Democratic backsliding in European Union (EU) member states is not only a policy challenge for the EU, but also a potential existential crisis. If the EU does too little to deal with member state regimes that go back on their commitments to democracy and the rule of law, this risks undermining the EU from within. On the other hand, if the EU takes drastic action, this might split the EU. This article explores the nature and dynamics of democratic backsliding in EU member states, and analyses the EU's capacity, policy tools and political will to address the challenge. Empirically it draws on the cases that have promoted serious criticism from the Commission and the European Parliament: Hungary, Poland, and to a lesser extent, Romania. After reviewing the literature and defining backsliding as a gradual, deliberate, but open-ended process of de-democratization, the article analyzes the dynamics of backsliding and the EU's difficulties in dealing with this challenge to liberal democracy and the rule of law. The Hungarian and Polish populist right's "illiberal" projects involve centralization of power in the hands of the executive and the party, and limiting the independence of the judiciary, the media and civil society. This has brought both governments into direct confrontation with the European Commission. However, the EU's track record in managing backsliding crises is at best mixed. This comes down to a combination of limited tools and lack of political will. Ordinary infringement procedures offer a limited toolbox, and the Commission has proven reluctant to use even these tools fully. At the same time, party groups in the European Parliament and many member state governments have been reluctant to criticize one of their own, let alone go down the path of suspending aspect of a states' EU membership. Hence the EU's dilemma: it is caught between undermining its own values and cohesion through inaction on one hand, and relegating one or more member states it to a second tier—or even pushing them out altogether—on the other.


In this thesis we formalise and study computational aspects of group decision making for rational, self-interested agents. Specifically, we are interested in systems where agents reach consensus according to endogenous thresholds. Natural groups have been shown to make collective decisions according to threshold-mediated behaviours. An individual will commit to some collective endeavour only if the number of others having already committed exceeds their threshold. Consensus is reached only where all individuals express commitment. We present a family of models that describe fundamental aspects of cooperative behaviour in multi-agent systems. These include: coalition formation, participation in joint actions and the achievement of individuals' goals over time. We associate novel solution concepts with our models and present results concerning the computational complexity of several natural decision problems arising from these. We demonstrate potential applications of our work by modelling a group decision problem common to many cohesive groups: establishing the location of the group. Using model checking tools we compute the effects of agents' thresholds upon outcomes. We consider our results within an appropriate research context.


The classical models of production and plankton community dynamics in coastal waters include an important role for benthic‐pelagic coupling in the form of biogcochemical cycling (the turnover of nutrients in the form of either living matter or its decomposed constituents). We think, however, that biogeochemical explanations of ecosystem functioning underrepresent the actual complexity of the studied phenomena. We suggest that models will be more complete if they incorporate life‐cycle patterns of planktonic and benthic organisms. The inclusion of such biological information into an ecological context will enhance the understanding of ecological patterns of global importance. What we presently know provides compelling evidence that new research directions, ranging from sedimentology to systematics and from physiology to molecular biology, are needed.


A balance sheet of thirty years of revolutionary experiment, this work is a comprehensive analysis of the failure of the socialist transformation of Egypt during the regimes of Nasser and Sadat. Testing recent theories of the nature of the developing states and their relation both to indigenous class forces and to external pressures from advanced industrial societies, John Waterbury describes the limited but complex choices available to Egyptian policy-makers in their attempts to reconcile the goals of reform and capital accumulation.Originally published in 1983.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.


Scholars of political science, a discipline in recent years included into social studies, undertake issues typically belonging to humanities with growing anxiety. Meanwhile, the question of both the multiplicity of cultures and the unanimity of the universal culture, as well as the question of the foundations of normative order, found in the cosmos of the ancient Greeks, the God of the Christians, or the History of the Marxists, remain the issues which ought to be known and analyzed also by the political scientists. The text presents, inter alia, the dispute described by Thomas Mann, which occurred between the supporters of two humanist projects predicting the liberation of the subject from the entanglement in history; these projects are also of interest for those engaged in political science.


Polarization dependent x-ray photoemission electron microscopy was used to investigate the influence of the exchange bias coupling on the disordered ultrathin single-crystalline fcc Fe50Mn50. We find that the critical thickness of the FeMn film, where the antiferromagnetic (AF) order is formed, varies with changing the magnetization direction of the ferromagnetic (FM) layer from out-of-plane to in-plane. Surface magneto-optical Kerr effect measurements (SMOKE) further manifest the shift of the critical thickness with alternating the exchange bias coupling. It indicates that the spin structure of the FeMn layer near the FM layer is modified by the presence of exchange bias coupling and the properties of the coupling. Our results provide direct experimental evidence that the AF spin structure at the interface between the FM and AF layers is strongly influenced by the exchange bias coupling.


[About the book]

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Extending Professional Practice in the Early Years is aimed at early years practitioners engaged in on-going learning and working in a diverse range of settings. It will be of interest to those undertaking undergraduate and postgraduate training in early years, and those involved in continuing their professional development. It is a valuable and unique resource for those in the later stages of their professional development.

The book encourages readers to take a critical stance in relation to a wide range of themes and issues which are reflected in the four parts of the book:

- listening to children

- diversity and transitions

- pedagogy and practice

- leadership and change.

Throughout the book, authors reflect common concerns such as the rights of children, diversity and a more holistic approach to working with young children, and highlight key research in the field.


Rectal cancer is the eight most common cancer diagnosis in Sweden in both men and women, with almost 2000 new cases per year. Radiotherapy, which is an important treatment modality for rectal cancer, has evolved during the past decades. Diagnostic tools have also improved, allowing better staging and offering information used to make well-founded decisions in multidisciplinary team conferences.In a retrospective study (n=46) with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients, unfit for chemoradiotherapy, patients were treated with short-course radiotherapy. Delayed surgery was done when possible. Radical surgery was possible in 89% of the patients who underwent surgery (80%). Grade IV diarrhoea affected three elderly patients. Target radiation volume should be reduced in elderly or metastatic patients.In a prospective study (n=68) with LARC patients, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 2-18F-fluoro-2-D-deoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) were used to determine if FDG-PET could provide extra treatment information. Information from FDG-PET changed the stage of 10 patients. Delineation with FDG-PET generally resulted in smaller target volumes than MRI only.Seven of the most advanced LARC patients in the above cohort were used for a methodological study to determine if dose escalation to peripheral, non-resectable regions was feasible. Simultaneous integrated boost plans with photons and protons were evaluated. While toxicity was acceptable in five patients with both protons and photons, two patients with very large tumours had unacceptable risk for intestinal toxicity regardless of modality.In the interim analysis of the Stockholm III Trial (n=303, studying radiotherapy-fractionation and timing of surgery in relation to radiotherapy) compliance was acceptable and severe acute toxicity was infrequent, irrespective of fractionation. Short-course radiotherapy with immediate surgery tended to give more postoperative complications, but only if surgery was delayed more than 10 days after the start of radiotherapy.Quality-of-life in the Stockholm III Trial was studied before, during and shortly after treatment using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and CR38 questionnaires. Surgery accounted for more adverse effects than radiotherapy in all groups. Postoperatively, the poorest quality-of-life was seen in patients given short-course radiotherapy followed by immediate surgery. No postoperative differences were seen between the two groups with delayed surgery.


The claim, often made, that India--uniquely among civilizations--lacks historical writing distracts us from a more pertinent question, according to Romila Thapar: how to recognize the historical sense of societies whose past is recorded in ways very different from European conventions. In "The Past Before Us," a distinguished scholar of ancient India guides us through a panoramic survey of the historical traditions of North India. Thapar reveals a deep and sophisticated consciousness of history embedded in the diverse body of classical Indian literature.The history recorded in such texts as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata is less concerned with authenticating persons and events than with presenting a picture of traditions striving to retain legitimacy and continuity amid social change. Spanning an epoch of nearly twenty-five hundred years, from 1000 BCE to 1400 CE, Thapar delineates three distinct historical traditions: an Itihasa-Purana tradition of Brahman authors; a tradition composed mainly by Buddhist and Jaina scholars; and a popular bardic tradition. The Vedic corpus, the epics, the Buddhist canon and monastic chronicles, inscriptions, regional accounts, and royal biographies and dramas are all scrutinized afresh--not as sources to be mined for factual data but as genres that disclose how Indians of ancient times represented their own past to themselves.


Advances in reactor designs, materials and human-machine interfaces guarantee safety and reliability of emerging reactor technologies, eliminating possibilities for high-consequence human errors as those which have occurred in the past. New instrumentation and control technologies based in digital systems, novel sensors and measurement approaches facilitate safety, reliability and economic competitiveness of nuclear power options. Autonomous operation scenarios are becoming increasingly popular to consider for small modular systems. This book belongs to a series of books on nuclear power published by InTech. It consists of four major sections and contains twenty-one chapters on topics from key subject areas pertinent to instrumentation and control, operation reliability, system aging and human-machine interfaces. The book targets a broad potential readership group - students, researchers and specialists in the field - who are interested in learning about nuclear power.


