three national surveys (1994, 2000, and 2009) are used to examine a range of attitudes that measure a) the centrality of marriage and childbearing, b) nontraditional family behaviors, and c) gender roles in the work and family spheres. There is strong evidence of movement toward less-traditional attitudes during 1994–2000, followed by limited change in the 2000s. Period factors were paramount in the 1990s. Across the board, women hold less-traditional attitudes than men, and this difference has increased over time. Both engaging in nontraditional family behaviors (being married but remaining childless) and knowing someone who has engaged in nontraditional family behaviors (cohabitation) causally lead to holding nontraditional attitudes, suggesting mechanisms whereby changes in individual behavior can lead to changes in societal values.


Full text of this issue's editorial:In this issue that completes our sixth volume, we present several papers on short supply chains: food hubs, farm-to-grocers, farmers markets, local grains (in Ethiopia), and, interestingly, two different takes on diversification. It is also worth noting that in this issue we offer a multicultural blend of North American and international papers. We are pleased with our growing international reach, and encourage our distant colleagues from around the world studying food and farming–based community development to expand their contributions to JAFSCD! Doing so fosters that cross-cultural study of food systems that benefits all of us. We look forward to continued submissions from around the globe.We are very pleased to announce that Dr. Monica M. White, assistant professor of environmental justice at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is coming on board this fall as a new columnist for JAFSCD. Last summer we completed an issue of the journal devoted to race and ethnicity in the food system, including 24 eye-opening commentaries on the topic. The issue was very well received, and we were determined to maintain visibility on the subject of food systems and race. This past winter we began a search for the strong voice of a woman of color who has scholarly expertise in the food movement, and Monica fit the bill perfectly. With a joint appointment in the Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology at the University of Wisconsin, she will be using her columns address a broad range of topics related to food justice and communities of color.We begin this issue, as we typically do, with the Economic Pamphleteer himself, John Ikerd, who in his column addresses the wicked problem of How Do We Ensure Good Food For All? Next, reflecting our cover photo, Olya Rysin and Rebecca Dunning use the annual operating revenues and expenses of four North Carolina food hubs to create a model operating budget for a food hub linking small and midscale farmers to local retail and institutional buyers in Economic Viability of a Food Hub Business: Assessment of Annual Operational Expenses and Revenues. In a related paper entitled Collaboration and Commitment in a Regional Supermarket Supply Chain, Rebecca Dunning explores the barriers to social capital formation in short supply chains and identifies how these may be overcome.In Local Foods and Low-income Communities: Location, Transportation, and Values, James R. Farmer, Sara Minard, and Cliff Edens similarly look at the barriers and facilitators of consumer participation in farmers markets and offer strategies for serving low- and moderate-income communities.Next, Christian J. Peters, Jennifer L. Wilkins, Scott R. Rosas, Brenda K. Pepe, Jamie Picardy, and Gary W. Fick share the results of a series of trial workshops conducted to test the efficacy of training local stakeholders on the value of local/regional food production capacity modeling ("foodprinting") in Engaging Stakeholders To Refine Models of State-level Food Self-reliance.In their reflective essay entitled Delineating the Southwest British Columbia Bioregion for Food System Design and Planning: A Practical Approach, Greg Harris, Denver Nixon, Lenore Newman, and Kent Mullinix elucidate the complex and layered process of delineating a bioregional food system that others may want to adopt or adapt.Also focused on the Pacific Northwest, Love Jonson uses GIS to reveal gentrification-driven displacement in Portland, Oregon, that challenges its reputation as a local food haven in Choosing and Siting Food Access Interventions: Food Mirages and Produce Stands in Portland, Oregon.In addition to our usual complement of Canadian papers, this issue's international papers are from Ireland, Ethiopia, and Lebanon. In Taking the Leap and Sustaining the Journey: Diversification on the Irish Family Farm, Aisling Moroney, Seamus O'Reilly, and Mary O'Shaughnessy interviewed a group of entrepreneurial farm households in Ireland to explore how their operations contribute to their own livelihoods and to rural sustainability and economic life.Megerssa Tolessa Walo studies the local grain supply chain and the prospects for strengthening rural-urban economic linkages and finds that current attempts at diversification are not creating permanent solutions to poverty—and that more fundamental marketing infrastructure is required—in Bridging the Rural-Urban Divide for Local Economic Development in Nekemte and its Hinterlands, Oromia, Ethiopia.In our final paper, Sara M. Moledor, Ali Chalak, Monika Fabian, and Salma N. Talhouk conduct a feasibility study of community-based vermicomposting microenterprises that utilize municipal waste in Socioeconomic Dynamics of Vermicomposting Systems in Lebanon.Wrapping up the issue are two book reviews: Laxmi Prasad Pant reviews Responsive Countryside: The Digital Age and Rural Communities, by Roberto Gallardo, and Carrie A. Scrufari reviews Grace Gershuny's Organic Revolutionary: A Memoir of the Movement for Real Food, Planetary Healing, and Human Liberation.I want to take this opportunity to remind you that we'll soon be launching our new publishing website, which will host all JAFSCD content and also provide our editorial review system—all in one place for the first time! We are not quite done migrating our content and designing the site, but you can have a sneak peak at http://www.foodsystemsjournal.org. We'll be soliciting your feedback on the new platform in 2017.Thanks for your continued support of JAFSCD. As we begin our seventh year of publication, we look forward to producing many fruitful issues to come!Publisher and Editor in Chief


