ABSTRACT Introduction: With advances in clinical oncology, the burden of morbidity and mortality for cancer survivors due to the cardiac side effects of the chemotherapy is steadily increasing. Treatment-related cardiac damage is progressive and often irreversible. Primary prevention of cardiotoxicity during treatment is possible with strategies like limiting the cumulative anthracycline dose, the use of anthracycline structural analogs, and especially cardioprotective agents. Areas covered: This review covers the various cardiotoxic chemotherapeutic agents, the pathophysiology of cardiotoxicity due to anthracyclines, and the clinical and subclinical presentations and progression of childhood anthracycline cardiotoxicity. We also discuss preventive measures and strategies, especially the cardioprotectant agent dexrazoxane where there is strong evidence-based support for its use with anthracycline chemotherapy. However, there is a paucity of evidence-based recommendations for diagnosing and treating cancer therapy-induced cardiovascular complications. Finally, we discuss the potential of cardio-oncology. Expert opinion: There is no 'safe' anthracycline dose if the goal is normal long-term cardiovascular status but higher lifetime cumulative doses of anthracyclines, higher dose rates, female sex, longer follow-up, younger age at anthracycline treatment, pre-existing cardiovascular disease, and cardiac irradiation are associated with more severe cardiotoxicity. With deeper understanding of the mechanisms of the adverse cardiac effects and identification of driver mutations causing these effects, personalized cancer therapy to limit cardiotoxic effects can be achieved, such as with the cardioprotectant dexrazoxane.


Global atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration from fossil fuel combustion has generated much concern because of the several environmental issues associated with high levels of atmospheric CO2, a major greenhouse gas. In order to reduce the risks associated with global warming, the increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration must be prevented. CO2 capture and conversion not only mitigates the risks associated with increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, but also addresses the problem of fossil fuel depletion by providing sustainable production of industrial demanded fuels and chemicals. This literature review analyzes several of the most promising products that can be generated via catalytic CO2 hydrogenation and discusses advancements in catalysis. Primary focus is on CO2 conversion, selectivity to desired products, and stability of the catalysts. A summary is included at the end of the review that discusses the most promising catalytic advancements since 2014. Table of


In recent years, citizen science has gained popularity not only in the scientific community but also with the general public. The potential it projects in fostering an open and participatory approach to science, decreasing the distance between science and society, and contributing to the wider goal of an inclusive society is being explored by scientists, science communicators, educators, policy makers and related stakeholders. The public's participation in citizen science projects is still often reduced to data gathering and data manipulation such as classification of data. However, the citizen science landscape is much broader and diverse, inter alia due to the participation opportunities offered by latest ICT. The emergence of new forms of collaboration and grassroots initiatives is currently being experienced. In an open consultation process that led to the "White Paper on Citizen Science for Europe", the support of a wide range of project types and innovative forms of participation in science was requested. In this paper we argue for mechanisms that encourage a variety of approaches, promote emerging and creative concepts and widen the perspectives for social innovation.


Cholecystokinin (CCK)-like peptides when administered intravenously produce 2 distinct actions on the single-unit activity of mesencephalic dopamine (DA) neurons in the rat: an excitatory action and a potentiation of the inhibitory effects of DA agonists. The ability of several CCK fragments that have been shown to bind selectively to the peripheral and/or the central CCK-binding sites were examined for their ability to induce either excitation or a potentiation of DA. Only sulfated CCK-8 was able to induce excitation of mesencephalic DA neurons, but both sulfated and unsulfated CCK-8, as well as CCK-4, potentiated the inhibitory effects of the DA agonist apomorphine (APO). CCK-3 failed to potentiate APO-induced inhibition. Both of these effects appeared to be confined to cell bodies in regions of the ventral tegmental area and substantia nigra, zona compacta that have been reported to contain both DA and CCK. Thus, CCK-like peptides that have been shown to bind to the high-affinity CCK binding site in brain potentiated the effects of DA. In contrast, the ability of CCK-like peptides to induce neuronal excitation corresponds with their affinity for the peripheral-type CCK binding site.


Journalists not only represent political leaders in terms of their policies and political competence. The personalities and private lives of leaders have also become an important component in mediated stories and narratives crucial for voter identification and interest. This chapter explores how the Swedish press reports on prime ministers' social backgrounds, personal appearance and leadership characteristics in relation to party affiliation. The empirical material consists of news reporting on four former Swedish prime ministers: two from the Swedish Social Democratic Party; and two from the Moderate Party. The findings show that it is not only party affiliation that is of interest to journalists in reporting on prime ministers. Broader societal trends of what it means to be a politician in a certain time and era also influence reporting.


Mosul and Haditha Dams are the largest dams on the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in Iraq, respectively. Both dams are of earthfill type and constructed on sedimentary rocks, but have different geological conditions. Both of them suffer from karstification problems. The former; however, suffers from intense karstification, which has endangered the stability of the dam and possible failure.
The karstification in both sites is of different origins, types, shapes, sizes and depths, as well as in different rocks and geological formations. In Mosul Dam site, the highly dissolved gypsum beds of the Fatha Formation has formed solution type sinkholes with cavities of different shapes and sizes at different depth; attaining to about 250 m upon which the foundations of the dam are located. In Haditha Dam site, the karstification occur in the limestone beds of the Euphrates Formation, the developed sinkholes are of collapse type with regular shapes; either circular or oval apertures. The thickness of the karstified sequence in the foundations is not more 50 m.
This research work is to highlight the role of the geological conditions, especially when the karstification in the safety of both dams is concerned and its effect on the foundations of the dams


Biogeographical studies are a necessary step in establishing conservation area networks. Determining the ecological factors influencing vegetation is also a basic prin- ciple for hierarchical ecological classifications and a necessary prerequisite for ecosystem- based land use planning. Eco-floristic sectors (EFS) have already been identified for the Indonesian island of Sumatra, combining both approaches, dividing it into 38 EFSs rep- resenting unique ecosystems in terms of tree flora and environment (Laumonier 1997). The impact of deforestation on individual EFSs has been highly varied and in some cases extreme. We assigned one of five 'extinction risk categories' to each EFS based on the percentage of forest lost between 1985 and 2007. Eighty-five percent of all forest loss (10.2 million ha) occurred in the eastern peneplain, western lowland regions and swamps. In 2007, only 29% of forests were protected by conservation areas, only nine of the 38 EFS had more than 50% of their remaining forest cover protected. 38% of remaining forest was ''critically endangered'', ''endangered'' or ''vulnerable'' EFSs (5 million ha) but only 1 million ha (20%) were protected. Sumatra's existing network of conservation areas does not adequately represent the island's ecosystems. Priorities for a new conservation area network can be formulated for integration into Sumatra's new land use plans at provincial


Nodulation is a symbiosis between plants and bacteria called rhizobia which leads to the formation of a lateral organ called a nodule where nitrogen fixation occurs. Nodulation can be divided into two developmental programmes, rhizobial infection, and nodule organogenesis, both of which are required for nitrogen fixation. In my PhD studies, I focused on the study of rhizobial infection using the Medicago truncatula-Sinorhizobium meliloti model system.
NIN is an important transcription factor in the nodulation signalling pathway that functions both in rhizobial infection and nodule organogenesis. Gene expression profiling of nin during rhizobial infection has enabled me to identify its potential downstream targets including several NIN-dependent infection-related genes and, surprisingly, genes involved in mycorrhization that are apparently repressed by NIN. The identification of these genes has provided insight into how NIN functions in rhizobial infection and revealed potential cross-talk between nodulation and mycorrhization pathways.
In the course of this work I discovered two infection mutants. One of the mutants, cbs1, was cloned in collaboration with a colleague in the lab. It encodes a Cystathionine Beta-Synthase domain containing protein with a potential role in reactive oxygen species homeostasis.
The other mutant, which I named knocks but can't enter (kce), is blocked at an early stage of infection. I used conventional mapping and next-generation sequencing technologies to genetically map kce to a known rhizobial infection gene LIN. The kce mutant developed nodules with central rather than peripheral vascular bundles resembling nodules from the more ancient Frankia-actinorhizal symbiosis. Using kce and other infection mutants I demonstrate that this abnormal nodule architecture results from a failure of infection to reach the nodule cortex. Based on this finding, I predict that Nod factor activated signalling in the nodule cortex plays a role in determining nodule structure.


Background: Adolescence is a changing phase of physical and psychological growth and development which occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood. Mental wellbeing is important, if adolescent has good mental wellbeing, it helps in increasing self-esteem and better academic performance. The study was conducted to understand whether parental involvement is important for adolescents in the field of academic performance and mental wellbeing.
Objectives: The objectives were to assess the parental involvement, academic performance and mental wellbeing among the adolescents and to assess the relationship between them.
Method: The design was Survey approach. Total of 380 adolescents were selected using purposive sampling method. The data related to parental involvement was collected based on 32 item Parental Involvement Scale developed by the researchers, academic performance was obtained from mid-term examination and the mental wellbeing was assessed using Warwick Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale.
Results: Among the 380 adolescents, parental involvement was good among 300 (78.9%), adolescents. With regard to academic performance majority 230(60.5%) obtained first class in their mid-term examination. The mental wellbeing was high among 233 (61.30%) adolescents. Spearman's rho revealed significant low positive relationship between parental involvement and academic performance rs =0.334, p=0.001, academic performance and mental wellbeing rs =0.103, p=0.045 and parental involvement and mental wellbeing of adolescents rs =0.371, p=0.001.
Conclusion: In support to the literature, this study found that higher the parental involvement, greater is the academic performance and mental wellbeing of adolescents. Parental involvement is very essential.


