In this thesis, we investigate a hierarchical approach for estimating the phonetic class-conditional probabilities using a multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network. The architecture consists of two MLP classifiers in cascade. The first MLP is trained in the conventional way using standard acoustic features with a temporal context of around 90 ms. The second MLP is trained on the phonetic class-conditional probabilities (or posterior features) estimated by the first classifier, but with a relatively longer temporal context of around 150-250 ms. The hierarchical architecture is motivated towards exploiting the useful contextual information in the sequence of posterior features which includes the evolution of the probability values within a phoneme (sub-phonemic) and its transition to/from neighboring phonemes (sub-lexical). As the posterior features are sparse and simple, the second classifier is able to learn the contextual information spanning a context as long as 250 ms. Extensive experiments on the recognition of phonemes on read speech as well as conversational speech show that the hierarchical approach yields significantly higher recognition accuracies. Analysis of the second MLP classifier using Volterra series reveal that it has learned the phonetic-temporal patterns in the posterior feature space which captures the confusions in phoneme classification at the output of the first classifier as well as the phonotactics of the language as observed in the training data. Furthermore, we show that the second MLP can be simple in terms of the number of model parameters and that it can be trained on lesser training data. The usefulness of the proposed hierarchical acoustic modeling in automatic speech recognition (ASR) is demonstrated using two applications (a) task adaptation where the goal is to exploit MLPs trained on large amount of data and available off-the-shelf to new tasks and (b) large vocabulary continuous ASR on broadcast news and broadcast conversations in Mandarin. Small vocabulary isolated word recognition and task adaptation studies are performed on the Phonebook database and the large vocabulary speech recognition studies are performed on the DARPA GALE Mandarin database.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE
To evaluate frame registration and averaging algorithms for optical coherence tomography.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Twenty normal and 20 glaucomatous eyes were imaged. Objective differences were measured by comparing noise variance, spread of edge, and contrast-to-noise ratio. Subjective image quality was also evaluated.

RESULTS
Two frame-averaging algorithms (FA400 and FA407) had better noise variance and contrast-to-noise ratio but worse spread of edge than did single frames (P < .01). Both algorithms provided better subjective assessments of structure boundaries than did single images (P < .001). FA407 had significantly lower spread of edge and better internal limiting membrane visualization than FA400.

CONCLUSION
Frame averaging significantly suppressed speckle noise and increased the visibility of retinal structures, but imperfect image registration caused edge blurring that could be detected by the spread of edge parameter. In frame-averaging algorithms, higher contrast-to-noise ratio and lower noise variance indicated better noise suppression, but spread of edge was most sensitive in comparing edge preservation between algorithms.


Daudi, a lymphoblastoid B cell line derived from an African Burkitt lymphoma does not express HLA-A,B,C antigens at the cell surface. Although HLA-A,B,C heavy chains are made normally they do not assemble into functional molecules because beta 2-microglobulin is absent. Previous serological analysis of somatic cell hybrids indicated that the HLA haplotypes of Daudi encoded HLA-A1, A10(A26), B17, and B16(38) antigens. Here we describe the application of molecular methods: ARMS-PCR, cDNA cloning and sequencing, immunoprecipitation and gel electrophoresis, to define the class I genotype of the Daudi cell line which is HLA-A*0102, A*6601, B*5801, B*5802, Cw*0302 and Cw*0602. With the exception of the B38 antigen, which is not a product of the alleles defined, the genotype is consistent with the serological description. Two previously undiscovered alleles emerged from this analysis: A*0102 and B*5802. The A*0102 allele differs from A*0101 by 5 nucleotide substitutions within exon 2 where it has a motif shared with A*30 alleles; the B*5802 allele differs from B*5801 by 3 substitutions in exon 3 where it has a motif shared with B*14 alleles. Subtyping HLA-A1 alleles showed A*0102 was well represented amongst individuals typed serologically as A1 in an African population but was absent from caucasoids. B*5802 has been found in a second individual. Thus the novel A and B alleles are not specific to the Daudi tumor. Overall, this analysis of a single East African cell illustrates the power of molecular methods to define new class I HLA alleles in non-caucasoid populations.


This paper describes an approach that gives an estimate of the reconstructive skill of a proxy-based palaeoclimatological reconstruction. Uncertainties in proxy data are likely to be reflected in variations in reconstructive skill of the proxy-based climatic reconstructions. The method is based on making an ensemble of reconstructions, providing a probability distribution of each reconstruction estimate. The relative breadth of the distribution for a particular reconstructed value should give an indication of the reconstructive skill. The ensemble reconstruction approach draws on the ensemble prediction system as used for operational weather forecasting. The ensemble reconstruction approach is tested using a recent multiproxy reconstruction of the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index. It is shown that the ensemble approach provides a representation of the degree of certainty associated with the reconstructed NAO-index values.


With continual changes in higher education in the field of Information Systems (IS), educators are faced with the question: how can we actively engage each learner in a way that encourages selfdirection while developing the ability to independently solve problems? The unique learning characteristics of adult learners must each be considered in the design of learning experiences in higher education environments. Gamification – the use of gaming elements in non-gaming contexts – is one source of opportunities for new and interesting learning experiences. Through discussion of 12 major gaming elements, this paper considers whether gamification can create innovative learning environments for IS higher education. Practical suggestions for the application of gaming elements, as part of a constructivist approach, are also presented.


A novel and fast competitive direct biomimetic ELISA (cd-BELISA) was developed for determination of the N-methylcarbamate insecticide metolcarb based on a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) film as the antibody mimic. The MIP film was directly synthesized on the surface of a 96-well plate by bulk polymerization. The synthesized film was characterized, and the results showed that the imprinted film exhibited antibody-antigen-like binding properties and rapid adsorption ability, which was particularly useful for cd-BELISA development. The cd-BELISA conditions were optimized in detail. Under the optimum conditions, the sensitivity and LOD of the cd-BELISA were found to be 17 and 0.12 microg/L, respectively. Crossreactivity demonstrated that the cd-BELISA had a higher selectivity for metolcarb than for structurally related compounds. The developed method was applied to the determination of metolcarb in spiked apple juice, cabbage, and cucumber, with mean recoveries ranging from 71.5 to 117.0%. Validation of the results was conducted by HPLC with good correlation (r2 > 0.9562) between data obtained using these two methods. Therefore, the developed cd-BELISA has potential for the rapid determination of metolcarb in foods.


The description of the Ichnogenus
lIgMolapopentapodiscusl/Ig (Ellenberger, 1970)
includes the presumption that forward
progression was by bounding with feet together.
That this genus, and other genera
based on footprints or trackways, were hoppers,
has been disputed. Material from
KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, suggests that
more than one Lower Jurassic biped was a
hopper, but with feet adapted also to other
functions.


Micron-scale static friction and wear coefficients, surface roughness, and resulting wear debris have been studied for sliding wear in polycrystalline silicon in ambient air at micro- Newton normal loads using on-chip sidewall test specimens, fabricated with the Sandia SUMMiT VTM process. With increasing number of wear cycles friction coefficients increased by a factor of two up to a steady-state regime, concomitant with a decay (after an initial sharp increase) in the wear coefficients and roughness. Wear coefficients were orders of magnitude smaller than reported macroscale values, suggesting that the wear resistance is higher at micrometer dimensions. Based on our observations, a sequence of micron-scale wear mechanisms is proposed involving: 1) a short adhesive wear regime (< 104 cycles), where the oxide is worn away and the first silicon debris particles form and 2) a regime dominated by abrasive wear, where silicon particles (50-100 nm) are created by fracture through the grains (~500 nm). These particles subsequently oxidize and agglomerate into larger debris clusters, while "ploughing" by this debris leads to abrasive grooves associated with local cracking events rather than plastic deformation.


PURPOSE
To investigate the impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) on the epidemiology of oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) in the United States, we assessed differences in patient characteristics, incidence, and survival between potentially HPV-related and HPV-unrelated OSCC sites.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
Data from nine Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program registries (1973 to 2004) were used to classify OSCCs by anatomic site as potentially HPV-related (n = 17,625) or HPV-unrelated (n = 28,144). Joinpoint regression and age-period-cohort models were used to assess incidence trends. Life-table analyses were used to compare 2-year overall survival for HPV-related and HPV-unrelated OSCCs.

RESULTS
HPV-related OSCCs were diagnosed at younger ages than HPV-unrelated OSCCs (mean ages at diagnosis, 61.0 and 63.8 years, respectively; P < .001). Incidence increased significantly for HPV-related OSCC from 1973 to 2004 (annual percentage change [APC] = 0.80; P < .001), particularly among white men and at younger ages. By contrast, incidence for HPV-unrelated OSCC was stable through 1982 (APC = 0.82; P = .186) and declined significantly during 1983 to 2004 (APC = -1.85; P < .001). When treated with radiation, improvements in 2-year survival across calendar periods were more pronounced for HPV-related OSCCs (absolute increase in survival from 1973 through 1982 to 1993 through 2004 for localized, regional, and distant stages = 9.9%, 23.1%, and 18.6%, respectively) than HPV-unrelated OSCCs (5.6%, 3.1%, and 9.9%, respectively). During 1993 to 2004, for all stages treated with radiation, patients with HPV-related OSCCs had significantly higher survival rates than those with HPV-unrelated OSCCs.