The current international tax system based upon the principles of source and residence is no longer suited to a globalised world economy, and the fundamentals of the international tax system need to be re-examined. An R+F based cash-flow tax based on the principle of destination has been proposed as a suitable alternative to taxing corporations in an international setting. The aim of this paper is to discuss the legal and practical issues which would arise in the implementation of such a tax, namely how a destination-based tax could be effectively designed and implemented. For this purpose we draw on experiences with designing VAT systems worldwide. It is proposed that the destination principle should be implemented through use of the customers' location as the main legal proxy. We argue that the country where the customer is located has both the substantive jurisdiction to tax, i.e. the legitimacy to impose tax, and enforcement jurisdiction to tax, i.e. the effective legal and implementing means of collecting the proposed tax. As regards enforcement jurisdiction to tax, we propose that a one-stop-shop system similar to that being experimented in VAT as the most effective means of collecting tax. Other potential implementing issues are addressed, namely deductibility of expenses and tax credits, susceptibility to avoidance and fraud, treatment of financial transactions, and treatment of small businesses. We conclude that, if it were applied in an international cooperation setting, it would indeed be legitimate and administratively possible to implement a destination-based corporate tax.


Using Head Start as an example of a compensatory social program based on a liberal egalitarian view of justice, this paper shows how all such programs are fundamentally flawed. In spite of any good intentions, by creating a discourse of deficiency and attempting amelioration through segregation this approach contains the seeds of its own failure. And, indeed, Head Start has floundered since its inception. That there is real need is clear; however, a new way forward is essential. We propose a model, based on social pedagogy, that takes seriously and respectfully the lifeworld of the children and families involved, and works cooperatively to find a way forward for everyone instead of imposing an externally-driven system response to an inadequately understood lifeworld. In addition, this reconceptualization must move beyond the exclusiveness of compensatory programs to inclusiveness of all children and families. This approach offers hope both for a more just social world in general based on deliberative justice as well as attaining goals of student achievement and development.


