This book sets out to investigate the wealth of the artistic production that developed in Central Europe (Austria and Bohemia in particular) in the first half of the 19th century, when Biedermeier appeared as an original attempt to give rise to a "universal" stylistic expression. Its simplicity of line, rigorous and simple although not lacking in elegance and refinement, the appearance of the first craft productions based on standard models and its unquestionable modernity all make Biedermeier the first example of design, the undisputed point of breakdown between Classicism and Modernism. Indeed, it is considered on the most fascinating genres of the 19th century. The volume offers a 360 view of Central European production using more than 300 objects of extraordinary originality, quality and workmanship from the National Gallery and Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts of Prague and from major Bohemian museums. Paintings, furnishings, sculptures, drawings, graphic works, artistic craftsmanship, jewels, ceramics and glassware that decorated the homes of gentry and bourgeois, miniatures, daguerreotypes... Remarkable pieces such as the refined lady's desk, designed and constructed in the workshop of the most important creator of Biedermeier furniture, the Viennese Josef Danhauser (1780- 1829), and a beautiful lyre- shaped secretaire with walnut veneer and musical motif carvings that overcome the ostentation of Empire style.


ABSTRACT The natural environment is increasingly incorporated into social work research, policy, and frameworks for practice in recognition of the importance of ecological justice and the interconnectedness of humans with nature. However, it is unclear to what degree social work education has broadened its scope to include the natural world. Using a content analysis of 937 subject descriptions within Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work (Qualifying) degrees, this article reports on the extent to which Australian social work education appears to cover content related to the natural environment. The findings from this study indicate there is an overall lack of engagement with this content. Reasons for this gap in social work education are discussed, as well as the implications for Australian social work education more broadly.


Autonomous vehicles (AVs) are closer to becoming a reality in changing the landscape of commercial and personal transportation. The launch of these vehicles come with the promise of improved road safety, reduced traffic fatalities, and enhanced mobility. However, there are questions as to whether the design of AVs will meet the needs of everyone, including people with disabilities and older adults. We argue that there exists no conceptual model that guide sthe inclusive design of autonomous vehicles to benefit all intended users. This paper proposes such a model, called the User Transportation-Activity Technology (UTT) model, which supports the inclusive design of AVs. We present a review of current models of assistive technology design and their drawbacks followed by an introduction of the UTT model and its application in AV design. This paper may benefit researchers, designers, and developers of autonomous vehicles interested in addressing accessible design issues in such vehicles.


Two-phase flow in faults is complex and difficult to predict. To analyse the effect of fault zones on fluid flow, this article presents a hierarchical geological/numerical framework aimed at simulating two-phase flow. The starting point is that fault zones consist of structures at several length scales, with each scale represented by suitable techniques within the same numerical model. A series of two-phase flow simulation experiments was conducted on four geological cases: one reference case with undeformed host rock and three cases with increasingly more complexity added to them. All the structures consist of lower permeability fault rocks in a high permeability host rock. The simulations were performed using an in-house flow simulator. The fault core (large scale) was modelled explicitly through local grid refinement, the subsidiary faults (intermediate scale) were represented in a discrete manner, while an upscaling procedure captured the effect of the deformation bands (fine scale). The simulation results show that each scale has a significant effect on the saturation, pressure drop and oil production, and that capillary pressure and anisotropic permeability are important parameters. The results emphasize the importance of the scale-dependent approach for analysing the effect of faults on two-phase flow.


This review focuses on the application of technologically advanced methods of audiovisual distraction as adjunct analgesic techniques, more specifically (1) Virtual Reality (VR) and (2) A/V eyeglass systems (A/V distraction). It is assumed that distraction taxes the patient's limited attention capacity, resulting in the withdrawal of attention from the noxious stimulus with a subsequent reduction in pain. Twenty studies evaluating the analgesic potential of both methods in different patient groups and in healthy volunteers were identified in the scientific literature. Although the majority of these studies are hampered by serious methodological drawbacks, particularly a small number of participants, the results nevertheless strongly suggest that both VR and A/V distraction can be a very promising analgesic technique that may be used safely and effectively for the reduction of pain and discomfort during medical procedures. An additional important aspect is that hardly any negative side effects have been reported. Finally, directions for future research are presented.


PURPOSE
To assess the general morphology and position of the lamina cribrosa (LC) in healthy subjects using enhanced depth imaging-optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT).

METHODS
Serial horizontal and vertical B-scans of the optic nerve head (interval between images, approximately 30 μm) were prospectively obtained using EDI-OCT for both eyes of each healthy subject. After delineation of the anterior laminar surface, mean and maximum LC depths were measured in 11 equally spaced horizontal B-scans, and the depth of the anterior LC insertion was measured at 32 points along its circumference (reference plane, Bruch's membrane edges) for one randomly selected eye of each subject. Three-dimensional (3D) images of the anterior laminar surface and the peripapillary sclera were reconstructed from serial horizontal EDI-OCT B-scans to assess the 3D morphology of the anterior laminar surface.

RESULTS
Among the 61 eyes (61 subjects) enrolled, 31 were excluded because of poor LC image quality, and 30 were included for analysis (mean age, 40 ± 18 [range, 21-78] years). Both mean and maximum LC depth profiles showed an elevation in the central area and a depression in the superior and inferior midperiphery of the LC. The anterior LC insertion was more posteriorly located in the superior and inferior than in the nasal and temporal regions. Three-dimensional LC images showed a bowtie-shaped horizontal central ridge of the LC.

CONCLUSIONS
The LC has a central ridge ranging from the temporal to the nasal insertion areas and inserts more posteriorly in the superior and inferior than in the nasal and temporal regions. Further investigation is needed to elucidate the significance of these findings in the pathophysiology of glaucoma.


The concept of nuclear waste forms based on minerals that contain actinides has led to the development of polyphase and special-purpose crystalline ceramics. These ceramics are considered by many to be attractive media for the long-term storage of actinides in geological repositories. The available data show that monazite, pyrochlore, zircon, and zirconolite are all highly durable in both natural and synthetic aqueous systems at low temperatures. In comparison, perovskite is prone to dissolution and conversion to anatase and other secondary alteration products. The titanate and silicate phases of interest become metamict (amorphous) as a result of irradiation. Several compounds, including monazite, cubic zirconia, and the defect fluorite structure types with Zr on the B site, exhibit the attractive property of radiation "resistance." These results, together with other materials properties, are discussed briefly with respect to criteria for waste form performance.


Langmuir layers of side-chain liquid-crystalline poly(maleic acid-alt-1-alkene)s (SCLCPs) with biphenyl mesogens were studied on water subphases but were also transferred by the use of the Langmuir-Blodgett technique. Brewster angle microscopy showed that the SCLCPs with methoxybiphenyl mesogens strongly aggregate on the water subphase and form islands, which merge upon compression. In contrast, SCLCPs with cyanobiphenyl mesogens spread nicely and compression of these polymers resulted in the formation of triple layers. Langmuir monolayers of SCLCPs with methoxybiphenyl mesogens show Z-type transfer. Atomic force microscopy and X-ray reflectivity measurements of the resulting Langmuir-Blodgett monoand/or multilayers indicate that the side chains of these polymers are possibly tilted. The multilayers have a double layer periodicity, which requires a reorientation of the side chains during or after transfer. Annealing of these Langmuir-Blodgett films resulted in an increase of the mean film thickness and a more uniform d spacing within the multilayer. With atomic force microscopy droplets were observed on top of the multilayer, indicating dewetting of the upper layers.


The classification of tumoral masses and normal breast tissue is targeted. A mass detection algorithm which does not refer explicitly to shape, border, size, contrast or texture of mammographic suspicious regions is evaluated. In the present approach, classification features are embodied by the image representation used to encode suspicious regions. Classification is performed by means of a support vector machine (SVM) classifier. To investigate whether improvements can be achieved with respect to a previously proposed overcomplete wavelet image representation, a pixel and a discrete wavelet image representations are developed and tested. Evaluation is performed by extracting 6000 suspicious regions from the digital database for screening mammography (DDSM) collected by the University of South Florida (USF). More specifically, 1000 regions representing
biopsy-proven tumoral masses (either benign or malignant) and 5000 regions representing normal breast tissue are extracted. Results demonstrate very high performance levels.
The area Az under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve reaches values of 0.973 +/- 0.002, 0.948 +/- 0.004 and 0.956 +/- 0.003 for the pixel, discrete wavelet and overcomplete wavelet image representations, respectively. In particular, the improvement in the Az value with the pixel image representation is statistically significant compared to that obtained with the discrete wavelet and overcomplete wavelet image representations (two-tailed p-value < 0.0001). Additionally, 90% true positive fraction (TPF) values are achieved with false positive fraction (FPF) values of 6%, 11% and 7%, respectively.