CONCLUSION
The proportion of OSCCs that are potentially HPV-related increased in the United States from 1973 to 2004, perhaps as a result of changing sexual behaviors. Recent improvements in survival with radiotherapy may be due in part to a shift in the etiology of OSCCs.


With an exploding global market and the recent introduction of online cash prize tournaments, fantasy sports contests are quickly becoming a central part of the social gaming and sports industries. For sports fans and online media companies, fantasy sports contests are an opportunity for large financial gains. However, they present a host of technical challenges that arise from the complexities involved in running a web-scale, prize driven fantasy sports platform.
We initiate the study of these challenges by examining one concrete problem in particular: how to algorithmically generate contest payout structures that are 1) economically motivating and appealing to contestants and 2) reasonably structured and succinctly representable. We formalize this problem and present a general two-staged approach for producing satisfying payout structures given constraints on contest size, entry fee, prize bucketing, etc.
We then propose and evaluate several potential algorithms for solving the payout problem efficiently, including methods based on dynamic programming, integer programming, and heuristic techniques. Experimental results show that a carefully designed heuristic scales very well, even to contests with over 100,000 prize winners.
Our approach extends beyond fantasy sports -- it is suitable for generating engaging payout structures for any contest with a large number of entrants and a large number of prize winners, including other massive online games, poker tournaments, and real-life sports tournaments.


ERP evidence of affective picture processing generally agrees with one of two dominant
theories. The first is that enhanced ERP responses to pleasant and unpleasant stimuli
relative to neutral reflects the processing of stimulus motivational relevance, referred to
as the quadratic effect, and the second is that enhanced ERP responses to unpleasant
stimuli compared to pleasant and neutral stimuli reflects a negativity bias. The
overarching aims of the current series of empirical studies were to identify which of the
two aforementioned theories can most definitively account for affective picture
processing (Phase 1); and to investigate how processes of attentional engagement and
disengagement are influenced by the presence of motivationally relevant stimuli (Phase
2). Pictorial affective stimuli (high and low arousing pleasant, unpleasant, sexual, and
neutral stimuli) were presented in a modified oddball paradigm to 38 participants (19
male, 19 female) in Experiment 1 and 34 participants (17 male, 17 female) in Experiment
2. A negativity bias was demonstrated for P3b amplitude in Experiment 1; however
significantly enhanced P3b amplitudes evoked in response to sexually explicit stimuli in
Experiment 2 was not consistent with either dominant theory, and raised questions as to
the separable effects of motivational relevance and sexual arousal on cognitive processes.
Experiment 3 was aimed at investigating whether ERP responses are differentially
modulated by the social content of affective picture stimuli. The same participants from
Experiment 2 participated in Experiment 3 and the oddball task involved the presentation
of low arousing social and non-social pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral stimuli. No
significant differences in ERP component measures were shown between social and nonsocial
pleasant, or between social and non-social unpleasant stimuli, however both P2 and
P3b component amplitudes were enhanced in response to neutral faces compared with
neutral objects. Factors associated with facial recognition and difficulties extracting
affective information from a somewhat ambiguous neutral expression were cited as
possible explanations for the observed ERP component modulations.
The principal aim of Phase 2 was to investigate whether the presentation of
appetitive and aversive cues influences the engagement and disengagement components
of covert visual attention as inferred by responses to validly and invalidly cued targets
respectively. Participants in Experiment 4 @=I9 female) and Experiment 5 @=I8
female) were presented with a modified peripheral cueing paradigm, where pictorial
stimuli (sexual, mutilation, threatening, and neutral) served as peripheral cues. Target
processing as indexed by P1 and P3b amplitude showed significant facilitation in both
Experiments 4 and 5 when targets were cued by sexual and mutilation stimuli, regardless
of whether cueing was valid or invalid. It was therefore concluded that the engagement
and disengagement components of covert visual attention are not differentially affected
by motivationally relevant cues; rather, normal participants demonstrate a global
response bias when respondmg to targets that are cued by motivationally relevant
appetitive and aversive cues. The same participants from Experiment 5 were presented
with a peripheral cueing paradigm in Experiment 6, which aimed to investigate the effect
of phylogenetically (biological) and ontogenetically (cultural) fear-relevant stimuli on
processes of covert visual attention. Pictorial stimuli depicting dangerous animals, human
threat, and neutral objects served as peripheral cues. In line with preparedness theory
(Seligman 1970, 1971), target processing was facilitated by the presence of animal threat
stimuli compared to human threat and neutral stimuli, and also the early level of visual
processing as indexed by cue-evoked P 1 amplitude was enhanced in response to
phylogenetically, fear-relevant animal stimuli. A global response bias was again
demonstrated in Experiment 6, and it was concluded that the attentional system of normal
participants is sensitive to stimuli that have been evolutionarily associated with threat
and/or fear. The current dissertation therefore has theoretical implications for the
systematic study of affective picture processing. Furthermore, the introduction of a
peripheral cueing paradigm to the study of affective picture processing provides a new
insight into the effect that both appetitive and aversive stimuli have on processes of
attentional orienting and target processing.


A new method for automatic lens design is described. Instead of finding the approximate solution to the system of simultaneous nonlinear equations, the solution is found to the system of simultaneous nonlinear inequalities. Thus, the aberrations are driven into the domains which have been set up around target values. The bandwidth of the domain is the allowable tolerance associated with each aberration. A relaxation method is used to solve the system of linearized inequalities and iterative cycles are used to find the solution to the system of nonlinear ones. This method allows a high degree of control of individual performance functions. Mechanical conditions can be treated in the same way as aberrations. The program was written for the IBM 7090 computer and satisfactory designs were obtained in general within a few minutes for gauss-type photographic lenses.


Purpose To evaluate the long-term efficacy of a new surgical technique for the correction of lower lid epiblepharon using thermal contraction of the tarsus and lower lid retractor without lash rotating sutures. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 112 eyes of 56 patients who underwent surgical correction of lower lid epiblepharon with a modified Hotz operation (group A) or a new procedure (group B). The new technique requires that thermal contraction using bipolar cautery was applied to the inferior tarsus including the pretarsal orbicularis oculi muscle and lower lid retractor to create lash rotation without additional rotating sutures. The authors compared the results from these two techniques. Results 44 eyes of 22 patients (11 boys and 11 girls) were included in group A, the average age was 5.5 years (±2.2), follow-up periods were 56.9 months (±7.7). Undercorrections developed in four eyes (9.1%), and epiblepharon recurred in seven eyes (15.9%). In group B, 68 eyes of 34 (20 male and 14 female) patients were included, with an average age of 5.1 years (±2.5), and a mean follow-up period of 39.7 months (±9.5). Epiblepharon recurred in three eyes (4.4%), and no patients were undercorrected. The recurrence and undercorrection rates were significantly lower in group B (p=0.022 and p=0.047). Conclusion The new surgical technique for the correction of lower lid epiblepharon using thermal contraction of the tarsus and lower lid retractor without lash rotating sutures was very useful and effective for the correction of epiblepharon, with good cosmetic results.


Leprosy is an infectious disease that requires health behaviour modification to combat the disease and at the same time to prevent thetransmission. This study aimsto determine the relationship between personal, physical environmental, and socio-economic factors andthe preventive behaviour of leprosy transmission. This study was a correlational descriptive analytic study with a cross sectional approach.As many as 60 out of 77 lepers in Surabaya were chosenthrougha purposive sampling technique. The dependent variable was the preventive behaviour of leprosy transmission, while the independent variables were personal, physical environmental, and socio-economic factors. Data was collected using questionnairesand then was analyzedby using Spearman's Rho and Chi-Square test with α= 0.05. The study revealed that preventive behaviour of leprosy transmission was significantly related with age (p=0.033), gender or sex (p=0.002), education (p=0.016), occupation (p=0.043), knowledge (p=0,000), physical environment (p=0,012), family support (p=0,000), income (p=0,000) and stigma (p=0,043). Age and stigma performed a negative relationship with the preventive behaviour of leprosy transmission. Otherwise, education, knowledge, and physical environment showed a positive relationship. Further researchis expectedto provide intervention to promotethe preventive behaviour of leprosy transmission.


Ciliopathies are a genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous group of human developmental disorders whose root cause is the absence or dysfunction of primary cilia. Joubert syndrome is characterized by a distinctive hindbrain malformation variably associated with retinal dystrophy and cystic kidney disease. Mutations in CC2D2A are found in ∼10% of patients with Joubert syndrome. Here we describe the retinal phenotype of cc2d2a mutant zebrafish consisting of disorganized rod and cone photoreceptor outer segments resulting in abnormal visual function as measured by electroretinogram. Our analysis reveals trafficking defects in mutant photoreceptors affecting transmembrane outer segment proteins (opsins) and striking accumulation of vesicles, suggesting a role for Cc2d2a in vesicle trafficking and fusion. This is further supported by mislocalization of Rab8, a key regulator of opsin carrier vesicle trafficking, in cc2d2a mutant photoreceptors and by enhancement of the cc2d2a retinal and kidney phenotypes with partial knockdown of rab8. We demonstrate that Cc2d2a localizes to the connecting cilium in photoreceptors and to the transition zone in other ciliated cell types and that cilia are present in these cells in cc2d2a mutants, arguing against a primary function for Cc2d2a in ciliogenesis. Our data support a model where Cc2d2a, localized at the photoreceptor connecting cilium/transition zone, facilitates protein transport through a role in Rab8-dependent vesicle trafficking and fusion.