Because of the inevitable impact factors such as pose, expression, lighting and aging on faces, identity verification through faces is still an unsolved problem. Research on biometrics raises an even challenging problem--is it possible to determine the kinship merely based on face images? A critical observation that faces of parents captured while they were young are more alike their children's compared with images captured when they are old has been revealed by genetics studies. This enlightens us the following research. First, a new kinship database named UB KinFace composed of child, young parent and old parent face images is collected from Internet. Second, an extended transfer subspace learning method is proposed aiming at mitigating the enormous divergence of distributions between children and old parents. The key idea is to utilize an intermediate distribution close to both the source and target distributions to bridge them and reduce the divergence. Naturally the young parent set is suitable for this task. Through this learning process, the large gap between distributions can be significantly reduced and kinship verification problem becomesmore discriminative. Experimental results show that our hypothesis on the role of young parents is valid and transfer learning is effective to enhance the verification accuracy.


Since 1979, British higher education has moved away from a model informed by traditional liberal values. Government now expects universities to serve the instrumental needs of the state. This thesis asks how and why this change was possible, arguing that this was not an inevitable, "natural" response to a modern society's needs but, rather, a central aspect of the neoliberal revolution. It therefore has to be understood ideologically. Given that the Thatcher Governments (1979-1990) exemplify an overtly ideological approach, what happened in political terms to higher education in that period serves as a case study through which to explore two interrelated meanings of ideology: first, ideology as a set of ideas; and, second, as a medium for framing, universalising and transmitting those ideas through selective and partial presentations of reality. I take the work of Marx and certain Marxists as a starting point in understanding ideology and through which to explore how higher education could be requisitioned as an "ideological state apparatus". Speeches and writings of the New Right are considered and an account given of how the Thatcher Governments' higher education policies were enacted, not only in terms of what policy papers and legislation actually stated but - crucially - how they were argued through Parliament. Some of these statements and policies appeared to be contradictory: however, the Thatcher Governments were able to capitalise on this. In conjunction with using the contradictions inherent in the traditional liberal view of higher education, it was possible to recruit ideological agents and "manufacture consent" so that a new ideological relationship between higher education and the state was constructed. I conclude that higher education became from this period onwards an explicitly ideological arm of the state, and that this analysis sheds light both on higher education's current status and on how ideology works.


Objectives: Health personnel have experienced several challenges in the fight against the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). They have experienced problems apart from work life and been forced to make sacrifices. This study was aimed to evaluate the changes in home and family life of health personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Health personnel were reached in the using an electronic environment through social networks and communication applications, and they completed a survey containing 16 multiple choice questions from 9 May 2020 to 15 May 2020. Results: Two thousand and fifty people participated in this study. Five hundred and ninety-one (28.8%) participants were doctors, 903 (44.0%) were nurses, and 556 (27.1%) were other groups of health personnel. Of the 2013 responses, 126 (6.3%) stayed elsewhere continuously, and 198 (9.8%) sometimes stayed at home. Of 1993 responses, 767 (38.5%) did not apply any isolation at home, while 827 (41.5%) continuously implemented isolation measures. Eight hundred and forty (43.4%) of 1937 responses continuously avoided hugging or kissing their partner and/or children. Of 2017 responses, 78 (3.9%) stated that they or at least one of their family members developed the COVID-19 disease. Conclusion: There should be more aware of the difficulties experienced by health personnel outside of work life. The procedures outside of work life for personnel with duties during the pandemic should be discussed. Health management systems should provide more support for health employees on these topics and guide the determined procedures. © 2021 by Anatolian Journal of Family Medicine.


The dissociation of methane on a nickel catalyst is a key step in steam reforming of natural gas for hydrogen production. Despite substantial effort in both experiment and theory, there is still no atomic-scale description of this important gas-surface reaction. We report quantum state–resolved studies, using pulsed laser and molecular beam techniques, of vibrationally excited methane reacting on the nickel (100) surface. For doubly deuterated methane (CD2H2), we observed that the reaction probability with two quanta of excitation in one C-H bond was greater (by as much as a factor of 5) than with one quantum in each of two C-H bonds. These results clearly exclude the possibility of statistical models correctly describing the mechanism of this process and attest to the importance of full-dimensional calculations of the reaction dynamics.