This dissertation investigates the influence of economic integration through trade on several aspects of economic activity. The aim is to obtain empirical evidence on whether and how trade integration affects economic activity, and to provide theoretical frameworks to organise and understand the empirical findings. Since trade liberalization and regional integration agreements are the main tools through which the extent of integration can be influenced by policy makers, they are of particular interest throughout the analysis. In the first substantive chapter, I analyse the role of proximity to product markets in explaining the variation of regional per capita income in the European Union. Using a New Economic Geography model, I derive an econometric specification relating income levels to a trade cost and price index weighted sum of the surrounding locations' GDP. I estimate this specification for a sample of 193 EU regions for 1975-1997 and find an important role for market access. However, its main benefits seem to come from increased incentives for physical and human capital accumulation and not through direct trade cost savings. In the second chapter, I extend the analysis of the importance of geographic position and the extent of market integration to the developing world. In particular, I point out that economic geography plays an important role in explaining levels of industrialization in developing countries. First, good access to developed countries' product markets seems to be beneficial for industrialization. Second, geographic position also plays an important role in determining a country's comparative advantage and thus its sectoral specialization. Finally, the last chapter shifts the focus of analysis from the macro-to the micro-level by analysing the impact of trade liberalization on firm-level behaviour. Specifically, I use the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement of 1989 as a natural experiment to show that trade liberalization leads to an increase in mergers and acquisitions activity. I also provide evidence that resources are transferred from less to more productive firms in the process and that the magnitude of the overall transfer is quantitatively important.


Objectivity is an inherently complex philosophical concept and, as such, it is a continually recurring theme in philosophical and jurisprudential debates. One of the fundamental questions, still surrounded in controversy, is whether objectivity is a 'self-generated' universal concept that transcends local discourse. If so, how can it be philosophically justifiable, and what part, if any, does the jurisprudential debate play in such a discourse? Although these questions may appear a bit naive nowadays, they express the ambitions and power of the concept of objectivity. On one hand, it represents the desire for truth, akin to Kant's 'things in themselves', something fixed and eternal. On the more negative side, objectivity interpreted as the narration of a timeless universal truth is associated with its power to impose authority from above.

In 'The Structure of Scientific Revolution', Thomas Kuhn claimed: 'that there is no representation of facts without an observatory language, and there is no observatory language which is 'theory free'. Under this system, a rejection of objectivity in its strong sense seems inevitable. In line with this way of thinking, social sciences have adopted the concept of intersubjectivity in place of objectivity, which seems better suited to humanities in general. Law and legal discourse, however, which play central roles in organizing human society, remain strongly committed to the notion of objectivity, despite all the controversy that surrounds it. The rationale behind this is far from straightforward. It is not at all clear whether law has a distinctive type of objectivity, separate from scientific epistemic methods, or whether legal discourse has its own specificity that influences legal objectivity. If either of these are true, we have to ask what it is for law to be objective and whether objectivity is suitable for law, given its contested and changeable nature. If objectivity is somehow necessary for law, we also need to ascertain whether there is just one type of objectivity or different types of objectivity that meet its requirements. These questions are all addressed in the book.

The main aim of this edited collection of essays is to contribute to the debate on legal objectivity. The authors address the debates on the status of law and judicial discourse separately and the papers can be roughly divided into two categories. Articles in the first category focus on the general debate over metaphysical objectivity (by Pazdziora, Berdisova, Pichlak and Rodak). Articles in the second category form part of the debate over the possibility of epistemologically objective procedures (by Pieniazek, Denaro, Sena, Cercel, Marrani, Breda, and Szerletcs).


Curiously, the benthic foraminifer, Nonionella stella, found in the upper 3 cm of sediments collected off California at a depth of ;600 m, retains chloroplasts. We examined the origin and physiological function of the organelles within the host cell. Transmission electron micrographs, fluorescence and absorption spectra, Western blots, and enzyme assays revealed that the chloroplasts were intact and retained functionality for up to 1 year after sample collection. 16S rDNA gene sequences established that the plastids were derived from diatoms closely related to Skeletonema costatum and Odontella sinensis. Western blots of three major chloroplast proteins (ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase [RuBisCO], the D1 protein, and the fucoxanthin chlorophyll a protein complex) confirmed that the organelle retained both nuclear and chloroplast encoded proteins, which suggests that the turnover of the plastid machinery is extremely low. Moreover, the two carboxylating enzymes examined, RuBisCO and phosphoenol pyruvate carboxylase, retained catalytic activity. Three hypotheses regarding the function of sequestered chloroplasts in deep‐sea foraminifera were considered: (1) the organelles are photosynthetic under extremely low irradiance levels, (2) the organelles utilize exogenous substrates to generate an electrochemical gradient that permits chemoautrophy in the dark, and (3) they are used for the assimilation of inorganic nitrogen. Our results suggest that the chloroplasts are used to meet the nitrogen requirements of the host. Immunolocalization of the nuclear encoded protein, nitrate reductase, supports this hypothesis. This protein is widely distributed in photoautotrophs but is not encoded in eukaryotic protists such as foraminifera.


Liver biopsy is a very common, but invasive procedure for diagnosing liver disease. However, such a biopsy may result in severe complications and in some cases even death. Therefore, it would be highly desirable to develop a non-invasive method which would provide the same amount of information on staging of the disease and also the location of pathologies. This thesis describes the implementation of such a non-invasive method for visualizing and quantifying liver function by the combination of MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), image reconstruction, and image analysis, and pharmacokinetic modeling. The first attempt involved automatic segmentation, functional clustering (k-means) and classification (kNN) of in-data (liver, spleen and blood vessel segments) in the pharmacokinetic model. However, after implementing and analyzing this method some important issues were identified and the image segmentation method was therefore revised. The segmentation method that was subsequently developed involved a semi-automatic procedure, based on a modified image forest transform (IFT). The data were then simulated and optimized using a pharmacokinetic model describing the pharmacokinetics of the liver specific contrast agent Gd-EOB-DTPA in the human body. The output from the modeling procedure was then further analyzed, using a least-squares method, in order to assess liver function by estimating the fractions of hepatocytes, extracellular extravascular space (EES) and blood plasma in each voxel of the image. The result were in fair agreement with literature values, although further analyses and developments will be required in order to validate and also to confirm the accuracy of the method.


Dairy operations in California were assumed in 2004 to be major sources of Reactive Organic Gas (ROG) and therefore, ozone formation in the Central Valley. In 2005 this project was proposed to determine the specific sources and components of ROG in emissions from dairies. An advisory group of public agency, industry and academic members was formed to develop the initial plan and supervise revisions in accordance with initial results. Six dairies were selected to be sampled three times each year to evaluate facility and seasonal differences. Ambient air samples were collected initially to identify specific ROG components and develop analytical methods for dairy air samples. The initial data indicated the predominance of alcohols in feed components of dairy ROG emissions and a sampling program was designed to focus on those while also monitoring other dairy ROG sources. The sampling program was conducted by Dr. Charles Krauter at CSU Fresno. The corresponding analytical program was administered by Dr. Donald Blake at UC Irvine. After review of the initial data, in 2006, the advisory group revised the sampling program to reflect the discovery that alcohols from the feeding operations, rather than manure management appeared to be the most significant ROG source. The six dairies were sampled three times from June, 2007 through July, 2008. The highest flux rates were for silage and feed with an average flux rate of 4,229 μg/m/minute from the vertical silage pile face and 19,170 μg/m/minute for loose, disturbed silage used for mixing feed. Fluxes from feed were 15,022 μg/m/min when first placed in the feed bunker, though the rate decreased to 2,929 μg/m/min as it was consumed. Flux rates for the flush lanes were considerably lower with a rate of 353 μg/m/min prior to the flushing operation that decreased further to 21 μg/m/min after the flush. Open lots and exercise corrals were similar to the flush lanes. Areas of the corrals where the manure pack was relatively deep had flux rates of 243 μg/m/min. while the shallow manure pack in the open lots averaged 102 μg/m/min. The anticipated seasonal effects appear to be less significant than expected. Only emissions from the open lots correlate with surface temperatures, increasing in the summer and declining in winter. When the areas represented by each of these operations were applied to the flux values, it became apparent that feed was the dominant (60%) ROG source, followed by the open lots (25%), flush lanes (8%) and silage piles (7%). These proportions were calculated as an example of a fictitious dairy that was a composite of the six sampled facilities. These percentages would vary when calculated from actual fluxes and facility dimensions but feed would probably remain the dominant source of ROG. After this California Air Resources Board (CARB) supported project began, several related projects were added to the sampling program at the six dairies. Additional sampling and analytical systems were added as well as the collection of data related to nitrogen compounds, lagoon emissions, land application emissions, silage, feed, manure, soil and compost materials. These related projects are still in progress. Only data related to the CARB contract is complete and reported here. A comprehensive report of all projects related to sampling at these six dairies and other sites will be prepared at the end of 2009.


Several thousand incised graffiti adorn the sandstone walls of the Great Enclosure at Musawwarat es Sufra (Sudan), a unique sacral building complex dating to the Meroitic period (c. 270BC-AD350) of the Kingdom of Kush. The often finely incised informal inscriptions and images – rare evidence of non-official art and ritual practice – are threatened by accelerated weathering and the negative side effects of increased tourism. Several past attempts at documenting the hitherto unpublished graffiti corpus have been hampered by limitations inherent in traditional photographic and other graphic recording techniques. In 2009 white light scanning was tested on some graffiti with good results, but its high cost and the loss of important colour information limited its application. In 2011 low-cost Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), which captures surface details in different lighting conditions, was tested on a large sample of graffiti. RTI is based on traditional raking light photography, where multiple images are taken from a fixed camera position using a light source that is moved between exposures. Results of the recording exercise are extremely encouraging although the outdoor field conditions posed various challenges, such as the restriction of the ideal hemispherical movement of the light source (i.e. the flash) due to walls or the ground as well as the sheer impossibility to prevent camera movement due to strong gusts of wind. Nevertheless, several hundred graffiti were captured and processed during the past field season, contributing to the virtual preservation of the graffiti corpus. The processed RTI images can be viewed using open source viewer-software, which offers various visualisation tools. These display even finest graffiti detail that can be studied under different lighting conditions and surface rendering modes. It is planned to make the processed RTI images available for study via the open access Musawwarat Graffiti Archive.