In policy discussions, it has frequently been claimed that migrants' remittances could function as a 'catalyst' for financial access among receiving households. This paper provides empirical evidence on this hypothesis from Mexico, a major receiver of remittances worldwide. Using the Mexican Family Life Survey panel (MxFLS) for 2002 and 2005, the results from the fixed effects logit model show that receiving remittances is strongly correlated with the ownership of savings accounts and to a limited degree with the availability of borrowing options. Effects are particularly important for microfinance institutions, and more important for rural households compared to urban households.


Islamic modernism represented by Muhammadiyah and Persatuan Islam and Islamic traditionalism symbolized by Nahdlatul Ulama have lasted a century old in Indonesian history (1912-2014). The unavoidable tensions and conflicts between these two contrast Islamic movements occurred in various fields. The modernist has been trying to promote their modern views and to eradicate tradition. On the contrary, the traditionalist has been working hard to maintain their Islamic tradition and fight for the modernist mission in disseminating their ideas. To some extent, the modernist is quite successful, however by comparative study methods applied in this article to see the result of these two Islamic streams, I argue that in common Islamic modernism has failed to weaken and to eradicate tradition as it was firstly introduced by their initiators over a century ago. The modernist is only successful in its attempt to build its own empire of modernism but without vanishing tradition. Rather than weakening, let alone disappearing, what has been occuring shows the opposite result. Islamic traditionalism even grows larger than modernist group and develops more dynamic in various fields. More than that, Islamic neo-traditionalism has emerged as its new variant, an intellectual movement that found a new land on the problems of modern spiritual drought.


A growing body of previous studies suggested that Alternative Contracting Methods (ACM) could foster constructability, increase innovation, reduce schedules, decrease risks, have a higher project intensity, and eventually save on project costs. The objective of this study was to compare Design- Build procurement and delivery of Bridges in Georgia with Design-Bid-Build in terms of cost, schedule, and intensity. The study used factual data from all Bridges completed using Design-Build and Design-Bid-Build delivery methods between 2008 and 2018. Data points were collected through personal interviews and survey questionnaires with Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) personnel. The intended audiences for the study were State DOT officials engaged in the bridge procurement process. The findings from this study would benefit State DOTs by improving their understanding of the advantages of the Design-Build delivery method, most importantly expediting bridge construction projects in metropolitan areas where each day delay could impact millions of users adversely. The study also provided quantitative evidence in support of advantages achieved from the Design-Build delivery method in terms of cost growth, schedule reduction, and project intensity as compared to the Design-Bid-Build delivery method.


SUMMARY Analyses from chloroform extracts are reported for two samples of 'green propolis' from the south of Minas Gerais State (south-east Brazil), listing a variety of compounds, mostly benzoic or cinnamic acid derivatives. Most compounds were identified by GC/EIMS either as mixtures or in pure form, some of them being analysed as the corresponding methyl esters. Derivatives of benzoic acid, benzaldehyde, prenylated and non-prenylated cinnamic acid, chromane, chromene and some other compounds were found in the more polar fractions of chromatographic columns of both samples. Among the substances analysed, several had not been reported in propolis and one (3–prenylcinnamic acid allyl ester) is a new compound, which appeared in highest amounts in both samples. Its structure was determined by mass, IR and 1H NMR spectroscopy. The samples have similar composition, but phenols bearing a straight and long hydrocarbon chain were detected in only one sample. The comparative analysis of extracts from three solvents suggests that the current trend of analysing only alcoholic extracts in studies of propolis composition is bound to overlook or miss important propolis constituents.


Knowledge of sound absorption properties of typical building materials is essential for all tasks related to room acoustic design. The Sabine absorption coefficient is measured in a reverberation chamber according to the international standard ISO 354. It is known that inter-laboratory reproducibility of these results is poor, which leads to uncertainties in prediction and nonconformity with building contracts. It is assumed that differences in the diffuse field conditions between laboratories are the main cause of the poor reproducibility. Achieving a diffuse sound field is the most important requirement for the reverberation chamber. Diffusing elements are therefore typically installed in reverberation chambers. In this study, the effects of hanging panel diffusers and hanging spherical volume diffusers on the diffusivity of the sound field in a reverberation chamber are investigated. The sound field diffusivity is characterized based on the equivalent sound absorption area of a highly sound absorptive sample and the diffuse field factor, which is the ratio of the measured spatial standard variation of the reverberation time to the theoretical spatial standard variation under diffuse field conditions. The results indicate that the diffuse field factor, as a potential diffuse field indicator, is suitable for rough estimation of the diffuse sound field conditions but does not constitute a reliable measure of the diffusivity in a reverberation chamber.


Following the Delaware Supreme Court's momentous decision imposing a strict negligence standard on corporate directors in Smith v. Van Gorkom in 1985, the Delaware legislature passed Section 102(b)(7) of the state's General Corporation Law, allowing corporations to limit director liability for breach of fiduciary duty, but specifically not for breaches of the duties of loyalty or good faith. In the years since the statute was passed, Delaware courts have offered inconsistent definitions of these terms. While the supreme court has held that fiduciary duty consists of a triad of loyalty, care, and good faith, the court of chancery has repeatedly held that good faith is merely a subsidiary of loyalty and not a separate duty. Because Delaware is the most contractarian jurisdiction (i.e., willing to allow parties to business organizations to craft the limits of their obligations), it is appropriate to inquire whether Delaware courts should interpret good faith in the corporate context in the same way that they use that term in the contractual context. Approaching the inconsistency from this perspective reveals that the director's duty of good faith encompasses both the duties of loyalty and care. Even in the corporate context, courts should use the term good faith to determine whether directors knowingly complied with the obligations (among them, loyalty and care) to which they willingly submitted themselves when they became corporate directors. By viewing good faith in this way, we can reconcile the competing language used by the supreme court, the court of chancery, and Section 102(b)(7).


Abdominal Tuberculosis (TB) most commonly affects ileo-caecal region. Isolated stomach involvement by TB, without pulmonary infection is rare. Clinical presentation of Stomach TB may be non-specific, radiological findings non-contributory and superficial endoscopic biopsies may not be able to settle the diagnosis. Many cases are diagnosed only after histopathological examination of surgical specimens. High degree of suspicion is needed for early diagnosis of gastric tuberculosis, if unnecessary surgical interventions are to be avoided. A young patient who was being treated as a case of chronic peptic ulcer for one year was referred for treatment of gastric outlet obstruction. Histopathological examination of gastrectomy specimen of the patient showed multiple caseating granulomas characteristic of tuberculosis and presence of acid-fast bacilli on Fite-Faraco staining, with no evidence of tuberculosis at pulmonary or other body sites. This case of isolated gastric TB is reported for its rarity.


Ten years have passed since Joubert died in a motorcar accident. A versatile performing artist, teacher, author on musical subjects, administrator, and founder of the Pretoria International Music Competitions, Joubert made a crucial contribution to South African culture. In this article an overview is presented of his formative years in South Africa (-1948), Zurich (1948-1950) and London (1950-1951,1953-1954). It is surprising to find that in spite of his many successes, he did not pass all the grade examinations in music of the University of South Africa that he attempted. Neither did he pass all of them well. It is noticeable that there were certain sections in which he did not do well, e.g. in the aural tests. The reports written by the examiners (inter alia Adolph Hallis, Petrus Lemmer and David Roode) contain significant views on the candidate who would become Director (Professional) for Music Examinations of Unisa in 1967. It is clear that Joubert structured his training in such a way as to ensure a versatile education. His versatility can be regarded as one of the main factors which contributed to the comprehensive influence Joubert exerted on the development of musical life in South Africa.


Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element, and its deficiency in the humans leads to increase the risk of various diseases, such as cancer and heart diseases. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of biofield energy treatment on the physical and thermal properties of the selenium powder. The selenium powder was divided into two parts denoted as control and treated. The Control part was remained as untreated and treated part received Mr. Trivedi's biofield energy treatment. Both control and treated selenium samples were characterized using x-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis - differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The XRD data showed that biofield energy treatment has slightly altered the lattice parameter (0.07%), unit cell volume (0.15%), density (-0.14%), atomic weight (0.15%), and nuclear charge per unit volume (-0.21%) in the treated selenium powder as compared to the control. The crystallite size of the treated selenium powder was reduced considerably from 106.98 nm (control) to 47.55 nm. The thermal analysis study showed that the latent heat of fusion was 64.61 J/g in the control, which changed to 68.98, 52.70, 49.71 and 72.47 J/g in the treated T1, T2, T3, and T4 samples respectively. However, the melting temperature did not show any considerable change in the treated selenium samples as compared to the control. The FT-IR spectra showed the absorption peak at 526 and 461 cm-1, which corresponding to metal oxide bonding vibration in the control and treated selenium powder respectively. Hence, overall data suggest that, the biofield energy treatment considerably altered the physical and thermal properties of selenium powder. Therefore, biofield energy treatment could make selenium even more useful nutrient in human body.


South Africa has recently emerged from a brutal and turbulent past characterised by various forms of aggression as a country still trying to escape the grips of violence, which manifests itself in many areas of daily life. Within the Bible, and specifically the New Testament, peace figures prominently as a concept of interest and importance and is highly promoted - although sadly neglected - in South Africa's history. This article investigates the continuing and contemporary relevance and value of the New Testament's directives on peace for the South African context.