We study the problem of differentially private (DP) matrix completion under user-level privacy. We design a joint differentially private variant of the popular Alternating-Least-Squares (ALS) method that achieves: i) (nearly) optimal sample complexity for matrix completion (in terms of number of items, users), and ii) the best known privacy/utility trade-off both theoretically, as well as on benchmark data sets. In particular, we provide the first global convergence analysis of ALS with noise introduced to ensure DP, and show that, in comparison to the best known alternative (the Private Frank-Wolfe algorithm by Jain et al. (2018)), our error bounds scale significantly better with respect to the number of items and users, which is critical in practical problems. Extensive validation on standard benchmarks demonstrate that the algorithm, in combination with carefully designed sampling procedures, is significantly more accurate than existing techniques, thus promising to be the first practical DP embedding model.


America's research universities - some fifty leading intellectual centers - have assumed a unique set of responsibilities. In addition to educating undergraduates, they house most of the nation's basic research and train virtually all new scientists and scholars. The health of these institutions is critical to the nation's intellectual life as well as to its economic well-being, military posture, and foreign policy. Robert Rosenzweig, reporting on a project sponsored by the Association of American Universities, examines the core functions of the research universities and explores how they might best relate to their powerful patrons: the national government, foundations, business, and industry.


The Crisis. One of the principal causes of the current crisis in medicine is the profession's failure to control the invasion of basic sciences and technology, the inability to subordinate their contribution to medicine's human aims. Obviously, we shall never renounce the enormous benefits which science and technology bring to diagnostics and therapy. We must not allow science and technology to determine our goals or impose on us their value system. Unfortunately, this is precisely what is happening quite often today, the result of which is a medicine that is increasingly effective and less and less appreciated by people, does not satisfy the doctors themselves, becomes too expensive even for the richest nations, and is criticized from every quarter. For doctors, basic sciences and technology are only means and must remain so; they must not be used needlessly; the enormous contribution of the basic sciences must once again be subordinated to the thinking human being, the physician, and directed toward human goals. It is our task, and that of the next generation of physicians, to resolve the crisis in medicine; a difficult end to achieve, but the only possible solution. Facing this task the profession stands divided. In the previous chapters I have already mentioned the increasing polarization into two types of physicians: the traditional clinicians and the "modern" doctors. They look almost indistinguishable and share most characteristics yet their ways and even goals are not the same. The clinician is a doctor who tries to absorb new scientific achievements and master new technologies (life-long learning is the true tradition in medicine), but has never renounced the skills, the experience, and the spirit of clinical medicine. He knows how to reconcile a naturalist's objectivity with sincere involvement in his patients and emotional involvement in his own art. The medicine he practices is of a personal kind, his own contribution dominates the whole course of events. The diagnosis, discovering what's wrong with the patient, is for him a personal victory and a source of pride. The therapy which he adjusts to every individual patient, displaying resolve when needed and restraint when necessary, personally following the effects from one hour to the next, is for the clinician an opportunity to show what is best in his mind and character. As Marguerite Yourcenar so aptly noted, (107) for a clinician, a patient whom he has cured of a serious illness is l'oeuvre de sa vie, his masterpiece. The "modern" physician lives in a very different professional climate, where the doctor's personal role is being belittled (and is, in fact, reduced), where diagnosis (or its fragments) arrive on scraps of paper from the laboratory, and the doctor will not even say "Madam, you've got this or that," but "the blood test has shown.... " where treatment is no longer the work of a doctor but of "a team" (that is, of no one); where further observation of the patient is left entirely to the nurses; where it is not thought that a doctor must devote the maximum of time, attention and effort to his patient, but only as much as is "reasonably" due; where lack of emotional involvement is praised as a virtue; where ultimately the doctor's dissatisfaction with his own role leads him to the melancholy view that all medical endeavors are meaningless. Not trained to rely on his own understanding, not accustomed to trust his own human reactions, a doctor who has received this sort of ill-balanced, inharmonious, "modern" education is inclined to extreme and unbalanced views. He is entirely serious in his belief that medicine is a science (whereas for the traditional doctor science was a tool of medicine). He tends to view the truth of medicine and his own diagnoses as scientific certainties, and may even believe in prognoses. Having taken on the value system of the "exact" sciences, he sees no proof that one should be kind or caring, or that human life has infinite value: these are, after all, nonscientific postulates. …


The subject of this thesis is teleworking as one of the genus of flexible working options for new economy service organisations. The research took the form of a multi-dimensional case study at Lloyd's Policy Signing Office (LPSO) which is the largest profit centre division of the Corporation of Lloyd's. The Corporation is responsible for the international insurance market, Lloyd's of London. LPSO employs 400 people and provides professional support services to its customers being the Lloyd's syndicates, Insurance Brokers and Managing Agencies that make up the market.

The study involves examination of the business case for teleworking from the perspective of all the principal constituencies involved. The findings of previous research in relation to costs and benefits, staff productivity, staff retention and absenteeism levels are critically examined. Similarly the employee perspective in relation to the demand for teleworking, their job satisfaction and perception of work-life balance are also investigated within the context of existing research. The theory paradigms used to provide the structure to the research are principally the theory of the flexible firm, use of Balanced Score Card and from the Operational Research arena, use of six sigma methodology. The financial case for teleworking is also examined in detail.

The fact that LPSO teleworkers perform largely the same tasks as their office based colleagues, and both groups work within the same management and process structure is a feature unusual in existing studies. Also, the level of access to and degree of co-operation from within Lloyd's made it possible to examine the case to a degree not found in existing research into any comparable organisation.

The investigation found higher levels of productivity for teleworkers, lower levels of unplanned absence, and some evidence of a propensity to stay with LPSO because of the availability of teleworking. Teleworkers reported levels of work and life satisfaction that were never lower than office based colleagues and higher in some key respects. This was despite the fact that teleworkers feared that they might be disadvantaged in terms of career development and access to training.

The study found that the financial pay-back for introducing teleworking was near neutral. Further, it was found that for LPSO higher levels of productivity might not be attributable solely to teleworking per se. Improved productivity might also arise because of the way in which work was distributed and output measured for teleworkers. Adopting comparable distribution and measurement for office based staff was potentially a viable option for LPSO management. Therefore, despite the significant increase in the productivity of teleworkers compared to their office base colleagues the resources required to introduce teleworking might be better applied to other means of improving per capita efficiency with the effects on employees' work-life balance being only an incidental by-product.


Abstract. An automated function control unit was developed to regularly check the ambient particle number concentration derived from a mobility particle size spectrometer as well as its zero-point behaviour. The function control allows unattended quality assurance experiments at remote air quality monitoring or research stations under field conditions. The automated function control also has the advantage of being able to get a faster system stability response than the recommended on-site comparisons with reference instruments. The method is based on a comparison of the total particle number concentration measured by a mobility particle size spectrometer and a condensation particle counter while removing diffusive particles smaller than 20 nm in diameter. In practice, the small particles are removed by a set of diffusion screens, as traditionally used in a diffusion battery. Another feature of the automated function control is to check the zero-point behaviour of the ambient aerosol passing through a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. The performance of the function control is illustrated with the aid of a 1-year data set recorded at Annaberg-Buchholz, a station in the Saxon air quality monitoring network. During the period of concern, the total particle number concentration derived from the mobility particle size spectrometer slightly overestimated the particle number concentration recorded by the condensation particle counter by 2 % (grand average). Based on our first year of experience with the function control, we developed tolerance criteria that allow a performance evaluation of a tested mobility particle size spectrometer with respect to the total particle number concentration. We conclude that the automated function control enhances the quality and reliability of unattended long-term particle number size distribution measurements. This will have beneficial effects for intercomparison studies involving different measurement sites, and help provide a higher data accuracy for cohort health and climate research studies.


Silver reflective plastic mulches were compared with conventional bare-ground culture of yellow crookneck summer squash (Cucurbita pepo L. var. melopepo Alef.) for reducing aphids and the following mosaic virus diseases: cucumber mosaic, watermelon mosaic I and II, zucchini yellows mosaic, and squash mosaic. Plants grown on silver plastic mulch produced higher marketable yields than those grown on bare ground. Other colors (white, yellow, and black with yellow edges) of plastic mulch were intermediate in their effects on aphid population and virus disease reduction. Silver reflective mulch alone and silver reflective mulch with insecticide were superior to other colors of plastic mulch in reducing aphid populations. Silver reflective plastic mulch, with or without insecticide, resulted in 10 to 13 days delay in the onset of the mosaic diseases noted.


Abstract Recently, the situatedness of learning has come to the center of attention in both research and practice, also a result of the insight that traditional learning methods in the form of large decontextualized courses lead to inert knowledge; i.e., knowledge that can be reproduced, but not applied to real-world problem solving. In order to avoid the inertness, pedagogy tries to set up authentic learning settings, an approach increasingly shared in e-learning domain. If we consider professional training, it is the immediacy of purpose and context that makes it largely different to learning in schools or academic education. This immediacy has the benefit that we actually have an authentic context that we need to preserve. The majority of current e-learning approaches, however, ignores this context and provides decontextualized forms of learning as a multimedia copy of traditional presence seminars. We show how making learning solutions aware of the context actually affects their architecture and present a showcase solution in the form of the Learning in Process service-oriented architecture.