The study of social networks has become increasingly important in recent years. Multi-agent systems research has proven to be an effective way of representing both static and dynamic social networks in order to model and analyze many different situations. Previous implementations of multi-agent systems have observed a phenomenon called tolerance between agents through simulation studies, which is defined as an agent maintaining an unrewarding connection. This concept has also arisen in the social sciences through the study of networks. We aim to bridge this gap between simulation studies in multi-agent systems and real-world observations. This project explores how local interactions of autonomous agents in a network relate to the development of tolerance. We have developed a new model for multi-agent system interactions based on these observations. We also claim that tolerance is directly observable in real dynamic social networks, and the parameters that govern tolerance of a system can be estimated using a Hidden Markov Model.


The aim of this case series was to clinically demonstrate successful prevention of bone resorption of the buccal wall after alveolar bone splitting by additional stabilization of the lateral bone plate using a biphasic ceramic bone substitute. In three patients alveolar bone splitting was performed with a piezoelectric device. Clinical as well as radiological results after two and five years revealed stable hard and soft tissue conditions with no soft tissue recessions and peri-implant bone loss in three patients. The advantage of this one-stage procedure was the ability to insert dental implants into a very compromised bony site in a simultaneous procedure. Yet the bone splitting stabilisation technique appeared to be a more user-sensitive method.


Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) is the monitoring of any type of structure for the express purpose of determining its condition and future lifespan and if, when and where any reparative action is needed. A focus of the work in this thesis is SHM for long-span bridges and particularly the effects of environmental and operational conditions on a monitoring campaign. There is currently a trend for heavily instrumenting civil structures with large sensor networks that continually collect terabytes of data. However, these large data sets are often redundantly stored and not used for anything. One of the principal aims in the thesis is to exploit such monitoring data for the development of diagnostic tools for structural condition assessment.

The first part of the thesis concerns formulating a baseline for the Tamar Bridge that represents the normal undamaged condition of the structure. To do this a large amount of analysis was needed in order to understand how different structural measurements are interrelated and how the bridge responds to normal environmental and operational conditions. Particular attention was paid to measurements that can be sensitive to structural degradation (such as modal properties). Often simple causal relationships were found between monitored variables, and response surface models were formulated that could predict selected variables with good accuracy given measurement of operational and environmental conditions, such as air temperature, traffic loading and wind profile. The predictive models developed are intended to be used as diagnostic tools, for example, a departure from the normal condition of the bridge will bring about a significant increase in prediction error, which may be monitored as a system alarm.

The second part of the thesis directly concerns how the influence of environmental and operational variation on features sensitive to damage can be lessened or removed without measurement of these conditions themselves. This is a very important issue in SHM, as often the effects of fluctuating environmental and operational conditions can mask any indication of damage to a structure that may be evident in structural response. In the thesis a solution to the problem based on the econometric theory of cointegration is introduced. Application of this theory is found to be ideally suited to remove unwanted environmental and operational trends from SHM data, and forms an exceedingly promising contribution to the development of SHM technology.


Recent uses of executive action in immigration law have triggered accusations that the President is acting imperially, like a king, or as a lawbreaker. President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) programs, which provide protection from deportation and a work permit during a temporary period of lawful presence, serve as the lightning rod for these accusations. But even as legislative and litigation challenges to DACA proceed, many states appear to accept and comply with it, including nearly all of the states that have joined the Texas v United States lawsuit that challenges the President's legal authority for these actions (S.D. Texas order filed Feb. 16, 2015). How can the high-level legal resistance and on-the-ground acceptance be understood?This Article claims that the controversy is better understood as a fight about legitimacy than a fight about legality. It reframes the discourse around a concept of legitimacy that emphasizes public acceptance of the policy on the basis of perceived institutional authority. Based on an empirical examination of how and where DACA has gained acceptance, it shows that individual and state actors base their actions on perceptions that the institutions that enacted DACA are worthy of trust and merit their cooperation. For this reason, legitimacy is a more productive way of analyzing DACA's success or failure than the legal analysis in the current lawsuits.The Article makes two key contributions to scholarship on executive action in immigration law. First, it offers a theoretical frame for analyzing DACA's legitimacy in a manner that is truer to the underlying controversy than the frame of current challenges. This framework will endure long after the lawsuits resolve. Second, it describes the puzzling disjuncture between the lawsuits and the broad acceptance on-the ground from the vantage point of individuals and states whose legitimacy perceptions — warranted or not — will shape the opportunities for undocumented immigrants in many spheres of life. Doing so exposes public attitudes toward executive action that will determine the degree of cooperation with DACA, and it also generates insights about what the Obama Administration and future administrations can do to either build, or undermine, the legitimacy of the executive action and institutions that sustain it.


Whatever else may be said about it, Terri Schiavo's death was legal. It scrupulously complied with Florida state law. Under similar facts, a similar result would occur under the laws of most (if not all) states. Further, those state laws are constitutional. They comply with the letter and spirit of the constitutional regime outlined in the key United States Supreme Court decision dealing with the issue of terminating life-sustaining medical treatment for incapacitated patients, Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health. Indeed, Terri Schiavo's case cannot be materially distinguished from Nancy Cruzan's case. Reaching a different result in the Schiavo case would require that Cruzan be ignored, overruled, or distinguished to the point that its meaning would be reversed. This article examines how the result in Schiavo inevitably follows from the reasoning in Cruzan. Pro-life reformers intent on preventing future Schiavo-type deaths must change both (1) state laws like that of the Florida Health Care Advance Directive Act and (2) the larger body of common and constitutional law in which they are situated.


Background: Bochdalek hernia is the most common type of congenital diaphragmatic hernia and is commonly diagnosed prenatally or in the immediate postnatal period. Adult cases are extremely rare and mostly asymptomatic. Symptomatic cases are even more exceptional with a wide variety of gastrointestinal or respiratory symptoms, which makes it difficult to diagnose. Case: A 58-year-old female had experienced nausea, vomiting, atypical chest pain, and productive cough for two weeks before admission. She was diagnosed and treated for pneumonia and dyspepsia before being referred to our hospital. Further investigation using computerized tomography (CT) scan of the thorax showed a defect at the posterior aspect of left hemidiaphragm with a protrusion of the stomach and its omentum to the left hemithorax. Conclusion: Symptomatic adult case of Bochdalek hernia is rare and difficult to diagnose. The CT scan can be used to confirm the


Using the data series produced from the collective research project on the dynamics of income distribution (Atkinson and Piketty 2007, 2010) we have studied the effect of different economic factors on top income inequality in the Anglo-Saxon countries (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK, USA). These effects turn out to be different for individual countries. The bubbles of financial market explain the surge in top income inequality in the United States. Our results reveal that the bubbles of financial market increase top income inequality, although the economic growth rate fails to increase top income shares in the United States. The effect of economic growth rate on top income inequality is also time varying in the Anglo Saxon region. The positive economic growth rate of post 1980 turns out to be pro rich but the economic growth rate of pre 1980 does not promote the top income inequality. The top marginal tax rate and government expenditure may have an equalizing effect by reducing income of the rich, though the impact of financial development on top income inequality is inconclusive.


Operational conditions and production levels are maintained at consistently higher levels when a planned maintenance system is used. Initial operational expenses for a planned maintenance system exceed those of a policy of uncontrolled repairs, but the long-term savings are much greater. The objective of a maintenance system is primarily to give a total plan of requirements for maintenance work and equipment condition to reduce the time spent and the cost of unexpected repairs. An installed and properly entered maintenance system gives a description of a plant's maintenance level or technical condition of the utility. The TECAID program is an integrated system which gives the status of all maintenance work to be carried out. All events and important information obtained during plant operation will be used for the actual planned maintenance work. Start-up of the Tecaid planned maintenance system requires data entry of equipment inventory and descriptions, instructions for maintenance work and routines and procedures, spare parts inventory, modul numbers, capacities etc. The TECAID system renders excellent planning of maintenance and condition checks for all kind of components. Also built into the system is a module which rapidly takes care of the extra planning necessitated by unexpected downtime.


Background: Central corneal thickness (CCT) is the measurement of the center of the cornea and also a parameter for assessing the corneal health status. Normal mean values for CCT range between 521 μm and 554 μm due to racial and age differences; this is an important factor to consider when measuring intraocular pressure (IOP). The CCT is supposed to influence the IOP measurement in the cornea with overestimation of IOP in thicker corneas and an underestimation in thinner corneas. Objectives: To determine the mean CCT of nonglaucomatous adults in the Eye Clinic of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Sick Bay Samaru, Zaria, and the correlation between CCT and IOP, age, gender, and refractive error. Materials and Methods: Consenting adults who met the inclusion criteria were selected using simple random sampling. The participants had visual acuity assessment for both distance and near and detailed ocular examination. IOP and CCT were measured with Perkins handheld applanation tonometer and PacScan 300AP ultrasonic pachymeter, respectively. Data were entered in a pretested questionnaire and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0. Results: More female participants were recorded in the study, 55 (67.9%). The mean age of all participants was 40.01 years (SD ± 13.86). The combined mean CCT for both eyes was 531.18 µm (95% CI, 522.65–539.71). A moderate inverse correlation shows the CCT decreases with increasing age (r = –0.42, P < 0.001) and a weak linear correlation with presbyopia was significant (r = 0.23, P = 0.03). No significant correlation was found between CCT and IOP, gender, and other types of refractive error. Conclusion: The mean CCT of nonglaucomatous adults in this study is comparable to those of other Nigeria and African figures. There is a very significant inverse correlation between CCT and age.