ABSTRACT Every year, millions of young people travel away from home to party for days or weeks on end in permissive environments, such as music festivals, dance parties, and nightlife resorts. The studies that have been conducted on these extended youth parties have focused primarily on specific risk-taking behaviors, such as drug use and violence. Here, we scrutinize the research on extended youth parties to identify general changes that young people undergo at these events. We call these celebrations departies, because they center on the organization and facilitation of momentary departures from the participants' everyday life. Participants depart (1) spatially, by traveling to locations that are constructed as sites of opportunity and excess; (2) temporally, by partying for several days in a row and focusing on immediate gratifications; (3) morally, by engaging in activities that are widely deemed immoral; (4) stylistically, by altering their stylistic expressions through dress, demeanor, and consumption; and (5) experientially, because the parties generate mood and mind alterations. These are overlapping and intertwined elements, the combination of which amounts to a distinct type of youth party. Departies constitute exceptional events in the lives of many young people, and ought to be studied from a comparative perspective.


The Supreme Court affirmed, in Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, that the Constitution permits us to experiment with school-choice programs and, in particular, with programs that include religious schools. However, the constitutions of nearly forty States contain provisions - generically called "Blaine Amendments" - that speak more directly and, in many cases, more restrictively, than does the First Amendment to the flow of once-public funds to religious schools. This Article is a series of reflections, prompted by the Blaine Amendments, on education, citizenship, political liberalism, and religious freedom. First, the Article considers what might be called the "federalism defense" of the provisions. It concludes that even full-throated support for the Rehnquist Court's so-called federalism "revival" does not require one to regard the Blaine Amendments as courageous efforts by particular communities to provide greater protection to religious freedom, by insisting on a sharper, and more rigid, "separation of church and state." In fact, these provisions might better be seen as representing the failures of particular communities fully to appreciate the nature and implications of religious freedom and liberal pluralism. Second, the Article sounds a cautionary note concerning the fact that the Blaine Amendments were in large part the product of widespread concern about the political and cultural effects of Roman Catholicism. While it is true that the Blaine Amendments - like much else in the American experience - were anti-Catholic, they are best understood as reflecting more than mere "bigotry." Rather, the Blaine Amendments can usefully be situated in the context of the rich and growing scholarly literature on "civic education," and on the challenges posed by religious faith, teachings, and communities to certain conceptions of political liberalism. Although we are at present confronting the Blaine Amendments primarily as constraints imposed by positive law on local policy choices about school funding, these provisions take us to the heart of perennial questions about statecraft, and soulcraft. They represent, among other things, the enactment into law of certain claims about the aims of education, the prerogatives of the liberal state, the proper scope of religious obligation, and even the nature and end of the human person. Finally, the Article proposes that Blaine Amendments might most profitably be engaged not simply as rules of positive law, but as theological arguments. The point of this observation is not to assert that the Blaine Amendments' religious meaning is a constitutional strike against them, but rather to enrich our conversations about them. After all, if the Blaine Amendments are not merely legal constraints on state legislatures' funding options, but also claims about the content and proper sphere of religious beliefs, obligations, and loyalties, then it would seem perfectly appropriate to raise constructive, yet unapologetic and unbracketed, religious counter-claims about these matters in response.


Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades, termed MAPK modules, channel extracellular signals into specific cellular responses. Chimeric molecules were constructed between p38 and p44 MAPKs, which transduce stress and growth factor signals, respectively. A discrete region of 40 residues located in the amino-terminal p38MAPK lobe directed the specificity of response to extracellular signals, whereas the carboxyl-terminal half of the molecule specified substrate recognition. One p38-p44MAPK chimera, expressed in vivo, redirected stress signals into early mitogenic responses, demonstrating the functional independence of these domains.


Accurate assessment of the fatigue life of tidal stream turbines and components requires prediction of the unsteady loading of turbine components over a wide range of frequencies. This study focuses on the influence of ambient turbulence, velocity shear and the approach taken to model wave kinematics, on the variation of thrust load imposed on the rotor shaft and supporting tower. Load cycles are assessed based on sea-state occurrence data taken over a five month period for a case study site. The influence of each environmental parameter on component loading is evaluated and the impact on material design parameters assessed. Alternative approaches are considered for modelling turbulent loading and wave loading. The frequency variation of loads due to turbulence are scaled from experimental data from trials of a three-bladed horizontal axis turbine of 1.2 m diameter on a bed-mounted supporting structure. Frequency dependent wave loading is estimated by a relative form of the drag term of the widely used equation of Morison et al. (1950), with the depth decay of kinematics modelled by linear wave theory. Over the five month interval considered a ten year design life can be obtained with a lower design load by accounting for variation of turbulence intensity that occurs during each tidal cycle. This is expected to vary further with the approach taken to model the onset turbulence. A component can also be designed for lower loads over the same time period if irregular waves are modelled instead of regular.


Bacterial pneumonia is a threat to bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) populations. Bighorn sheep in the East Humboldt Mountain Range (EHR), Nevada, USA, experienced a pneumonia epizootic in 2009– 2010. Testing of mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) that were captured or found dead on this range during and after the epizootic detected bacteria commonly associated with bighorn sheep pneumonia dieoffs. Additionally, in years subsequent to the bighorn sheep epizootic, the mountain goat population had low kid:adult ratios, a common outcome for bighorn sheep populations that have experienced a pneumonia epizootic. We hypothesized that pneumonia was present and negatively affecting mountain goat kids in the EHR. From June–August 2013–2015, we attempted to observe mountain goat kids with marked adult females in the EHR at least once per week to document signs of respiratory disease; identify associations between respiratory disease, activity levels, and subsequent disappearance (i.e., death); and estimate weekly survival. Each time we observed a kid with a marked adult female, we recorded any signs of respiratory disease and collected behavior data that we fit to a 3-state discrete hidden Markov model (HMM) to predict a kid's state (active vs. sedentary) and its probability of disappearing. We first observed clinical signs of respiratory disease in kids in late July–early August each summer. We observed 8 of 31 kids with marked adult females with signs of respiratory disease on 13 occasions. On 11 of these occasions, the HMM predicted that kids were in the sedentary state, which was associated with increased probability of subsequent death. We estimated overall probability of kid survival from June–August to be 0.19 (95% CI1⁄4 0.08–0.38), which was lower than has been reported in other mountain goat populations. We concluded that respiratory disease was present in the mountain goat kids in the EHR and negatively affected their activity levels and survival. Our results raise concerns about potential effects of pneumonia to mountain goat populations and the potential for disease transmission between mountain goats and bighorn sheep where the species are sympatric. 2018 This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.


Nuclei in the upper-$sd$ shell usually exhibit characteristics of spherical single particle excitations. In the recent years, employment of sophisticated techniques of gamma spectroscopy has led to observation of high spin states of several nuclei near A$\simeq$ 40. In a few of them multiparticle, multihole rotational states coexist with states of single particle nature. We have studied a few nuclei in this mass region experimentally, using various campaigns of the Indian National Gamma Array setup. We have compared and combined our empirical observations with the large-scale shell model results to interpret the structure of these nuclei. Indication of population of states of large deformation has been found in our data. This gives us an opportunity to investigate the interplay of single particle and collective degrees of freedom in this mass region.


Software architectures play a significant role in the development of software-intensive systems in order to allow satisfying both functional and non-functional requirements. In particular, dynamic software architectures have emerged to address characteristics of the contemporary systems that operate on dynamic environments and consequently subjected to changes at runtime. Architecture description languages (ADLs) are used to represent software architectures, producing models that can be used at design time and/or runtime. However, most existing ADLs have limitations in several facets: (i) they are focused on structural, topological aspects of the architecture; (ii) they do not provide an adequate support for representing behavioral aspects of the architecture; (iii) they do not allow describing advanced aspects regarding the dynamics of the architecture; (iv) they are limited with respect to the automated verification of architectural properties and constraints; and (v) they are disconnected from the implementation level, thus entailing inconsistencies between architecture and implementation. In order to tackle these problems, this thesis proposes formally founded framework for dynamic software architectures. Such a framework comprises: (i) .-ADL, a formal language for describing software architectures under both structural and behavioral viewpoints; (ii) the specification of programmed dynamic reconfiguration operations; (iii) the automated generation of source code from architecture descriptions; and (iv) an approach based on statistical model checking (SMC) to formally express and verify properties in dynamic software architectures. The main contributions brought by the proposed framework are fourfold. First, the .-ADL language was endowed with architectural-level primitives for describing programmed dynamic reconfigurations. Second, architecture descriptions in .-ADL are translated towards implementation source code in the Go programming language, thereby contributing to minimize architectural drifts. Third, a novel logic, called DynBLTL, is used to formally express properties in dynamic software architectures. Fourth, a toolchain relying on SMC was built to automate the verification of architectural properties while striving to reduce effort, computational resources, and time for performing such a task. In this work, two wireless sensor network-based systems are used to validate the framework elements.


This paper studies the impact of the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 on Japanese exports, focusing on international production networks in machinery sectors. For our survival analysis, we estimate a Cox proportional hazards model. Consequently, we find that Japanese exports to Asian countries, parts and components trade in particular, were less likely to stop during the crisis. Even if they stopped, such trade is more likely to be revived. Therefore, regardless of the worldwide economic crisis, Japan maintained trade relationships in parts and components in the machinery sectors.