Herein we describe a green-by-design approach to route selection and development, assisted by predictive analytics and historical data. In order to aid the selection of more efficient strategies, we created a user-friendly web application, the "PMI Prediction Calculator," to foretell the probable efficiencies of proposed synthetic routes, prior to their evaluation in the laboratory. This tool can also be used to benchmark the outcome performance of a developed process. We expect that use of this app will bring greater awareness of sustainability during the ideation phase of route design and will contribute to a reduced environmental impact of pharmaceutical production. The app can be accessed following the link:https://acsgcipr-predictpmi.shinyapps.io/pmi_calculator/


The extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) chemical and sensory characteristics depend on several factors such as the environment, the genetic matrix, stage of olive ripeness, phytosanitary conditions of olive, time and way of olive storage before transformation, and technological features of olive mill. In this chapter, the time of olive storage and two different types of extraction equipment are taken into account to deep understand their impact on chemical and sensory profile of EVOO. The knowledge of how these factors act will allow to manage the production chain adequately and to act on the various steps in order to improve the quality of EVOO. The sensory modifications of olive oils processed with two different types of extraction system during the storage were also evaluated.


Objective: The purpose of the present study was to determine the impacts of cognitive distortions of patients diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder on medication adherence. Methods: The study was carried out during the dates of 20.01.2019 and 20.05.2019 on patients diagnosed with anxiety who applied to the Gaziantep University Şahinbey Research and Application Hospital Psychiatry Polyclinic as outpatients and inpatients. Personal Informa-tion Form, Cognitive Distortions Scale and Morisky Medication Adherence Scale were used for assessment. The patients were divided into two groups as those with low treatment adherence and those with moderate/high treatment adherence. Results: Of the 96 patients, 20.8% were in the 25-29 age groups with %58 females. 46.9% were married and the education level of 35.4% was primary school. There were no significant differences between cognitive distortions and treatment compliance in the total evaluation of cognitive distortions related to interpersonal relationships and distortions related to personal achievement (p>0.05). There was a significant differences between treatment adherence and cognitive distortions in minimizing/neglecting the positive in interpersonal relationships in terms of the evaluation of each cognitive distortions (p=0.03).Discussion: Minimizing/neglecting the positive cogni- tive distortion were negatively correlated with treatment compliance. In combination of pharmacotherapy and cognitive therapies, the detection and prioritization of distortions primarily related to minimizing/neglecting the positive may contribute to the effectiveness of treatment


Following a period of resurgence in academic interest in the subject over the last 30-40 years, whitecollar crime has found greater prominence within criminology. Efforts over this period have however failed to produce a single satisfactory and agreed-upon definition, a consistent and coherent body of research, and a single theory which can account for all forms of white-collar crime. This thesis aims to address certain shortcomings in the current state of white-collar crime theory and understanding. Part 1) addresses the issues of both conceptual definition of white-collar crime and specific behaviours as proscribed within the Legislation. Part 2) examines current criminological theory and research on individual differences (arguably the biggest gap in current knowledge in the area of whitecollar crime); it examines the origins and current state of offender profiling in crime prevention, before Part 3) presents original research on establishing offence-specific white-collar criminal profiles based on demographic, sociological, psychological, organisational and motivational factors. Part 4) examines why certain individuals may perpetrate certain crimes in certain situations, beginning with a review of those few white-collar crime specific theories that do exist, before reviewing traditional sociological theories and attempting to apply them to white-collar crime; finally in Part 5) a new conceptual framework for white-collar crime is presented, which is referred to as the theory of 'Differential Assimilation'. I bring together each of these chapters and situate the thesis within current research and literature, summarising how it engages and contributes to the field of white-collar crime. I include suggestions for the practical application of certain white-collar crime prevention techniques within organisations.


Wells are now routinely drilled both in deepwater and on land to depths that were previously considered impossible. In these environments, casing design is critical to safely and successfully drilling and producing wells, and unexpected casing wear can result in significant costs or even the loss of a well. As part of a successful casing design strategy, the engineer must assess the maximum permissible casing wear required to maintain casing integrity. Then, steps must be taken to ensure that casing wear thresholds are not exceeded. Casing wear models use the number of drill string revolutions and contact force between the drill pipe and casing to calculate wear. The contact force is calculated using the dog-leg severity within the well, with the maximum dog-leg severity often determining the location and extent of the most severe casing wear. There is often a large discrepancy between predicted and actual casing wear because of survey quality and inaccurate estimates of dog-leg severity and total revolutions. These discrepancies result in predictions of contact force and drill string revolutions that are in error by 50% or more. To improve the accuracy of casing wear models, an extensive database was created from a wide variety of wells with measured depths greater than 13,000ft. The database results in a statistically based model for determining dog-leg severity within vertical, build, and tangent sections, as well as total drill string revolutions at various levels of confidence to bound average and maximum expected contact force and casing wear. Case histories compare measured wear with predictions of casing wear based on original well data and the statistically based model. The case histories also demonstrate the effect of various drilling parameters on casing wear, and evaluate the effectiveness of non-rotating protectors in preventing casing wear. Project Goal The goal of this project was to more accurately quantify casing wear risk by improving casing wear analysis accuracy. To do this, data from a large number of wells was analyzed to generate probabilities for dog-leg severity in common well types and also correlate those to actual backmodeled casing wear factors. The results will allow an engineer to analyze what the expected casing wear might be for an average (P50) horizontal well, and then evaluate the maximum expected wear for a 1 in 10 case (P90), 1 in 20 case (P95), or 1 in 100 (P99) case. Surveys All casing wear software, and torque and drag software as well, use a directional survey to determine the side force or contact force between the drill string and wellbore. These points within a directional survey can be a representation of a planned well path, or it can be taken from actual downhole measurements. The survey points are then connected into a single line representing a best approximation of the wellpath with the information given.


Both airborne spores of Rhynchosporium secalis and seed infection have been implied as major sources of primary inoculum for barley leaf blotch (scald) epidemics in fields without previous history of barley cropping. However, little is known about their relative importance in the onset of disease. Results from both quantitative real-time PCR and visual assessments indicated that seed infection was the main source of inoculum in the field trial conducted in this study. Glasshouse studies established that the pathogen can be transmitted from infected seeds into roots, shoots and leaves without causing symptoms. Plants in the field trial remained symptomless for approximately four months before symptoms were observed in the crop. Covering the crop during part of the growing season was shown to prevent pathogen growth, despite the use of infected seed, indicating that changes in the physiological condition of the plant and/or environmental conditions may trigger disease development. However, once the disease appeared in the field it quickly became uniform throughout the cropping area. Only small amounts of R. secalis DNA were measured in 24 h spore-trap tape samples using PCR. Inoculum levels equivalent to spore concentrations between 30 and 60 spores per m3 of air were only detected on three occasions during the growing season. The temporal pattern and level of detection of R. secalis DNA in spore tape samples indicated that airborne inoculum was limited and most likely represented rain-splashed conidia rather than putative ascospores.


This essay explores and assesses the connection between accountability and the quality of democracy in modern Greece along three key dimensions: vertical, horizontal, and social. Vertical involves elected officials and the three branches of government; horizontal deals with the nonelected arms of government and bureaucratic agencies; and social addresses civil society, the mass media, and nongovernmental organizations. Examination and analysis of the relevant data indicate that the state of accountability in Greece is weak in all three dimensions, and a host of structural, social, and attitudinal factors contributes to this weakness. Accountability problems undermine the quality of democracy. The essay expresses hope that reforms initiated under pressure from the European Union eventually would strengthen accountability and Greece's quality of democracy.


Procedure Appropriateness Category Relative Radiation Level Radiography chest Usually Appropriate ☢ CT chest with IV contrast May Be Appropriate ☢☢☢ CT chest without IV contrast May Be Appropriate ☢☢☢ MRI chest without and with IV contrast Usually Not Appropriate O MRI chest without IV contrast Usually Not Appropriate O CT chest without and with IV contrast Usually Not Appropriate ☢☢☢ FDG-PET/CT skull base to mid-thigh Usually Not Appropriate ☢☢☢☢


Models of modified gravity, whereby local tests of gravity are evaded thanks to a screening mechanism of the chameleon or Damour-Polyakov types, lead to a spatial variation of the particle masses and the fine structure constant. This is triggered by the environmental dependence of the value of the scalar field whose presence modifies gravity. In dense media, the field settles at a density dependent value while in sparse environments it takes the background cosmological value. We estimate that the maximal deviation of constants from their present values is constrained by local tests of gravity, and must be less than 10.


According to polls, the proportion of Czech respondents who perceived irregular migration as a real and serious security threat doubled from 32% in 2014 to 65% in 2015. By means of a content analysis of the news stories published by three Czech online news portals, this study examines the extent to which images of a threat and an appeal for security were part of the media coverage of the European migration crisis. While only small differences in extent were observed among the three portals, the findings suggest that the crisis was depicted mainly in terms of governance, i.e. as a burden to the state or as a security threat. All three news portals gave prominence to qualities like urgency, extraordinariness, overload and insecurity, and attributed these qualities to the figure of an indefinite wave of migrants heading to Europe. The humanitarian dimension of the reported events was marginalised. The findings indicate a striking dependence on institutional sources, mainly government officials. Almost exclusive salience was given to the governmental agenda. Authorship of every other news story was assigned to the Czech Press Agency. Aforementioned partial characteristics of the coverage resulted in highly politicized image of the crisis, which to considerable extent was presented as a security threat.