In this paper, I discuss, from a policy perspective, the relation between environmental institutions and transaction costs. I stress the importance of environmental institutions in providing decisive information, i.e. information that induces changes in behaviour, and thereby facilitates environmentally sound choices. If the objective is to put the economy on a sustainable path, I suggest that environmental institutions are one efficient means to loosen informational and political constraints in environmental policy, and, hence, that investment in environmental institutions is justified. The rationale is that environmental institutions direct the economy to a path where percentage growth in GDP is less wasteful. Expressions of environmental institutions - consumer awareness, producer responsibility and environmental organisations - are also discussed in order to make the discussion more tangible, i.e. how these provide decisive information.


The notion that an "invisible hand" operates to enhance "the wealth of nations" suggests that, over time, judicially-produced rules progress toward efficiency as a byproduct of biases governing the selection of cases that are litigated. The decision to litigate a case involves a balancing of the costs of litigation with the potential gains of litigation. Arguably, because small stakes tend to be dominated by litigation costs, and because inefficient laws created by prior judicial rulings (precedent) tend to involve higher stakes than efficient laws, disputes governed by inefficient laws may be litigated with greater frequency than those governed by efficient laws, resulting in natural propulsion toward a state of economic efficiency. The decision to litigate a dispute, however, involves not only a balancing of pecuniary costs with pecuniary stakes. Rather, a host of psychological (and emotional) variables pervades such balancing. These variables, and their role in the common law evolution toward efficiency, are the subjects of this paper. Attorneys whose cases failed to settle and proceeded through litigation have been interviewed for the purpose of examining the prevalence of certain psychological factors involved in the decision to litigate. Findings suggest that variables extraneous to the pecuniary costs and stakes of litigation, such as acrimony, stubbornness, acting on the basis of principle, and disinclination to treat property rights as readily commensurable with cash, are indeed prominent in cases that resulted in failed settlements.


We present a knowledge-rich methodology for disambiguating Wikipedia categories with WordNet synsets and using this semantic information to restructure a taxonomy automatically generated from the Wikipedia system of categories. We evaluate against a manual gold standard and show that both category disambiguation and taxonomy restructuring perform with high accuracy. Besides, we assess these methods on automatically generated datasets and show that we are able to effectively enrich WordNet with a large number of instances from Wikipedia. Our approach produces an integrated resource, thus bringing together the fine-grained classification of instances in Wikipedia and a well-structured top-level taxonomy from WordNet.


2-Acetyl-7-oxo-1, 2, 3, 4, 4a, 4b, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, lOa-dodecahydrophenanthrene possesses androgenic activity when applied directly to the chick's comb. This action is in addition to the antiandrogenic activity previously reported for this compound. This is the first demonstration of androgenic activity by a compound not possessing the steroid nucleus.


Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality secondary to ischaemic heart disease and stroke. Evidence surrounding cardiac arrhythmia is limited and conflicting. We aimed to test the hypothesis that patients with OSA have an increased frequency of nocturnal cardiac arrhythmias compared to those without OSA. Secondly, to determine if CPAP reduces the frequency of OSA associated arrhythmias. Methods: 61 patients with an AHI 20 events/hr (moderate to severe OSA) were included from consecutive referrals for suspected OSA. 28 patients with moderate-severe OSA returned for further overnight study with CPAP. The electrocardiogram from polysomnography (PSG) was reviewed for cardiac arrhythmias whilst blinded to subject group. Results: Significantly more subjects in the OSA group had arrhythmia compared with the no-OSA group (74% vs. 56%, p<0.05). Significantly more subjects in the OSA group exhibited ventricular premature complexes (VPCs) (18% vs. 5%, p<0.05). Stepwise multiple linear regression found OSA was the only significant independent predictor for VPCs. There was no significant difference in the percentage of subjects identified with non-sustained ventricular tachycardia, atrial premature complexes, atrial fibrillation, or heart block. There was no significant difference in arrhythmia with CPAP. Conclusion: Individuals with moderate or severe OSA are at increased risk of VPCs, which may predispose this group to further significant cardiac arrhythmias, and subsequently be a contributory factor to the increased morbidity and mortality seen in this patient group.


We propose an observation-driven dynamic factor model for mixed-measurement and mixed-frequency panel data. Time series observations may come from a range of families of distributions, be observed at different frequencies, have missing observations, and exhibit common dynamics and cross-sectional dependence due to shared dynamic latent factors. A feature of our model is that the likelihood function is known in closed form. This enables parameter estimation using standard maximum likelihood methods. We adopt the new framework for signal extraction and forecasting of macro, credit, and loss given default risk conditions for U.S. Moody's-rated firms from January 1982 to March 2010.


Intrinsic protein folding pathways are modulated by molecular chaperones, such as the diverse group of heat shock proteins (Hsps). Among these is the small heat shock protein (sHsp) family which in the mammalian genome consists of 10 low molecular weight (15-30kDa) members. The sHsps have classical chaperone functions but additionally contribute to pathways that protect against cellular stresses, maintain the cytoskeleton, prevent protein aggregation and regulate apoptosis. They contain a characteristic C-terminal ?-crystallin domain, which is exclusive to the sHsp family. In addition to their constitutive expression under physiological (non-disease) conditions, they are also induced under conditions of stress/heat shock which is thought to play a role in response to protein misfolding that underpins disease. There are a wide range of diseases in which the sHsps function or are dysfunctional by mutations, such as neurodegenerative disorders, cataract, and desmin related myopathy. Each of the 10 sHsps is believed to have a unique expression profile. Seven of the sHsps are expressed in heart and muscle, but little is known about their precise expression and/or physiological role in the CNS. In the present study the expression of the mammalian sHsps in various mouse tissues including the brain was investigated. This provided evidence for the constitutive expression of 4 sHsps in the brain. In situ hybridization using naive adult mice revealed a distinct white matter (oligodendrocyte) specific expression pattern for HspB5 (?Bcrystallin). HspB1 (Hsp25) and HspB8 (Hsp22) demonstrated overlapping expression in the lateral and dorsal ventricles of the brain, as well as expression in a distinct set of motor neurons in the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Further, cellular immunostaining and subfractionation of brain tissue supports a distinct cellular and subcellular protein expression of HspB1, HspB5, HspB6 (Hsp20) and HspB8 in the brain. Both HspB5 and HspB6 were enriched in the myelin fraction. In view of the potential for induction of these sHsps by stress and modulation in chronic brain diseases we systematically investigated the sHsp signature in two distinct models of intracellular (R6/2) and extracellular (ME7) proteinopathies. These models recapitulate key features of Huntington's and prion disease, respectively. Analysis of the sHsps in the R6/2 Huntington's disease (HD) mouse model showed a specific down-regulation of HspB5 in the white matter at all time points analyzed. All other sHsps investigated did not change in this model of HD. Analysis of the sHsps in ME7 prion disease showed up-regulation of HspB1, HspB5 and HspB8 in the hippocampus. For HspB1, this was selective to an anatomically defined sub-population of astrocytes distributed in the stratum radiatum. In contrast, all GFAP positive astrocytes throughout the hippocampus exhibited induced expression of HspB5 and HspB8. Based on QT-PCR data, the changes in expression of the sHsps in either model was not under transcriptional control, suggesting translation/posttranslational regulation. The differing results in the two models suggest that the presence of intracellular (R6/2) or extracellular (ME7) aggregates may dictate the sHsp response associated with non-neuronal cells. In view of the emerging significance of non-neuronal cells in chronic diseases the data supports adaptive and differential responses that might contribute to and/or provide a route to therapy of distinct aspects of neurodegeneration.


This study identifies longitudinal patterns of institutional placement to understand experiences in the juvenile justice system. We used monthly calendar data from the Pathways to Desistance study (N = 1,354), which focuses on understanding how serious adolescent offenders desist from antisocial activity. Youth between 14 and 18 years of age were followed for 7 years. We used group-based trajectory modeling to identify longitudinal patterns of institutional placement. We also examined bivariate and multivariate associations between our identified groups and demographic, legal, and extralegal factors. We chose the 4-group solution, which reflected a pattern of steady time in the community (33.3%), and three patterns of youth spending varying (22.5%), declining (24.4%), and steady high (18.8%) time in placement. Significant differences between groups suggest that youth from the most disadvantaged contexts and those who were most likely to have trouble in school and live in disorganized neighborhoods spent the most time in placement.


Current research on historical project data is rarely touching on the subject of security related information. Learning how security is treated in projects and which parts of a software are historically security relevant or prone to security changes can enhance the security strategy of a software project. We present a mining methodology for security related changes by modifying an existing method of software repository analysis. We use the gathered security changes to find out more about the nature of security in the FreeBSD project and we try to establish a link between the identified security changes and a tracker for security issues (security advisories). We give insights how security is presented in the FreeBSD project and show how the mined data and known security problems are connected.