The following pilot study is an investigation of how to develop an instrument that measures students' self-efficacy regarding engineering design. 36 items were developed and tested using three types of validity evidence. First, the content of the instrument was tested to ensure that the full domain (each subdimension) of the engineering design process was represented. Second, the instrument was tested for whether responses to the instrument could identify groups with various levels of engineering design experience. Finally, theoretical connections between motivation, expectancy for success, and anxiety were tested to determine their appropriateness in the measurement of self-efficacy. Results confirmed an accurate reading of engineering design self-efficacy for 82 volunteer respondents with diverse engineering expertise.


This paper examines the grains value chain in agriculture, and identifies the importance in developing strategies which could better secure food production. The study highlights examples of successful integration of ICTs in agricultural supply and value chains. The development of strategies to integrate these ICTs into the supply chain will be proposed. It will be argued that the use of high powered computing for data mining and other technologies such as sensor networks, mobile communications, and GPS technologies can revolutionize the efficiency of these supply chains and therefore improve the food security. The study carried out a situational analysis of agricultural resources using standard internet search engines and applying data mining techniques in order to demonstrate how such technologies can be used to show difference in value chains across different situations. An assessment of the study found that the results from the grain-industry dataset support the similar supply chain grouping reported for other research studies. These groupings reflect the more-developed food-industry supply chains and may not capture all the interactions in less-developed supply chains. For example, when several of the food production processes are carried out by one food-producer, the activities will be more difficult to identify.


Aleut shows a remarkable alternation in its case and agreement patterns: roughly put, one pattern appears when a non-subject argument is syntactically unexpressed in a predicate, and the other pattern appears otherwise. This paper is devoted to an attempt to provide a coherent analysis for this alternation: the missing argument is analyzed as a pro which must move into a local relation with the highest T; in this position, it triggers additional agreement on the verb, and blocks normal case assignment to the subject (which then gets a different case). This movement is analogous to that of (potentially long) clitic movement, and its effects on the case and agreement patterns is shown to be similar to the wh -agreement pattern in Chamorro.


We introduce `formal methods' of mechanized reasoning from computer science to address two problems in auction design and practice: is a given auction design soundly specified, possessing its intended properties; and, is the design faithfully implemented when actually run? Failure on either front can be hugely costly in large auctions. In the familiar setting of the combinatorial Vickrey auction, we use a mechanized reasoner, Isabelle, to first ensure that the auction has a set of desired properties (e.g. allocating all items at non-negative prices), and to then generate verified executable code directly from the specified design. Having established the expected results in a known context, we intend next to use formal methods to verify new auction designs.


Private information may limit insurance possibilities when a few agents form a partnership to pool idiosyncratic risk. We show that these insurance possibilities can improve if the partnership's income depends on capital accumulation and production, because cheating distorts investment. As agents'' weights in the partnership increase, they are more affected by the investment distortion, and their incentives to misreport under the full information allocation are reduced. In the long run, either one of the partners is driven to immiseration, or both partners'' lifetime utilities are approximately equal. The second case is only possible with capital accumulation. The theory's testable implications are in line with empirical evidence on the organization of small-business partnerships.


This study gives an alternative view regarding the alienation of African women from technology. Proceeding with a careful analysis of development communication theories, both old and newer theories are seen as inadequate in clarifying the patterns of Third World development because they do not consider gender as a necessary variable in the development process. Present feminist theories of technology, particularly those in the Women in Development school (WID), are also viewed as inadequate in explaining the alienation of African women from technology, as they mainly point to economic and legal factors. This study posits that the process of technology transfer has to be considered in the context of the socio-cultural base of African societies, especially in relation to the sexual division of labour. Using Malawi as a case study, the study demonstrates that the main cause of African women's alienation from technology goes beyond mere economic and legal factors. African women's gender-roles confine them to routine, mostly unskilled chores. When advanced technologies are imported, the women are not prepared for the jobs generated by the new technologies, and do not have the chance to even use them. Thus the benefits of using new technologies are accrued almost exclusively by men. If development efforts are to benefit all (or at least) the majority of the people, then a transformation of gender roles is necessary


Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems require that a focusing operation be performed on the received backscattered echoes (raw data) to generate high-resolution microwave images. Either due to platform attitude instabilities, or to Earth rotation effects, the SAR raw data may be acquired in "squinted" geometries, i.e., with the radar beam directed with an offset angle (squint angle) from the broadside direction. This research investigates the impact of the focusing operation carried out on squinted raw data acquisitions performed by SAR sensors operating in the stripmap mode. To this end the 2D frequency SAR processing approach is generalized with respect to conical, i.e., nonorthogonal, reference systems. This allows analysis of the geometric, spectral, and phase aberrations introduced in the images by the chosen processing geometry with respect to the acquisition, and identification of the focusing procedure that minimizes these aberrations. The whole theory is validated by experimental results carried out on simulated data. Moreover, the extension of this analysis to the interferometric case where these aberrations may have a significant role is also investigated.


This
study aims to explore new categorization that characterizes the
distribution clusters of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissues (VAT and
SAT) measured by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); to analyze the relationship between the VAT-SAT
distribution patterns and the novel body shape descriptors (BSDs);
and to develop
a classifier to predict the fat
distribution clusters using the BSDs. 66 male
and 54 female participants were scanned by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and
a stereovision body imaging (SBI) to measure participants' abdominal VAT and
SAT volumes and the BSDs. A fuzzy c-means
algorithm was used to form the inherent grouping clusters of
abdominal fat distributions. A support-vector-machine (SVM) classifier, with an
embedded feature selection scheme, was employed to determine an optimal subset
of the BSDs for predicting internal fat distributions. A five-fold cross-validation procedure was used to
prevent over-fitting in the classification. The classification results of the BSDs were compared
with those of the traditional anthropometric measurements and the Dual Energy
X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) measurements. Four clusters were identified for abdominal fat
distributions: low VAT and SAT, elevated VAT and SAT, higher SAT, and higher
VAT. The cross-validation
accuracies of the traditional anthropometric, DXA and BSD measurements are 85.0%, 87.5% and
90%, respectively.


Abstract. A bound is obtained for the condition number of a BDDC algorithm for problems posed in H(curl) in two dimensions, where the subdomains are only assumed to be uniform in the sense of Peter Jones. For the primal variable space, a continuity constraint for the tangential average over each interior subdomain edge is imposed. For the averaging operator, a new technique named deluxe scaling is used. Our bound is independent of jumps in the coefficients across the interface between the subdomains and depends only on a few geometric parameters of the decomposition. Numerical results that verify the result are shown, including some with subdomains with fractal edges and others obtained by a mesh partitioner.


Deterministic replay systems record and reproduce the execution of a hardware or software system. In contrast to replaying execution on uniprocessors, deterministic replay on multiprocessors is very challenging to implement efficiently because of the need to reproduce the order of or the values read by shared memory operations performed by multiple threads. In this paper, we present DoublePlay, a new way to efficiently guarantee replay on commodity multiprocessors. Our key insight is that one can use the simpler and faster mechanisms of single-processor record and replay, yet still achieve the scalability offered by multiple cores, by using an additional execution to parallelize the record and replay of an application. DoublePlay timeslices multiple threads on a single processor, then runs multiple time intervals (epochs) of the program concurrently on separate processors. This strategy, which we call uniparallelism, makes logging much easier because each epoch runs on a single processor (so threads in an epoch never simultaneously access the same memory) and different epochs operate on different copies of the memory. Thus, rather than logging the order of shared-memory accesses, we need only log the order in which threads in an epoch are timesliced on the processor. DoublePlay runs an additional execution of the program on multiple processors to generate checkpoints so that epochs run in parallel. We evaluate DoublePlay on a variety of client, server, and scientific parallel benchmarks; with spare cores, DoublePlay reduces logging overhead to an average of 15% with two worker threads and 28% with four threads.


Public perception of nuclear power in the UK tends to be mixed. Negative aspects often stem from the controversial issues involved in the nuclear industry such as; radioactive waste management, safety concerns following past accidents and a general mistrust of the industry as a whole. In contrast, positive aspects include energy security, employment, helping to reach emissions targets and a reduction in imports. In addition to this the shift towards new nuclear under UK government policy in recent years could produce a positive opinion. This study will examine public perceptions of new nuclear power stations in the UK as well as perceptions of nuclear power compares to other energy sources. Perceptions may vary in different locations of the UK due to proximity to current power stations and proposed sites. There may also be a difference between demographics such as age. Results showed that public perception of new nuclear is varied with participants accepting the benefits of nuclear power whilst also being wary of the risks and potential hazards.


This paper describes cutback-management practices in the Slovenian public sector in the period 2008-2013 and focuses both on an analysis of measures being implemented and on governance issues when managing austerity. Austerity measures in the public sector were introduced almost immediately after the crisis emerged. The first incumbent government (2008-2011) implemented cutback measures related to the public sector that were rather incremental and oriented towards only parts of the structure, whereas the second incumbent government (2012) introduced a more holistic approach in their cutback measures, which was reflected through the fiscal balance-act implementation. Nonetheless, the third incumbent government (2013) faced predominantly market-based pressures for fiscal consolidation in order to avoid potential bailout. Accordingly, budgetary flexibility was lost, and tax hikes were increasingly utilized to balance the budget. The crisis has also affected decision- making mechanisms of the government, as concentration of powers within the Ministry of Finance occurred, centralization pressures reinforced, and the politicization of governance increased.


