This paper presents a new image abstraction approach, aiming to improve typical image related pattern recognition tasks such as segmentation, tracking, and classification. The proposed image abstraction framework performs image denoising and homogeneous region simplification, along with border and region enhancement. The proposed framework consists in a novel generalized approach of common weighted averaging denoising algorithms mixed with Unsharp Masking (USM) border enhancement techniques, to avoid typical USM artifacts as ringing. Results of the different configurations within the image abstraction framework for a cell tracking application are presented.


A numerical study of a high pressure transonic axial turbine stage for heavy-duty applications was performed. Attention was focused on assessing the aerodynamic impact of coolant injection and geometrical features, such as slots, fillets and clearances, on stage performance. First, stator and rotor blade rows were separately studied to single out the main modeling factors. Results showed the way each factor affects the performance of the blade. Influence coefficient evaluation was performed with screening techniques, such as DOE (Design Of Experiments) methods. Physical mechanisms responsible for performance decay were investigated by analyzing the secondary flow structure. After the main modeling factors had been selected and included, a 3D steady analysis of the full-stage configuration was carried out at both design and off-design conditions. Results were also compared with experimental data available from GE-Oil & Gas Nuovo Pignone. The performed analysis showed endwall fillets and coolant injection at the trailing edge slot as the most significant factors for efficiency for both stator and rotor blades. Coolant injection at the showerhead and at the suction and pressure side holes, and the geometrical slot turned out to affect blade-row performance to a smaller extent. Comparison with experimental data showed that a substantial improvement in both stage efficiency and loading factor prediction capability was obtained.Copyright © 2004 by ASME


Area surround  forest have community's Betung village, Pangkalan Kuras District Pelalawan regency to have all various of sialang tree. As to various of tree mention between other Shorea sp, Dipterocarpus cofertus Sloot , Artocarpus maingayi, Koompassia excels Taub , Koompassia malaccensis and Gluta aptera. However sialang tree don't manage in this area surround forest by community. The community more important oil palm of management equal sialang tree of management. This research purpose to know management system of sialang tree with this  forest area and compare contribution and out put can from sialang tree of management and oil palm of management using Purpossive sampling technique. Result showed that sialang tree of management and taking  honey's bee don't treatment again. Because many of sialang tree don't perch so that produced honey's bee little. Based on analitycal hierarchy process, sialang tree given contribution and out put more good equal with oil palm. Because to out put can from sialang tree maximum if his work long time equal out put can from oil palm maximum if his work long time and out of cost maximum. Key word : management system, sialang tree, community


Depression is one of the most frequent neuropsychiatric comorbidities associated with opiate addiction. Mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and MAPK phosphatase (MKP) are involved in drug addiction and depression. However, the potential role of MAPK and MKP in depression caused by morphine withdrawal remains unclear. We utilized a mouse model of repeated morphine administration to examine the molecular mechanisms that contribute to prolonged withdrawal induced depressive-like behaviors. Depressive-like behaviors were significant at 1 week after withdrawal and worsened over time. Phospho-ERK (extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase) was decreased and MKP-1 was elevated in the hippocampus, and JNK (c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase), p38 (p38 protein kinase) and MKP-3 were unaffected. A pharmacological blockade of MKP-1 by intra-hippocampal sanguinarine (SA) infusion prevented the development of depressive-like behaviors and resulted in relatively normal levels of MKP-1 and phospho-ERK after withdrawal. Our findings support the association between hippocampal MAPK phosphorylation and prolonged morphine withdrawal-induced depression, and emphasize the MKP-1 as an negative regulator of the ERK phosphorylation that contributes to depression.


This article joins the debate on the entry of non-European states into International Society by examining the socialization of Japan into the normative framework of European International Society during the Meiji period. Despite recent arguments that the English School has pioneered an interpretivist approach in the study of international politics, their conceptualization of the expansion of International Society has paid scant regard to non-European perspectives. As a consequence, International Society is commonly portrayed as playing a progressive role in mitigating conflict and enhancing world order. The article challenges the lopsided portrayal of how non-European states were socialized into International Society. It illustrates that Japan was socialized into a Janus-faced International Society. Finally, it argues that the English School's normative commitment to international order and exclusion of non-European perspectives is in danger of undermining its interpretivist credentials.


Second-harmonic generation using high-intensity ultrashort pulses is studied numerically. In a highly dispersive medium and for ultrashort (subpicosecond to femtosecond) fundamental pulses the effective group-velocity dispersion (GVD) as well as the group-velocity mismatch should be taken into account. The numerical results indicate that in this case the conversion efficiency is reduced, compared with the case when only the group-velocity mismatch is taken into account, and for somewhat larger values of effective GVD parameters it exhibits an oscillatory behavior. Fundamental and harmonic pulse shapes inside the medium are also calculated. The cases with the effective GVD taken into account show that inside the medium both of the pulses split into two or more pulses.


This article addresses the questions, "How should we evaluate the quality of teaching?" and "What kind of evaluation system will move all California teachers on a path of improvement throughout their careers?" The article, adapted from a report written by a group of accomplished California teachers, recommends seven core principles to develop a system of teacher evaluation that provides meaningful and ongoing inputs and moves teachers on a path of continuous improvement throughout their careers. It also addresses some of the elements of accountability that the state system writ large can adopt to create a system that fosters high-quality teaching.


ABSTRACT: Based primarily on interviews with the current co-leaders of The Family International, its World Services administrative staff, and supplemented with observational visits to Family Homes worldwide, this paper addresses the basic question in Rodney Stark9s theory of revelations: How do revelations occur? Contrary to both Stark9s and Max Weber9s theoretical propositions regarding the curtailment of revelation in prophetic religions that become institutionalized after the departure of charismatic founders, current Family leaders have greatly increased their reliance on verbatim revelations through multiple channels to guide and justify the group9s controversial beliefs and practices. We contrast the conventional single mode of obtaining occasional revelations (or "prophecies") by Family founder, David Berg, with the novel way in which a constant stream of official, published Family prophecies are now socially constructed. Throughout our description of this process we focus on its consequences for routinization of charisma via greater member participation, democratic decision-making, and internal consensusbuilding. At the same time this process contributes to the maintenance of external, sectarian barriers.


Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a complex disorder that increases mortality in patients suffering from underlying disorders such as massive trauma, sepsis, postpartum hemorrhage, and SARS-CoV-2 infections. The pathology of DIC can be understood through Virchow's Triad which highlights three characteristics that lead to hypercoagulability. Though the triad was traditionally used to only identify pro-thrombotic states, it can also be used to identify when hemorrhage could likely occur due to hypocoagulability. The triad includes (1) blood composition abnormalities, (2) changes in blood flow, and (3) endothelial damage. In DIC, severe endothelial damage leads to activation of coagulation, inflammation, and complement pathways ultimately producing excess thrombin. Excess thrombin production can lead to excess fibrin production leading to systemic, diffuse micro-thrombi formation thereby altering blood composition and impacting blood flow. The end result is often multiple organ dysfunction and failure, hemorrhage due to consumption of coagulation factors, or death if left untreated. While much progress has been made in identifying the many mechanisms behind the pathology of DIC, this condition is still often not recognized or treated early enough to save patients affected by it. Since early diagnosis is key to saving the lives of people with DIC, it is vital to spread awareness for this condition, learn of the current diagnostic and treatment options available, and discover where more research is needed in this field. This review will highlight key points regarding DIC and its pathology through the lens of Virchow's triad as well as the current diagnostic and treatment options available to health care providers.


Motivated by applications to distributed optimization over networks and large-scale data processing in machine learning, we analyze the deterministic incremental aggregated gradient method for minimizing a finite sum of smooth functions where the sum is strongly convex. This method processes the functions one at a time in a deterministic order and incorporates a memory of previous gradient values to accelerate convergence. Empirically it performs well in practice; however, no theoretical analysis with explicit rate results was previously given in the literature to our knowledge, in particular most of the recent efforts concentrated on the randomized versions. In this paper, we show that this deterministic algorithm has global linear convergence and we characterize the convergence rate. We also consider an aggregated method with momentum and demonstrate its linear convergence. Our proofs rely on a careful choice of a Lyapunov function that offers insight into the algorithm's behavior and simplifies the pro...


Title of dissertation: BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS OF SCHIZOTYPY IN THE BIOLOGICAL PARENTS OF SOCIAL ANHEDONICS: A PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF THE FAMILIALITY OF SCHIZOTYPAL SIGNS Lindsay McDonald Collins, Doctor of Philosophy, 2006 Dissertation directed by: Professor Jack J. Blanchard Department of Psychology Social anhedonia appears to be related to risk for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and thus is a promising indicator of Meehl's construct of schizotypy. Findings from diagnostic, cognitive, and psychophysiological studies have supported the validity of social anhedonia as an indicator of schizotypy, but only recently have the behavioral characteristics of these putative schizotypes been examined. This study replicated previous findings of atypical behavioral characteristics in social anhedonics and expanded upon prior research through an examination of their biological parents, serving as a preliminary investigation into the familiality of schizophrenia-spectrum behaviors. A community sample of 88 18to 19year-olds (48 social anhedonics, 40 controls) and their biological parents (42 mothers of social anhedonics, 37 mothers of controls; 24 fathers of social anhedonics, 20 fathers of controls) received diagnostic evaluations that were videotaped as part of an ongoing study and served as the basis for ratings of behavioral signs of schizoidia and schizotypy in the present study. Proband social anhedonics exhibited atypical interpersonal behaviors characteristic of schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders as well as clinical symptoms of schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders. Mothers of social anhedonics displayed atypical interpersonal behaviors characteristic of schizotypal personality disorder but did not show elevations on clinical symptoms of schizophrenia-spectrum personality disorders. Meaningful, though not statistically significant, effects were observed for behavioral sign ratings and clinical symptom ratings of schizoid and schizotypal personality disorders in the smaller sample of fathers of social anhedonics. Correspondence on schizoid behavioral ratings was observed for probands, particularly males, and their fathers. Results provide preliminary support for the familiality of atypical interpersonal behavior in social anhedonics, as putative schizotypes. BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS OF SCHIZOTYPY IN THE BIOLOGICAL PARENTS OF SOCIAL ANHEDONICS: A PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF THE FAMILIALITY OF SCHIZOTYPAL SIGNS


Symptoms of depression and anxiety appeared in mice after they had been subjected to a combination of forced swimming for 15 min followed by being kept in cages that were sequentially subjected to leaning, drenching, and rotation within 1-2 days for a total of 3 weeks. The animals were then evaluated by the tail-suspension test, elevated plus-maze test, and open-field test at 1 day after the end of stress exposure. Using these experimental systems, we found that 10-hydroxy-trans-2-decenoic acid (HDEA), an unsaturated fatty acid unique to royal jelly (RJ), protected against the depression and anxiety when intraperitoneally administered once a day for 3 weeks simultaneously with the stress loading. Intraperitoneally administered RJ, a rich source of HDEA, was also protective against the depression, but RJ given by the oral route was less effective. Our present results demonstrate that HDEA and RJ, a natural source of it, were effective in ameliorating the stress-inducible symptoms of depression and anxiety.