Nitrate is an important nutrient and signalling molecule to plants. As it is taken up and assimilated, reduced forms of N accumulate and the expression of many genes associated with nitrate assimilation are repressed. Little is known about the mechanisms involved in this N repression. This project, for the first time, adopts a chemical genetics approach to investigate the feedback regulatory pathway that links the plant's N status to expression of the NRT2.1 nitrate transporter gene. A novel chemical screening platform was developed that was designed to be used in conjunction with Arabidopsis lines expressing luciferase reporter genes in roots. This semi-hydroponic platform allows roots to be exposed to a variety of nutrient treatments in a 96-well plate format suitable for chemical genetic screens. This was combined with a newly developed 'ice capture' method that provided a rapid and efficient way to harvest root material for the luciferase assay. Using this screening platform in conjunction with a nitrate-inducible luciferase reporter line, pNRT2.1::LUC, three chemical libraries, containing 7420 bioactive molecules were screened in duplicate for compounds that antagonise N repression of luminescence. The screen identified a plant-derived alkaloid, camptothecin, that enhanced pNRT2.1::LUC expression under N-repressive conditions. The positive effect of camptothecin on expression of the endogenous NRT2.1 gene was confirmed using real-time PCR and shown to extend to other N-repressed genes of the nitrate assimilatory pathway. Camptothecin is known to target topoisomerase I, an enzyme that is increasingly being linked to a role in chromatin re-modelling, in addition to its more familiar roles in DNA replication and repair. The possible epigenetic role of topoisomerase I in repression of NRT2.1 and other genes of the nitrate assimilatory pathway is discussed. It was also observed that an arginine treatment strongly stimulated pNRT2.1::LUC in the luciferase assay, in a nitrate-dependent manner. Since this effect was not observed at the mRNA level, it is hypothesised that arginine was acting on pNRT2.1 expression at a post-transcriptional level.


People with mental health problems are increasingly using social media to disclose their experiences or to seek help. Recent research has suggested that peer support plays a critical role in achieving better health outcomes for these individuals. However, little is known about the experiences and perceptions of the peers who are expected to provide this support. In this paper, I investigate how student peers recognize, perceive, and support others who describe mental health-related challenges on social media. Online survey (N=227) and interviews (N=20) revealed that a considerable number of people did not proactively support where they could identify others at risk through stigmatized content, unusual online activities, or a gap between online and offline identity. I found that social stigma, fatigue, and susceptibility often hampered social support. I outline the implications of using social media as a supportive platform, and discuss opportunities for using design to enhance the peers' social support experiences.


Pseudomonas moraviensis AN-5 isolated from contaminated sludge could utilize aniline as a sole carbon and nitrogen source. The aniline degradation by cells immobilized in alginate, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyurethane foam (PUF) was significantly better than freely suspended cells. The immobilized AN-5 degraded aniline nearly completely at the initial concentration of 22 mM by 48 hr of incubation. Compared to other binding materials, PUF-immobilized cells were more stable in aniline biodegradation in reused cycles. Moreover, immobilized cells could be stored for three months at 4 o C with little reduction of the aniline degradation capacity. These results revealed that PUF-immobilized P. moraviensis AN-5cells has enhanced aniline biodegradation activity. Citation: Ha Danh Duc, Bui Minh Triet, 2017. Biodegradation of aniline by freely suspended and immobilized Pseudomonas moraviensis AN-5. Tap chi Sinh hoc, 39(3): 303-308. DOI:  10.15625/0866-7160 /v39n3.9630. *Corresponding author: firstname.lastname@example.com Received 11 April 2017, accepted 20 August 2017


Much research on nonresponse and attrition is concerned with estimating the effect nonresponse has on point estimates. Most substantive research, however, aims to draw conclusions on relationships between variables. How nonresponse and attrition affect relationships between variables has received only marginal attention in the literature. Using data from the Swiss Household Panel (SHP), this study examines the extent to which attrition affects the parameters of multiple regression equations. By comparing models run on the full sample from the first wave of the SHP to the subsample that will continue to participate and the subsample that will drop out in later waves, we assess how coefficients from OLS regressions are affected by the selectiveness of the sample. Our models relating
to two well-researched topics, time spent on housework and political participation, produce comparable coefficients for the full sample and the two subsamples in terms of signs and significance, although one coefficient in the model on housework differed significantly in size. Implications for cross-sectional analyses of longitudinal data are discussed.


This paper investigates the adsorption behavior of triblock copolymer Poly (propylene oxide)-poly (ethylene oxide)-poly (propylene oxide), PPO-PEO-PPO on silicon and iron surfaces by using the contact angle goniometer, spectroscopic ellipsometer and atomic force microscopy (AFM). After adsorption, the decrease of water contact angle was observed on each surface; and a larger reduction of water contact angle occurred on the surface covered by the copolymer film with longer and higher weight percent of hydrophilic PEO block. This means that the PEO block may be on the top of the adsorbed copolymer film. The film thickness measurement shows that the copolymer with longer and higher weight percent of PPO block forms a thicker film on the hydrophobic surface, which suggests that the hydrophobic PPO block of the copolymer in the aqueous solution plays the main role during the adsorption of PPO-PEO-PPO onto the hydrophobic surface. It has been found from the AFM results that the roughness of the surface decreased after adsorption and the smoother topography was observed on the surface adsorbed by a thicker adsorbed film.


It was for a long time the norm for scholars to discuss "prophecy" and "divination" as if the two were separate and opposing categories. It is now increasingly recognized that prophecy is simply one type of divination. A study of the full range of biblical portrayals of women engaging in divinatory activity—introduced ever so briefly here—offers a different picture than can be provided by considering any one type in isolation. This article demonstrates the point through a case study. It was common throughout Israel and the rest of the ancient Near East for kings to consult diviners, and we see many stories reflecting this in the Bible. There are only two stories, however, in which kings consult female diviners. Because one of these involves a necromancer and the other a prophet, they have not been treated as generically related. Reading the two stories together, as different expressions of the same broader phenomenon, offers a new perspective on each.


Abstract. Borneo contains some of the world's most biodiverse and carbon-dense tropical
forest, but this 750 000 km2 island has lost 62 % of its
old-growth forests within the last 40 years. Efforts to protect and restore
the remaining forests of Borneo hinge on recognizing the ecosystem services
they provide, including their ability to store and sequester carbon. Airborne
laser scanning (ALS) is a remote sensing technology that allows forest
structural properties to be captured in great detail across vast geographic
areas. In recent years ALS has been integrated into statewide assessments of
forest carbon in Neotropical and African regions, but not yet in Asia. For
this to happen new regional models need to be developed for estimating carbon
stocks from ALS in tropical Asia, as the forests of this region are
structurally and compositionally distinct from those found elsewhere in the
tropics. By combining ALS imagery with data from 173 permanent forest plots
spanning the lowland rainforests of Sabah on the island of Borneo, we
develop a simple yet general model for estimating forest carbon stocks using
ALS-derived canopy height and canopy cover as input metrics. An advanced
feature of this new model is the propagation of uncertainty in both ALS- and
ground-based data, allowing uncertainty in hectare-scale estimates of carbon
stocks to be quantified robustly. We show that the model effectively captures
variation in aboveground carbon stocks across extreme disturbance gradients
spanning tall dipterocarp forests and heavily logged regions and clearly
outperforms existing ALS-based models calibrated for the tropics, as well as
currently available satellite-derived products. Our model provides a simple,
generalized and effective approach for mapping forest carbon stocks in
Borneo and underpins ongoing efforts to safeguard and facilitate the
restoration of its unique tropical forests.


This paper examined the attitudes and perceptions of urban college students regarding Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) awareness and prevention. AIDS has devastated the lives of citizens in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the AIDS incidence rate for young Americans between the ages of 13 to 25 years rose nearly 20 percent, and approximately 50 percent of new infections are among individuals who are younger than 25 years old. Therefore, finding better methods to communicate AIDS risk knowledge to those Americans who are at greater risk of infection is paramount in the fight against this deadly scourge. We measured AIDS risk knowledge, self efficacy, and condom perception using three scales. Regression and analysis of variance techniques were employed to evaluate the hypotheses. Findings indicate significant age, gender and class rank effects for self-efficacy and condom perception among participants. Condom perception significantly predicted AIDS risk knowledge. Males reported higher self-efficacy and condom perception scores than females, and younger participants reported higher self-efficacy scores than older participants. ********** Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) has devastated the lives of many peopl throughout the world. Of course, the United States is no exception and has seen its populace affected in great numbers as well. AIDS is a disease that destroys a person's immune system: and eventually, the person succumbs to opportunistic infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that between 1990 to 1995, the AIDS incidence rate for young Americans between the ages of 13 to 25 years rose nearly 20 percent. This high AIDS risk age cohort encompasses college students. Moreover, the CDC data indicate that approximately 50 percent of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in the United States are among individuals who are younger than 25 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003). HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. Considering the substantial HIV/AIDS risk to young Americans, the present study investigates the attitudes and perceptions of college students vis-a-vis AIDS risk knowledge. Previous research studies in this area have addressed the cultural orientation and its impact on fear appeals to the group or individual (Murray-Johnson et al, 2001), adolescent risk behaviors (Bowers & Fullilove, 1990; Bradford & Beck, 1991; Brown & Baranowski, 1996; Faryna & Morales, 2000; Goh & Primavera, 1996; Smith, 1997; Stiffman & Dore, 1994) or providing descriptive (Anastasi, 1999;) and/or narrative (Kelly, 1999; Tourigny, 1998) commentary concerning the AIDS crisis. However, a search of several popular databases did not find any empirical studies related to urban college students' attitudes and behaviors regarding HIV awareness and prevention. Using regression and analysis of variance, the present study attempts to address this literature gap by examining the attitudes and perceptions of college students regarding AIDS awareness and prevention. The organization of the paper proceeds as follows. Alter a review of the relevant literature, we evaluate the research hypotheses using several statistical procedures. The research findings are discussed within the context of the existing literature, and then we conclude by reporting the limitations of the study, the educational implications, and offer suggestions for future research. Literature Review Theoretical Framework Bandura's theory of self-efficacy focuses on the individual and refers to general social influences, such as peer influences, media, social norms, and support (Bandura, 1982). According to Bandura, self-efficacy is defined as a belief that one can perform a specific behavior (1978, p. 240). Thus, self-efficacy is what a person believes he or she can do regardless of knowledge or skills (Bandura, 1982). …