The focus of the work here was an empirical analysis of the aggregate independent demand behaviour for spare parts inventories, principally in the automotive industry. In particular, using the pioneering work of RG Brown (1959), who showed that inventory usage values are often log normally distributed, we set out and developed models that go some considerable way to explaining the underlying stochastic basis for this phenomena, why it occurs and some limiting conditions. The justification for this approach was on the grounds that by providing a more fundamental understanding of the underlying stochastic processes that explain the emergent aggregate demand behaviour, a sound starting point would be provided for developing more sophisticated analytical ways to view an inventory range, as a total entity, for planning and control purposes. The analysis was based on extensive data collected from the DAF Trucks (GB) Ltd. spare parts systems spanning the period 1975 to 1986, together with supporting studies from a number of other systems. The analysis showed that in the systems studied spare parts prices are lognormally distributed and this is most likely to be the result of a stochastic process known as the 'theory of breakage'. Analysis also showed that in the DAF Trucks case aggregated and volumes in very short time periods are distributed as a combined Log Series /Negative Binomial distribution (LSD/NBD). The combined LSD/NBD model of aggregate demand volumes is itself fully explained by a stochastic model known as the Afwedson model, which in turn is derived from more elementary conditions based on the Poisson process. We then demonstrated that if these short period aggregate demand distributions are cumulated period by period they converge to a log normal distribution as the stable long run model of aggregate demand volumes. As a result of the lognormality of prices and volumes the resultant inventory usage values are also log normal. Furthermore from insight into the underlying factors that explain the lognormality we have identified the factors and variables that govern the valueso f the parameterso f the particular log normal models of usage values. - The research protocol used in this work incorporated the law verifying process know as 'retroduction' after work and discussions of Uji Ijiri and Herbert Simon (1977); and to a lesser extent we utilised simulation for validation and verification of the derived models. From the proven log normality of demand volumes and usage values we have demonstrated that a number of related key inventory factors are also lognormal, in particular inventory- item turnover rates. Furthermore our conclusions show that some standard inventory performance measures, such as the inventory wide 'stock turnover rate' and the 'stock to sales' ratio, are poor measures to use in the case of highly skewed inventory variables. Finally we have suggested several potentially fruitful areas for developing improved methods of monitoring inventory performance in a variety of circumstances.


Distributed Visual Working Memory Stores Revealed by Multivariate Pattern Analyses Thomas B. Christophel, Chang Yan, Carsten Allefeld & John-Dylan Haynes The storage buffers retaining visual working memory contents were originally postulated to reside in prefrontal cortex. Recently, a dissenting view has evolved claiming that working memory content depends on distributed storage in sensory brain regions. We provide strong evidence for this claim in a series of fMRI experiments investigating the content-specificity of delay-period activity using multivariate pattern analyses. Representations of color and motion patterns as well as complex shapes were identified in early visual, and lateral occipital posterior parietal cortex, but also in the frontal eye fields. A meta-analysis of content-specificity within these brain areas revealed large inter-areal differences critically depending on whether the stimuli were smooth global patterns or shapes with clear edges and on whether stimuli varied across color, luminance or motion direction dimensions. In addition, we show that areas beyond early visual cortex retain information in an inherently view-independent format and that coding of a given stimulus in higher visual areas is not solely driven by the visual display originally shown. Instead, the representation changes when a subject mentally transforms what they are holding in mind (i.e. during mental rotation). Extending our findings on visual working memory, we show that verbal content (Chinese Characters memorized by native speakers of Chinese) is selectively stored in prefrontal areas, more specifically Broca's area and articulatory premotor cortex. Finally, while working memory storage seems to be represented in a distributed way, working memory control could be traced to dorsolateral prefrontal cortex regardless of what content was memorized.


Segment routing is an emerging traffic engineering technique relying on Multi-protocol Label-Switched (MPLS) label stacking to steer traffic using the source-routing paradigm. Traffic flows are enforced through a given path by applying a specifically designed stack of labels (i.e., the segment list). Each packet is then forwarded along the shortest path toward the network element represented by the top label. Unlike traditional MPLS networks, segment routing maintains a per-flow state only at the ingress node; no signaling protocol is required to establish new flows or change the routing of active flows. Thus, control plane scalability is greatly improved. Several segment routing use cases have recently been proposed. As an example, it can be effectively used to dynamically steer traffic flows on paths characterized by low latency values. However, this may suffer from some potential issues. Indeed, deployed MPLS equipment typically supports a limited number of stacked labels. Therefore, it is important to define the proper procedures to minimize the required segment list depth. This work is focused on two relevant segment routing use cases: dynamic traffic recovery and traffic engineering in multi-domain networks. Indeed, in both use cases, the utilization of segment routing can significantly simplify the network operation with respect to traditional Internet Protocol (IP)/MPLS procedures. Thus, two original procedures based on segment routing are proposed for the aforementioned use cases. Both procedures are evaluated including a simulative analysis of the segment list depth. Moreover, an experimental demonstration is performed in a multi-layer test bed exploiting a software-defined-networking-based implementation of segment routing.


Propelled by the need to reduce the impact on the environment and improve energy efficiency, we see an impetus toward enabling a smart grid. One of the key constituents of the smart grid is the automated metering infrastructure, which is expected to facilitate the transport of meter readings from meters to the utility provider, and (potentially) control information in the other direction. A range of communication technologies are being considered for realizing AMI networks with no clear winner so far. This article provides an overview of some of the candidate solutions and proposes a mesh-radio based solution. The proposed solution is an enhanced version of the RPL protocol and exhibits self-organizing characteristics, and is practical and therefore attractive from a deployment perspective. Additionally, we also discuss network operational issues to improve robustness and scalability, as well as fault recovery due to link failure.


Accreditation and Designation Statement The American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The ACCF designates this Journal-based CME ctivity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 redit(s)TM. Physicians should only claim credit comensurate with the extent of their participation in the ctivity.


1. The drug phenyl ethyl biguanide (PEBG) was used in vivo and in vitro to study further the relationship between renal gluconeogenesis and ammonia production in the rat. 2. When PEBG was injected intraperitoneally into the rats, it caused a decrease in urinary ammonia in spite of a greater degree of systemic acidosis. PEBG injections also blocked the increase in glucose and ammonia production by renal cortical slices from rats which had been made acidotic by oral administration of ammonium chloride 2 h previously. 3. With increasing concentrations of PEBG in vitro, there was inhibition of gluconeogenesis and ammonia production from glutamine and glutamate as substrates. The two processes were equally inhibited when glutamate was used as substrate but with glutamine, gluconeogenesis was more inhibited than ammonia production. 4. The inhibition of renal gluconeogenesis by PEBG in vitro was similar when succinate, oxaloacetate, fructose, glutamine and glutamate were used as substrates. 5. The results show that PEBG does not inhibit gluconeogenesis by blocking a specific site in the gluconeogenic pathway. In addition, further proof is provided of the physiological interrelationship of renal ammonia production and gluconeogenesis.


To create any green built environment, it is of primary importance that project stakeholders including designer, energy modeller, estimator, climatologist, environmentalist, etc. contribute and become accountable towards the same. Building information modelling (BIM) is one such tool which not only stands as a 3D geometric modelling tool, but also supplies useful information, data about several aspects throughout the life-cycle of a project such as construction process, design and development of a facility, quantities and scheduling, fabrication process, and provides information required for facilities managers, stakeholders. Hence BIM based approach could also be extended for designing and developing green built environment. This piece of research explores role of building information modelling methodology in the development of green built environment. A BIM based approach assists professionals during the conception of green built environment in predicting the outcome(s) of its construction to minimise its impact on the environment throughout its life-cycle. A building model developed on the principles of BIM virtual representation of building can be presented to person/expert from non-construction/architectural background. It can provide appropriate data on demand to perform energy analysis and hence facilitates very complex and so call tedious process of sustainable design, such as day-lighting, morphological analysis, computational fluidic dynamics (CFD), material takeoff, estimation, scheduling, energy modelling, resource planning, and so on.


Interest rates may remain low and fall to their effective lower bound (ELB) often. As a result, quantitative easing (QE), in which central banks expand their balance sheet to lower long-term interest rates, may complement policy approaches focused on adjustments in short-term interest rates. Simulation results using a large-scale model (FRB/US) suggest that QE does not improve economic performance if the steady-state interest rate is high, confirming that such policies were not advantageous from 1960 to 2007. However, QE can offset a significant portion of the adverse effects of the ELB when the equilibrium real interest rate is low. These improvements in economic performance exceed those associated with moderate increases in the inflation target. Active QE is primarily required when nominal interest rates are near the ELB, pointing to benefits within the model from QE as a secondary tool while relying on short-term interest rates as the primary tool.


The PI Apparel event in NYC showed us that the retail, footwear and apparel (RFA) industry is at an inflection point when it comes to PLM. How will RFA companies respond? Here are some of our key takeaways from the event.