Background: Majority of women go through levels of anxiety during pregnancy. In this respect, anxiety and fear of labor pain are among the most common causes for elective Cesarean-section as a preferred type of childbirth by pregnant women. However, Caesarean-section delivery as a surgical technique can be accompanied by adverse side effects and outcomes for mother-infant health. Thus, the use of non-pharmaceutical approaches moderating anxiety and pain during labor can be beneficial in promoting the health status of mothers and babies. Accordingly, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of hypnotherapy on reducing anxiety and pain during labor among pregnant women. Methodology: This study was an experimental research with a pre-test/posttest design comprised of experimental and control groups. Among the pregnant women referring to hospitals affiliated to Social Security Organization in Mazandaran Province, 30 nulliparous pregnant women with gestational age of 27-33 weeks were selected via convenience sampling method and then they were randomly designed to experimental and control groups of 15 individuals. The research instruments in this study included the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), McGill Pain Questionnaire (Index), as well as the Standard Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). In addition to routine prenatal care for pregnant women in the experimental group, hypnotherapy was used for 8 sessions to reduce prenatal anxiety and then it was employed to moderate pain during labor as an analgesic. However, the control group only received routine prenatal care. The data were also analyzed using the SPSS software (version 25) and parametric test of Covariance (ANCOVA); independent t test and nonparametric U Mann Whitney Findings: Comparing the post-test state-trait anxiety in both control and experimental groups, it was found that hypnotherapy could reduce anxiety in pregnant women in the experimental group. Furthermore; comparing the variable of pain in the experimental and control groups revealed that the mean score of pain in the experimental group was lower than the significance level (p-value<0.00). Conclusion: It was concluded that hypnotherapy was effective in reducing anxiety and pain during labor and it could be used as a non-pharmaceutical approach during pregnancy and childbirth care.


Building large software systems is difficult. Maintaining large systems is equally hard. Making post-release changes requires not only thorough understanding of the architecture of a software component about to be changed but also its dependencies and interactions with other components in the system. Testing such changes in reasonable time and at a reasonable cost is a difficult problem as infinitely many test cases can be executed for any modification. It is important to obtain a risk assessment of impact of such post-release change fixes. Further, testing of such changes is complicated by the fact that they are applicable to hundreds of millions of users, even the smallest mistakes can translate to a very costly failure and re-work. There has been significant amount of research in the software engineering community on failure prediction, change analysis and test prioritization. Unfortunately, there is little evidence on the use of these techniques in day-to-day software development in industry. In this paper, we present our experiences with CRANE: a failure prediction, change risk analysis and test prioritization system at Microsoft Corporation that leverages existing research for the development and maintenance of Windows Vista. We describe the design of CRANE, validation of its useful-ness and effectiveness in practice and our learnings to help enable other organizations to implement similar tools and practices in their environment.


PART 1: The Language of Critique Chapter 1: The Case for Critique: Why We Need Constructive Criticism to Make Great Ads Befriending the Beast What Exactly Is Critique? Critique Is a Skill, Not a Talent ... So Let's Teach It Print: The Ground Zero of Critique The Critique Paradox Critique Basics Further Reading Exercises Chapter 2: AdSpeak: The Vocabulary of Avertising Every Language Needs a Vocabulary The Basic Terms of AdSpeak The Creative Strategy: AKA "The WHAT" The Target Audience: AKA "The WHO" The Concept: AKA "The HOW" Execution The Layout Campaign Tagline The More Advanced Terms of AdSpeak Brand Identity and Equity "Ownability" Brand Personality Page Personality Demo: AKA "The Proof" The Terms : A Cheat Sheet Critique Exercises Suggested Viewing Suggested Reading Chapter 3: AdErrors: When Good Ads Go Bad AdError One: The Headline and the Visual Are Redundant or Disconnected AdError Two: Meaningless Gimmicks and Borrowed Interest AdError Three: Using Spokespeople Who Are Irrelevant to the Product or Message AdError Four: Lack of Focus AdError Five: The Page Is Overdeveloped and/or Poorly Planned AdError Six: Sacrificing Clarity for Cleverness AdError Seven: Overacknowledging Your Competition AdError Eight: Letting Your Strategy Show AdError Nine: Being Edgy for Its Own Sake AdError Ten: Huh? Using Pretzel Logic, Being Too Subtle or Obtuse AdError Eleven: Forgetting About the Product AdError Twelve: Being Boring or Too Obvious AdError Thirteen: The Tonality and/or Visual Style Is Inconsistent With the Product or Message Critique Exercises Chapter 4: AdAnalogy: How Art and Copy Play Together Why Are Single-Panel Cartoons Funny? Funny? Unfunny? How Cartoons Work Headline Swap: How Print Ads Work Critique Exercises Suggested Reading Great Collections of Single Panel Cartoons Chapter 5: The 360-Degree Critique: Being Digital, Going Viral and Beyond Defining Our Media Channels Timeline and Traits of Media Channels AdSpeak 360 Critique Exercises Find Out More PART 2: Critique in Action Chapter 6: AdAlliances: Your Partners in Creating Great Advertising The Dance The Cast of Characters Knee Jerk Reactions to Those on the Other Side of the Table Stories From the Combat Zone Two Sides to Every Stereotype Critique Exercises Suggested Reading Chapter 7: AdSpeak Up! Who Says What When The Cast of Characters The Basic Chronology of the Process Critique Exercise--in Four Parts Chapter 8: The Creative Team's Bill of Rights The Creative Team's Bill of Rights: Eight Things Every Art Director and Copywriter Have a Right to Expect During the Presentation of Their Work Recap Exercises Chapter 9: The Client's Bill of Rights The Client's Bill of Rights: Six Things Every Client Has a Right to Expect During a Creative Presentation Recap Suggested Viewing Critique Exercises Chapter10: Presentation Prep Prior to the Meeting Recap Suggested Reading Chapter 11: Critique Cheats: Tips to Make the Most of the Critique Shhhh! Blatant Cheats for a Killer Critique Role Playing Exercise


Distributionally robust optimization (DRO) is a widely-used approach to learn models that are robust against distribution shift. Compared with the standard optimization setting, the objective function in DRO is more difficult to optimize, and most of the existing theoretical results make strong assumptions on the loss function. In this work we bridge the gap by studying DRO algorithms for general smooth non-convex losses. By carefully exploiting the specific form of the DRO objective, we are able to provide non-asymptotic convergence guarantees even though the objective function is possibly non-convex, non-smooth and has unbounded gradient noise. In particular, we prove that a special algorithm called the mini-batch normalized gradient descent with momentum, can find an $\epsilon$ first-order stationary point within $O( \epsilon^{-4} )$ gradient complexity. We also discuss the conditional value-at-risk (CVaR) setting, where we propose a penalized DRO objective based on a smoothed version of the CVaR that allows us to obtain a similar convergence guarantee. We finally verify our theoretical results in a number of tasks and find that the proposed algorithm can consistently achieve prominent acceleration.