The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles eligible employees to take a total of twelve workweeks of leave during any twelve-month period for specifically prescribed circumstances such as a serious health condition or the birth or adoption of a child. Does the FMLA require employers to specifically designate leave as FMLA leave or risk having to provide more than the guaranteed twelve weeks of leave? This precise question created a circuit split in the federal courts before the Supreme Court of the United States answered the question in March 2002. This article, published in 2000, addressed the issue a couple of years before the Supreme Court decided it.Here is the fact pattern that lies at the heart of this article's analysis of the employer's obligation to designate leave as FMLA leave and how it impacts an employee's right to take FMLA leave. After a year of working for a new employer, an employee was diagnosed with cancer and was unable to work. Under the employer's leave policy, all employees with at least six months of service were entitled to take up to seven months of leave, a generous leave policy under almost anyone's definition. Once an employee's leave commenced, an employee was required to request a leave extension every thirty days. The employee with cancer properly requested medical leave and the employer granted the leave request. The employee then requested extensions monthly; all requests were granted by the employer. When the employee exhausted her seven months of leave, the employee was unable to return to work. Indeed, the employee was at least three months away from being able to return to work. The employer never personally notified the employee of her eligibility for FMLA leave; the employer also never formally designated the seven months of leave already taken as FMLA leave. The employee then requested additional leave under the FMLA, even though the employer had already provided seven months of leave. The employer was faced with the question of whether the employee was entitled to twelve weeks of FMLA leave in addition to the seven months of leave already provided by the employer, all because the employer failed to specifically designate all or parts of the seven months of leave as FMLA leave.The FMLA does not expressly require an employer to specifically designate employee leave as FMLA leave; it simply guarantees a certain amount of leave to certain employees. The Department of Labor (DOL), on the other hand, enacted regulations that squarely and unambiguous placed the burden on employers to designate leave as FMLA leave: "If an employee takes paid or unpaid leave and the employer does not designate the leave as FMLA leave, the leave taken does not count against an employee's FMLA entitlement."It was not long before courts were called upon to determine whether the DOL acted within its authority in promulgating the above-quoted regulation. This article discusses how the issue was resolved in the Unites States Courts of Appeals for the Sixth, Eighth, and Eleventh Circuits, focusing mostly on the Eighth Circuit's striking down of the above-quoted regulation as exceeding the DOL's authority. The Supreme Court decided the issue in March 2002, affirming the Eighth Circuit's decision.Ultimately, this article is still relevant, even though it predated the Supreme Court's decision. This is particularly true because the article provides a path forward for employers to avoid any entanglements with designation issues like the one that started the federal case in the first place. To avoid such conflicts (as all employers and employees should seek to do), an employer should provide all employees with a clear leave policy that fully addresses FMLA leave and how it relates to employer-provided leave (whether paid or unpaid). Supervisors and human resource managers must understand and correctly implement those policies once adopted. Designating leave as FMLA leave ensures that employees are granted their FMLA-entitled leave while protecting employers from the potential pitfalls of miscommunication. As we all know, miscommunication and misunderstandings often are the impetus to litigation over rights and responsibilities. Although employers will not be punished for failing to designate employer-provided leave as FMLA leave (at least as long as the employee's substantive FMLA rights have been protected), a clear leave policy consistently applied will erase any need to have an employment dispute resolved through litigation. Clear policies help to avoid employment disputes; lawsuits emanating from unclear policies or miscommunication are a waste of resources and harm the valuable employer-employee relationship.


The unextendibility or monogamy of entangled states is a key property of quantum entanglement. Unlike conventional ways of expressing entanglement monogamy via entanglement measure inequalities, we develop a state-dependent resource theory to quantify the unextendibility of bipartite entangled states. First, we introduce a family of entanglement measures called unextendible entanglement. Given a bipartite state ρAB, the key idea behind these measures is to minimize a divergence between ρAB and any possibly reduced state ρAB′ of an extension ρABB′ of ρAB. These measures are intuitively motivated by the fact that the more a bipartite state is entangled, the less each of its individual systems can be entangled with a third party. Second, we show that the unextendible entanglement is an entanglement monotone under two-extendible operations, which include local operations and one-way classical communication as a special case. Unextendible entanglement has several other desirable properties, including normalization and faithfulness. As applications, we show that the unextendible entanglement provides efficiently computable benchmarks for the rate of perfect entanglement distillation, as well as for the overhead of entanglement distillation.A full version of this paper is accessible at: http://arxiv.org/abs/1911.07433


Employee engagement (EE) has been shown to have important implications for the success of organizations. Most researchers have discussed employee engagement in terms of factors in a top-down, hierarchical model of the organization. However, there may also be contributing factors from an employee"s intra-organizational social network. (IOSN). In this paper, we show that an employee"s social network attributes can contribute to the prediction of engagement, primarily through centrality and homophily in a large, multinational company. Our research expands the range of theoretical factors that can predict employee engagement from a top-down vertical model to a mixed-factor horizontal model. We discuss how this work points toward a richer set of methods to predict engagement, as well as new ways of thinking about organizational networks.


We analyze the optimal visibility one can obtain in interference experiments with partially polarized light when one acts on only one of the two interfering beams. This is a practical situation that can appear when one does not want to modify or attenuate one of the beams, such as in homodyne detection. It is shown that the optimal configuration usually does not correspond to light with the same degrees of polarization for the two interfering beams. We also demonstrate that a simple interpretation can be obtained with the recently introduced normalized mutual coherence matrix.


The purpose of this research is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current forms of cooperation between government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in emergency management in the Czech Republic, while presenting a detailed overview of the key criteria of the effective Czech model, which could be potentially used by other organizations or countries. Previous research has focused on cooperation between government and NGOs in flood risk management, but emergency management concerns more than floods. The scope has been expanded to include volunteer firefight ers and rescue workers, the other NGO players in emergencies in the Czech Republic. The research presents an overview of the cooperation between the Czech government and NGOs in various forms of emergency management. Using document review and a series of interviews with emergency management experts, several aspects of cooperation were considered: formalization, timing, level, and type. The research findings demonstrate that some emergency management activities can be very effec tively performed by NGOs and their volunteers. In the Czech Republic, integration into the national Integrated Rescue System guarantees a minimum standard of performance. Since volunteers work for free and their work has much lower expenses, they perform their activities in a more cost-effective way than the state. However, this is not valid for the whole emergency management system, but only for such activities that can be assigned to volunteers when there are enough willing volunteers and the NGOs and their volunteers are formally integrated into the rescue system. The Czech experience could be interesting for other countries, particularly post-communist countries, because all emergency systems work with information, and the human factor plays a role everywhere. Thus, it is concluded that some basic aspects of cooperation in Czech emergency management, focused on sharing information and strengthening mutual trust and awareness, could be considered as universal.


Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is responsible for significant levels of morbidity and mortality. The estimated cumulative incidence of CTEPH is 2–4% among patients presenting with acute pulmonary thromboembolism. Currently, at the time of CTEPH diagnosis, 37.9% of the patients in an international registry were receiving at least one pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)-targeted therapy. Advanced medical therapy is considered in patients with inoperable disease, as a bridge to pulmonary endarterectomy or in those with persistent or recurrent pulmonary hypertension. PAH-specific medical therapies include endothelin receptor antagonists, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, and prostacyclin analogues. The present article will focus on recent developments in the pharmacological treatment of CTEPH.


Lebesgue Integration on Euclidean Space contains a concrete, intuitive, and patient derivation of Lebesgue measure and integration on Rn. Throughout the text, many exercises are incorporated, enabling students to apply new ideas immediately. Jones strives to present a slow introduction to Lebesgue integration by dealing with n-dimensional spaces from the outset. In addition, the text provides students a thorough treatment of Fourier analysis, while holistically preparing students to become workers in real analysis.


The article is devoted to investigate the problem of creation and improvement of country's infrastructure based on public-private partnership (further referred as PPP). As an object of research, authors look at public relations, that arise during the implementation of projects under the framework of the PPP law. The article considers the norms of the PPP law, as well as other laws, that regulate various aspects of agreements under PPP.As a result of conducting research, authors conclude that first of all, the difference between PPP and other forms of collaboration between the state and private sector (e.g. rent, privatization) is in its private principles, legal mechanisms and forms of realization. Such relations require a well-developed normative-legal basis. Secondly, the main idea of the stated law is not the opportunity for the private party to purchase the object of the agreement, but a wide opportunity to develop an effective form of PPP. Given this, authors point out, that the law about PPP possesses a number of features, that need to be considered alongside with various branches of legal rights.After the law was accepted, there was a need to reconsider a number of normative-legal acts of federal and regional significance in the aspect of public investment and budgetary guarantees. Given this, it is necessary to investigate the problems of public-private relations regulation in a complex manner, which will allow to define the key directions for the development of this institution.