Certain mammalian cells can use RNAi in the innate defense against invading viruses. In plants and invertebrates, RNA interference (RNAi) functions as an innate antiviral defense mechanism. Viruses that infect plants and invertebrates have evolved viral suppressors of RNAi (VSRs) that disable the RNAi pathway. Whether mammals use RNAi as a defense against viruses has been less clear (see the Perspective by Sagan and Sarnow). Li et al. and Maillard et al. studied mammalian cell lines and baby mice productively infected with RNA viruses and observed the production of virus-derived small RNAs (vsRNAs). When the putative VSR proteins of the infecting viruses were disabled, host RNAi-derived vsRNAs were much increased and the viruses were rapidly cleared and unable to mount a full-blown infection. Thus, RNAi also has an innate antiviral function in mammals. Y. Li, J. Lu, Y. Han, X. Fan, S.-W. Ding, RNA interference functions as an antiviral immunity mechanism in mammals. Science 342, 231–234 (2013). [Abstract] [Full Text] P. V. Maillard, C. Ciaudo, A. Marchais, Y. Li, F. Jay, S. W. Ding, O. Voinnet, Antiviral RNA interference in mammalian cells. Science 342, 235–238 (2013). [Abstract] [Full Text] S. M. Sagan, P. Sarnow, RNAi, antiviral after all. Science 342, 207–208 (2013). [Abstract] [Full Text]


Abstract. Quantitative relationships allowing one to compute the lobe magnetic field, flaring angle and tail radius, and to evaluate magnetic flux based on solar wind/IMF parameters and spacecraft position are obtained for the middle magnetotail, X=(–15,–35)RE, using 3.5 years of simultaneous Geotail and Wind spacecraft observations. For the first time it was done separately for different states of magnetotail including the substorm onset (SO) epoch, the steady magnetospheric convection (SMC) and quiet periods (Q). In the explored distance range the magnetotail parameters appeared to be similar (within the error bar) for Q and SMC states, whereas at SO their values are considerably larger. In particular, the tail radius is larger by 1–3 RE at substorm onset than during Q and SMC states, for which the radius value is close to previous magnetopause model values. The calculated lobe magnetic flux value at substorm onset is ~1GWb, exceeding that at Q (SMC) states by ~50%. The model magnetic flux values at substorm onset and SMC show little dependence on the solar wind dynamic pressure and distance in the tail, so the magnetic flux value can serve as an important discriminator of the state of the middle magnetotail. Key words. Magnetospheric physics (solar windmagnetosphere- interactions, magnetotail, storms and substorms)


Examines the challenges The Home Depot faced in the aftermath of natural disasters such as Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Andrew. By providing 40,000-50,000 items sold by knowledgeable associates, The Home Depot became a destination place for customers in need of anything from shovels to a new kitchen sink or supplies to use in recovering from a hurricane or flood. Disasters are thus both a source of disruption to the company's operations and a source of additional demand for its products and services. How, then, should The Home Depot organize itself in advance of disaster events?


Background and purpose: BCL-2 marker has an important role in mechanisms of apoptosis and dysplastic changes, malignancies, and the pathogenicity mechanisms in oral lichen planus (OLP). Current study aimed at investigating the expression levels of BCL-2 in epithelial and connective tissue adjacent in oral lichen planus. Materials and methods: In this case-control study, investigation of BCL-2 expression was performed in paraffin embedded tissue blocks of 20 cases of OLP (cases) and 20 cases of irritation fibroma (control) obtained from the Archives of Pathology Department in Dental School, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences. Data was analyzed using SPSS V17 applying Chi-Square test and Fisher's exact test. The results were considered significant for a significance level of α=0.05. Results: There was no statistically significant difference in BCL-2 expression in the basal and parabasal layers of the epithelium between the two groups (P>0.05), but the difference was statistically significant for the connective tissue (P=0.0001). Conclusion: This study showed that BCL-2 protein may not play an important role in the process of apoptosis in OLP, so, further investigations on other proteins in this process is recommended.


Objective: To determine the prevalence of different patterns of renal osteodystrophy in end stage renal failure patients on maintenance haemodialysis visiting at Nephrourology Department, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan.
Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Nephro-urology Department, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoro, Pakistan from April to October 2015. Fifty-six (56) patients on maintenance hemodialysis were included through non-probability purposive sampling. Various biochemical parameters of renal osteodystrophy were included in the current study. Serum corrected calcium, phosphate, and alkaline phosphatase and iPTH levels. Chi square test was used to determined frequency of renal osteodystrophy in ESRD patients.
Results: Mean age was 45.85 ± 13.5 years. 34 (61%) were male and 22 (39%) were female. Renal osteodystrophy was found in 89%. The most common type was secondary hyperparathyroidism (Osteitis Fibrosa Cystica) in 32%. Hyperphosphatemia was observed in 62% while hypercalcaemia in only 7%. Osteomalacia was common in adolescent age group (66%), Osteitis Fibrosa Cystica (OFC) in adult group (36%) while mixed variety in elder group (50%). Similarly OFC was the most common pattern in both genders.
Conclusion: In the present study it was concluded that the prevalence of renal osteodystrophy was significantly increased. Secondary hyperparathyroidism (Osteitis Fibrosa Cystica) is the most common pattern of ROD followed by mixed osteodystrophy and adynamic bone disease.


Abstract. According to recent studies, internal mixing of black carbon (BC) with other aerosol materials in the atmosphere alters its aggregate shape, absorption of solar radiation, and radiative forcing. These mixing state effects are not yet fully understood. In this study, we characterize the morphology and mixing state of bare BC and BC internally mixed with sodium chloride (NaCl) using electron microscopy and examine the sensitivity of optical properties to BC mixing state and aggregate morphology using a discrete dipole approximation model (DDSCAT). DDSCAT is flexible in simulating the geometry and refractive index of particle aggregates. DDSCAT predicts a higher mass absorption coefficient (MAC), lower single scattering albedo (SSA), and higher absorption Angstrom exponent (AAE) for bare BC aggregates that are lacy rather than compact. Predicted values of SSA at 550 nm range between 0.16 and 0.27 for lacy and compact aggregates, respectively, in agreement with reported experimental values of 0.25 ± 0.05. The variation in absorption with wavelength does not adhere precisely to a power law relationship over the 200 to 1000 nm range. Consequently, AAE values depend on the wavelength region over which they are computed. The MAC of BC (averaged over the 200–1000 nm range) is amplified when internally mixed with NaCl (100–300 nm in radius) by factors ranging from 1.0 for lacy BC aggregates partially immersed in NaCl to 2.2 for compact BC aggregates fully immersed in NaCl. The SSA of BC internally mixed with NaCl is higher than for bare BC and increases with the embedding in the NaCl. Internally mixed BC SSA values decrease in the 200–400 nm wavelength range, a feature also common to the optical properties of dust and organics. Linear polarization features are also predicted in DDSCAT and are dependent on particle size and morphology. This study shows that DDSCAT predicts complex morphology and mixing state dependent aerosol optical properties that have been reported previously and are relevant to radiative transfer, climate modeling, and interpretation of remote sensing measurements.


I: To start off, we would like to discuss the Doha Round trade talks and their failure to date to produce consensus on major issues, including tariff and agricultural policies. Do you think that this failure indicates a significant shift in momentum behind trade liberalization and globalization? B: Doha is indeed at risk. But it has not failed--and, in fact, many leaders are trying to rescue it from collapse. At die 2011 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, where Peter Sutherland and I, co-chairs of a High-Level Independent Expert Group on Trade appointed by the British, German, Indonesian, and Turkish governments, were at a Panel discussing an Interim Report focused solely on Doha, though our mandate goes beyond trade liberalization to address issues such as preventing protectionism and analyzing needed changes in the World Trade Organization (WTO) to improve its efficiency in overseeing world trade. Aside from the two co-chairs, the Panel had among its members British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Indonesian President Susilo Yudhoyono, and WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy. The Bhagwati-Sutherland Report noted that the Doha Round was now in its tenth year. True, the Rounds have successively increased in the years taken to complete them; the previous Uruguay Round lasted nearly eight years. But Doha was now taking so long that a growing desperation had set in. It was dying of continued inability' to reach a settlement of differences among the negotiating countries. Many political leaders were shifting to preferential trade agreements, particularly Free Trade Agreements, which were proliferating at an unprecedented pace, with the oft-cited excuse that multilateral trade negotiations were blocked. It was as if the turnpike was closed and one had to take the dirt road--and that the dirt road was the one that seemed now to be the way many would rather travel. Thus, one had to conclude the Doha Round. We had therefore set a deadline: finish Doha by 2011 or bury it. Remember: the prospect of a hanging clears the mind dramatically. We also argued at great length why the failure of Doha would lose us the gains from liberalizing trade. Its demise would also undermine the credibility of the WTO, and that, in turn, meant further costs, since the WTO was an important trade institution that provided the rule of law in trade--rules which, while still in need of further improvement, had already proven their worth by helping to prevent the rush to the 1930s-style protectionism of having no rules at all. Besides, I would emphasize that the WTO is a unique international institution that should appeal especially to the weaker nations. I tell my students, who often think the WTO is worse than the Bretton Woods institutions, that the WTO is genuinely democratic. It works by consensus, just like the United Nations, but without its paralysis on most issues: even little Georgia can withhold its consent to Russia's entry into the WTO. No country can appoint the WTO Director-General the way the United States virtually appoints the head of the World Bank (currently Robert Zoellick), or Europe chooses the head of the IMF: Pascal Lamy had to fight a tough contest with the Brazilian nominee to get his job. Again, the WTO has a binding Dispute Settlement Mechanism where compliance is adjudicated and penalties follow. Contrast that with the Climate Change commitments, which have no bite as there is no penalty for failing to fulfill the pledges made. What we did was a gamble. If Doha continued to be stalled in the next few months, then we were practically recommending that it be abandoned. In fact, that is what some observers have taken to arguing after our Report: that Doha cannot be negotiated, and that it therefore be abandoned at the end of the year. That would be the wrong outcome of our deadline idea! But we will have to wait and see. I must say that Doha is negotiable with politically practical and marginal adjustments by the United States, India, Brazil, China, and the European Union, in particular. …


The ability to hear a target signal over background noise is an important aspect of efficient hearing in everyday situations. This mechanism depends on binaural hearing whenever there are differences in the inter-aural timing of inputs from the noise and the signal. Impairments in binaural hearing may underlie some auditory processing disorders, for example temporal-lobe epilepsies. The binaural masking level difference (BMLD) measures the advantage in detecting a tone whose inter-aural phase differs from that of the masking noise. BMLD's are typically estimated psychophysically, but this is challenging in children or those with cognitive impairments. The aim of this doctorate is to design a passive measure of BMLD using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and test this in adults, children and patients with different types of epilepsy. The stimulus consists of Gaussian background noise with 500-Hz tones presented binaurally either in-phase or 180° out-of-phase between the ears. Source modelling provides the N1m amplitude for the in-phase and out-of-phase tones, representing the extent of signal perception over background noise. The passive BMLD stimulus is successfully used as a measure of binaural hearing capabilities in participants who would otherwise be unable to undertake a psychophysical task.