We introduce a large-scale crowdsourced text adventure game as a research platform for studying grounded dialogue. In it, agents can perceive, emote, and act whilst conducting dialogue with other agents. Models and humans can both act as characters within the game. We describe the results of training state-of-the-art generative and retrieval models in this setting. We show that in addition to using past dialogue, these models are able to effectively use the state of the underlying world to condition their predictions. In particular, we show that grounding on the details of the local environment, including location descriptions, and the objects (and their affordances) and characters (and their previous actions) present within it allows better predictions of agent behavior and dialogue. We analyze the ingredients necessary for successful grounding in this setting, and how each of these factors relate to agents that can talk and act successfully.


This work highlights the case of Latvian women volunteers of the Red Army who worked and fought on the eastern fronts of World War II. An estimated 70,000–85,000 Latvians served in the Red Army, some as conscripts, others as volunteers. At least several hundred of those who volunteered were women. How are Latvian women volunteers of the Red Army represented and remembered in Soviet and post-Soviet historical accounts of World War II? Why have they not been remembered in most historical accounts of this period? How are ethnicity, gender, and associated social roles implicated in their historical marginality? These questions are situated in the context of literature on collective memory and microsociological literature on social roles, and used to develop the analytical concept of the unruly actor – historical actors who are challenges to dominant memory narratives because they fail to conform to normative social roles ascribed on the basis of, among others, gender and ethnicity. We use the case of Latvian women volunteers to articulate the argument that the marginality of some groups in dominant historical narratives can be understood in terms of their disruption of the historical "scene", which is configured to reflect a desired social order.


The purpose of this study was twofold: to examine the relationship between authenticity and psychological well-being, and to examine the effects of creating and interpreting mandalas on the levels of authenticity and psychological well-being of college students. The results and their implications for practice and future research are discussed. ********** Authenticity is a developmental process whereby individuals explore, discover, accept, and behave in accordance with their true selves (Goldman, 2006). This process becomes prominent during the college years and can eventually culminate as the hallmark of an achieved identity (Erikson, 1968; Harter, 2002). However, the concept of authenticity has received scant attention compared with the concept of identity formation, which has been the focal point of a voluminous amount of writing and research (Chickering & Reisser, 1993; Marcia, 2002; Marcia, Waterman, Matteson, Archer, & Orlofsky, 1993). Yet authenticity is a concept worthy of investigation because it holds significant implications regarding individuals' psychological development and well-being (Goldman & Kernis, 2002; Harter, 2002; Sheldon, Ryan, Rawsthorne, & Ilardi, 1997). The transition to college can be a stressful occurrence as students engage in a process of adjusting to new academic, social, and emotional challenges (Chickering & Reisser, 1993; Hutz, Martin, & Beitel, 2007). Difficulties in this adjustment process can result in depression (Dyson & Renk, 2006), feelings of loneliness (Pargetter, 2000), isolation (Lawrence, 2001), generalized psychological distress (Compas, Wagner, Slavin, & Vannatta, 1986), and greater rates of attrition (Gerdes & Mallinckrodt, 1994). Research results also suggest that the development of an authentic sense of self can reduce feelings of distress often experienced during transitional periods (Reich, Harber, & Siegel, 2008). Yet some scholars suggest that individuals are encountering increasing difficulty establishing an authentic sense of self because of the social dynamics inherent in a postmodern society (Gergen, 1991; Harter, 2002). Thus, it would be germane to examine the concept of authenticity, its relationship to the psychological well-being of college students, and methods that college counselors might use to facilitate greater authenticity and psychological well-being. The concept of authenticity dates back to ancient Greek philosophy, which proclaimed that well-being and happiness resulted from being true to oneself and acting congruently with one's values, desires, and beliefs (Harter, 2002; Waterman, 1993). Most modern theoretical references to authenticity are framed within a humanistic view of personality. This view generally espouses the existence of a "true serf" that emerges through serf-exploration and self-acceptance and has relevance to one's psychological well-being (Hansen, 2005). For example, Rogers (1961) posited that authenticity arises as individuals strive for serf-actualization, a process that leads to congruence between one's life experiences and one's serf-concept. As individuals become more authentic they become more "fully functioning," that is, more open to experience, more self-accepting, and more inclined toward continued personal growth and development. Denying or distorting one's perceived inner experiences (i.e., emotions and thoughts about one's self), however, results in inauthentic feelings and ultimately to maladjustment. Thus, the main goal of the humanistic approach to counseling is the realization of a congruent and unified serf (Hansen, 2005). Borrowing from a humanistic theoretical framework, Goldman and Kernis (2002) defined authenticity as one's true core self as displayed in everyday life. Specifically, authenticity is a multidimensional concept that includes the components of awareness and unbiased processing. Awareness refers to one's awareness of one's motives, feelings, desires, and self-relevant cognitions, whereas unbiased processing includes an objective and honest assessment of one's positive and negative self-aspects, qualities, and attributes (Goldman & Kernis, 2002). …


The aim of this study was to examine the phosphate (P) removal by quintinite from aqueous solutions. Batch experiments were performed to examine the effects of reaction time, temperature, initial phosphate concentration, initial solution pH and stream water on the phosphate adsorption to quintinite. Kinetic, thermodynamic and equilibrium isotherm models were used to analyze the experimental data. Results showed that the maximum P adsorption capacity was 4.77 mgP/g under given conditions (initial P concentration = 2-20 mgP/L; adsorbent dose = 1.2 g/L; reaction time = 4 hr). Kinetic model analysis showed that the pseudo second-order model was the most suitable for describing the kinetic data. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that phosphate sorption to quintinite increased with increasing temperature from 15 to 45˚C, indicating the spontaneous and endothermic nature of sorption process (ΔH 0 =487.08 kJ/mol; ΔS 0 =1,696.12 J/(K·mol); ΔG 0 =-1.67 to -52.56 kJ/mol). Equilibrium isotherm analysis demonstrated that both Freundlich and Redlich-Peterson models were suitable for describing the equilibrium data. In the pH experiments, the phosphate adsorption to quintinite was not varied at pH 3.0-7.1 (1.50-1.55 mgP/g) but decreased considerably at a highly alkaline solution (0.70 mgP/g at pH 11.0). Results also indicated that under given conditions (initial P concentration=2 mgP/L; adsorbent dose=0.8 g/L; reaction time=4 hr), phosphate removal in the stream water (1.88 mgP/g) was lower than that in the synthetic solution (2.07 mgP/g), possibly due to the presence of anions such as (bi)carbonate and sulfate in the stream water.


In the context of the 2008 Lunar Robotics Challenge (LRC) of the European Space Agency (ESA), the Jacobs Robotics team investigated three-dimensional (3-D) perception and modeling as an important basis of autonomy in unstructured domains. Concretely, the efficient modeling of the terrain via a 3D laser range finder (LRF) is addressed. The underlying fast extraction of planar surface patches can be used to improve situational awareness of an operator or for path planning. 3D perception and modeling is an important basis for mobile robot operations in planetary exploration scenarios as it supports good situation awareness for motion level teleoperation as well as higher level intelligent autonomous functions. It is hence desirable to get long-range 3D data with high resolution, large field of view, and very fast update rates. 3D LRF have a high potential in this respect. In addition, 3D LRF can operate under conditions where standard vision based methods fail, e.g., under extreme light conditions. However, it is nontrivial to transmit the huge amount of data delivered by a 3D LRF to an operator station or to use this point cloud data as basis for higher level intelligent functions. Based on our participation in the LRC of the ESA, it is shown how the huge amount of 3D point cloud data from 3D LRF can be tremendously reduced. Concretely, large sets of points are replaced by planar surface patches that are fitted into the data in an optimal way. The underlying computations are very efficient and hence suited for online computations onboard of the robot.


A Japanese research study has provided the strongest proof yet that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination does not cause autism, by showing that rates of autism in Japan continued to rise even after the triple vaccine was withdrawn.

However, concern remains that the low uptake of the MMR vaccination in the United Kingdom could precipitate a measles epidemic. The Health Protection Agency warns that 90 000 primary schoolchildren could be at risk in London.

The controversy over the vaccine was triggered by a 1998 research paper by …


The "Plug in Path" was a research project to develop participatory strategies and methodologies to realize the citizen lead urban regeneration of underutilized or negatively perceived public space. The project focused on a particular case study Woodvale Park on the upper Shankill Rd. A number of strategies and methodologies were developed to facilitate a process of discussion and negotiation with local residents, including young people, city authorities, local businesses, and other stakeholders. These methodologies included- working with architecture students from the University of Ulster to make site interventions, developing a board game to allow stakeholders to participate in the processes of planning and creative thinking, publishing a newspaper as a design dissemination and feedback tool, and building an interactive mobile exhibition model.The micro-politics of this process was reflected in the eventual proposal and resulted in a space where social, cultural, and economic, spheres overlap. The proposal was a strategy called the "Plug-in-Path "- a programmed surface containing lighting, tiered seating, electricity, and water supply. This temporal strategy also allows trust in the project to develop gradually and for it to adapt and respond to changing social dynamics. The decision to work with the condition of uncertainty rather than resisting it resulted in a strategy of deliberate programmatic indeterminacy, allowing the proposal to respond to temporal change, transformation, and adaptation.