Recent observations of biologically generated turbulence in the ocean have led to conflicting conclusions regarding the significance of the contribution of animal swimming to ocean mixing. Measurements indicate elevated turbulent dissipation—comparable with levels caused by winds and tides—in the vicinity of large populations of planktonic animals swimming together 1. However, it has also been noted that elevated turbulent dissipation is by itself insufficient proof of substantial biogenic mixing, because much of the turbulent kinetic energy of small animals is injected below the Ozmidov buoyancy length scale, where it is primarily dissipated as heat by the fluid viscosity before it can affect ocean mixing 2. Ongoing debate regarding biogenic mixing has focused on comparisons between animal wake turbulence and ocean turbulence 3,4. Here, we show that a second, previously neglected mechanism of fluid mixing—first described over 50 years ago by Charles Darwin 5 — is the dominant mechanism of mixing by swimming animals. The efficiency of mixing by Darwin's mechanism is dependent on animal shape rather than fluid length scale and, unlike turbulent wake mixing, is enhanced by fluid viscosity. Therefore, it provides a means of biogenic mixing that can be equally effective in small zooplankton and large mammals. A theoretical model for the relative contributions of Darwinian mixing and turbulent wake mixing is created and validated by in situ field measurements of swimming jellyfish using a newly developed scuba-based laser velocimetry device 6. Extrapolation of these results to other animals is straightforward given knowledge of the animal shape and orientation during vertical migration. On the basis of calculations of a broad range of aquatic animal species, we conclude that biogenic mixing via Darwin's mechanism can be a significant contributor to ocean mixing and nutrient transport. Darwin described a mechanism of fluid mixing by a solid object that does not require the object to generate rotational or shearing motion in the flow 5. As the solid body travels through fluid, a portion of the surrounding fluid is set into motion by the body's pressure field and propagates along with the body. The volume of fluid that drifts with the solid object is proportional to the volume of the object itself (see Supplementary Fig. 1 and Supplementary Videos 1 and 2). The ratio of drift volume (V drift) to body volume (V body)—called the 'added-mass' coefficient—depends only on the shape of the body. In the case of a vertically stratified fluid such …


The carbonation of ultramafic rocks is a common alteration process in ophiolites and can occur in various settings. We provide the first detailed description of the carbonated peridotites (ophicarbonates) of the Feragen Ultramafic Body, central Norway, which have unusually variable compositions and microstructures. Lithologies range from pervasively carbonated serpentinites through carbonated serpentinite breccias to carbonated ultramafic conglomerates. Carbonate phases are Ca-carbonate, magnesite and dolomite. Some breccias are also cemented by coarse-grained brucite. This variability records strong variations in fluid chemistry and/or pressure and temperature conditions, both spatially and temporally. By analysing these altered ultramafic rocks using field relationships, optical microscopy, electron microprobe analysis and oxygen and carbon isotope compositions, we elucidate the history of the Feragen Ultramafic Body in more detail and emphasise the importance of deformation for the extent and type of alteration.


This work introduces Algorithm Substitution Attacks (ASAs) on message authentication schemes. In light of revelations concerning mass surveillance, ASAs were initially introduced by Bellare, Paterson and Rogaway as a novel attack class against the confidentiality of encryption schemes. Such an attack replaces one or more of the regular scheme algorithms with a subverted version that aims to reveal information to an adversary (engaged in mass surveillance), while remaining undetected by users. While most prior work focused on subverting encryption systems, we study options to subvert symmetric message authentication protocols. In particular we provide powerful generic attacks that apply e.g. to HMAC or Carter–Wegman based schemes, inducing only a negligible implementation overhead. As subverted authentication can act as an enabler for subverted encryption (software updates can be manipulated to include replacements of encryption routines), we consider attacks of the new class highly impactful and dangerous.


Cable manufacturing industries are constantly trying to improve the electrical performance of power cables. During the years, it was found that one of the most relevant degradation factors influencing the cable lifetime is the presence of space charge in the insulation layer. To detect the accumulated charge, the pulsed electro-acoustic (PEA) method is the most used technique. Despite the wide use of the PEA cell, several issues are still present. In particular, the PEA output signal is strongly disturbed by the acoustic waves reflections within the PEA cell. This causes the distortion of the output signal and therefore the misinterpretation of the charge profiles. This, in turn, may result in an incorrect cable characterization from the space charge phenomenon point of view. In 2017, due to the proved degradation effect of the space charge accumulation phenomenon, the IEEE Std 1732 was developed. This standard describes the steps to be followed for the space charge measurement in cables specimens during pre-qualification or type tests. Therefore, cable manufacturing industries started to take a particular interest in these measures. In the light of this, the aim of the present work is to highlight that the enacted standard is not easily applicable since various problems are still present in the PEA method for cables. In particular, in this work, the effect of multiple reflected signals due to the different interfaces involved, but also the effect of the signal attenuation due to cable dielectric thickness, as well as the effect of the PEA cell ground electrode thickness in the output charge profile, are reported. These issues have been demonstrated by means of an experimental test carried out on a full-size cable in the Prysmian Group High Voltage laboratory. To better understand the PEA cell output signal formation, a PEA cell model was developed in a previous work and it has been experimentally validated here. In particular, simulations have been useful to highlight the effect of the reflection phenomena due to the PEA cell ground electrode thickness on the basis of the specimen under test features. Moreover, by analyzing the simulation results, it was possible to separate the main signal from the reflected waves and, in turn, to calculate the suitable ground electrode thickness for the cable specimen under test.


A pollen diagram from Lake Monticchio, a volcanic crater lake in S Central Italy east of Naples, shows a long vegetation record for the Holocene and the later portion of the Last (Weichselian) Glacial Period. The upper 735 cm of a 2550-cm core is assigned to the Holocene. It begins with expansion of Betula (birch) and Quercus (oak), followed by Fagus (beech), Tilia (lime) and other mesic trees. In the next phase the flora is dominated by oak with an increase in herb pollen. In the later Holocene the flora is again diversified by the appearance of Abies (fir), Curpinus (hornbeam) and other trees. In the latest Pleistocene portion of the core the vegetation is dominated by grasses, Artemisia (sage-brush) and chenopods, indicating a treeless environment. The base of the core shows continued dominance by steppe-like vegetation with 'interstadial' episodes in which trees, especially oak, beech and fir, were abundant. The climatic interpretation is that the late Pleistocene was very dry, at least in the summer growing season, and probably, although not necessarily, colder than now. In the Holocene increased precipitation favoured expansion of tree populations. For a brief period there was a return of water stress in the growing season marked by a loss of tree species diversity and an increase in herbs. In the later Holocene a progressive diversification of tree species indicates a return to a more humid and perhaps cooler climate. The vegetation history and climatic inferences are closely similar to records available from Greece. The available radiocarbon dates, which show a consistent pattern, indicate that the core is much older than 40000 years at the base but not old enough to include the major post-Eemian interstadials. The 'Holocene' birch expansion began nearly 20000 years ago. These dates appear to be systematically too old in the light of present knowledge. The preliminary character of the study is emphasized. Further radiocarbon dates, especially of the 'Holocene' section, are needed, as are more detailed studies of sedimentation processes and tephra occurrences.


The recent success of the Left Behind book series, which sold over 50 million books, points to an enormous readership of evangelical Christian literature that has not gone unnoticed by the mainstream publishing world. But this is not a recent phenomenon; the evangelical publishing community has been growing for more than two hundred years. Candy Gunther Brown explores the roots of this far-flung conglomeration of writers, publishers, and readers, from the founding of the Methodist Book Concern in 1789 to the 1880 publication of the runaway best-seller Ben-Hur. Brown shows how this distinct print community used the Word of the Bible and printed words of their own to pursue a paradoxical mission: purity from and a transformative presence in the secular world. Although scholars usually claim that religious publishing fell prey to the secularizing engines of commodification, Brown argues that evangelicals knew what they were doing by adopting a range of strategies, including the use of popular narratives and beautiful packaging. An informal canon of texts emerged in the nineteenth century consisting of sermons, histories, memoirs, novels, gift books, Sunday school libraries, periodicals, and hymnals. Looking beyond the uses of texts in religious conversion, Brown examines how textual practices have transmitted cultural values both within evangelical communities and across a larger American cultural milieu. An epilogue conveys crucial insights into twenty-first-century ties between religion and the media.


The public sector has a tradition of bureaucracy, political influence and conflicting
stakeholder interests, which historically has resulted in that the public sector has fallen behind
the industry regarding operational improvement work. The demand for more efficient processes in the
public sector has increased and attempts have therefore been made to adapt successful concepts from
the industry such as Operations Management principles. There are several examples where Operations
Management principles within the private sector have been successful. However, the theory of
applying Operations Management in the public sector is insufficient and requires further
research. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to contribute with knowledge on how to
increase flow efficiency in a public organisation by adopting Operations Management principles.
This was done through an analysis of the asylum process at the Swedish Migration Board, hereafter
referred to as the board, where the process was examined and evaluated and proposals for increased
flow efficiency was developed.