In industry today, the need for excellent product development and realization in many different aspects is increasing. This calls for excellent quality, while at the same time time-to-market is increasingly important. A concurrent engineering (CE) approach is directed towards simultaneously developing different aspects of product realization in order to enhance both quality and speed. This thesis deals with the internal materials supply system (MSS) from a CE approach. Logistics aspects are often not dealt with until later stages of development, which leads to limitations in the possible solutions for the MSS. While designing a new production system, including MSS aspects early on in the project implies stating at an early stage what is required by the system. In order to aid the development of such requirements, this thesis aims at suggesting a structure for the requirements on the MSS where the relevant stakeholders of the system are involved. The thesis results are achieved through literature reviews and a case study at a manufacturing company in the automotive industry. Through literature reviews the thesis suggests a four-level hierarchic approach to requirements, considering four levels: stakeholder level, system level, sub system level and component level. This approach is supported by the case study, where stakeholders and requirements are analyzed and content and important aspects for the requirements specification in a current product realization project are considered. Through the case study, the thesis suggests a view of MSS stakeholders and a two-part structure for MSS requirements with a requirements specification matrix and a tree diagram. The requirements specification matrix contains the four suggested levels, where twelve different requirement categories are considered on each level. The stakeholder level considers the stakeholder requirements, which are translated into requirements on the system. These are broken down into requirements on the various flows (sub systems) of the system, which are then broken down into six components (materials feeding, storage, transportation, handling, packaging and planning and control). The stakeholders considered are divided into operational, contextual and internal stakeholders to the system. The thesis results are considered to have the possibility of aiding the inclusion of MSS aspects at an early stage of product realization, and many different aspects are considered through the inclusion of all the relevant stakeholders in the study. The results are expected to be applicable in many different contexts. However, this needs to be examined further and also the robustness of the results need to be established through further studies.


Contents: Exploring the new terrain ~ Alex Marsh and Patricia Kennett The new landscape of precariousness ~ Ray Forrest Homelessness, citizenship and social exclusion ~ Patricia Kennett Homelessness in rural areas: an invisible issue? ~ Paul Cloke, Paul Milbourne and Rebekah Widdowfield A home is where the heart is: engendering notions of homelessness ~ Sophie Watson Theorising homelessness and 'race' ~ Malcolm Harrison The criminalisation of homelessness, begging and street living ~ Gary Fooks and Christina Pantazis The homelessness legislation as a vehicle for marginalisation: making an example out of the paedophile ~ David Cowan and Rose Gilroy Old and homeless: a double jeopardy ~ Derek Hawes Homelessness in Russia: the scope of the problem and the remedies in place ~ Yana Beigulenko Implementing 'joined-up thinking': multiagency services for single homeless people in Bristol ~ Jenny Pannell and Sian Parry Models of resettlement for the homeless in the European Union ~ Brian Harvey.


. The inhibiting action of pomelo (Citrus maxima ) peels extract have been investigated as environment-friendly corrosion inhibitor of mild steel in hydrochloric acid 1 M using weight loss measurements method. The measurements were conducted at a various concentration of pomelo peels extract and immersion time. The effect of pomelo peels extract concentration and immersion time on the rate of corrosion and inhibition efficiency were investigated. The rate of corrosion was calculated by a weight loss of initial and after immersion of the samples. The mechanisms of corrosion inhibition were determined by adsorption mechanism of inhibitor. The results revealed that pomelo peels extract was an effective corrosion inhibitor for mild steel in hydrochloric acid 1 M solution. The rate of corrosion is decreasing with the increase of pomelo peels extract concentration. The inhibition efficiency was considered to increase with pomelo peels extract concentration to attain 92.2% at 1.6%. The mechanism of inhibition of corrosion is found to be due to adsorption of the extract of pomelo peels on the metal surface which is in conformity with Langmuir's adsorption isotherm.


In this paper, a fast stereo images compression method has been proposed. In proposed method, Firstly, stereo images were transformed using Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) in order to reduce computation time. The disparities between these images were estimated by Two Dimensional Logarithmic (TDL) algorithm. The result of the Motion Vector (MV) was encoded into a bit stream by Huffman encoding while the remaining part is compressed like the compression that is used in still image. The proposed method produced good results in terms of Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), CR, and computation time.


Little is known about the temporal directionality of relationships between problematic internet use and personality disorders such as narcissism.

 Although these two constructs are related at a single time, no existent study has determined whether initial problematic internet use is more strongly associated with subsequent narcissism, or vice versa. So, the aim of the research is to verify if problematic internet use predicts the narcissism or vice versa.

 Seventy-four university student participants were studied over a four-month period, and completed the Narcissism Personality Inventory, and Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire, at baseline and follow-up.

 The results demonstrated a relationship between problematic internet use and narcissism at baseline. Time-lagged correlations demonstrated that problematic internet use at baseline was positively related to narcissism four-months later, but not vice versa for social media users whose use was primarily visual. This relationship did not hold for social media users whose use was primarily verbal.

 These results suggest that problematic internet use may serve to discharge narcissistic personality traits for those who use social media in a visual way, but not for those who do not engage in that form of internet use.


The first outdoor printer to be conceptualised and assembled in South Africa, the AfriJet, is the world's first flatbed printer making use of infra-red ink technology. It's being positioned as a low cost alternative to UV printers because it is cheaper to run and alternates easily between rigid substrates like correx or ABS sheeting and the more traditional roll-to-roll substrates like PVC flex and self-adhesive vinyl.


We discuss the challenge of managing the Multifunction Phased Array Radar (MPAR) timeline to satisfy the requirements of its multiple missions, with a particular focus on weather surveillance. This command and control (C2) function partitions the available scan time among these missions, exploits opportunities to service multiple missions simultaneously, and utilizes techniques for increasing scan rate where feasible. After reviewing the candidate MPAR architectures and relevant previous research, we describe a specific C2 framework that is consistent with a demonstrated active array architecture using overlapped subarrays to realize multiple, concurrent receive beams. Analysis of recently articulated requirements for near-airport and national-scale aircraft surveillance indicates that with this architecture, 40–60% of the MPAR scan timeline would be available for the high-fidelity weather observations currently provided by the Weather Service Radar (WSR-88D) network. We show that an appropriate use of subarray generated concurrent receive beams, in concert with previously documented, complementary techniques to increase the weather scan rate, could enable MPAR to perform full weather volume scans at a rate of 1 per minute. Published observing system simulation experiments, human-in-the-loop studies and radar-data assimilation experiments indicate that high-quality weather radar observations at this rate may significantly improve the lead time and reliability of severe weather warnings relative to current observation capabilities.


People recognize and use document genres as a way of identifying useful information and of participating in mutually understood communicative acts. Crowston and Kwasnik [1] discuss the possibility of improving information access in large digital collections through the identification and use of document genre metadata. They draw on the definition of genre proposed by Orlikowski and Yates [3], who describe genre as "a distinctive type of communicative action, characterized by a socially recognized communicative purpose and common aspects of form" (p. 543). Scholars in fields such as rhetoric and library science have attempted to describe and systematize the notion of genre, and have offered many different definitions of genre. We like Orlikowski and Yates's definition because it takes into account all three aspects of genre that we recognize as fundamental: content, form, and purpose. A document's genre is a subtle and complex concept in which the content and form of a document are fused with its purpose or function. As such, a document's genre cannot be separated from the context in which it is used; the same document may be construed as being of a different genre depending on how it is invoked in a given situation. Starting from the document, a letter may be a personal communication, or a piece of evidence in a court of law, or an agreement, or even a work of art. Starting from the situation, we note that differences in an information situation are often reflected in the kind of document that is considered helpful (e.g., a problem set vs. a lesson plan vs. a tutorial about mathematics, for instance). Thus, we see genre as a multidimensional phenomenon, which takes into account not only the attributes of the document itself, but also of its role in human endeavor. In this paper, we discuss some considerations in developing a facetted classification for genres to address the problem of multi-dimensionality.


A variety of benign etiologies of biliary stricture may initially be mistaken for hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Consequently, many patients undergo surgery for a benign disease that could have been treated medically. Eosinophilic cholangitis (EC) is an uncommon, benign, self-limiting disease that should be considered when approaching a case of obstructive jaundice since it causes biliary stricture forma-tion. Transmural eosinophilic infiltration of the biliary tree is characteristic of EC. It may initially be indistinguishable from hilar cholangiocarcinoma. We worked on a case of a patient who was referred to our hospital for jaundice and abdominal mass investigation with the provisional diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma. During the workup, the index of suspicion for malignancy remained high as the typical laboratory and radiological findings for benign causes of biliary stricture were not present. Hence, the patient underwent left hepatectomy with caudate lobe resec-tion and received a retrograde diagnosis of EC. The case demonstrates that EC could present in the elderly with cardinal signs of cancer and absence of the typical findings of EC which was not previously reported. Furthermore, this disorder has been reported to respond well to steroid therapy, hence, diagnostic criteria for EC would provide another treatment option for elderly and/or those who are not fit for surgery. A 39-year-old Caucasian female with a body mass index (BMI) of 36 and a history of hamishoto's thyroiditis, presented to the ED with worsening itching and jaundice. Patient's thyroid function tests were within normal range. Cholesterol was 310 mg/ dL, ALP 318, ALT 24, AST 21, and GGT 1120 U/L. Liver US showed no signs of bile duct dilation. Anti-mitochondrial antibody (AMA) titers were elevated. Patient was diagnosed with primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and was started on ursodiol. Now have To us


Diverse irrigated areas were mapped in the Krishna River Basin (258,912 km2), southern India, using an irrigated fraction approach and multiple ancillary data sources. Unsupervised classification of a monthly time series of net difference vegetation index (NDVI) images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) over January–December 2002 generated 40 classes. Nine generalized classes included five irrigated classes with distinct NDVI time signatures: continuous irrigation, double‐cropped, irrigated with low biomass, minor irrigation, and groundwater irrigation. Areas irrigated by surface water began greening 45 days after groundwater‐irrigated areas, which allowed separation of surface and groundwater irrigation in the classification. The fraction of each class area irrigated was determined using three different methods: ground truth data, a linear regression model calibrated to agricultural census data, and visual interpretation of Landsat TM imagery. Irrigated fractions determined by the three methods varied least for the double‐cropped irrigated class (0.62–0.79) and rangeland (0.00–0.02), and most for the minor irrigated class (0.06–0.43). Small irrigated patches (<0.1 km2) accounted for more irrigated area than all major surface water irrigated areas combined. The irrigated fractions of the minor and groundwater‐irrigated classes differed widely by method, suggesting that mapping patchy and small irrigated areas remains challenging, but comparison of multiple data sources improves confidence in the classification and highlights areas requiring more intensive fieldwork.