Background Vaginal washing has been associated with an increased risk of bacterial vaginosis (BV) and a decreased likelihood of vaginal Lactobacillus colonisation. We sought to determine whether a lower prevalence of Lactobacillus colonisation in women reporting vaginal washing was independent of the effect of BV. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of 273 HIV-negative female sex workers enrolled in an open cohort study in Mombasa, Kenya. Vaginal washing and sexual risk behaviours were assessed using structured face-to-face interviews. Lactobacillus species were detected by plating vaginal swabs on both Rogosa and Columbia 5% sheep blood agars. We used tetramethylbenzidine agar subculture to assess H2O2-production. BV was detected by Gram stain. Log-binomial regression was used to assess correlates of Lactobacillus colonisation, including vaginal washing, controlling for BV. Results Two-hundred eighteen participants (80%) reported vaginal washing in the past week (median frequency per week = 14; range 1–35). Lactobacillus species were detected in 50/218 (23%) participants who reported vaginal washing versus 23/55 (42%) who did not report this practise. Similarly, H2O2-producing Lactobacillus species were detected in 13/218 (6%) participants who reported vaginal washing versus 10/55 (18%) who did not. After controlling for age, unprotected sex, and BV, vaginal washing was associated with a lower likelihood of any Lactobacillus (adjusted relative risk [aRR] = 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.37–0.81) and H2O2-producing Lactobacillus (aRR = 0.33; 95% CI 0.15–0.73). Conclusion Vaginal washing was associated with a lower likelihood of any Lactobacillus and H2O2-producing Lactobacillus species detected by culture. The results of our adjusted analysis suggest that the effect of vaginal washing on lactobacilli is not mediated entirely through the higher prevalence of BV associated with this practise. Prospective studies will be important to determine whether cessation of vaginal washing could improve vaginal health by promoting vaginal colonisation with Lactobacillus.


Achalasia is a chronic idiopathic disease characterized by the absence of esophageal body peristalsis and by defective lower esophageal sphincter (LES) relaxation. The incidence rate ranges from 1.07 to up to 2.8 new cases per year per 100,000 population. Presenting symptoms include dysphagia, regurgitation, vomiting, and weight loss. The diagnosis of achalasia has undergone a revolution in the last decade due to the advent of high-resolution manometry (HRM) and the consequent development of the Chicago Classification. Recent progress has allowed achalasia to be more precisely diagnosed and to be categorized into three subtypes, based on the prevalent manometric features of the esophageal peristalsis. Treatment options are pharmacotherapy, endoscopic management (Botox injection or pneumatic dilation), and surgery, e.g. laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM). More recently, a new endoscopic technique, per oral endoscopic myotomy (POEM), has developed as a less invasive approach alternative to the traditional LHM. Since the first POEM procedure was performed in 2008, increasing evidence is accumulating regarding its efficacy and safety profiles. Currently, POEM is being introduced as a reasonable therapeutic option, though randomized controlled trails are still lacking. The current review sheds light onto the diagnosis and management of achalasia, with special focus on the recent advances of HRM and POEM.


The thermodynamics and kinetics of the adsorption of acetone on ice films as well as their dependence on ice film thickness and ice age have been studied in the temperature range T= 190 – 220 K using a coated wall flow tube reactor (CWFT) coupled with QMS detection. A kinetic model has been developed in order to describe the adsorption and desorption kinetics of acetone on ice surfaces in tubular flow reactors. The rate coefficients for adsorption and desorption as well as adsorption isotherms have been derived by applying the model to the temporal profiles of the gas phase concentration at the exit of the flow reactor. It was found that acetone adsorption is entirely reversible and that the adsorption capacity depends on temperature and film thickness and decreases with the age of the ice film. The time constant of the ageing effect depends on the ice mass and is most pronounced at low acetone gas phase concentrations ( 2.0 x 1011 molecules/cm3) and at low temperatures. It is suggested that under these conditions acetone is initially adsorbed with a high rate and high surface coverage on cubic ice (Ic) adsorption sites. Upon ageing cubic ice is converted into hexagonal ice (Ih) for which the rate of adsorption and the surface coverage are lower. Using two-site dynamic modelling the rate coefficients for adsorption (kads) and desorption (kdes) as well as the Langmuir constant (KL) and the maximum number of adsorption sites (cs,max) as obtained for the adsorption of acetone on each of these ice phases in the respective temperature range are kads(Ic) = 3.8 x 10-14 T0.5 cm3s-1, kdes(Ic) = 4.0x1011 exp(-5773/T) s-1, KL(Ic) = 6.3x10-25 exp(5893/T) cm3, cs,max(Ic)  1014 cm-2 and kads(Ih) = 2.9 x 10-15 T0.5 cm3s-1, kdes(Ih) = 1.5x107 exp(-3488/T) s-1, KL(Ih) = 5.0x10-22 exp(3849/T) cm3, cs,max(Ih) = 6.0x1014 cm-2, respectively. The cs,max (Ih) and cs,max (Ic) were found to be dependent on ice thickness, however cs,max (Ic) is relative lab time and temperature dependent as well.


Background: This study assessed patient willingness to allow hands-on training from the surgeon of record to supplement the current 'observership' model when learning new techniques. Methods: A survey was administered to patients in two separate outpatient settings, comprising three components: Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine- Short Form (REALM-SF), State Trait Anxiety Inventory form X2 (STAI-X2), and a specifically designed Observer Questionnaire (OQ) with free space for comments. The OQ included two questions of interest. Exclusion criteria were: sub-sixth grade reading level, non-English speakers, and pregnancy. Demographic data collected were: age, gender, and ethnicity. Results: Ninety-nine patients (Location I) and 100 patients (Location II) met inclusion criteria with 91.9% of patients at Location I and 82% at Location II consenting to hands-on training. For current methods of training, responses were: 61% cadaver lab (A), 63% training video/reading material (B), 62% observation without direct contact (C), and 73% observation with direct trainee contact (D). Neither age (p=0.41), ethnicity (p=0.95), or gender (p=0.42) significantly affected responses, nor did an occupational background in health care (p=0.55, surveyed in Location II only). REALM-SF and STAI-X2 scores did not significantly affect responses at either location. The majority of explanations cited for declining hands-on contact were unease due to history of past surgical complications. Conclusions: Supplementing the current 'observership' model utilizing on the job training can be acceptable to the majority of patients given strict boundaries including informed patient consent, the surgeon of record remaining fully in charge, and the trainee surgeon having tested credentials.


Some of the articles in this collection give up-to-date accounts of areas in mathematical physics to which Valentine Bargmann made pioneering contributions. The others treat a selection of the most interesting current topics in the field. The contributions include both reviews and original results.Contents: The Inverse r-Squared Force (Henry D. I. Abarbanel; Certain Hilbert Spaces of Analytic Functions Associated with the Heisenberg Group (Donald Babbitt); Lower Bound for the Ground State Energy of the Schrodinger Equation Using the Sharp Form of Young's Inequality (John F. Barnes, Herm Jan Brascamp, and Elliott II. Lieb); Alternative Theories of Gravitation (Peter G. Bergmann; )Generalized Wronskian Relations (F. Calogero); Old and New Approaches to the Inverse-Scattering Problem (Freeman J. Dyson); A Family of Optimal Conditions for the Absence of Bound States in a Potential (V. Glaser, A. Martin, H. Grosse, and W. Thirring); Spinning Tops in External Fields (Sergio Hojman and Tullio Regge); Measures on the Finite Dimensional Subspaces of a Hilbert Space (Res Jost); The Froissart Bound and Crossing Symmetry (N. N. Khuri); Intertwining Operators for SL(n, R) (A. W. Knapp and E. M. Stein); Inequalities for the Moments of the Eigenvalues of the Schrodinger Hamiltonian and Their Relations to Sobolev Inequalities (Elliott H. Lieb and Walter Thirriny); On the Number of Bound States of Two Body Schrodinger Operators (Barry Simon); Quantum Dynamics: From Automorphism to Hamiltonian (Barry Simon); Semiclassical Analysis Illuminates the Connection between Potential and Bound States and Scattering (John Archibald Wheeler); Instability Phenomena in the External Field Problem for Two Classes of Relativistic Wave Equations (A. S. Wightman)Originally published in 1976.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.


There is a consensus among European trade unions that economic integration should be complemented by a strong 'social dimension'. What is far less clearly agreed is what 'social Europe' means, and how it should be defended against the challenges inherent in a neoliberal approach to economic integration, the dominant logic of 'competitiveness' and the pressures for 'modernization' of social welfare. Unions' ability to resist these challenges is weakened by their integration into an elitist system of EU governance in which mobilization and contention are inhibited. The article concludes that a new mode of trade union action is required if the 'social model' is to be sustained.


ABSTRACT In response to nitrogen starvation, diploid cells of the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae differentiate to a filamentous growth form known as pseudohyphal differentiation. Filamentous growth is regulated by elements of the pheromone mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade and a second signaling cascade involving the receptor Gpr1, the Gα protein Gpa2, Ras2, and cyclic AMP (cAMP). We show here that the Gpr1-Gpa2-cAMP pathway signals via the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, protein kinase A (PKA), to regulate pseudohyphal differentiation. Activation of PKA by mutation of the regulatory subunit Bcy1 enhances filamentous growth. Mutation and overexpression of the PKA catalytic subunits reveal that the Tpk2 catalytic subunit activates filamentous growth, whereas the Tpk1 and Tpk3 catalytic subunits inhibit filamentous growth. The PKA pathway regulates unipolar budding and agar invasion, whereas the MAP kinase cascade regulates cell elongation and invasion. Epistasis analysis supports a model in which PKA functions downstream of the Gpr1 receptor and the Gpa2 and Ras2 G proteins. Activation of filamentous growth by PKA does not require the transcription factors Ste12 and Tec1 of the MAP kinase cascade, Phd1, or the PKA targets Msn2 and Msn4. PKA signals pseudohyphal growth, in part, by regulating Flo8-dependent expression of the cell surface flocculin Flo11. In summary, the cAMP-dependent protein kinase plays an intimate positive and negative role in regulating filamentous growth, and these findings may provide insight into the roles of PKA in mating, morphogenesis, and virulence in other yeasts and pathogenic fungi.