The board is a governmental organisation whose main field of responsibility is to consider
applications from people who want to visit, live in, or seek asylum in Sweden and the focus of this
study is the asylum process. With current conflicts around the world there is an increased demand
for protection and the inflow of asylum seekers to Sweden have increased with approximately 50 %
between 2013 and 2014. The board is therefore facing a challenge to meet the increased demand with
acceptable waiting times, wherefore it has been requested to evaluate if the way of working is
sufficient for the organisation.

Based on the current theory, a conceptual framework was created in order to adapt Operations
Management principles in public organisations. Based on the framework, an analysis of the current
flow efficiency in the asylum process was conducted, and it was identified that the board has
issues with high inventory levels in the system and thereby long waiting times in the asylum
process. Moreover, there is a significant variation in the asylum process due to both internal and
external factors that increases the total throughput time. The organisational design of the
board is functional with a top-down decision making and control. The employees are
organised in "silos" with deficiencies in both horizontal and vertical communication, which leads
to limited insight in the work of others. Moreover, there is a lacking capacity of human resources
that further increases the throughput times. The daily work is controlled by insufficient
productivity goals that lead to sub-optimised processes and less ability for the employees to stop
the process if defects are detected.

In order to increase the flow efficiency a number of improvement proposals have been identified.
First of all, it is urgent to reduce the inventory levels in the system in order to reduce false
demands and increase the value adding time in the process. In order to do so, the performance goals
must be changed, and the method should be controlled rather than the productivity. Furthermore, the
variations in the system must be reduced, wherefore different flows with similar characteristics
should be separated. Finally, the communication within the organisation as well as between the
organisation and external operators must be enhanced. With these proposals, the flow efficiency can
be increased in the public organisation through Operations Management principles.


In Soft Law and the Global Financial System: Rule-Making in the Twenty-First Century (2011), Christopher J. Brummer provides a detailed and informative analysis of the international regulatory response to the global financial crisis of 2008. This accomplishment alone warrants a close look at this book. But Professor Brummer goes further in this pivotal work on the law of international finance. He provides a persuasive theoretical account of international financial law. Soft Law and the Global Financial System not only describes the mechanisms of lawmaking and standard-setting for global financial markets, but also delivers a workable framework for prescribing and perhaps even perfecting the regulation of the world's most vital and volatile economic institutions.


We characterize the completeness of point source lists from Spitzer Space Telescope surveys in the four Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) bandpasses, emphasizing the Galactic Legacy Infrared Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE) programs (GLIMPSE I, II, 3D, 360; Deep GLIMPSE) and their resulting point source Catalogs and Archives. The analysis separately addresses effects of incompleteness resulting from high diffuse background emission and incompleteness resulting from point source confusion (i.e., crowding). An artificial star addition and extraction analysis demonstrates that completeness is strongly dependent on local background brightness and structure, with high-surface-brightness regions suffering up to five magnitudes of reduced sensitivity to point sources. This effect is most pronounced at the IRAC 5.8 and 8.0 μm bands where UV-excited polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emission produces bright, complex structures (photodissociation regions). With regard to diffuse background effects, we provide the completeness as a function of stellar magnitude and diffuse background level in graphical and tabular formats. These data are suitable for estimating completeness in the low-source-density limit in any of the four IRAC bands in GLIMPSE Catalogs and Archives and some other Spitzer IRAC programs that employ similar observational strategies and are processed by the GLIMPSE pipeline. By performing the same analysis on smoothed images we show that the point source incompleteness is primarily a consequence of structure in the diffuse background emission rather than photon noise. With regard to source confusion in the high-source-density regions of the Galactic Plane, we provide figures illustrating the 90% completeness levels as a function of point source density at each band. We caution that completeness of the GLIMPSE 360/Deep GLIMPSE Catalogs is suppressed relative to the corresponding Archives as a consequence of rejecting stars that lie in the point-spread function wings of saturated sources. This effect is minor in regions of low saturated star density, such as toward the Outer Galaxy; this effect is significant along sightlines having a high density of saturated sources, especially for Deep GLIMPSE and other programs observing closer to the Galactic center using 12 s or longer exposure times.


Assessing and Managing Security Risk in IT Systems: A Structured Methodology builds upon the original McCumber Cube model to offer proven processes that do not change, even as technology evolves. This book enables you to assess the security attributes of any information system and implement vastly improved security environments.Part I delivers an overview of information systems security, providing historical perspectives and explaining how to determine the value of information. This section offers the basic underpinnings of information security and concludes with an overview of the risk management process. Part II describes the McCumber Cube, providing the original paper from 1991 and detailing ways to accurately map information flow in computer and telecom systems. It also explains how to apply the methodology to individual system components and subsystems.Part III serves as a resource for analysts and security practitioners who want access to more detailed information on technical vulnerabilities and risk assessment analytics. McCumber details how information extracted from this resource can be applied to his assessment processes.


Cancer cell migration is an essential feature in the process of tumor spread and establishing of metastasis. It characterizes the invasion observed on the level of the cell population, but it is also tightly connected to the events taking place on the subcellular level. These are conditioning the motile and proliferative behavior of the cells, but are also influenced by it. In this work we propose a multiscale model linking these two levels and aiming to assess their interdependence. On the subcellular, microscopic scale it accounts for integrin binding to soluble and insoluble components present in the peritumoral environment, which is seen as the onset of biochemical events leading to changes in the cell's ability to contract and modify its shape. On the macroscale of the cell population this leads to modifications in the diffusion and haptotaxis performed by the tumor cells and implicitly to changes in the tumor environment. We prove the (local) well posedness of our model and perform numerical simulations in order to illustrate the model predictions.


The marriage of Renyi entropy with Parzen density estimation has been shown to be a viable tool in learning discriminative feature transforms. However, it suffers from computational complexity proportional to the square of the number of samples in the training data. This sets a practical limit to using large databases. We suggest immediate divorce of the two methods and remarriage of Renyi entropy with a semi-parametric density estimation method, such as a Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM). This allows all of the computation to take place in the low dimensional target space, and it reduces computational complexity proportional to square of the number of components in the mixtures. Furthermore, a convenient extension to Hidden Markov Models as commonly used in speech recognition becomes possible.


Assessments by the European Commission of whether non-EU countries provide an 'adequate' level of data protection so as to enable a positive EU decision under Article 25 of the 1995 data protection Directive ('adequacy decisions') usually receive little discussion while the process is underway. The criteria which have been used within the EU for the assessment of adequacy derive partly from the Directive itself, from the Schrems decision, and from the opinions of the Article 29 Working Party (A29WP). A simplified version of these complex criteria commences this article. [Note: This article was written before the Article 29 Working Party's 'Adequacy Referential (Updated)' (November 2017) was available, but it makes no substantive difference to this article.]
It is therefore unusual that both Japan and South Korea made public in 2016 that they were applying for positive adequacy assessments by the EU, and that general comments about these assessments progressing have been made by the Commission and by representatives of the two countries. Japan and the EU are considering simultaneous findings of adequacy, which Japanese law also allows. Even more unusual is that Korea decided to make its own 'Self Assessment' of the adequacy of its data protection in 2016, and then updated it in 2017 after changing the scope of the assessment sought. This article considers Japan's application, and Part II will consider that of Korea.
It is not the purpose of these articles to suggest what the Commission's conclusions should be, or might be, in the case of either country. Any proper assessment of a country's claims to adequacy of data protection is likely to take hundreds of pages, not a short article. Nevertheless, there needs to be public discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the data protection offered by candidate countries, prior to any assessment being made, because of the importance of such decisions for both international trade, and for the protection of human rights. There also needs to be critical consideration of the quality of the decisions made by the EU bodies involved, once they are made, and analysis of what can be learned from them in relation to future assessments.
This article discusses three of the issues which the EU will have to take into account in its assessment of Japan's application:
(i) The definition of 'personal information' in Japan's legislation includes two 'carve-outs'. It only includes data which 'which can be readily collated with other information and thereby identify a specific individual'. Its 2015 amendments exempted a new concept of 'anonymously processed information', prescribing measures of anonymisation potentially different from those accepted in the EU.
(ii) Japan's restrictions on personal data exports include an exception designed to allow compliance by exports to overseas businesses (at present, only in the US) certified under the APEC Cross-border Privacy Rules system (CBPRs). The issue raised for the EU is whether this would allow onward transfer of personal data originating from the EU, without providing adequate protection.
(iii) Prior to enactment of slightly expanded enforcement powers, and creation of a data protection authority (DPA) in 2015, Japan's data privacy laws had received negligible enforcement. These new enforcement measures have only been in effect since May 2017, so it is therefore an issue that there has as yet been no time for the Japanese system to demonstrate the extent to which they will actually be used, that the failures of past enforcement have been reversed, and that compliance with the requirements of the Directive can be demonstrated.
How EU institutions address these issues is important for this and all future adequacy assessments, both under the Directive and under the GDPR.


We provide a model with a federal government and multiple local governments, the former with power to levy an income tax for redistribution, and the latter choosing a local income tax, property tax, lump-sum tax or subsidy, and a local public good. Policy is set by majority choice at each tier of government by households that differ by income and ability to move across communities. We provide sufficient conditions for existence of equilibrium and examine its properties. Central findings are federal income distribution, little local redistribution, and local preference for property taxation over income taxation to fund local public goods.