Rates of oxygen production of a natural population of phytoplankton from a freshwater lake were measured in situ at mid-summer under near-maximal irradiances for PAR (400-700 nm), UV-B (280-315 nm) and UV-A (320-400 nm), The radiation climate was altered by incubation at different depths, and hence different PAR, and by using flasks which cut-off different amounts of UV-radiation: quartz flasks transmitted all wavelengths >280 nm, glass flasks had a 50 % transmission at 309 nm and glass flasks with a plastic shield had 50 % transmission at 354 nm. At 0.01 and 0.11 m, rates of oxygen consumption in the light were greater than dark respiration in all flasks, but were particularly high in the full UV treatment, possibly as a result of photochemical degradation of dissolved organic carbon. Gross oxygen production was achieved in all flask types at depths of 0.41, 0.53 and 1.1 m but rates were lowest under the full UV-spectrum. An ANOVA showed a significant variation in rate of gross photosynthesis with depth and type of flask. A multiple-regression against received flux of PAR, UV.9 and UV-B explained 81 % of the variation in gross photosynthesis but co-variation of irradiance with depth prevented the effect of the different wavebands to be separated statistically. The biological weighting function of CULLEN et al (1992) for the inhibition of photosynthesis by ultraviolet radiation for a marine phytoplankter, explained 80% of the variation in our data but we could not distinguish between two scenarios with different sensitivity to UV radiation. Extrapolation to in-situ conditions suggested that UV-A radiation was more inhibitory than UV-B radiation.


Passports and other identification documents may be enhanced using recent advancements in technology. Various national and international bodies are pursuing machine-readable approaches with biometric information. In particular, the international civil aviation organization (ICAO) has adopted standards whereby passports can store biometric identifiers. Countries that participate in the visa waiver program (VWP) began issuing electronic passports in 2006. However, the selection of technologies remains questionable due to privacy and security concerns. This paper examines policy regarding these electronic approaches and developments toward electronic data storage and transmission. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) devices for electronic passports and other existing identity documents are discussed.


An oscillating grid-stirred tank was studied for flow repeatability and the existence of secondary circulations. For the particular tank studied, results indicate that mean flow values may vary by up to 25% and turbulent fluctuations may vary by up to 15% from one run to another. This result was observed to exhibit a potential grid geometry dependence. More importantly, there is evidence of significant flow field sensitivity to initial conditions. Particle image velocimetry results were used to reveal secondary mean flows in the grid-stirred tank. Because these characteristics are believed to be intrinsic to grid-stirred tanks, studies using such tanks must recognize and consider these effects.


Traditional methods of determining wettability such as the Amott and the U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) test for an oil/brine/rock system are difficult to apply to shales due to their extremely low permeability, usually in the nanodarcy range. Earlier Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) studies on Berea sandstone showed consistency with standard wettablity measurements and served as a calibration standard. A total of 10 core plugs from an Ordovician organic rich shale were analyzed. The T2 NMR signature of the imbibed dodecane and brine occurred mostly at relaxation times faster than their measured bulk relaxation of 1 and 3 second, respectively, indicating that surface relaxation is dominant. The Ordovician organic rich shale display mixed wettability. Three of the samples had a high affinity for dodecane, as a result of the organic pores present in the samples. This result was consistent with the NMR spectra in both sequences as well as the gravimetric analysis. The main advantage NMR has over the traditional methods is that we are able to see where the fluids are being imbibed. Mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP) characterizes the distribution of pore throats while NMR responds to the pore bodies. Assuming the throats and bodeies are equivalent, a scaling factor was used to match the NMR spectra and the MICP curves to estimate the effective surface relaxivity for the shale samples. The range of the effective surface relaxivities ranged between 0.5μm/sec to 3.1μm/sec with an average of 1.7 ± 1.0 μm/sec. Mineralogy variations were observed across the 10 shale samples but showed a correlation which suggests that the effective surface relaxivity is dependent on mineralogy.


The binding of FSH and hCG to ovarian tumor biopsies from 31 women was analyzed to determine whether ovarian cancers contain receptors for gonadotropic hormones. For comparative purposes, gonadotropin binding to receptor-positive control tissues was also assessed. Specific binding was defined as [125I]hFSH and [125I]hCG binding prevented by coincubation of tissue samples with an excess of unlabeled gonadotropin. Various types of epithelium-derived tumors (serous, mucinous, endometrioid, and undifferentiated; n = 29) had low levels of specific FSH and hCG binding (less than 15% of receptor-positive control tissues) which were not dependent on tissue concentration and not saturable. A germ cell tumor had similar binding characteristics. In contrast, specific FSH binding to a granulosa cell-theca cell (GC-TC) tumor was directly proportional to tissue concentration, and binding was maximal in the presence of 100 ng/ml [125I]FSH. Scatchard analyses of FSH binding yielded a linear plot. Although the FSH-binding capacity of the GC-TC tumor (6.3 fmol/mg) exceeded that of control tissues, their binding affinities (Kd = 1.4 X 10(-9)M) were similar. Specific hCG binding to the GC-TC tumor was low and not dependent on tissue concentration. We conclude that the specific binding of FSH to the GC-TC tumor was characteristic of the interaction of gonadotropin with receptors in target tissues. However, the low level of FSH and hCG binding to tumors of epithelial origin did not represent gonadotropin-receptor binding. Thus, the common ovarian tumors of epithelial origin may not respond directly to gonadotropin, but malignancies of sex cord-stromal origin, such as GC-TC tumors, could be modulated by FSH.


Pediatrics is defined as the science of a healthy and sick child from birth to end of adolescence. Diseases of the cardiovascular system are the leading causes of mortality in adults, with frequent onset in childhood. The cardiologic examination starts with anamnesis in a pleasant atmosphere, refined space, enough time and patience, detailed measurements, and preferably a noncrying child. Anamnesis, regardless of the development of diagnostic procedures, still constitutes the basis of every clinical examination. The basic characteristics of pediatric cardiac anamnesis are comprehensiveness, that is, details, clarity, concurrency, and chronology. Proper and conscientiously taken anamnesis with a thorough clinical examination of a sick child is a solid protection against dehumanizing the relationship between a physician and patient. Pediatric cardiac anamnesis can be variable, completely negative, but very rich. Anamnesis should, first of all, clarify whether only a child is sick or it is perceived like that be his or her environment. Preschool and school-age children are normally attending anamnesis. High-quality, comprehensive medical history can keep the patient at one level of health care, with a strict focus primarily on the diagnostic processes, reduce crowds in specialist and subspecialist institutions, and make economic savings. A large number of patients in specialist and subspecialist clinics can be reduced by proper screening and by developing primary health-care system (from the local health-care center). Taking patient's medical history with thoroughness has a strong educative character for young doctors at the beginning of their careers.


Political candidates and parties harnessed Facebook as a tool for political mobilisation and communication at the time of the Botswana 2014 election. This paper explores the use of Facebook as a campaign tool in the 2014 Botswana general election. It argues that the extensive use of Facebook in political campaigning has added a new dimension to electoral campaigns in Botswana, by allowing political parties a relatively cheap means of transmitting information.
Furthermore, Facebook has democratised media access, and has afforded people who have previously been side-lined by traditional media an important platform for political mobilization. Accordingly, Facebook has widened the democratic space and reduced the disparities in the electoral arena. Most importantly, it has generated interest in politics among young people. The intersection between Facebook and traditional media and other social media has augmented their efficiency by amplifying their reach. However, Facebook does not replace traditional campaign approaches but rather serves to augment them.