An old topic of dimensional analysis in astrophysics is presented and new results, or quantitative explanations of some observational facts are obtained, in particular, on the base of the supernova, SN, explosions. The presentation starts with the derivation of two similarity criteria for astrophysical objects constructed out of four measurable quantities: mass, M, luminosity, Lb, velocity U, size R, and gravitational constant G. The first well known criterium describes the virial principle and the other one seems to be new and is based on the Tully-Fisher observational relationship between luminosity and velocity. The energy generated by SN explosions allows one to estimate well the interstellar turbulent velocities and magnetic field in our Galaxy, resulting in 3 to 4 microgauss. It is found that for z ≥ 0.6 the observed distant galactic clusters are far from virial equilibrium and the degree of disequilibrium is increasing with z. It means that to reach such an equilibrium the cluster age should be of order ten dynamical time scales, see Equation (7). For all considered galaxy clusters the second similarity criterium was found to be constant with a precision of about ten per cent. Therefore it could be considered as a general law, though for different classes of objects the numerical coefficient may vary. Some scales are proposed and two of them are tested for galactic clusters by finding numerical coefficients with accuracies of about 20 percent or better: e.g. observed luminocities of clusters are W=Lb=a1(M/R)5/2G3/2 with for the first eleven objects from the Table for which the virial equilibrium is found with the same accuracy. The square root of the two criteria ratio 3=( 2/ 1)1/2=U(WG)-1/5 explains the Tully-Fisher law and is constant for all 32 available clusters from [1,2] and is equal to 1.8 ± 0.2. This is because 3 has not global values of total mass and size.


Implement blockchain principles in your choice of domain using Ethereum
Key Features
Build permissioned enterprise-grade blockchain applications from scratch

Implement Blockchain-as-a-Service to enterprises in terms of deployment and security

Achieve privacy in blockchains using proxy re-encryption algorithms

Book Description
The increasing growth in blockchain use is enormous, and it is changing the way business is done. Many leading organizations are already exploring the potential of blockchain. With this book, you will learn to build end-to-end enterprise-level decentralized applications and scale them across your organization to meet your company's needs.

This book will help you understand what DApps are and how the blockchain ecosystem works, via real-world examples. This extensive end-to-end book covers every blockchain aspect for business and for developers. You will master process flows and incorporate them into your own enterprise. You will learn how to use J.P. Morgan's Quorum to build blockchain-based applications. You will also learn how to write applications that can help communicate enterprise blockchain solutions. You will learn how to write smart contracts that run without censorship and third-party interference.

Once you've grasped what a blockchain is and have learned about Quorum, you will jump into building real-world practical blockchain applications for sectors such as payment and money transfer, healthcare, cloud computing, supply chain management, and much more.

What you will learn
Learn how to set up Raft/IBFT Quorum networks

Implement Quorum's privacy and security features

Write, compile, and deploy smart contracts

Learn to interact with Quorum using the web3.js JavaScript library

Learn how to execute atomic swaps between different networks

Build a secured Blockchain-as-a-Service for efficient business processes

Achieve data privacy in blockchains using proxy re-encryption

Who this book is for
This book is for innovators, digital transformers, and blockchain developers who want to build end-to-end, decentralized applications using the blockchain technology. If you want to scale your existing blockchain system across the enterprise, you will find this book useful, too. It adopts a practical approach to solving real problems in enterprises using a blend of theory and practice.


Objectives To explore the accessibility, usability and relevance of the British Orthodontic Society (BOS) online information resource (OIR), Your Jaw Surgery. Design Qualitative, cross-sectional study. Setting 5 UK sites. Participants Patients before, during and after treatment for non-cleft skeletal discrepancy. Methods Patients were identified at joint clinics and recruited after having time to view the OIR. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 patients (aged 16–46 years). The interviews were transcribed and thematic analysis was undertaken using a framework approach. Results The main themes identified were the overall usefulness, personal relevance and positive perceptions of the OIR. The OIR was seen to be useful for patients considering treatment, and potentially useful for patients undergoing treatment. Participants were looking for a personally relevant resource that would give them the best possible idea of how they would look and feel after surgery. The OIR was perceived as trusted, positive and reassuring. Conclusions Patients at different stages of treatment found the OIR helpful and reassuring. Clinicians may find it useful to direct patients to the OIR to complement a professional consultation, but should be aware that patients may perceive it as presenting a positive image of the long-term benefits of orthognathic surgery.


Pyrolysis conditions and the presence of ash-forming elements significantly influence char properties and its oxidation or gasification reactivity. In this study, intrinsic gasification rates of char from high heating rate pyrolysis were analyzed with isothermal thermogravimetry. The char particles were prepared from two biomasses at three size ranges and at two temperatures. Reactivity dependence on original particle size was found only for small wood particles that had higher intrinsic char gasification rates. Pyrolysis temperature had no significant effect on char reactivity within the range tested. Observations of ash formation highlighted that reactivity was influenced by the presence of ash-forming elements, not only at the active char sites but also through prohibition of contact between char and gasification agent by ash layer formation with properties highly depending on ash composition.