The morphology of healthy podocyte foot processes is necessary for maintaining the characteristics of the kidney filtration barrier. In most forms of glomerular disease, abnormal filter barrier function results when podocytes undergo foot process spreading and retraction by remodeling their cytoskeletal architecture and intercellular junctions during a process known as effacement. The cell adhesion protein nephrin is necessary for establishing the morphology of the kidney podocyte in development by transducing from the specialized podocyte intercellular junction phosphorylation-mediated signals that regulate cytoskeletal dynamics. The present studies extend our understanding of nephrin function by showing that nephrin activation in cultured podocytes induced actin dynamics necessary for lamellipodial protrusion. This process required a PI3K-, Cas-, and Crk1/2-dependent signaling mechanism distinct from the previously described nephrin-Nck1/2 pathway necessary for assembly and polymerization of actin filaments. Our present findings also support the hypothesis that mechanisms governing lamellipodial protrusion in culture are similar to those used in vivo during foot process effacement in a subset of glomerular diseases. In mice, podocyte-specific deletion of Crk1/2 prevented foot process effacement in one model of podocyte injury and attenuated foot process effacement and associated proteinuria in a delayed fashion in a second model. In humans, focal adhesion kinase and Cas phosphorylation - markers of focal adhesion complex-mediated Crk-dependent signaling - was induced in minimal change disease and membranous nephropathy, but not focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Together, these observations suggest that activation of a Cas-Crk1/2-dependent complex is necessary for foot process effacement observed in distinct subsets of human glomerular diseases.


Efficient analysis of event sequences and the ability to answer time-related, clinically important questions can accelerate clinical research in several areas such as causality assessments, decision support systems, and retrospective studies. The Clinical Narrative Temporal Reasoning Ontology (CNTRO)-based system is designed for semantically representing, annotating, and inferring temporal relations and constraints for clinical events in Electronic Health Records (EHR) represented in both structured and unstructured ways. The LifeFlow system is designed to support an interactive exploration of event sequences using visualization techniques. The combination of the two systems will provide a comprehensive environment for users to visualize inferred temporal relationships from EHR data. This paper discusses our preliminary efforts on connecting the two systems and the benefits we envision from such an environment.


Objective Only 31% of Dutch rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-patients visit a rheumatologist within 12 weeks after symptom onset; this is mainly due to delay at the level of the general practitioner (GP). In order to reduce delay of GPs in identifying early arthritis, we initiated an Early Arthritis Recognition Clinic (EARC). Methods EARCs were initiated at the Leiden and Groningen University Medical Centers. At this EARC, patients filled in a questionnaire about their symptoms, followed by a short visit with only a full joint examination by an experienced rheumatologist. If arthritis was present the patient got an appointment the same week at the regular outpatient clinic. The main outcome parameter was the GP-delay; the secondary outcome parameter was the total delay. In both centres, patients included in early arthritis clinics that had arrived via regular referrals served as control group. Results Four hundred patients visited the Leiden EARC and 212 patients the Groningen EARC. Arthritis was detected in 42% and 49% respectively. The median GP-delay for these arthritis patients was 2.0 (0.4–7.3) and 2.0 (0.4–10.0) weeks and the median total delay 8.6 (3.6–22.3) and 10.6 (3.1–30.8) weeks respectively. At these two clinics 59% and 51% of all arthritis patients and 65% and 53% of the patients that were subsequently diagnosed with undifferentiated arthritis or RA were seen within 12 weeks after symptom onset. In the Leiden and Groningen control groups that arrived via regular referrals, only 32% and 38% were seen within 12 weeks time. Conclusions The EARC increased the early identification of arthritis and RA.