Abstract. A mineral dust module is developed and implemented into the global aerosol microphysics model, GISS-TOMAS. The model is evaluated against long-term measurements of dust surface mass concentrations and deposition fluxes. Predicted mass concentrations and deposition fluxes are in error on average by a factor of 3 and 5, respectively. The comparison shows that the model performs better near the dust source regions but underestimates surface concentrations and deposition fluxes in more remote regions. Including only sites with measured dust concentrations of at least 0.5 μg m−3, the model prediction agrees with observations to within a factor of 2. It was hypothesized that the lifetime of dust, 2.6 days in our base case, is too short and causes the underestimation in remote areas. However, a sensitivity simulation with smaller dust particles and increased lifetime, 3.7 days, does not significantly improve the comparison. These results suggest that the underestimation of mineral dust in remote areas may result from local factors/sources not well described by the global dust source function used here or the GCM meteorology. The effect of dust aerosols on CCN(0.2%) concentrations is negligible in most regions of the globe; however, CCN(0.2%) concentrations change decrease by 10–20% in dusty regions the impact of dust on CCN(0.2%) concentrations in dusty regions is very sensitive to the assumed size distribution of emissions. If emissions are predominantly in the coarse mode, CCN(0.2%) decreases in dusty regions up to 10–20% because dust competes for condensable H2SO4, reducing the condensational growth of ultrafine mode particles to CCN sizes. With significant fine mode emissions, however, CCN(0.2%) doubles in Saharan source regions because the direct emission of dust particles outweighs any microphysical feedbacks. The impact of dust on CCN concentrations active at various water supersaturations is also investigated. Below 0.1%, CCN concentrations increase significantly in dusty regions due to the presence of coarse dust particles. Above 0.2%, CCN concentrations show a similar behavior as CCN(0.2%).


The polluter-pays principle stipulates that the person who damages the environment must bear the cost of such damage. A number of developing countries have recently extended this principle to create an obligation on the state to compensate the victims of environmental harm. This variation of the polluter-pays principle is aimed at ensuring victims' compensation when polluters cannot be identified or are insolvent. These regimes hold state and local governments primarily or jointly-and-severally liable for environmental damage and allow the government to act in subrogation against the polluters. In this paper we study the effect of this form of governmental liability, which we describe as the polluter-does-not-pay regime, on the polluters' incentives and on aggregate levels of environmental harm. We develop an economic model to study the polluter-does-not-pay principle, identifying the conditions under which this regime may be a more effective instrument for environmental protection. We conclude by suggesting that this regime may be desirable in environments characterized by widespread poverty, high interest rates, judicial delays and uncertainty in adjudication.


OBJECTIVE
Training in cardiothoracic surgery across Europe remains diverse and variable despite the ever closer integration of European countries at all levels and in all areas of life. Coupled with the increasing ease of movement across Europe, the need for uniform training programmes has arisen to allow for equivalent accreditation and certification.

METHODS
We review the current training paradigms within the specialty across the world and in Europe and also explore the concept of competence.

RESULTS
There are diverse training systems across the world and in Europe in particular. Competence-based training is the new model of training; however, competence remains difficult to define and measure. We propose a European Training Programme in Cardiothoracic Surgery that aims to standardize training across the European countries.

CONCLUSIONS
The difficulties in unifying training across Europe are numerous, but it is time to implement a European Training System in Cardiothoracic Surgery that will deliver a competence-based curriculum.


Facing computational complexity when modeling network reliability by means of parametric models and corresponding statistical methods, in the present study, we apply nonparametric statistical methods, such as the Kaplan-Meier survival probability estimator and the mean cumulative function, to characterize the dynamic properties (in particular, the stability properties) of the Internet routing paths and their relationship with the corresponding forwarding path(s). Providing systematic methodology for quantifying these properties aims at enabling reliability assessment of the Internet connectivity (also referred to as reachability in computer networking). The motivation for studying the dynamic properties (in particular, the stability properties) of the Internet routing paths and their relationship to forwarding paths stems from three main reasons. The first translates the fact that transient but frequent changes in the spatio-temporal properties of routing paths may affect the performance and operating conditions of the corresponding forwarding paths; hence, their reliability. The second reason is that frequent instabilities when observed for the same (subset of) path(s) that can be attributed to a spatially localized portion(s) of the Internet may reveal that the underlying physical topology is more prone to failures; hence, showing limited reliability. The third results from the increasing operational need to provide for a longer term estimation of the Internet routing-forwarding system performance and operating conditions using well-proven statistical analysis accounting for recurrence of events and correlation between instability events.


Background & objectives: In many medical studies, the response variable is measured repeatedly over time to evaluate the treatment effect that is known as longitudinal study. The analysis method for this type of data is repeated measures ANOVA that uses only one correlation structure and the results are not valid with inappropriate correlation structure. To avoid this problem, a convenient alternative is mixed models. So, the aim of this study was to compare of mixed and repeated measurement models for examination of the Entonox effect on the labor pain. Methods: This experimental study was designed to compare the effect of Entonox and oxygen inhalation on pain relief between two groups. Data were analyzed using repeated measurement and mixed models with different correlation structures. Selection and comparison of proper correlation structures performed using Akaike information criterion, Bayesian information criterion and restricted log-likelihood. Data were analyzed using SPSS22. Results: Results of our study showed that all variables containing analgesia methods, labor duration of the first and second stages, and time were significant in these tests. In mixed model, heterogeneous first-order autoregressive, first-order autoregressive, heterogeneous Toeplitz and unstructured correlation structures were recognized as the best structures. Also, all variables were significant in these structures. Unstructured variance covariance matrix was recognized as the worst structure and labor duration of the first and second stages was not significant in this structure. Conclusions: This study showed that the Entonox inhalation has a significant effect on pain relief in primiparous and it is confirmed by all of the models.


Person-Environment (PE) fit theory was used to explore the relationship between student involvement and freshman retention. In-coming freshmen ( N =382) were followed longitudinally in a two-wave panel study, the summer before beginning college, and again during the spring of their freshman year. Involvement levels, a variety of summer and spring preferences (Ps), and spring perceptions (Es) regarding specific aspects of their college environment were assessed. Twelve PE fit indicators were derived and compared with respect to their relationship with student involvement and retention. Results indicated that involvement was linked to some PE fit indicators. Traditional parametric statistical analyses were compared with a new, nonparametric technique, Classification Tree Analysis (CTA), to identify the most accurate classification model for use in designing potential attrition interventions. Discriminant analysis was 14% more accurate than CTA in classifying returners (97% vs . 85%), but CTA was 962% more accurate classifying dropouts (8% vs . 84%). CTA identified nine clusters— five of returners and four of dropouts, revealing that different sub-groups of freshmen chose to return (and stay) for different reasons. Students' end-of-the-year preferences appear to be more important than anticipated preferences, college perceptions, or PE fit levels. People most risk of dropping out of organizational settings


The weakness of redistributional mechanisms, both globally and within developing economies, makes it imperative to directly enhance the productive incomes of poor people. Coffee farmers, generally located in the poorest countries, have suffered especially badly in recent years, and farm gate and internationally traded bean prices are now at historically low levels. At the same time, though, global coffee consumers are becoming more discerning. With at least as much potential taste variety as in the case of wine, final product prices are becoming more differentiated. Margins for some coffees can therefore be expected to increase significantly as consumers become more discriminating in their tastes. But who is to gain from these more differentiated prices? Analysis shows that whilst the price spread is growing in global trading markets, it is simultaneously narrowing at the farm gate. At the same time, the destruction of coffee marketing boards (largely as a result of Structural Adjustment Programmes) has had unintended effects: instead of their margins accruing to farmers, almost all of these margins are being absorbed in the high-income importing countries. Thus, left to market forces, the likelihood is that farmers will gain little from increasingly discriminating final consumer tastes. Instead it is the global branders and the supermarket chains who are likely to appropriate these growing product rents. However, if consumers can be educated to recognise that better coffees are directly linked to their place of origin rather than to their brand names, a more equal global distribution of income is likely to emerge in this value chain. This paper ends with a discussion of which stakeholders may be involved in educating final consumer tastes in an appropriate manner.


The nasal absorption of larger peptide and protein drugs is generally low. The importance of the mucus layer and enzymic degradation in reducing absorption were investigated. Reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) methods were developed to assay a variety of compounds. Pig gastric mucus (PGM) was selected to investigate the importance of the mucus layer. A method of treating and storing PGM was developed and evaluated which was representative of the gel in vivo. The nature of the mucus barrier was evaluated in vitro with three-compartment diffusion cells and a series of compounds with differing physicochemical properties. Mucus retarded the diffusion of all the compounds with molecular weight and charge exerting a marked effect. Binding to mucus was investigated by a centrifugation method. All of the compounds tested were found to bind to mucus with the exception of the negatively charged molecule benzoic acid. The small peptides did not demonstrate greater binding to mucus than any of the other compounds evaluated. The effect of some absorption enhancers upon the rate of diffusion of tryptophan through mucus was determined in vi tro. At the concentrations employed the enhancers EDTA, N-acetylcysteine and taurodeoxycholic acid exerted no effect, whilst taurocholic acid and cholic acid, were found to slightly reduce the rate of diffusion. The intracellular and luminal proteolytic activity of the nose was investigated in the sheep animal model with a nasal mucosal homogenate and a nasal wash preparation respectively and a series of chemically similar peptides. Hydrolysis was also investigated with the proteolytic enzymes carboxypeptidase A, cytosolic leucine aminopeptidase and microsomal leucine aminopeptidase. Sheep nasal mucosa possesses significant peptide hydrolase activity capable of degrading all the substrates tested. Considerable variation in susceptibility was observed. Degradation occurred excl us i ve ly at the pept ide bond between the aromatic amino ac id and glycine, indicating some specificity for aromatic amino acids. Hydrolysis profiles indicated the presence of both aminopeptidase and carboxypeptidase enzymes. The specific activity of the microsomal fraction was found to be greater than the cytosolic fraction. Hydrolysis in the nasal wash indicated the presence of either luminal or loosely-bound proteases, which can degrade peptide substrates. The same specificity for aromatic amino acids was observed and aminopeptidase activity demonstrated. The specific activity of the nasal wash was smaller than that of the homogenate.