Abstract Niacin was the first hypolipidemic drug to significantly reduce both major cardiovascular events and mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease. Niacin favorably influences all lipoprotein classes, including lipoprotein[a],and belongs to the most potent hypolipidemic drugs for increasing HDL-C. Moreover, niacin causes favorable changes to the qualitative composition of lipoprotein HDL. In addition to its pronounced hypolipidemic action, niacin exerts many other, non-hypolipidemic effects (e.g., antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic), which favorably influence the development and progression of atherosclerosis. These effects are dependent on activation of the specific receptor HCA2. Recent results published by the two large clinical studies, AIM-HIGH and HPS2-THRIVE, have led to the impugnation of niacin's role in future clinical practice. However, due to several methodological flaws in the AIM-HIGH and HPS2-THRIVE studies, the pleiotropic effects of niacin now deserve thorough evaluation. This review summarizes the present and possible future use of niacin in clinical practice in light of its newly recognized pleiotropic effects.


Corrosion costs 4% of GDP of industrialised countries out of which 20% are due to Microbially Influenced Corrosion (MIC) (Dupon-Morral, 2004, Flemming). While the implication of Sulfato Reducing Bacteria is now well agreed (References), few work studied the implication of other microorganisms in anaerobic corrosion. On behalf of that, direct electron transfer to solid electrodes by some bacteria has been recently discovered and implemented in fuel cells. Among those microorganisms, Geobacteraceae are the most widespread microorganisms in soils and sediments in which microbial reduction of Fe(III) is an important process, either in the natural degradation of organic compounds or in their bioremediation. Geobacter species have been shown to be predominant microorganisms on electrodes harvesting electricity from the sediments. They have the capability to switch from a soluble electron donor or acceptor to an insoluble one. Consequently, they oxidize organic electron donor to carbon dioxide transferring the electron directly to graphite electrodes (Esteve-Nunez) []. On the other side, the ability of Geobacter sulfurreducens to reduce nitrate to nitrite or fumarate to succinate with a graphite electrode serving as an electron donor has also been demonstrated in the field of microbial fuel cells (Holmes) (Gregory) []. Direct electron transfer to solid electrodes is achieved through periplasmic and outer membrane c-type cytochromes. Outer membranes proteins and even some kind of conductive pili that serve as biological nanowires are also involved in the electron transfer chains, mainly to Fe(III) and Mn(IV) oxides (Holmes) [].

The aim of this study was to assess the influence of G. sulfurreducens on the occurrence of corrosion testing different kind of steels.

Experiments were performed with pure cultures of G. sulfurreducens on mild steel (XC45) and three different kinds of stainless steels (ferritic steel, 304L, 316L). In all cases, the free potential EOC increased by 400 mV, 3 hours following the injection of the bacteria and continued to increase until it stabilised at t = 100h. On the contrary, control experiments performed with the injection of the sterile medium or the bacteria suspension after filtration on a 0.2 µm filter did not induce any significant ennoblement of EOC. The presence of the micoorganisms was consequently directly responsible for the potential increase. Moreover, cathodic polarisation curves performed at the end of the experiments at a scan rate of 0.5 mV.s-1 showed that the pitting potential Epit depended on the concentration of the electron donor (acetate) present in the medium. When enough acetate was present in the medium, the pitting potential in the presence of the bacteria was 340 mV higher than in its absence as if Geobacter protected the steel from corrosion, yet the passivation currents increased up to six fold. Whereas when the medium lacked with acetate, Epit in the presence of the bacteria, was lower than Epit of the control in some cases and higher in others because it was more difficult for the bacteria to survive in this poor medium. The surface of the electrodes was then analysed by SEM and epifluorescence microscopy. The morphology and the amount of pits were discussed with respect to the potential increase and the composition of the medium. Figure 1 shows the distribution of G. sulfurreducens at the surface of a 304L SS electrode after immersion during 10 days in a Geobacter medium containing 5 mM acetate and 5% (v/v) bacteria. G. sulfurreducens tend to accumulate around the pits forming a dense biofilm (Fig. 1a) whereas less bacteria, distributed randomly, were present on the parts of the electrode that were pits free (Fig. 1b). Consequently, G. sulfurreducens tend to accumulate preferentially in the zones of the metal where there are some structural defects.
During the same experiment, the steel behaved as an electron donor but also as an electron acceptor:
- Steel is generally an electron supplier in biocorrosion: G. sulfurreducens acquired energy for growth by obtaining electrons through direct contact with the steel.
- Enzymatic dosage of acetate at the end of the experiment confirmed that G. sulfurreducens oxidized partially electron donor (acetate) into carbon dioxide by using the electrode as an electron acceptor which explains Eoc ennoblement.
In the presence of G. sulfurreducens, the pitting potential was shifted toward the positive values as if the bacteria were capable of protecting the steel. In fact, G. sulfurreducens might act as a "stocking reserve" for electrons. These electrons are released during the potential scan delaying the removal of electrons from the material. This ability of G. sulfurreducens to behave as a "stocking reserve" explains why the steel repassivated quicker.
In conclusion, G. sulfurreducens created a new cathodic reaction and amplified the reduction kinetic. This might highly increase the corrosion risk especially in the presence of sulfur into the solution. This is the first time that the new mechanism of microbial direct electron transfer is clearly demonstrated into the framework of biocorrosion.


This article is a discussion of gestures and marks as signs of the presence of the artist in drawing. Although I write as a practitioner, I do not address my own practice directly. I start with a consideration of art historical writing. An example by Huyghe (1962) positions 'the artist's hand' as a conduit for the expression of the individual's inner essence. I briefly trace how such ideas have been subject to critique in the drawing practices of artists since the 1960s, with reference to commentators such as Rose (1976, 1992). While notions of authenticity and authorship have been challenged, and the figure of the hand has been displaced to some extent, I note that within contemporary art practice, the performance of drawing is still read as a declaration of an artist's presence. However, rather than see the mark as the outcome of pure artistic intention, a more performative account, calling on the theories of Butler (1993), would recast the gesture of drawing as constituting an artistic subjectivity in the act itself. In drawing, histories come together such that the artist appears 'in the moment' as the figure of the work.