In fluorescence molecular tomography, the accurate and stable reconstruction of fluorescence-labeled targets remains a challenge for wide application of this imaging modality. Here we propose a two-step three-dimensional shape-based reconstruction method using graphics processing unit (GPU) acceleration. In this method, the fluorophore distribution is assumed as the sum of ellipsoids with piecewise-constant fluorescence intensities. The inverse problem is formulated as a constrained nonlinear least-squares problem with respect to shape parameters, leading to much less ill-posedness as the number of unknowns is greatly reduced. Considering that various shape parameters contribute differently to the boundary measurements, we use a two-step optimization algorithm to handle them in a distinctive way and also stabilize the reconstruction. Additionally, the GPU acceleration is employed for finite-element-method-based calculation of the objective function value and the Jacobian matrix, which reduces the total optimization time from around 10 min to less than 1 min. The numerical simulations show that our method can accurately reconstruct multiple targets of various shapes while the conventional voxel-based reconstruction cannot separate the nearby targets. Moreover, the two-step optimization can tolerate different initial values in the existence of noises, even when the number of targets is not known a priori. A physical phantom experiment further demonstrates the method's potential in practical applications.


Abstract Aortic stenosis and atherosclerosis tend to coexist in most patients with cardiovascular disease; however, the causes and mechanisms of calcification are still not clearly understood. To understand the contributions of physiological (10%) and pathological (5%, 15%) levels of cyclic strain in calcification, we used a model system of tissue-engineered collagen gels containing human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMC) and human aortic valvular interstitial cells (HAVIC), both isolated from non-calcific heart transplant tissues. The tissue engineered collagen gels were cultured in standard osteogenic media for three weeks in a custom designed bioreactor and all assessments were performed at the end of the culture period. The major finding of this study was that bone morphogenic protein (BMP) -2, -4 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 mRNA expression significantly changed in response to the magnitude of strain in valvular cells, while the least expression was observed for the representative 10% physiological strain. On the other hand, these mRNA expressions in vascular cells responded to strain, but did not vary due to the magnitude (5% versus 10% versus 15%) of strain. When the BMP-2 and BMP-4 protein expression was detected using immunostaining, we observed that only valvular cells showed greater BMP-2 expression for 5% and 15% strain when compared to 10% strain within the same cell type. Our results suggest that cell mediated differences exist between vascular and valvular cells in their response to different levels of cyclic strain.


Background: Biological testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) are challenged by sample collection and high testing costs, where self-reports are used in predicting STI status. The validity of self-reports among populations at STI risk has not been established clearly. The objective of this paper is to assess the validity of selfreported 'STI symptoms', self-reported 'recent condom non- use' and 'inconsistent condom use' in comparison with laboratory diagnosed STIs among men who have sex with men (MSM) in India.

Methods: Data were drawn from a cross sectional Integrated Behavioural and Biological Assessment survey conducted among MSM between 2005-2007 in India. Sensitivity analysis was used to assess the validity of selfreported 'STI symptoms', 'recent condom non-use' and 'inconsistent condom use' with laboratory diagnosed STIs (syphilis/Neisseria gonorrhoeae/ Chlamydia trachomatis). Multiple logistic regressions were used to identify population characteristics which were predictive of concordant self-reporting.
Results: Of 3895 MSM surveyed, 14.3% were diagnosed with any STI while 8.3% and 3% reported any STI symptom in past and current respectively. Recent condom non-use and inconsistent condom use was reported by 43.1% and 77.6% of respondents. Self-reported STI symptoms showed very low sensitivity (5-13) in predicting laboratory diagnosis of STIs. Self-reported inconsistent condom use and recent condom non-use showed higher sensitivity than self-reported STI symptoms (50-74.4), but were less specific (21-52.9). Combined self reports showed relatively higher sensitivity (52.3-77.9) and low specificity (18.9 -51.8). Overall self reports showed very high negative predictive value (84.4-87.9) and low positive predictive value (12.4-15.7). Education grade more than 12 [AOR: 3.2 (CI 1.7-5.9)], and STI/HIV information exposure [AOR: 1.4 (CI 1.0-2.0)] were predictive of concordant self-reporting of STI symptoms and inconsistent condom use respectively. Knowledge about STIs [AOR: 1.4 (CI 0.9-2.2)] and education grade more than12 [AOR: 2.5 (CI 1.2-5.3)] were predictive of concordant self-reporting of symptoms/risk.
Conclusions: Self-reports of STI symptoms, recent condom non-use and inconsistent condom use were not reliable in predicting true STI status of MSM and thus highlights the limitations in the validity of self-reports collected at different levels in the program setting. The study identified MSM education status, STI/HIV knowledge and information exposure, as predictors of concordant self-reporting of 'symptoms' and 'inconsistent condom use' with STI laboratory diagnosis, which could be utilized in future survey efforts for improving validity of self-reports.


Earth's oldest near-surface material, the cratonic crust, is typically underlain by thick lithosphere (>200 km) of Archean age. This cratonic lithosphere likely thickened in a high-compressional-stress environment, potentially linked to the onset of crustal shortening in the Neoarchean. Mantle convection in the hotter Archean Earth would have imparted relatively low stresses on the lithosphere, whether or not plate tectonics was operating, so a high stress signal from the early Earth is paradoxical. We propose that a rapid transition from heat pipe–mode convection to the onset of plate tectonics generated the high stresses required to thicken the cratonic lithosphere. Numerical calculations are used to demonstrate that an existing buoyant and strong layer, representing depleted continental lithosphere, can thicken and stabilize during a lid-breaking event. The peak compressional stress experienced by the lithosphere is 3×–4× higher than for the stagnant-lid or mobile-lid regimes immediately before and after. It is plausible that the cratonic lithosphere has not been subjected to this high stress state since, explaining its long-term stability. The lid-breaking thickening event reproduces features observed in typical Neoarchean cratons, such as lithospheric seismological reflectors and the formation of thrust faults. Paleoarchean "pre-tectonic" structures can also survive the lid-breaking event, acting as strong rafts that are assembled during the compressive event. Together, the results indicate that the signature of a catastrophic switch from a stagnant-lid Earth to the initiation of plate tectonics has been captured and preserved in the characteristics of cratonic crust and lithosphere.


The spotted-necked otter (Lutra maculicollis) is believed to be declining across its range and, in Benin, has recently been listed as endangered. In Benin, the spotted-necked otter is largely restricted to the south of the country, where it is threatened by a number of factors, including conflict with fishermen. Understanding the nature and extent of this conflict, and the impact that it has on local fishermen, as well as identifying feasible mitigation strategies, represents a critical challenge for conservation managers.This study documents otter damage experienced by 30 fishermen in the Hlan River, in the Southern Benin wetlands. We performed hierarchical classification analysis using Ward distances to categorize fish species according to the level of otter damage suffered, and used generalized linear models to identify predictors that best explained otter damage. Our results suggest that of the 16 fish species commonly caught by fishermen in the Hlan River, otters favored the most valuable species (but these were also the most abundant in the catch). However, although otter damage was extensive, monthly total income loss attributable to spotted-necked otter damage (including fish loss and damage to equipment) was estimated at only 9% per fishermen (considerably lower than the 30% reported by a preliminary survey of 163 fishermen in the same area). Our model showed that otter damage increased significantly with the number of adult fish captured by fisherman while the cost of otter damage increased with the length of time that the fishing equipment was left unattended. We suggest that otter damage could be reduced if fishing equipment were checked at least twice a day by fishermen, and recommend a maximum interval between checks of 700 min (12 h). Long-term sustainable management of these conflicts will require an integrated approach taking into account socio-economic, political and environmental dimensions. © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.


Background and purpose There has been no prospective evaluation of vertebroplasty using a validated instrument. We describe the pain and functional status of 72 patients before and after vertebroplasty, as prospectively evaluated by the Vertebral Compression Fracture Pain and Functional Disability Questionnaire. Methods Of 161 consecutive patients, 72 consented to participate in the study and self-completed the questionnaire prior to undergoing vertebroplasty. Differences in pain and distress before and after vertebroplasty, and between the first and second follow-up intervals, were evaluated. Mean scores for each of 24 activities of daily living (ADLs) were plotted at the baseline and first and second follow-up intervals. Results The mean (SD) patient age was 74 (10) years; 80% were female. On the 0 (no pain) to 10 (pain as bad as it could be) visual analog pain scale, patients reported significantly more pain, on average, before undergoing percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) than at the first follow-up interval (mean 5.8 vs 3.5, p<0.001). The reduction in reported pain following vertebroplasty persisted at the second follow-up on both the visual analog and adjectival pain scales. Among the 24 ADLs, between 25% and 69% of patients reported a mean improvement of at least 1 level on the 5-point ADL scale, and between 14% and 55% reported a mean improvement of at least two levels. The majority of the improvement in reported functional status following vertebroplasty was sustained at the second follow-up interval. Conclusion PV resulted in substantial, lasting reduction in pain and improvement in ability to perform ADLs.