Brain aging even in healthy older adults is characterized by a decline in cognitive functions including memory, learning and attention. Among others, memory is one of the major cognitive functions affected by aging. Understanding the mechanisms underlying age-related memory decline may help pave the road for novel treatment strategies. Here, we tried to elucidate the neural correlates associated with memory decline using structural and functional neuroimaging and neuromodulation with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).
Over the course of three studies, we investigated 1) the influence of white matter integrity and grey matter volume on memory performance in healthy older adults, 2) the role of functional coupling within the memory network in predicting memory performance and the impact of tDCS in modulating retrieval performance in healthy older adults, 3) the effect of tDCS over the sensorimotor cortex on cognitive performance in young adults.
MRI was used to study associations of cognitive performance with white matter integrity and grey matter volume, and examine their causal relationship in the course of aging. White matter integrity was assessed by acquiring diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and performing deterministic tractography based on constrained spherical deconvolution. Grey matter volume was estimated using fully automated segmentation. Both white matter integrity and grey matter volume were correlated with behavioral data of a verbal episodic memory task. Percentage of correct answers at retrieval was used to measure memory performance (Manuscript 1). In addition, anodal tDCS (atDCS) (1 mA, 20 min) was applied over CP5 (left temporoparietal cortex) to modulate memory formation in healthy older adults. Participants underwent resting-state fMRI before the stimulation. Functional connectivity analysis was performed to determine whether functional coupling within the memory network predicted initial memory performance, and to examine its association to tDCS-induced enhancement effect (Manuscript 2). Finally, atDCS (1 mA, 20 min) was applied over C3 (left sensorimotor cortex) to explore the effect of tDCS over the sensorimotor cortex on cognitive performance in young adults. During the stimulation, participants performed three tasks; gestural task, attentional load task and simple reaction time task (Manuscript 3).
Results showed that volumes of the left dentate gyrus (DG) and tractography-based fractional anisotropy (FA) of individual fornix pathways were positively related to memory retrieval in older adults. Brain-behavior associations were observed for correct rejections rather than hits of memory performance, indicating specificity of memory network functioning for detecting false associations. Thus, the data suggested a particular role of neural integrity that promotes successful memory retrieval in older adults. Subsequent mediation analysis showed that left DG volume mediated the effect of fornix FA on memory performance (48%), corrected for age, revealing a crucial role of hippocampal pathway microstructure in modulating memory performance in older adults (Manuscript 1). tDCS results showed that atDCS led to better retrieval performance and increasing learning curves, indicating that brain stimulation can induce plasticity of episodic memory processes in older adults. Combining tDCS and fMRI, hippocampo-temporoparietal functional connectivity was positively associated with initial memory performance in healthy older adults and was positively correlated with the magnitude of individual tDCS-induced enhancement, suggesting that individual tDCS responsiveness may be determined by intrinsic network coupling (Manuscript 2). Finally, our findings suggested that atDCS over left sensorimotor cortex reduced reaction times in the gestural-verbal integration task, specifically for incongruent pairs of gestures and verbal expressions, indicating the role of sensorimotor cortex in gestural-verbal integration in young adults (Manuscript 3).
The results of all three studies may help to elucidate age-related structural deterioration and functional coupling network underlying cognitive processes in healthy adults. Furthermore, these studies emphasized the importance of interventions like tDCS in modulating cognitive performance, specifically episodic verbal memory and gestural-verbal integration. By unveiling the specific role of brain structures and functional network coupling as well as the role of tDCS in modulating cognitive performance, our results contribute to a better understanding of brain-behavior associations, and may help to develop clinical interventional approaches, tailored for specific cognitive functions in aging.


In Romania, the communist regime promoted an official policy of gender equality for more than 40 years, providing equal access to education and employment, and restricting pay differentiation based on gender. After its fall in December 1989, the promotion of equal opportunities and treatment for women and men did not constitute a priority for any of the governments of the 1990s. Given that both the economic mechanisms and the institutional settings changed radically, the question is if this affected gender equality. This paper analyzes both gender and occupational wage gaps in Romania before and during the first years of transition from a planned to a market economy. The results suggest that the communist institutions did succeed in eliminating the gender wage differences in female- and male-dominated occupations, but not in gender-integrated occupations, for which the gender wage gap was about 32%. During the transitions years, this gap decreased to 20-24%, while the gender wag gap in male and female-dominated occupations increased to 15%.


The clay bread stamp presented here was found at in a monastic complex dating to the Late Byzantine-Early Islamic period at Khirbet et-Tireh, approximately 16 km northwest of Jerusalem. The stamp, which consists of a cross and other simple geometrics, is of fired clay and is notable both for its workmanship and for surviving almost completely intact. Based on the monastic context of the find, plus the stamp's relatively small size, it was probably used to decorate small individual loaves, perhaps as sacramental bread.


Logic programming is a rule-based formalism: a program consists of a set of rules activated by an initial query. In contrast, imperative programming is explained by means of a procedure-based view: a program consists of a set of procedure declarations and an initial statement. We clarify here to what procedure-based formalism logic programming corresponds. To this end we introduce a procedure-based view based on a subset of first-order logic and assign to it an operational semantics. We establish two results. First, we show that a syntactic transformation that forms part of Clark's completion of a logic program provides a translation from the rule-based view to the procedure-based view. Second, we show that the transformations in the spirit of Lloyd-Topor provide a translation from the procedurebased view to the rule-based view. Finally, we discuss the consequences of adoption of each view for the design of logic programming languages.


Rare earth elements (REE) are essential components of equipment used for renewable energy, green technologies, and more traditional sectors such as chemical catalysis and metallurgy. Interest has been growing in alternative REE sources to supplement current ore sources and related refining, which have historically supplied the bulk of REE oxides. This study investigated the capability of adsorbent silica particles functionalized with three different ligands – phosphonoacetic acid (PAA), N,N-bisphosphono(methyl)glycine (BPG), and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic dianhydride (DTPADA) – to selectively extract REE from acidic to circumneutral aqueous brine solutions in equilibrium conditions. Maximum REE removal from 0.5 M NaCl solutions was displayed at pH 7 for PAA, pH 2 for DTPADA, and in both acidic and basic conditions for BPG functionalized materials. The REE adsorption performance for functionalized materials was largely unimpeded by the presence of competing ions (Ca, Mg, Zn, Fe, Al). Tests with real brines (I ∼ 3 M) showed >90% efficiency in REE recovery, which improved at higher temperatures (up to 100 °C). Effective elution of REE was accomplished with 0.7 N HNO3, and performance of the adsorbents improved with additional usage cycles.


Teaching online is different. In this report we attempt to explain why. This report arises from the #Openteach: Professional Development for Open Online Educators project, which is funded by the National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
In this project we plan to uncover and promote the keys to effective online teaching practice, while recognising that effective teaching is an art, craft and science. We aim to harness this knowledge to support the professional learning of online educators. Ultimately we want to
support online students to learn online by helping and inspiring their educators. This report was developed to help lay a foundation for the project through a critical analysis of relevant literature.


Background: Exemestane is a second generation steroidal aromatase inhibitor (AI) used for the treatment of estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Variability in AI treatment efficacy and side effects seen across patients may be due, in part, to inter-patient differences in drug exposure. This exposure variability is likely caused by patient genetics factors, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in drug metabolizing enzymes, or clinical factors such as patient body size, organ function, and comorbidities. The objective of this secondary correlative analysis was to identify genetic and clinical characteristics that affect steady state exemestane concentration, with a specific focus on the influence of inherited genetic variants and baseline hepatic function. Methods: 500 patients were enrolled on the Exemestane and Letrozole Pharmacogenetics (ELPh) Study and randomized to either drug. Clinical data and DNA were collected at baseline and blood samples were collected after 1 or 3 months of treatment to measure steady-state exemestane concentration via HPLC/MS. Genotyping was performed on a custom Sequenom MassARRAY iPLEX that included the recently discovered low activity CYP3A4*22 (rs35599367) SNP and several other SNPs with putative functional consequence in enzymes thought to be involved in exemestane metabolism (CYP1A1/2, CYP1B1, CYP3A4, CYP4A11, AKR1C3/4, AKR7A2). Our primary hypothesis was that patients carrying CYP3A4*22 variants would have higher serum exemestane concentrations. Other SNPs and clinical characteristics (hepatic and renal function, age, body mass index (BMI), time of sample collection, prior chemotherapy) were assessed for independent association, and then adjusted for in a multivariable tobit regression model for CYP3A4*22 on log-transformed censored exemestane concentration. Results: 246 (225 randomized to exemestane arm, 21 crossed-over from letrozole arm) patients had exemestane steady state levels and were evaluable in this analysis. As hypothesized, the CYP3A4*22 polymorphism (minor allele frequency=0.06) was associated with a 54% increase in exemestane concentration (95% CI: 14% - 109%, p 40) at baseline (95% CI: 2% - 104%, p=0.02), 1% lower per unit increase in BMI (95% CI: 0% - 3%, p=0.05), and 20% lower in patients who received prior chemotherapy (95% CI: 4% - 34%, p=0.03). Age, renal impairment, and other SNPs were not associated with exemestane concentration. After adjustment for significant clinical covariates the CYP3A4*22 SNP remained significant (p Conclusions: Genetic and clinical predictors of exemestane concentration were discovered in a large cohort of prospectively enrolled estrogen responsive breast cancer patients. Ongoing analyses will determine whether the variability in exemestane concentration was associated with downstream effects on estrogen depletion or treatment-related toxicity. If so, these genetic and clinical characteristics could be useful for individualizing dosing of exemestane to ensure that all patients are receiving maximal benefit with minimal toxicity. Citation Format: Hertz DL, Kidwell KM, Seewald NJ, Gersch CL, Desta Z, Flockhart DA, Storniolo AM, Stearns V, Skaar TC, Hayes DF, Henry NL, Rae JM. CYP3A4*22 polymorphism is associated with increased exemestane concentrations in postmenopausal breast cancer patients. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-12-05.