In many European lowland rivers, floodplains have been disconnected from adjacent channel systems. Consequently, the groundwater – surface water interface is largely restricted to near bed and bank sediments. However, if the river-floodplain system remains hydrologically connected, then the groundwater – surface water mixing zone may extend for hundreds of metres away from the main channel and into the floodplain. Biogeochemical processes, coupled with advective water and solute transport, indicate that floodplain groundwater may exert a strong control on surface water chemical quality. We examined the processes controlling the release of soluble phosphorus to floodplain groundwater, and the subsequent export of phosphorus from the floodplain to the river channel.We show that the release of phosphorus in submerged floodplain sediments is controlled by redox thresholds. The reductive-dissolution of phosphorus complexed at the surface of ferric hydroxide in these sediments can lead to a rapid and sustained release of phosphorus to solution. Concentrations of phosphorus in groundwater and surface water can reach several milligrams per litre. The form of phosphorus released is dominated by the readily bioavailable orthophosphate ion, indicating a potential for rapid uptake by bacteria and algae. Our research indicates that the timing of phosphorus release is inversely related to the nitrate-nitrogen concentration in river water, posing significant challenges to the integrated management of floodplains for multi-nutrient attenuation. Further hydrological and hydrochemical data show that advective transport in groundwater can export phosphorus from the floodplain to adjacent surface water bodies.


The spatial pattern in hydro-plankton and fish distributions and their relationship were analysed based on the spring 2000 fisheries acoustic survey. The importance of this survey was that it was a multi-disciplinary platform which collected an extensive set of parameters in the hydro-plankton leading to a potentially finer description of hydro-plankton conditions and fish habitats. More than 50 variables were measured on a grid of stations, in four compartments of the ecosystem: hydrology, nutrients, primary producers and meso-zooplankton. First, a joint analysis of all hydro-plankton compartments was performed using multiple factor analysis (MFA). The method was used to estimate a compromise factorial space common to all compartments in which the stations were grouped by hierarchical clustering. The groups were represented spatially and a strong spatial pattern was evidenced. The fish and their spawned eggs were sampled along transect lines using acoustics and CUFES (continuous underway fish egg samplers). The distribution of the fish and their eggs was analysed in relation to the hydro-plankton groups of stations and difference in fish density across hydro-plankton conditions was tested by a pair-wise multiple comparison procedure. Anchovy was associated with a lesser number of hydro-plankton conditions than sardine. Eggs of both species were also associated with a lesser number of conditions than the fish. Finally, the gain provided by using the extensive set of hydro-plankton parameters for mapping large-scale hydro-plankton conditions was analysed in comparison with the situation in which a small set of parameters was available. The extensive set of parameters allowed more hydro-plankton conditions to be identified but only in the coastal area and not on the shelf. Size fractionated chlorophyll was determinant for tracking river plume hydro-plankton condition. However, the fish did not respond to the variety of the coastal hydro-plankton conditions.


The paper starts from the assumption that a lasting recovery of Japan's economy can only come about by a reform of economic policy decisive enough to re-establish confidence again. The adherence to the rule of law and the establishment of independent agencies might provide a solution, but these methods could well be jeopardised by cultural factors in the sense of the cognitive-evolutionary approach of economic policy theory. The influence of certain values and views is looked at, especially regarding a disposition towards so-called generalised exchange mechanisms, the prospects of a credible self-commitment via the rule of law as well as the employment of elements of direct democracy and federalism. By and large the paper is sceptical about the chances of a reform in accordance with the aims as set out above, even though there are in reality first signs of attempts at establishing the rule of law and agency independence.


The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has embarked on a Freeway and Arterial Management Effort (FAME). This effort includes the collection of data, assessment of incident-related impacts, and the generation of incident management strategies across the state. This report focuses its attention on the effectiveness of existing incident management strategies applicable to the Spokane I-90 urban section, from the Four Lakes Interchange (Exit 270) on the west to the Idaho State Line on the east, covering a length of 30 miles. With direction and assistance from a technical advisory committee data and information were gathered and analyzed to include roadway and accident characteristics of this urban section of I-90 and existing incident detection, response, servicing, and coordination practiced by several agencies serving the area. From this analysis, sections of I-90 that had a high potential for incidents were identified. As a result of this research, several useful products were developed, such as maps showing existing interchanges, detour routing for potential freeway closures, etc. Based on this preliminary analysis and evaluation it was evident that it would be necessary to carry this research forward to enhance the existing incident management methods practiced in the Spokane area. Five specific actions are recommended: (i) structure the database and, if necessary, identify and complete any missing data needed; (ii) prepare an incident management manual capable of being updated on a regular basis; (iii) form an incident management team; (iv) format the data/information for use in a knowledge-based expert system (KBES); and (v) adopt a KBES for Spokane.


This study capitalizes on recent advances in the reliable and valid measurement of classroom-level social processes known to influence children's social-emotional and academic development and addresses a number of limitations in our current understanding of teacher- and intervention-related impacts on elementary school classroom processes. A cluster randomized controlled trial design was employed to (a) examine whether teacher social-emotional functioning forecasts differences in the quality of 3rd-grade classrooms, (b) test the experimental impact of a school-based social-emotional learning and literacy intervention on the quality of classroom processes controlling for teacher social-emotional functioning, and (c) examine whether intervention impacts on classroom quality are moderated by these teacher-related factors. Results indicated (a) positive effects of teachers' perceived emotional ability on classroom quality; (b) positive effects of the 4Rs Program on overall classroom quality, net of teacher social-emotional functioning indicators; and (c) intervention effects that are robust to differences in these teacher factors. These findings support and extend recent research examining intervention-induced changes in classroom-level social processes fundamental to positive youth development.