GATA-1 is a key haematopoietic transcription factor which plays a pivotal role in differentiation of the erythroid, megakaryocytic, eosinophilic, mast cell and dendritic cell lineages. Since its initial cloning and characterisation in 1989 a huge amount of information has been gathered on the molecular mechanisms of action of GATA-1. This knowledge has helped understanding of the processes by which cells enact differentiation programmes and suppress alternative lineage choices. GATA-1 produces at least two protein isoforms – the well characterised GATA-1 full-length (GATA-1FL) isoform and a truncated isoform – GATA-1 short (GATA-1s). GATA-1FL comprises two conserved Zinc fingers (which interact with DNA and essential co-factors), a C-terminal tail (of mostly unknown function) and an N-terminal domain (thought to confer activation properties to the molecule, but which may also be involved in transcriptional repression). GATA-1s lacks the N-terminal domain but is otherwise identical. The biological role of GATA-1s is unknown and this isoform received scant attention until the discovery that GATA-1FL mutations were linked to a rare, but highly informative, acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia seen in children with Down syndrome (constitutional trisomy 21). This discovery was particularly interesting, not only because the association between trisomy 21 and the X-linked GATA-1 mutation was extremely tight (being seen in 100% of the cases examined), but also because the GATA-1FL mutations were not randomly located, but rather clustered within the N-terminus, allowing unhindered production of the GATA-1s isoform. This finding led to interest in the pathological and physiological role of GATA-1s in haematopoiesis.
Some insight has been gained into the pathological role of GATA-1s by creation of a GATA-1s knock-in transgenic mouse and by experiments looking at the ability of GATA-1s to rescue GATA-1 deficient embryonic stem (ES) cell lines. GATA-1s produces hyper-proliferation of fetal liver meg-erythroid progenitors but allows at least partial differentiation of these cells. However, a number of key questions remain. In particular what is the physiological role of GATA-1s and the reason for the tight association between trisomy 21 and GATA-1s mutations?
Given this background, this thesis describes experiments designed to address the physiological role of GATA-1s, to establish whether additional GATA-1 isoforms exist, and to investigate the association between GATA-1 isoform expression and trisomy 21.
Firstly a comprehensive expression analysis was performed in murine and human primary tissues and cell lines. This aimed to identify whether GATA-1s had a unique expression profile, either in particular lineages, or at distinct stages of haematological ontogeny. Reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot analyses showed that the expression patterns of GATA-1s and GATA-1FL were virtually identical, with the possible exception of one human primary monocytic cell preparation which appeared to preferentially express GATA-1s.
Before proceeding to further analysis of GATA-1s a search was made for additional GATA-1 isoforms using in silico analysis, RT-PCR and western blotting. This led to identification of a clone carrying a GATA-1 mutation involving the C-terminal tail, derived from a patient with chronic myeloid leukaemia. An analysis of the properties of this clone was performed, confirming its altered C-terminus and demonstrating that this conferred increased transactivation properties on the molecule as measured by luciferase assays. This observation suggests that the C-terminal tail may be an important, and previously under-recognised, functional region of the GATA-1 molecule. The discovery of this potentially hyper-functioning GATA-1 mutation led to investigation of whether GATA-1 mutations could be a widespread phenomenon in CML. However, GATA-1 mutational analysis in 21 patient samples from CML blast crisis did not reveal any additional coding mutations.
To address the physiological role of GATA-1s, attempts were made to perform gene targeting in murine embryonic stem cells to produce isoform specific knock-out cells i.e. ES cells engineered so that they exclusively express the GATA-1FL isoform (a GATA-1s knock-out) or the GATA-1s isoform (a GATA-1FL knockout). These cells could then be used in in vitro haematopoietic differentiation assays and for transcriptional profiling. In this way it was hoped to establish whether GATA-1s fulfilled any unique roles in primitive or definitive haematopoiesis that could not be compensated for by the presence of the GATA-1FL isoform. Unfortunately, despite evidence of apparently successful targeting from PCR screening of ES cell clones, it was impossible to confirm the existence of endogenously targeted alleles on Southern blotting. Following exhaustive attempts at screening further clones and subclones (more than 1000 clones in total), this approach was abandoned in favour of transgenic expression of GATA-1 isoforms in cell lines.
Transgenic expression studies in murine ES cells showed that whilst GATA-1FL expression led to an expansion in numbers and maturity of erythroid and non-erythroid haematopoietic colonies in vitro, GATA-1s was incapable of supporting colony formation in this assay. Studies then moved on to human cell lines. Two cell lines were identified, both capable of in vitro haematopoietic differentiation into megakaryocytic and erythroid cells, but one carrying trisomy 21 (Meg-01) and the other disomic for chromosome 21 (K562). GATA-1FL expression in these cells generally drove differentiation along the megakaryocytic or erythroid lineage as measured by DNA ploidy analysis, haemoglobinisation, upregulation of erythroid or megakaryocytic gene expression (by quantitative PCR) and suppression of alternative lineage genes (PU.1 and Ikaros) and genes associated with progenitor proliferation (cyclin D2 and c-myb). GATA-1s, in contrast, produced less evidence of differentiation with lower DNA ploidy, less up-regulation of erythroid genes and failure to repress other lineage and haematopoietic progenitor associated genes. Examination of the link with trisomy 21 confirmed that that the chromosome 21 candidate gene Erg3 was upregulated in trisomic cells and that expression of GATA-1s appeared to confer a selective advantage in the presence of trisomy 21. However, no clear mechanistic reasons for the selective advantage could be identified.
Overall, these studies show widespread GATA-1s expression in haematopoietic cells, confirm the association with inadequate repression of genes associated with primitive progenitors, and suggest that the C-terminal tail of GATA-1 may be an important functional part of the molecule. Finally, these observations have generated a number of testable hypotheses which could form the basis for future work.


This study investigated the associations between children's social-cognitive abilities, their conversations about internal states with family members, and their later self-serving biases in descriptions of the sibling relationship. At Time 1, 32 preschoolers were observed during two naturalistic interaction sessions with mothers and younger siblings. Various features of mothers' and children's internal state (IS) language were coded. Each child also completed a battery of three social-cognitive measures. Two years later, 26 children were interviewed about various aspects of their sibling relationship, and responses were coded for five measures of self-serving bias. Although children's social-cognitive skills were not strongly related to their later self-serving biases, there were a number of associations between families' IS talk and children's later biases. In general, results indicated that children who were other-oriented in the content and function of their IS language and who discussed internal states in causally connected ways tended to exhibit fewer self-serving biases two years later. In addition, when mothers were attentive to their children in conversations about internal states (as opposed to ignoring them, or being selectively focused on the baby), children tended to have fewer self-serving biases two years later. Thus, these results support the social-constructivist notion that the quality of children's earlier interactions with family members is related to the way they construe themselves in comparison to their siblings.


The Durban Climate Conference agreed on the creation of a new market-based mechanism under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and to consider the establishment of an overall framework for various mitigation approaches, including opportunities for using markets ("Framework"). This development is taking place against the background of increasing numbers of parties developing market mechanisms outside the UNFCCC. The creation of such a Framework is therefore of high political significance, as it should ensure on the one hand that new market-based mechanisms contribute to global climate change mitigation and to achievement of targets and on the other hand that different market-based approaches can be integrated in a global carbon market. As there is yet little clarity as to the roles and design of such a framework. This paper contributes to the debate by discussing and evaluating inter alia several design options, ranging from decentralised to centralised. The paper concludes that a strong central oversight at the level of the UNFCCC is probably the only option that could comfortably assure the vast majority of UNFCCC Parties that the environmental integrity of new market-based mechanisms is in fact ensured.


The following addendum from the Committee on Drugs was prepared in response to numerous requests for reference material or rationale to support the dosage of naloxone for infants and children1 currently recommended by the Committee on Drugs. The currently recommended dose of naloxone is 0.1 mg/kg for infants and children from birth to 5 years of age or 20 kg of body weight. Children olden than 5 years of age or weighing more than 20 kg may be given 2.0 mg. These doses may be repeated as needed to maintain opiate reversal.' The higher dose recommendation is based, in part, on a concern that 0.01 mg/kg, currently recommended in approved labeling, may not provide optimal opiate reversal in some infants.2 In addition, it is intended to simplify naloxone dosing and provide greater probability of optimal opiate reversal in most patients. Because doses as high as 0.4 mg/kg have been administered to newborns without ill effect,3 it is felt that the higher dose poses no increased risk. Naloxone doses ranging from 0.005 to 0.4 mg/kg have been reported in the pediatric literature.2'#{176} Individual doses up to 0.4 mg/kg and constant intravenous infusion of 0.16 mg/kg/h for 5 days4 have not been associated with naloxone-related adverse effects. The average half-life of naloxone in premature newborns is 70 minutes.5 The Committee's naloxone dosing recommendation has been incorporated recently into the joint American Heart Association (AHA)/Amenican Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) textbook on neonatal resuscitation" and the accompanying test mate-


This Article was written for the 2010 Texas Law Review Symposium: National Security, Privacy, and Technological Change. Using the example of federal government wiretapping, the Article examines "exclusivist" invocations of evolving U.S. history. Exclusivity is the view that the President has a constitutional power to circumvent statutory restrictions that interfere with his judgment as to how best to protect national security. In addition to arguing from text, structure, and founding era history, exclusivists sometimes invoke post-founding, or evolving history to defend their position. In the case of the Bush Administration's warrantless wiretapping program, for example, the administration and its supporters argued that presidents since FDR had wiretapped in the absence of, or even contrary to, statutory authority. This Article first describes the logic of such arguments. It finds that exclusivists, often by implication though sometimes explicitly, discern a historical trend toward congressional acquiescence and presidential initiative, and deem this trend to reflect the natural capacities and hence respective legal prerogatives of the political branches. Alternatively or in addition, exclusivists deem this trend to reflect longstanding support by Congress and Presidents for an exclusivist reading of the Constitution. Second, the Article critiques these exclusivist arguments. The Article deems the former argument to rest on a fundamental mistake that runs throughout much exclusivist reasoning. That is, the argument conflates the President's structural capacities with a legal prerogative to exercise those capacities in the face of statutory limits. The Article deems the latter argument historically inaccurate in the context of wiretapping. Congressional hearings and other legislative records indicate that exclusivity was virtually absent from political debates over wiretapping, even during wartime, until relatively late in the 20th Century. This second error, too, stems from an exclusivist tendency to conflate structural capacity with legal prerogative. Congress' structurally driven inertia lends itself to inaction while the President's structural capacities lend themselves to self-initiation. Exclusivists wrongly interpret this pattern as reflecting an affirmative embrace of exclusivity by the political branches. Finally, this Article makes the descriptive point that exclusivity has made remarkable strides in attaining public, political, and legal respectability over the past few decades. By increasingly influencing legislation, legislative history, and executive branch arguments in the past few decades, exclusivists have themselves become part of the story of the imperial presidency.