Phytoplankton photosynthesis under the rapidly fluctuating irradiance which results from turbulent mixing through the vertical light gradient is poorly understood. Ship‐based measurements often apply the fast repetition rate fluorescence (FRRF) technique in situ or in vivo to gauge the physiological state of the phytoplankton community and infer some of the physical properties of the water column (such as mixing time scales). We describe the development and validation of a model of photosynthetic electron turnover at photosystemII with consideration of downstream limitation, based on the redox state of photosystem II. We also include empirical formulations for slower processes such as photo‐protection (from nonphotochemical quenching) and photo‐inhibition. By confronting the simple model with laboratory data for Dunaliella tertiolecta, we were able to refine the model so that it faithfully produced rates of photosynthetic electron transfer determined by FRR fluorescence. Further, we were able to validate the model estimates of linear photosynthetic electron transfer rates against completely independent measurements obtained using 14C‐bicarbonate assimilation in photosynthesis‐light curves.


The purpose of my study is to investigate what a school system did to stimulate change and discover the qualitative outcomes of shifting from a common bureaucratic school culture to that of Performance Excellence. The methodology is a case study approach of the change in the Rockwell School district (pseudonym) from 2000 to the present day. Elementary, middle, and high school teachers, central office personnel, and school board members were interviewed as part of this qualitative study. Results of the study showed that Rockwell School's implementation of Performance Excellence impacted the district's academic ranking over the implementation period and has become institutionalized as the way the district operates. Whether an organization chooses Baldrige or some other change initiative, it is key that the steps outlined here be considered. These include planning for the change initiative by gaining shared meaning across the organization on what the change should look like. The steps are (a) developing a systems approach, (b) building a school system instead of a system of schools, (c) using data driven decision making to implement change, (d) shifting from a culture of teaching to one of learning, (e) implementing an infrastructure that helps employees gain new knowledge and skills, and (f) moving toward a continuous improvement process.


In Magical Habits Monica Huerta draws on her experiences growing up in her family's Mexican restaurants and her life as a scholar of literature and culture to meditate on how relationships among self, place, race, and storytelling contend with both the afterlives of history and racial capitalism. Whether dwelling on mundane aspects of everyday life, such as the smell of old kitchen grease, or grappling with the thorny, unsatisfying question of authenticity, Huerta stages a dynamic conversation among genres, voices, and archives: personal and critical essays exist alongside a fairy tale; photographs and restaurant menus complement fictional monologues based on her family's history. Developing a new mode of criticism through storytelling, Huerta takes readers through Cook County courtrooms, the Cristero Rebellion (in which her great-grandfather was martyred by the Mexican government), Japanese baths in San Francisco—and a little bit about Chaucer too. Ultimately, Huerta sketches out habits of living while thinking that allow us to consider what it means to live with and try to peer beyond history even as we are caught up in the middle of it.
 Duke University Press Scholars of Color First Book Award recipient


Artefacts at a site in the northern Urals dating to about 33,000 years ago suggest a last northern refuge of Neandertals. Palaeolithic sites in Russian high latitudes have been considered as Upper Palaeolithic and thus representing an Arctic expansion of modern humans. Here we show that at Byzovaya, in the western foothills of the Polar Urals, the technological structure of the lithic assemblage makes it directly comparable with Mousterian Middle Palaeolithic industries that so far have been exclusively attributed to the Neandertal populations in Europe. Radiocarbon and optical-stimulated luminescence dates on bones and sand grains indicate that the site was occupied during a short period around 28,500 carbon-14 years before the present (about 31,000 to 34,000 calendar years ago), at the time when only Upper Palaeolithic cultures occupied lower latitudes of Eurasia. Byzovaya may thus represent a late northern refuge for Neandertals, about 1000 km north of earlier known Mousterian sites.


to software that enables a computer to locate a content file on another networked device and copy the encoded data to its own hard drive. P2P technology often attracts people who use it to reproduce or distribute copyrighted music and movies without authorization of rights owners. For that reason, the short history of P2P technology has been one of constant controversy and calls by many in the content industry to regulate or even ban P2P-based networks or software. As a general preventive measure against copyright infringements through digital technologies including P2P, copyright owners often use digital rights management (DRM) techniques to encrypt content or otherwise restrict access. Depending on the access or compensation arrangement, content owners may differentiate prices and limit use by the number of plays, duration of access, temporary or partial uses, lending rights, and the number of devices on which the file may be accessed. The potential level of use control may go beyond the expectations of consumers accustomed to a broader range of uses enabled by analog technology. Consequently, many consumer advocates now contend that DRM is harmful to consumers because it tilts the balance of control in favor of copyright holders. For their part, rights owners respond that DRM merely offsets grave dangers made possible by digitization and Internet distribution. This study argues that the basic functions of DRM and P2P can be quite complementary and that innovative market mechanisms that can help alleviate many copyright concerns are currently blossoming. Government should protect the copyrights of content owners but simultaneously allow the free market to determine potential synergies, responses, and outcomes that tap different P2P and DRM business models. In particular, market operations are greatly preferable to government technology controls, on the one hand, or mandatory compulsory licensing schemes, on the other. Recent court decisions regarding the liability of P2P networks or software providers may force the Supreme Court to revisit its own precedents in this area. In the absence of an efficient resolution by the Court, Congress may pass legislation that may interfere with both technological evolution and free-market processes. Peer-to-Peer Networking and Digital Rights Management How Market Tools Can Solve Copyright Problems


Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) are increasingly being used for civilian and military applications. Passive sensing, such as visible cameras, are being used for navigation and object detection. An additional object of interest in many environments is text. Text information can supplement the autonomy of unmanned ground vehicles. Text most often appears in the environment in the form of road signs and storefront signs. Road hazard information, unmapped route detours and traffic information are available to human drivers through road signs. Premade road maps lack these traffic details, but with text localization the vehicle could fill the information gaps. Leading text localization algorithms achieve ~60% accuracy; however, practical applications are cited to require at least 80% accuracy [49]. The goal of this thesis is to test existing text localization algorithms against challenging scenes, identify the best candidate and optimize it for scenes a UGV would encounter. Promising text localization methods were tested against a custom dataset created to best represent scenes a UGV would encounter. The dataset includes road signs and storefront signs against complex background. The methods tested were adaptive thresholding, the stroke filter and the stroke width transform. A temporal tracking proof of concept was also tested. It tracked text through a series of frames in order to reduce false positives. Best results were obtained using the stroke width transform with temporal tracking which achieved an accuracy of 79%. That level of performance approaches requirements for use in practical applications. Without temporal tracking the stroke width transform yielded an accuracy of 46%. The runtime was 8.9 seconds per image, which is 44.5 times slower than necessary for real-time object tracking. Converting the MATLAB code to C++ and running the text localization on a GPU could provide the necessary speedup.


Economic development is associated with structural transformation and the increase of complexity of production and exports. This paper examines whether strategic diversification is required to increase economic complexity or whether market incentives would be sufficient to drive this process of catching-up. The paper applies empirical methods of the strand of the literature on economic complexity to examine how path dependency and the demand for potential new products affect economic diversification. It argues that strategic diversification is required in cases when demand factors are very likely to create incentives for diversification towards less complex products, which hinders the increase of productive capacities of countries. The paper presents the results of analysis considering 221 economies and shows that less diversified economies would not be able to rely on market incentives alone. They have to strategically diversify towards more complex products, which require the selective promotion of economic activities through the use of targeted industrial, infrastructure, trade, investment and private sector development policies.


If the purpose of legalization is to enhance international cooperation, more may not always be better. Achieving the optimal level of legalization requires finding a balance between reducing the risks of opportunism and reducing the potential negative effects of legalization on domestic political processes. The global trade regime, which aims to liberalize trade, has become increasingly legalized over time. Increased legalization has changed the information environment and the nature of government obligations, which in turn have affected the pattern of mobilization of domestic interest groups on trade. From the perspective of encouraging the future expansion of liberal trade, we suggest some possible negative consequences of legalization, arguing that these consequences must be weighed against the positive effects of legalization on increasing national compliance. Since the weakly legalized GATT institution proved sufficient to sustain widespread liberalization, the case for further legalization must be strong to justify far-reaching change in the global trade regime.