Despite the benefits which knowledge management (KM) can bring to construction organisations there appears to be a lack of understanding in relation to both knowledge and its management in practice. In the context of Irish construction, both Engineers Ireland (EI), and the Construction Information Technology Alliance (CITA) have identified KM as important to the future competitiveness of the industry.
The findings of interviews with senior management from ten of the leading Irish construction organisations are presented, having been selected as they are perceived to possess the most advanced organisational processes. Three ontological dimensions were explored; individual, project and organisational, with a view to identifying current approaches to managing knowledge. The findings confirm that these organisations lack a proper understanding of KM, yet recognise the need for a more structured, coherent approach.
The paper proposes the establishment of a strategic framework to improve the understanding of KM within the leading organisations, through a collaborative approach between academia, industry, EI and CITA. A central feature of this framework will be the development of a KM model which will be evaluated by participating organisations for its practicality.


This paper presents an introductory step in the automatic generation of distributed control software for power distribution automation systems based on Ontology Driven Engineering enabled by industrial standards IEC61850 and IEC61499. The novelty of this approach is the ability of automatically generating the logical connections between the logical nodes. The paper covers the several stages of the transformation process, such as developing the IEC61850 ontology and the ontology transformation rules. The developed IEC61850 ontology includes the logical nodes descriptions and additional contextual relations between the logical nodes which is lacking in the IEC61850 SCL configuration language. Then, the IEC61850 ontology is transformed to an existing IEC61499 ontology, adding classes of IEC61850 logical nodes as IEC61499 function blocks in the IEC61499 ontology. The means of the transformation of the ontologies is based on the eSWRL sematic web rules language, an extension to the rule language SWRL. The end result is the development of an IEC61850 ontology and a set of eSWRL rules which facilitates the ontology transformation.


textabstractAbstract
The national Courts of Audit are going through a series of developments [Pollitt & Bouckaert 2004: 73-74]. Traditionally their mission is to check the legality of public expenditures. However, with a legality of almost 100 percent, the Dutch Court of Audit shifted its attention to the efficiency of government spending. The pursuit of efficiency in the public sector is at the heart, too, of the VBTB that can be seen as the Dutch interpretation of the international trend into the direction of performance informed budgeting1. Academically tributary to the body of knowledge of policy analysis and evaluation, the VBTB is making a clear cut distinction between the drafting of the budget and accounting for the budget. The latter is the domain of the Court of Audit, scrutinizing the annual reports of ministries, basically raising three questions:
1.Have we achieved what we intended to achieve?
2.Have we done what we should have done?
3.Has it cost what we expected it would cost?
More precisely, the Court of Audit is looking at the availability as well as the quality of the information provided by government. The findings are submitted to parliament on the third Wednesday of May. In this paper we focus on the interaction between the Court of Audit and the standing committee on Public Expenditures in parliament in charge of the VBTB. In addition, attention will be paid to the utilization of the findings of the Court of Audit in next year's budget.


Worldwide, the majority of workers hold jobs in the informal sector that do not provide access to social insurance programs. We partnered with a savings product provider in Kenya to test the extent to which behavioral interventions and financial incentives can increase the saving rate through a voluntary pension program for informal workers with low and irregular income. Our experiment lasted for six months and included a total of twelve conditions. The control condition received weekly reminders and balance reporting via text messages. The treatment conditions received in addition one of the following interventions: (1) reminder text messages framed as if they came from the participant's kid (2) a golden colored coin with numbers for each week of the trial, on which participants were asked to keep track of their weekly deposits (3) a match of weekly savings: The match was either 10% or 20% up to a certain amount per week. The match was either deposited at the end of each week or the highest possible match was deposited at the start of each week and was adjusted at the end. Among these interventions, by far the most effective was the coin: Those in the coin condition saved on average the highest amount and more than twice as those in the control condition. We hypothesize that being a tangible track-keeping object; the coin made subjects remember to save more often. Our results support the line of literature suggesting that saving decisions involve psychological aspects and that policy makers and product designers should take these influences into account.