GENERAL STATEMENT Nearly fifty years ago, E. S. Dana published the sixth edition of the System of Mineralogy . While this book dealt almost entirely with the facts of mineralogy as known in 1892 and but little with theory, still it gives an excellent cross section of the science of that time. In what respects will a new edition of this work differ from its famous predecessor? As one of the group who has undertaken to prepare such a new edition and who has enlisted the help of this society in large measure for the necessary financial backing, I will undertake to present to you very briefly tonight some of the changes that must be recognized in the science of mineralogy after this half century of development. CRYSTALLOGRAPHY No property of a mineral is so characteristic as its crystal form, and the science of crystallography, which attempts to describe and explain . . .


A 50-year-old male presented with a recurrent epidermoid cyst with malignant transformation into squamous cell carcinoma. The patient was first hospitalized for intermittent seizures in 2000. Computed tomography (CT) showed a hypodense lesion with enhanced capsule but no peripheral edema in the right temporal lobe. Craniotomy was performed and the lesion was completely removed. The histological diagnosis was epidermoid cyst. Six years later, the patient experienced blurred vision and hemiparesis in the left extremities. CT showed a hyperdense mass with peripheral edema in the right temporal lobe. Repeat CT 2 months later revealed a larger mass. The recurrent lesion was removed, and the histological diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma. Intracranial epidermoid cyst is a benign tumor which often appears hypodense on CT, so change to hyperdensity in the recurrent tumor may indicate malignant transformation.


In this electronic age, we are all knowledge workers, tackling on daily basis the information that flows through our email, file systems, web browsers, calendars, and various other desktop applications. Email has come to be the center of desktop activity for many of us: we set up meetings, exchange documents, manage projects, forward interesting links, track requisitions, and perform a whole host of tasks through email. Many of these activities involve information flowing from one action to the next, across applications. They are also often repetitive, structured procedures, involving an ordered set of steps, many but not all of which are amenable to automation. In this paper, we present our approach to learning generalized dataflow procedures on the desktop from demonstrations by the user. Our system LAPDOG runs on the CALO desktop assistant and is capable of acquiring fully or partially automated procedures, spanning multiple applications, from demonstrations where the user may perform some unobservable actions.


Text-to-Graph extraction aims to automatically extract information graphs consisting of mentions and types from natural language texts. Existing approaches, such as table filling and pairwise scoring, have shown impressive performance on various information extraction tasks, but they are difficult to scale to datasets with longer input texts because of their second-order space/time complexities with respect to the input length. In this work, we propose a Hybrid Span Generator (HySPA) that invertibly maps the information graph to an alternating sequence of nodes and edge types, and directly generates such sequences via a hybrid span decoder which can decode both the spans and the types recurrently in linear time and space complexities. Extensive experiments on the ACE05 dataset show that our approach also significantly outperforms state-of-the-art on the joint entity and relation extraction task.


We examine the relation between δ18O in rainwater collected in southwestern Oregon and climate variables including temperature, parcel trajectory, precipitation amount, and specific humidity. Local surface air temperature at the time of sample collection explains a large proportion of δ18O variability, suggesting that paleoclimatic archives that are related to rainfall δ18O should be useful for qualitative temperature reconstructions. Models of Rayleigh distillation of air masses originating in the North Pacific can broadly constrain the observed isotopic variability in southwestern Oregon. Results from a Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory Model suggest that recent parcel pathways have little influence on the isotopic composition of precipitation collected at our site. We also find no significant relation between rainfall δ18O and precipitation amount. Changes in specific humidity along the parcel tracks, however, indicate that the water vapor exchange of the air mass with the underlying ocean influenced the isotopic composition of the most enriched samples.


Cytological effects of Cassia tora seed decoction were evaluated in Allium cepa root tip cells. Bulbs were grown in pure tap water (controls, Gr. I) and also in six concentrations (0.15 mg/ml, 0.31 mg/ml, 0.62 mg/ml, 1.25 mg/ml, 2.5 mg/ml and 5 mg/ml) of C. tora seed decoction in tap water (experimental, Grs. II). Parameters of study were 'mean root length' and morphology i.e. colour and shape of root tips at 72 hr of cultivation and 'mitotic Index', chromosomal aberrations and abnormal mitosis at 48 hr of cultivation. Physico-chemical characterization of decoction was also made. No changes in the morphology of root tips occurred at any concentration of C. tora seed decoction, however, change in color did occur at all concentrations. Mitotic index and mean root length remained unaffected at first two concentrations but all higher four concentrations caused progressive mitodepression hence a decline in root growth occurred. No abnormal mitosis and no chromosomal aberration occurred at all at any concentration. Results suggest that water soluble constituents of C. tora seeds could only lower mitosis but not caused any adverse genotoxic effects in mitotically dividing A. cepa root cells under laboratory condition.


Current treatments for castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) that target androgen receptor (AR) signaling improve patient survival, yet ultimately fail. Here, we provide novel insights into treatment response for the antiandrogen abiraterone by analyses of a genetically engineered mouse (GEM) model with combined inactivation of Trp53 and Pten, which are frequently comutated in human CRPC. These NPp53 mice fail to respond to abiraterone and display accelerated progression to tumors resembling treatment-related CRPC with neuroendocrine differentiation (CRPC-NE) in humans. Cross-species computational analyses identify master regulators of adverse response that are conserved with human CRPC-NE, including the neural differentiation factor SOX11, which promotes neuroendocrine differentiation in cells derived from NPp53 tumors. Furthermore, abiraterone-treated NPp53 prostate tumors contain regions of focal and/or overt neuroendocrine differentiation, distinguished by their proliferative potential. Notably, lineage tracing in vivo provides definitive and quantitative evidence that focal and overt neuroendocrine regions arise by transdifferentiation of luminal adenocarcinoma cells. These findings underscore principal roles for TP53 and PTEN inactivation in abiraterone resistance and progression from adenocarcinoma to CRPC-NE by transdifferentiation.Significance: Understanding adverse treatment response and identifying patients likely to fail treatment represent fundamental clinical challenges. By integrating analyses of GEM models and human clinical data, we provide direct genetic evidence for transdifferentiation as a mechanism of drug resistance as well as for stratifying patients for treatment with antiandrogens. Cancer Discov; 7(7); 736-49. ©2017 AACR.See related commentary by Sinha and Nelson, p. 673This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 653.