Energy efficiency is crucial for ad hoc networks because of limited energy stored in the battery. Recharging the nodes frequently is sometimes not possible. Therefore, proper energy utilization is paramount. One possible solution of increasing energy efficiency is to optimize the transmitted packet size. But, we claim that only optimal packet size can not boost the energy efficiency in the noisy channel due to high packet loss rate and overhead. Hence, to reduce the overhead size and packet loss, compression and Forward Error Correction (FEC) code are used as remedy. However, every method has its own cost. For compression and FEC, the costs are computation energy cost and extra processing time. Therefore, to estimate the energy-optimize packet size with FEC or compression, processing energy cost and delay need to be considered for precise estimation. Otherwise, for delay sensitive real time applications (such as: VoIP, multimedia) over ad hoc network, energy efficient optimal packet size can be overestimated. We will investigate without degrading the Quality of Service (QoS) with these two different techniques FEC and compression, how much energy efficiency can be achieved by using the energy efficient optimal packet size for different scenarios such as: single hop, multi-hop, multiple source congested network etc. This thesis also shows the impact of time variable channel, packet fragmentation, packet collision on the optimal packet size and energy efficiency. Our results show that, for larger packets, error correction improves the energy efficiency in multi-hop networks only for delay tolerant applications. Whereas for smaller packets, compression is more energy efficient most of the cases. For real-time application like VoIP the scope of increasing the energy efficiency by optimizing packet after maintaining all the constraints is very limited. However, it is shown that, in many cases, optimal packet size improves energy efficiency significantly and also reduces the overall packet loss.


In the geological literature the Longobucco Unit, as well as the whole Calabria-Peloritani Arc (CPA), was interpreted in opposite ways: 1) as part of the African-Adria Plate (thus belonging to Austroalpine Units) previously involved in the eo-Alpine deformation with an european vergence and then thrust southeastwards on the Apennine chain; 2) as parts of the European continental margin involved only in the Apenninic orogeny; 3) as part of a microplate between two branches of the Alpine ocean (Pennidic O. and Ligurian O). In this paper we contribute to the solution of this controversial problem with basin analysis on the Longobucco Mesozoic cover, taking into account the paleogeographic evolution of the West Mediterranean area during the Mesozoic.1) At first, the sedimentary successions of the Longobucco Unit (Early Jurassic-Miocene) are re-examined. The peculiar occurrence of conglomerates with pebbles of Variscan basement from the Early Jurassic, the existence of carbonate ramps attached to an exposed continental area in the Hettangian-Sinemurian and the huge amount of silici-clastic grains in the entire Mesozoic succession witness for the deposition on a continental margin exposed to either erosion and synsedimentary tectonics.2) The coeval successions of the Apennines (Adria Plate), southern Sicily (African Plate) and eastern Sardinia (European Plate) are compared to understand which exposed areas had to be the source for the terrigenous sediments. Our conclusion supports the hypothesis (already formulated by various authors) that from the oceanic opening of the Alpine Ocean (Middle Jurassic) the Longobucco Unit and the whole CPA were part of the European Plate.3) The comparison between the nappes stack of CPA and that well known in the Western Alps confirms the idea that the CPA cannot be considered as Austroalpine Unit. In fact, despite the same occurrence of granulitic facies, the differences are remarkable: different dip of subduction plane, different vergence, different age of HP/LT metamorphism, different age of exhumation and even different Mesozoic cover. Therefore CPA has to be considered as part of the European Plate.4) The original position of CPA is very important to define the relationship between the Ionian and the Alpine Oceans in the western Mediterranean area. Here, the oceanic spreading of Ionian basin occurred in the Ladinian and, from the Late Eocene, this ocean was subducted northwards below the European and Adria Plates.Oceanic spreading of the Alpine trough began in the Middle Jurassic and, from the Late Cretaceous, this ocean was subducted south and eastwards below the Adria Plate. The European origin of the CPA indicates a possible existence of direct communication between those two oceans. In our interpretation this connection was related to a sinistral trasform fault that crossed the western part of the modern Mediterranean area from the Late Triassic.5) The presumed existence of a Jurassic microcontinent (AlKaPeCa) is critically discussed and it appears inconsistent with stratigraphic data. In conclusion, CPA (and the whole AlKaPeCa) cannot be considered as Austroalpine Units or a microcontinent, but as a marginal part the European plate involved in the north-dipping subduction of the Ionian Ocean. This subduction produced a southvergent stacking of the various Calabrian units and began around 43 Ma below the CPA, long before the involvement of the Corsica continental margin in the east-dipping subduction of the Alpine Ocean (34 Ma).


A search for the standard model Higgs boson produced in association with a top-quark pair is presented using data samples corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb^(−1) (5.1 fb^(−1)) collected in pp collisions at the center-of-mass energy of 7 TeV (8 TeV). Events are considered where the top-quark pair decays to either one lepton+jets (tt→lνqq′bb) or dileptons (tt→l^+νl^−νbb), l being an electron or a muon. The search is optimized for the decay mode H→bb. The largest background to the ttH signal is top-quark pair production with additional jets. Artificial neural networks are used to discriminate between signal and background events. Combining the results from the 7 TeV and 8 TeV samples, the observed (expected) limit on the cross section for Higgs boson production in association with top-quark pairs for a Higgs boson mass of 125 GeV is 5.8 (5.2) times the standard model expectation.


Abstract This paper describes the design and evaluation of an undergraduate final year science communication module for the Science Faculty at the University of East Anglia. The module focuses specifically on science communication and aims to bring an understanding of how science is disseminated to the public. Students on the module are made aware of the models surrounding science communication and investigate how the science culture interfaces with the public. During the module they learn how to adapt science concepts for different audiences and how to talk confidently about science to a lay-audience. Student motivation for module choice centres on the acquisition of transferable skills and students develop these skills through designing, running and evaluating a public outreach event at a school or in a public area. These transferable skills acquired include communication, interaction with different organisations such as museums and science centres, developing understanding of both the needs of different audiences and the importance of time management. They also develop skills relating to self-reflection and how to use this as a tool for future self development. The majority of students completing the module go on to further study, either a PhD, MSc or teacher training. The module can be sustained in its present formed if capped at 40 students, however it is recognised that to increase cohort size, further investment of faculty time and resources would be required.


Lower extremity venous diseases or insufficiency include clinically deteriorating conditions with morphological and functional alterations of the venous system, including venous hypertension, vascular wall structural abnormality, and venous valvar incompetency in association with an inflammatory process. In fact, the same pathophysiological processes are the main underlying mechanisms of other venous insufficiencies in different vascular territories such as Peripheral Varicose Vein (PVV), varicocele, Pelvic Varicosities or Congestion Syndrome (PCS) and Hemorrhoidal Disease (HD). Regarding the anatomical continuity of lower extremity venous system, urogenital system (pampiniform plexus in male and broad ligament and ovarian veins in female) and anorectal venous system, it is reasonable to expect common symptoms such as pain, burning sensation, pruritis, swelling, which arise directly from the involved tissue itself. High coexistence rate of PVV, varicocele/PCS and HD between each other underlines not only the same vascular wall abnormality as an underlying etiology but also the existence of common symptoms originating from the involved tissue in dilating venous disease. Accordingly, it might be reasonable to query the common symptoms of venous dilating disease in other venous vascular regions in patients with complaints of any particular venous territory.


This thesis examines the emergence and sustainment of milicias (militias) in the 1990s in the West Zone 'margins' of the city of Rio de Janeiro. It considers the rise of milicias as they coincide with urbanisation, economic liberalisation, democratisation, decentralisation and the rise of violent drug trafficking organisations. This thesis sets out to answer the following overarching research question: 'How and why did milicias emerge in Rio de Janeiro's West Zone since the 1990s and how and why were they sustained? What is their relationship to the management of (dis)order?' The analytical approach developed to answer this question draws on an historically situated political settlements framework to understand milicias as power relations within coalition formations and as facilitators of rent extraction and distribution. The framework introduces urban and political geography literatures on frontiers to advance a thesis that milicias in Rio de Janeiro are coercive brokers that mediate urban frontier zones. This study draws on ethnographic fieldnotes from direct and participant observation, in-depth interviews and oral histories, and extensive archival research of parliamentary documents. It argues that milicias emerged to provide temporary 'solutions' to address the violent inequalities, structural insecurities, and the threats and insecurities posed by drug trafficking organisations in the urban frontiers. They emerged through 'bottom-up' processes but were also seen as convenient to political and economic elites in the central state who were unable (or unwilling) to provide formal security in the West Zone. However, this thesis makes the case that there was a trade-off for the central state as paramilitaries, as accrued power in the urban frontier, they also attempted to reshape state institutions. Because of their roots in local communities, this thesis also recognises the dependency of milicias on legitimacy, ideas, beliefs and norms, and the power imbued in community relations. This study contributes to the literatures on milicias by accounting for their role as co-producers of (dis)order in the urban margins, the literature on political settlements by intertwining questions of violence and conflict with spatiality, and finally the Latin American literatures on local political order and governance by advancing a conceptualisation of armed groups straddling state and society and challenging conventional state/-non-state binaries.