In this paper we examine the effects of energy prices on groundwater extraction using an econometric model of a farmer's irrigation water pumping decision that accounts for both the intensive and extensive margins. Our results show that energy prices have an important effect on both the intensive and extensive margin. Increasing energy prices would affect crop selection decisions, crop acreage allocation decisions, and the demand for water by farmers. Our estimated total marginal effect, which sums the effects at the intensive and extensive margins, is that an increase in the natural gas futures contract price of 1 cent/1000 btu would decrease water extraction by an individual framer by 102.88 acre-feet per year, which is approximately 63% of the average amount pumped in a year by a farmer.


The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of web-based instruction (WBI) on cognitive and psychomotor learning. The subjects of the study received two types of instructional methods, WBI (experimental group) and traditional classroom instruction (control group). Each group received 30 minutes of instruction on "Soldering a Circuit Board." The researcher chose this content subject because it involved both cognitive and psychomotor objectives, which suited the purpose of this study. It was hypothesized that there would be no significant difference between the two methods of instruction, and also that there would be no significant interaction effects between methods of instruction and gender. Forty-six subjects from a population of students enrolled in summer classes offered by the Applied Technology, Training and Development (ATTD) program at the University of North Texas voluntarily participated in this study. Random assignment of subjects was applied in this study. A subject matter expert delivered the content for both the experimental and control groups. To measure cognitive variable, a 10 item, multiple-choice test was administered immediately after instruction. To measure the psychomotor variable, a 15-item checklist was utilized by trained judges to evaluate learners' performances while soldering. The 2 x 2 factorial model with interaction was used in this study. The analysis was run for each of the dependent variables, cognitive and psychomotor learning. Although there was not a statistically significant difference in the main effects of method of instruction or interaction effects between method and gender, the results imply that students in the traditional-classroom instruction group performed better than those in the WBI group in psychomotor learning. Perhaps, this trend would be statistically significant if the sample size were larger. This study provides empirical evidence for the effectiveness of WBI in delivering cognitive and psychomotor objectives. The outcome of this study supports the need for more research on the effects of WBI on learning domains.


Every year 40 millions tonnes of electronic and electrical waste are generated in the whole world,
constituting the 8% of municipal waste. The growing of this type of waste is troublesome, hence the
3-5% rate of annual grow is the highest value of all the waste types and the recycling values are still
too small. In developed countries only between 13% and 20% of this waste is collected and
recycled. Behind the word recycling hides a waste export to impoverished countries, where are
improperly handled with serious consequences for the health population and the environment. In
2003 came the first European Directive related to electrical and electronic equipment and since then
regulations are appearing. Anyway these are already born and the effectiveness of these are in
doubt.
Computers manufacturing is increasing rapidly, in 1994 20 million computers became obsolete
against 100 million in 2004 and between this years 500 millions ended their useful life. Computers
contain valuable materials (gold, silver, copper, etc.) as well hazardous substances (heavy metals
and flame retardants), so for both sides a proper treatment and recovery of materials is necessary.
The recycling chain consists in three steps: collection, pretreatment and treatment. These phases are
described and his characteristics exposed in these thesis, which depend on the different computer
components.
A new ecofriendly trend reached the computing world with the named "green computers" and the
environmental purposes of the producers companies in their corporate social responsibility
documents. Ecological computers proposed by corporations, who are moved by the maximisation of
their economical benefits, has to be analysed carefully. Green computers are referred to ecological
labels, like Eco-label, EPEAT or Blue Angel, which treat the more important aspects to raise a green
computer and their criteria are similar, but with some important differences.


Using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) the three-dimensional surface and interface structure of the {104} calcite surface was investigated under dry and humid atmospheric conditions. The measurement of specular and non-specular crystal truncation rods (CTR) provided information about the periodic order of the vertical and lateral surface structure on atomic scale. The calcite surface is nearly ideally terminated with relaxation of the atoms in the topmost layers down to about 12 A depth. In dry environment the calcite surface structure is dominantly determined by the large shift, rotation and tilt of the surface carbonate groups. In humid atmosphere a laterally ordered monolayer of water is formed on the surface. The truncated coordination site of the surface Ca 2+ ions are filled by a water molecule in a distance of (2.1 ± 0.2) A. The relaxation of the structure is significantly changed, which results in a strong distortion of the Ca-O coordination octahedron. The refinement of water as complete rigid H 2 O species positioned flat on the surface with one rotation parameter resulted in the formation of hydrogen bonds to the adjacent surface carbonate groups. No evidence for a surface reconstruction was found.


Airborne dispersal of microorganisms influences their biogeography, gene flow, atmospheric processes, human health and transmission of pathogens that affect humans, plants and animals. The extent of their impact depends essentially on cell-survival rates during the process of aerosolization. A central factor for cell-survival is water availability prior to and upon aerosolization. Also, the ability of cells to successfully cope with stress induced by drying determines their chances of survival. In this study, we used the ice-nucleation active, plant pathogenic Pseudomonas syringae strain R10.79 as a model organism to investigate the effect of drying on cell survival. Two forms of drying were simulated: drying of cells in small droplets aerosolized from a wet environment by bubble bursting and drying of cells in large droplets deposited on a surface. For drying of cells both in aerosol and surface droplets, the relative humidity (RH) was varied in the range between 10 and 90%. The fraction of surviving cells was determined by live/dead staining followed by flow cytometry. We also evaluated the effect of salt concentration in the water droplets on the survival of drying cells by varying the ionic strength between 0 and 700 mM using NaCl and sea salt. For both aerosol and surface drying, cell survival increased with decreasing RH (p < 0.01), and for surface drying, survival was correlated with increasing salt concentration (p < 0.001). Imaging cells with TEM showed shrunk cytoplasm and cell wall damage for a large fraction of aerosolized cells. Ultimately, we observed a 10-fold higher fraction of surviving cells when dried as aerosol compared to when dried on a surface. We conclude that the conditions, under which cells dry, significantly affect their survival and thus their success to spread through the atmosphere and colonize new environments as well as their ability to affect atmospheric processes.


About two-thirds of Africans depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. The fate of agricultural production, therefore, directly affects economic growth, social improvement, and trade in Africa. As the region's population continues to grow rapidly, outpacing the growth rate in other regions of the world, its agriculturalland is becoming increasingly degraded. Farmers are intensifying land use to meet food needs without proper management practices and external inputs. The resulting depletion of nutrients from soils has caused crop production to stagnate or decline in many African countries. In some cases, notably in the East African highlands, the rate of depletion is so high that even drastic measures, such as doubling the application offertilizer or manure or halving erosion losses, would not be enough to offset nutrient deficits. Unless African governments, supported by the international community, take the lead in confronting the problems of nutrient depletion, deteriorating agricultural productivity will seriously undermine the foundations of sustainable economic growth in Africa.


The methods utilized to determine the hydraulic conductivity of compacted clay liners (CCLs) are of importance for safe guarding the environment from landfill leachate. Therefore, the methods utilized in the analysis of the Two Stage Borehole (TSB) test, as described in the ASTM D6391-11 (Method A, B, and C) standard, were evaluated. Data from hydraulic conductivity tests, as performed on three test pads, were utilized to review the ASTM D6391-11 equations. Additionally, two test pads were instrumented with volumetric water content and soil water matric potential sensors to facilitate the determination of field-obtained soil water characteristic curves (SWCCs) and hydraulic conductivity functions (k-functions) for unsaturated soils. For the determination of the SWCCs and k-functions, each test pad was subjected to an infiltration cycle, using either a sealed double ring infiltrometer or a two-stage borehole infiltrometer, followed by a drying cycle. To compare the results that were obtained from the field-obtained SWCCs and k-functions, laboratory tests were performed on Shelby tube samples acquired from the corresponding test pad. The obtained data were fitted using the van Genuchten model and the RETC (RETention Curve) program. The results that were obtained from TSB testing led to the conclusion that Method B and C, as written in the ASTMs D6391-11 standard contained errors that impacted the results that were obtained from hydraulic conductivity testing. Specifically, utilizing Method C provided results that were four times greater than the hydraulic conductivity and utilizing Method B provided results that were as much as two orders of magnitude greater than the hydraulic conductivity. Several recommendations are proposed herein to ensure accurate hydraulic conductivity analysis is performed in the future. It was further determined that a poor agreement exists between field-obtained and laboratory-obtained k-functions and SWCCs, as reported in other studies. Therefore, field-obtained k-functions are preferential, when available.


In the United States, voir dire is viewed as essential to selecting an impartial jury. Judges, lawyers, and the public fervently believe that a fair trial depends on distinguishing between prospective jurors who are impartial and those who are not. However, in England, Australia, and Canada, there are impartial jury trials without voir dire. This article challenges the assumption that prospective jurors enter the courtroom as either impartial or partial and that voir dire will reveal the impartial ones. Though voir dire fails as an "impartiality detector," this article explores how voir dire contributes to the trial process in two critical, but unacknowledged, ways. First, voir dire helps to transform "reluctant citizens," who might have biases into "responsible jurors," who are able to perform their role impartially. Second, voir dire lays the foundation for the judge-jury relationship, which is aided by other practices during and even after the trial.