Background: Statins cannot be used for some active liver diseases, which limits its application to some extent. The combined use of statins with other drugs may be one of the ways to solve this dilemma. Objective: This research aims to evaluate the effects of atorvastatin combined with Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) on rats with atherosclerosis (AS) complicated with hepatic injury. Materials and Methods: Seventy-two male Wistar rats were randomly categorized into control group (without any intervention, Group A) and AS model groups, which were divided into hepatic injury (Groups B–E) and nonhepatic injury (Groups F–I) groups. Hepatic and nonhepatic injury groups were intragastrically treated with 5.5 mg/kg·d atorvastatin (Group B, F), 200 mg/kg·d PNS (Group C, G), 5.5 mg/kg·d atorvastatin + 200 mg/kg·d PNS (Group D, H), and normal saline (Group E, I). After 8 weeks, total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and serum calcium were analyzed to evaluate the hypolipidemic effect. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, and r-glutamyltransferase levels were measured to assess liver function. The thoracic aortas were used for hematoxylin–eosin staining. Results: In both hepatic injury and nonhepatic injury groups, TC, TG and LDL-C levels significantly decreased in Groups B, D, F, and H. ALT and AST levels significantly increased in Group B, but significantly decreased in Groups C and D. The aortic intima thickness was significantly lower in Groups B, D, F, and H than that in the normal saline group. Conclusion: The combination of atorvastatin and PNS treatment showed a significant hypolipidemic effect and hepatic enzyme stability function. Abbreviations used: PNS: Panax notoginseng saponins; AS: Atherosclerosis; TC: Total cholesterol; TG: Triglyceride; HDL-C: High density lipoprotein-cholesterol; LDL-C: Low density lipoprotein-cholesterol; ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; AST: Aspartate aminotransferase; ALP: Alkaline phosphatase; T-BIL: Total bilirubin; r-GT: R-glutamyltransferase; HE: Hematoxylin–eosin.


Risk Management has an important role in identifying risks to reduce patient safety incidents. However, patient safety incidents are still very high. In 2016, there were 36 cases found at one of the hospitals in Surabaya. It means that it has not met zero-incident as the Hospital targets. The purpose of this study was to analyze the implementation of risk management at one of the hospitals in Surabaya. This study was a quantitative research with a cross-sectional research design which collected data at one time. The sampling technique was done withtotal sampling. The study results showed that 18 working units (81.8%) at the Hospital had implemented the risk identification process very well. Afterward, as many as 17 working units (77.3%) carried out an excellent risk analysis at the Hospital. They have classified types of risks found, and 15 working units (68.2%) at the Hospital have notably performed it. In addition, the risk control process as a follow-up of risk priority among 19 working units (86.4%) has been well-executed. However,risk management should be supported by awareness of all human resources at the Hospital. Thus, a strategy that can be carried out is strengthening collaboration among health workers, so they are integrated to adopt patient safety in accordance with their profession. The implementation of risk management was carried out very well in most of the hospital's working units. Still, the hospital needs more effort to raise awareness of the importance of patient safety.


While smoking is a well‐established risk factor for pancreatic cancer, the effect of smokeless tobacco is less well understood. We used pooled individual data from the Swedish Collaboration on Health Effects of Snus Use to assess the association between Swedish snus use and the risk of pancreatic cancer. A total of 424,152 male participants from nine cohort studies were followed up for risk of pancreatic cancer through linkage to health registers. We used shared frailty models with random effects at the study level, to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted for confounding factors. During 9,276,054 person‐years of observation, 1,447 men developed pancreatic cancer. Compared to never‐snus use, current snus use was not associated with risk of pancreatic cancer (HR 0.96, 95% CI 0.83–1.11) after adjustment for smoking. Swedish snus use does not appear to be implicated in the development of pancreatic cancer in men. Tobacco smoke constituents other than nicotine or its metabolites may account for the relationship between smoking and pancreatic cancer.


Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.E.) precipitated immense historical change in the Mediterranean and Near Eastern worlds. But the resonance his legend achieved over the next two millennia stretched even farther - across foreign cultures, religious traditions, and distant nations.This engaging and handsomely illustrated book gathers together for the first time hundreds of the colourful Alexander legends that have been told and retold around the globe. Richard Stoneman, a foremost expert on the Alexander myths, introduces us first to the historical Alexander and then to the Alexander of legend, an unparalleled mythic icon who came to represent the heroic ideal in cultures from Egypt to Iceland, from Britain to Malaya.Alexander came to embody the concerns of Hellenistic man; he fueled Roman ideas on tyranny and kingship; he was a talisman for fourth-century pagans and a hero of chivalry in the early Middle Ages. He appears in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic writings, frequently as a prophet of God. Whether battling winged foxes or meeting with the Amazons, descending to the underworld or inventing the world's first diving bell, Alexander inspired as a hero, even a god. Stoneman traces Alexander's influence in ancient literature and folklore and in later writings of east and west. His book provides the definitive account of the legends of Alexander the Great - a powerful leader in life and an even more powerful figure in the history of literature and ideas.


"All you need to do is say," a recent article proclaimed, "'I want a beer' and Alexa will oblige. The future is now." Advances in technology have seemingly increased our choices and opened markets to competition. As we migrate from brick-and-mortar shops to online commerce, we seemingly are getting more of what we desire at better prices and quality. And yet, behind the competitive facade, a more complex reality exists. We explore in our book "Virtual Competition" several emerging threats, namely algorithmic collusion, behavioural discrimination, and abuses by dominant super-platforms. But the harm is not just economic. The potential anticompetitive consequences go beyond our pocketbooks. The toll will likely be on our privacy, well-being and democracy.
To see why, this Article examines the emerging frontier of digital personal assistants. These helpers are being developed by the leading online platforms: Google Assistant, Apple's Siri, Facebook's M, and Amazon's Alexa-powered Echo. These super-platforms are heavily investing to improve their offerings. For those of us who grew up watching The Jetsons, the prospect of our own personal helper might seem marvelous. And yet, despite their promise, can personalized digital assistants actually reduce our welfare? Might their rise reduce the number of gateways to the digital world, increase the market power of a few firms, and limit competition? And if so, what are the potential social, political, and economic concerns?
Our Article seeks to address these questions. We show how network effects, big data, and big analytics will likely undermine attempts to curtail a digital assistant's power, and will likely allow it to operate below the regulatory and antitrust radar screens. As a result, rather than advance our overall welfare, these digital assistants - if left to their own devices - can undermine our welfare.


Gaussian Processes (GPs) provide powerful probabilistic frameworks for interpolation, forecasting, and smoothing, but have been hampered by computational scaling issues. Here we investigate data sampled on one dimension (e.g., a scalar or vector time series sampled at arbitrarily-spaced intervals), for which state-space models are popular due to their linearly-scaling computational costs. It has long been conjectured that state-space models are general, able to approximate any one-dimensional GP. We provide the first general proof of this conjecture, showing that any stationary GP on one dimension with vector-valued observations governed by a Lebesgue-integrable continuous kernel can be approximated to any desired precision using a specifically-chosen state-space model: the Latent Exponentially Generated (LEG) family. This new family offers several advantages compared to the general state-space model: it is always stable (no unbounded growth), the covariance can be computed in closed form, and its parameter space is unconstrained (allowing straightforward estimation via gradient descent). The theorem's proof also draws connections to Spectral Mixture Kernels, providing insight about this popular family of kernels. We develop parallelized algorithms for performing inference and learning in the c ©2021 Jackson Loper, David Blei, John P. Cunningham, Liam Paninski. License: CC-BY 4.0, see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Attribution requirements are provided at http://jmlr.org/papers/v22/21-0072.html. Loper, Blei, Cunningham, and Paninski LEG model, test the algorithm on real and synthetic data, and demonstrate scaling to datasets with billions of samples.