Structured for use in university courses, the book is an overview of the theory and practice of Max/MSP, with a glossary of terms and suggested tests that allow students to evaluate their progress. Comprehensive online support, running parallel to the explanations in the book, includes hundreds of sample patches, analyses, interactive sound-building exercises, and reverse engineering exercises. This book will provide a reader with skill and understanding in using Max/MSP for sound design and musical composition.You can download a PDF demo of the book at virtual-sound.com/en


Natural killer (NK) cells are involved in immune responses against tumors and microbes. NK-cell activation is regulated by intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms that ensure NK tolerance and efficacy. Here, we show that the cytoplasmic signaling molecules Dok1 and Dok2 are tyrosine phosphorylated upon NK-cell activation. Overexpression of Dok proteins in human NK cells reduces cell activation induced by NK-cell-activating receptors. Dok1 and Dok2 gene ablation in mice induces an NK-cell maturation defect and leads to increased IFN-c production induced by activating receptors. Taken together, these results reveal that Dok1 and Dok2 proteins are involved in an intrinsic negative feedback loop downstream of NK-cell-activating receptors in mouse and human.


Why do genocides occur? This paper applies qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to revisit this question, and analyses 139 cases of genocide and non-genocide. The paper demonstrates the importance of both priming, contextual conditions which provide a political opportunity structure conducive to genocide, as well as triggering, more proximate conditions which constitute immanent motivations. Most centrally, sufficiency is demonstrated for genocide occurrence when an autocratic regime and the salience of an elite's ethnicity are present, and are combined with either an exclusionary ideology or political upheaval. As such, the autocratic nature of the state provides an opportunity structure allowing genocide to occur, while the salience of elite ethnicity can serve as a motivation. Finally, the ideology and the political upheaval serve as an additional motivation or opportunity structure, respectively. While political upheaval can play a part in causing genocide, its role is much more understated than is suggested in previous literature.


Abstract. What role did changes in marine carbon cycle processes and calcareous organisms play in glacial–interglacial variation in atmospheric pCO2? In order to answer this question, we explore results from an ocean biogeochemical general circulation model. We attempt to systematically reconcile model results with time-dependent sediment core data from the observations. For this purpose, we fit simulated sensitivities of oceanic tracer concentrations to changes in governing carbon cycle parameters to measured sediment core data. We assume that the time variation in the governing carbon cycle parameters follows the general pattern of the glacial–interglacial deuterium anomaly. Our analysis provides an independent estimate of a maximum mean sea surface temperature drawdown of about 5 °C and a maximum outgassing of the land biosphere by about 430 Pg C at the Last Glacial Maximum as compared to pre-industrial times. The overall fit of modelled palaeoclimate tracers to observations, however, remains quite weak, indicating the potential of more detailed modelling studies to fully exploit the information stored in the palaeoclimatic archive. This study confirms the hypothesis that a decline in ocean temperature and a more efficient biological carbon pump in combination with changes in ocean circulation are the key factors for explaining the glacial CO2 drawdown. The analysis suggests that potential changes in the export rain ratio POC : CaCO3 may not have a substantial imprint on the palaeoclimatic archive. The use of the last glacial as an inverted analogue to potential ocean acidification impacts thus may be quite limited. A strong decrease in CaCO3 export production could potentially contribute to the glacial CO2 decline in the atmosphere, but this remains hypothetical.


Math Bafflers requires students to use creativity, critical thinking, and logical reasoning to perform a variety of operations and practice skills that align with state and national math standards. The book covers real-life situations requiring math skills, such as distance, liquid measures, money, time, weight, sequencing, comparison, age, area, and percentages, along with operations such as fractions, exponents, algebra, place value, and number lines. Students will make hypotheses, organize information, draw conclusions, and use syllogistic thinking. Teachers can feel confident that they are providing challenges and reinforcing important skills in a format that students enjoy! Math Bafflers builds essential critical thinking, analysis, and problem-solving skills; develops logical thinking in a fun format; uses relevant, real-life mathematical situations; and provides opportunities for differentiation. Grades 3-5


LICHEVA, Ts., M. BADALOVA, D. NIKOLOVA, Y. EVSTATIEVA and V. SAVOV, 2014. Characterisation of six isolated bacterial strains from genus Bacillus applicable in organic farming. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., Supplement 1: 78–81 The aim of this study was to determine the activity of six isolated strains from genus Bacillus applicable in organic farming. These strains were cultivated in two different liquid nutrient media in order to examine their growth. Monitoring of the growth was carried out in order to achieve high concentrations of active cells. The results showed that the better medium for achieving high concentrations of active cells for all tested strains was PDG. The enzymatic potential of six isolated strains was assessed by the API ZYM system (BioMérieux, France) by semi-quantitative scale from 0 to 5. The strains showed phosphatase (acid and alkaline) and phospho-hydrolase activities in the range 4–5. For confi rmation of the results qualitative analysis for determination of phosphatase activity by the method of Pikovska was performed. The effect of the strains on the growth of test plant Pisumsativum was studied (in vivo). The results showed that when Pisumsativum was inoculated with strains T 3, T 10 and T 18, the fresh root biomass and fresh shoot biomass increased signifi cantly.


Knowing how to install, configure, and troubleshoot a computer network is a highly marketable and exciting skill. This book first introduces the fundamental building blocks that form a modern network, such as protocols, topologies, hardware, and network operating systems. It then provides in-depth coverage of the most important concepts in contemporary networking, such as TCP/IP, Ethernet, wireless transmission, and security. After reading the book and completing the end-of-chapter exercises, you will be prepared to select the best network design, hardware, and software for your environment. You will also have the skills to build a network from scratch and maintain, upgrade, and troubleshoot an existing network. Finally, you will be well prepared to pass CompTIAs (the Computing Technology Industry Associations) Network+ certification exam. This book explains concepts logically and in a clear, approachable style. In addition, concepts are reinforced by real-world examples of networking issues from a professionals standpoint. Each chapter opens with an On the Job story from a network engineer. These real-world examples, along with Hands-on Projects and Case Projects in each chapter, make this book a practical learning tool. The numerous tables and illustrations, along with the glossaries, appendices, and study questions make the book a valuable reference for any networking professional


The original version of the most successful approach for power-line (PL) interference removal from ECG, called subtraction procedure, is based on linear segment detection in the signal and hardware synchronised analogue-to-digital conversion to cope with the PL frequency variations. However, this is not feasible for battery supplied devices and some computer-aided ECG systems. Recent improvements of the procedure apply software measurement of the frequency variations that allow a re-sampling of the contaminated signal with the rated PL frequency followed by interference removal and back re-sampling for restoration of the original time intervals. This study deals with a more accurate software frequency measurement and introduces a notch filtration as alternative to the procedure when no linear segments are encountered for long time, e.g. in cases of ventricular fibrillation or tachycardia. The result obtained with large PL frequency variations demonstrate very small errors, usually in the range of ±20 µV for the subtraction procedure and ±60 µV for the notch filtration, the last values strongly depending on the frequency contents of the QRS complexes.


The paper discusses the problem of the integration of emergency preparedness and safety management into the ISO-based integrated management system (IMS). The international and national legal requirements for ports embrace different aspects of safety, but unfortunately do not give an entire conception of safety management. The standard ISO 14001 requires procedures for emergency preparedness from the organisations which have implemented it, but at the same time, emergency is not strictly defined in the standard and the formulation of the requirements' permit various interpretations. Thereof, our goal was to analyse the existing situation in the port of Tallinn and develop an updated conceptual approach during the improvement process of the integrated management system, suitable for the specific port and maybe partly applicable in other similar organisations. The problem was observed in the context of a case study of the Port of Tallinn, which has implemented the integrated quality and environmental management system. The work, presented in this paper, was carried out in the frames of the Interreg IIIB programme DaGoB "Safe and Reliable Transport Chains of Dangerous Goods in the Baltic Sea Region". The first step was the analysis of the management system, bringing out the gaps and ambiguities, concerning emergency preparedness and safety management. The second step was working out solutions and proposal; the third step, the compilation of a relevant thematic handbook, in addition to a general handbook of the IMS.