Upon crystallization of polymers containing
precisely spaced side-branches, the side-branches are excluded from
the crystalline core of the lamellar crystal. Thus, the surfaces of
these crystals are covered by side-branches. By using carboxyl
groups as side-branches, which can be ionized in aqueous
environments, self-stabilized nanocrystal dispersions can be
prepared. In principle, the carboxyl groups also allow for the
covalent attachment of functional molecules to the lamellar
crystals using well established strategies for amide bond
formation. However, the fold surfaces of the crystals need to be
highly ordered so that the carboxyl groups are accessible for
functionalization. From x-ray scattering in
semicrystalline bulk, we found that precisely spaced side-groups do
not predefine the thickness of the crystalline core under all
crystallization conditions. In addition, the part of the fold layer
containing carboxyl groups had a considerable thickness, indicating
that there is a substantial disorder in the fold surfaces of
lamellar crystals of polymers containing precisely spaced
side-branches. However, upon heating, the crystals underwent a
first order transition to a rotator phase known from n-alkanes,
which allowed for inclusion of the carboxyl groups and reordering
of the fold surface. Having the intention to use
precisely carboxyl side-branched polymers as substrates for thin
film organic electronics, we pursued two different approaches to
cover large areas with single lamellar crystals. By assembling
nanocrystals on a Langmuir trough at high subphase pH, large areas
could be covered by monolayers consisting of randomly arranged
nanocrystals. The formation of ordered packings was impeded by the
rather broad size distribution of the nanocrystals. Alternatively,
we used a method based on local supersaturation to grow large area
single crystals of the precisely side-branched polymer from
solution. AFM height measurements showed that the surfaces
of both nanocrystals and large area single crystals were covered by
layers of amorphous folds. We found that the thickness of this
layer was comparable to the thickness of the amorphous fold layers
on single crystals of linear polyethylene. However, upon annealing
of large area single crystals in the rotator phase, lamellar
thickening was induced and the fold surface was reordered.
Fluorescence spectroscopy after chemical functionalization
indicated that the areal density of attached semiconducting
molecules was high. In contrast, the density of semiconducting
molecules on surfaces of annealed nanocrystals was low. We
concluded that annealing of nanocrystals induced Ostwald ripening,
which impeded the formation of an ordered fold surface.
 To confirm the findings from fluorescence spectroscopy,
we investigated the morphology of the semiconducting layer on
annealed large area single crystals. As a function of the duration
of the grafting process, the morphology of the resulting layer of
semiconducting molecules changed from patchy to compact. The
compact layer…


Drawing on first-hand ethnographic data, field interviews with interpreters, interviewers and decision-makers, observations and off-record comments, The Asylum Speaker examines discursive processes in the asylum procedure and the impact these processes may have on the determination of refugee status. The book starts from the assumption that far-reaching legal decisions often have to be made on very limited grounds. Unable to submit any evidence to substantiate their case, the only chance that many asylum seekers have is to argue their case during the oral hearings with public officials at the different asylum agencies. Maryns investigates the performance of the asylum seeker during these interviews and analyzes the relationship between narrative structuring and gradations of linguistic competence. She explores a number of related questions: first, how the interaction between applicants and public officials proceeds; second, how this interaction forms the discursive input into long and complicated textual trajectories, and third, how the outcome of these discursive processes affects the assessment of asylum applications. Maryns demonstrates how propositional aspects play a crucial role in the asylum procedure whereas little attention is paid to narrative-linguistic diversity and multilingual speaker repertoires. Her analysis reveals how insufficient insight into the linguistic structure and narrative features of the asylum account often results in a deficient processing of important details.


We suggest a historical and epistemological treatment of the theme of access to information and its means: the changes in the means of access and the value given to knowledge in Western history from Plato to nowadays. The uses and access, as we will see, are conditioned both by ideology and technique, which are themselves in an iterative relationship. Which ideology today is our individual and collective connection to the world, to others, and to ourselves, what are the problematics, the stakes? The question of the access to information concerns the students in the science of information, as future professionals in charge of gathering, handling, and spreading information, that is, to be more precise, having and giving access to it. But, on top of receiving technical training, the student also takes the responsibility of thinking about his or her own subject. Numerical development and network information change the whole society drastically, as well as individual or sociological practice, and appears as one of the main ethical stake for the world. In the first part of our paper, we will examine the access to knowledge as well as the value assigned to this knowledge. In a second part we will see that it is generally admitted that in the information society individuals have the right of access to information. The exercise of this right enables citizens to keep their governments and public bodies accountable. Access to information is essential for citizen empowerment.


This paper presents a novel distributed batch Gaussian process upper confidence bound (DB-GP-UCB) algorithm for performing batch Bayesian optimization (BO) of highly complex, costly-to-evaluate black-box objective functions. In contrast to existing batch BO algorithms, DBGP-UCB can jointly optimize a batch of inputs (as opposed to selecting the inputs of a batch one at a time) while still preserving scalability in the batch size. To realize this, we generalize GP-UCB to a new batch variant amenable to a Markov approximation, which can then be naturally formulated as a multi-agent distributed constraint optimization problem in order to fully exploit the efficiency of its state-of-the-art solvers for achieving linear time in the batch size. Our DB-GP-UCB algorithm offers practitioners the flexibility to trade off between the approximation quality and time efficiency by varying the Markov order. We provide a theoretical guarantee for the convergence rate of DB-GP-UCB via bounds on its cumulative regret. Empirical evaluation on synthetic benchmark objective functions and a real-world optimization problem shows that DB-GP-UCB outperforms the stateof-the-art batch BO algorithms.


The following analysis aims to provide an overview and status of the research support services available to university researchers - with a focus on the services provided by university libraries - as well as to propose a strategy for CULIS with respect to research support of researchers at the University of Copenhagen. The analysis starts by defining the term research support service. This definition is used to categorize the national services and is iterated before moving on to the international institutions. We have described the services at 11 international and 8 national university libraries and identified the services that define the best practice institutions. We have found that research support services are often developing more or less organically, and service contents are moving toward becoming more tool-oriented, i.e. with less focus on the traditional information objects, books, journals, manuscripts. E.g. in scholarly publishing the focus is moving from acquiring, cataloging and local dissemination to facilitating the production and publication of books and journals, to supporting the authors on legal issues and to disseminating globally. Competences related to metadata structuring are potentially of great value to the growing field of data-archiving by researchers. The recommendations to CULIS are to conduct a new quantitative survey of researchers' needs similar to the project "Ph.D. students' information seeking behavior" in order to paint a clearer picture of what the researchers of The University of Copenhagen needs. Assessment could be made of whether the focus on physical student environments should be matched for researchers. It is a general recommendation to formulate a strategy for the area of providing research support services, formulate clear goals for the institution as well as for the individual services, dedicate resources for running services, dedicate resources to developing services, coordinate existing services, provide overview of goals and services (internally and externally), participate in networking and user activities, position university libraries as part of the research infrastructure. When developing new services, it is our recommendation that special focus be put on primary research data and accompanying metadata – dataverses, environments for generating and sharing research content – VREs, dedicated support of individual researchers, research groups and dedicated information for researchers – researcher information hubs.


The "Three Emperors" by Miranda Carter is the juicy, funny story of the three dysfunctional rulers of Germany, Russia and Great Britain at the turn of the last century, combined with a study of the larger forces around them. Three cousins. Three Emperors. And the road to ruin. As cousins, George V, Kaiser Wilhelm II and the last Tsar Nicholas II should have been friends - but they happened also to rule Europe's three most powerful states. This potent combination together with their own destructive personalities - petty, insecure, bullying, absurdly obsessive (stamp collecting, uniforms) - led not only to their own dramatic fallouts and falls from grace, but also to the outbreak of the First World War. Miranda Carter's riveting account of how three men who should have known better helped bring down an entire world is a gripping story of abdication, betrayal and murder. "Fascinating. A wonderfully fresh and beautifully choreographed work of history". ("Mail on Sunday"). "Miranda Carter's story is full of vivid quotations...a romp though the palaces of Europe in their last decades before Armageddon". ("Sunday Times"). "Fascinating. Carter is a gifted storyteller and has written a very readable account". ("Independent"). "That these three absurd men could ever have held the fate of Europe in their hands is a fact as hilarious as it is terrifying. I haven't enjoyed a historical biography this much since Lytton Strachey's Victoria". (Zadie Smith). Miranda Carter's first book, "Anthony Blunt: His Lives", won the Royal Society of Literature Award and the Orwell Prize and was shortlisted for the Whitbread Biography Prize, the Guardian First Book Award, the Duff Cooper Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. The book was named as one of the "New York Times" Book Review's seven best books of 2002. Miranda lives in London with her husband and two sons.


Written by a physicist with professional dance training, "Physics and the Art of Dance" explains how dancers can achieve better, safer performances through an understanding of physics in motion. Using simple, non-technical terms, Kenneth Laws combines his knowledge of both physics and dance to describe how the laws of gravity, momentum, and energy affect dancing bodies. The book explores the natural laws that govern the subtleties of balance, the techniques of leaps and pirouettes, and the impressive lifts and turns executed by ballet partners. Finally, Laws offers insight into two current discussions in the dance world - the effect of body size on ballet technique, and the relationship between science and the art of dance. Beautiful, original stop-action photographs by Martha Swope, along with clear diagrams, illustrate the concepts described in the text. Plus, an intriguing "puzzler" at the beginning of each chapter provides an engaging entry into the topics presented. For those who want a more advanced understanding of the physics, extensive appendices are provided. This new book combines the best features of Laws' widely acclaimed "The Physics of Dance and Physics, Dance", and the "Pas de Deux" by Laws and Cynthia Harvey. Its expert application of the basic principles of physics to the art of dance will be an invaluable resource for dancers and dance instructors and will open a new level of appreciation for lovers of the form. It will also appeal to physicists who seek to include the arts in their scientific pursuits.