We present our search for artifacts in the {\it Kepler} short cadence data using a commonly known Fourier technique. We analyzed data on a monthly basis searching for a possible correlation between artifacts and the events attributed to the spacecraft as potential sources of the spurious frequencies. We defined a peak to be an artifact if it shows in at least two, yet preferentially most of the stars, during a given month. Besides the commonly known LC {\it comb} we found a periodic appearance of another two {\it combs}, one single artifact and very strange wide artifacts roaming between 10 and 35 c/d. These artifacts evolve on a yearly basis (four of {\it Kepler's} rolls) and we may only speculate that their sources are in the reaction wheels since they are the only moving parts or temperature variation. The orientation of the spacecraft is likely excluded from the possible sources. More resources are needed to provide a definite explanation of the artifacts.


Recently published assessments of nutrient budgets on a national basis have shown that K deficits for developing countries are so substantial that a doubling of world production of potash fertilisers would be required to balance inputs and offtake, simply to meet demands in Africa alone. The price of potassium fertiliser raw materials has increased by a factor of 4 during 2007–2009, approaching $1000 per tonne in some markets. Thus an annual investment of the order of US$5600 million is required to replenish soil K stocks in Africa. In this context it is appropriate to review current knowledge of alternative sources of K, which is the seventh most abundant element in the Earth's continental crust, present in feldspars and (much less commonly) feldspathoid minerals including nepheline and leucite. Theoretical considerations based on the experimental determination of mineral dissolution rates indicate that nepheline dissolves 100 times more quickly than potassium feldspar, and this suggests that nepheline-bearing rocks are more effective as sources of K for plant growth than granitic rocks, even though these have higher K contents. Crop trials with silicate rocks and minerals as sources of K show increased K availability and uptake for nepheline-bearing rocks compared with granitic rocks. Under conditions where soils are rapidly leached (especially tropical soils such as oxisols that contain quartz, aluminium oxy-hydroxides and kaolinite), with low capacity to retain soluble nutrients, the use of potassium feldspar or crushed granite does give a yield response, although no greater than for conventional fertilisers. In other experiments with crushed ultramafic, basaltic and andesitic rocks improvements in crop yield are claimed, although this cannot be unambiguously related to the mineralogical or chemical composition of the rock used. In conclusion, the present high cost of conventional potassium fertilisers justifies further investigation of potassium silicate minerals and their host rocks (which in some cases include basic rocks, such as basalt) as alternative sources of K, especially for systems with highly weathered soils that lack a significant cation exchange capacity. Such soils commonly occur in developing countries, and so this approach provides an opportunity to develop indigenous silicate rock sources of K as an alternative to sometimes prohibitively expensive commercial fertilisers.


Pathway maps are an important source of information when analyzing functional implications of experimental data on biological processes. However, associating large quantities of data with nodes on a pathway map and allowing in depth-analysis at the same time is a challenging task. While a wide variety of approaches for doing so exist, they either do not scale beyond a few experiments or fail to represent the pathway appropriately. To remedy this, we introduce enRoute, a new approach for interactively exploring experimental data along paths that are dynamically extracted from pathways. By showing an extracted path side-by-side with experimental data, enRoute can present large amounts of data for every pathway node. It can visualize hundreds of samples, dozens of experimental conditions, and even multiple datasets capturing different aspects of a node at the same time. Another important property of this approach is its conceptual compatibility with arbitrary forms of pathways. Most notably, enRoute works well with pathways that are manually created, as they are available in large, public pathway databases. We demonstrate enRoute with pathways from the well-established KEGG database and expression as well as copy number datasets from humans and mice with more than 1,000 experiments. We validate enRoute using case studies with domain experts, who used enRoute to explore data for glioblastoma multiforme in humans and a model of steatohepatitis in mice.


Singlemode polymer fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) are etched down to a diameter of 30 <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$\mu{\rm m}$</tex></formula> to be used for high sensitivity tensile force measurements. The singlemode polymer fiber and the Bragg gratings are fabricated using the in-house fabrication facility. The fabricated cladding etched polymer FBGs are characterized for low value tensile force measurements and the sensitivity of the sensors is measured and compared with the theoretically estimated values. A sensitivity of 643 nm/N is obtained for the polymer Bragg grating with a diameter of 30 <formula formulatype="inline"> <tex Notation="TeX">$\mu{\rm m}$</tex></formula>. A pressure sensor based on a singlemode polymer fiber grating is also demonstrated. Low pressure in the range of 290–790 Pa is measured and the observed sensitivity of the pressure sensor is 1.32 pm/Pa. Given the bio-compatible nature of polymer fibers, such as high sensitivity force and pressure sensors can find applications in bio-medical field where high sensitivity low value force/pressure measurements are required.


Well-established criteria of training programme development are crucial to
ensure the effectiveness, and most importantly, to reveal the real value of
training programme.
This study was conducted among the lecturers in Universiti Putra Malaysia to
examine the criteria of an effective training programme by identifying the
programme development elements, and the approach to programme planning
preferred by the professionals. Also, it attempted to compare the perceptions
according to the teaching experience, experience in planning training programme,
and the frequency of their involvement in training in the last 12 months. By using stratified sampling, 364 lecturers were surveyed, utilizing a structured
questionnaire with a response rate of 89.6 percent. The data were analyzed
quantitatively by using SPSS programme and was presented in table format.
The results of the statistical analyses indicated the components of designing,
implementation, and evaluation were perceived to be significantly associated to
training effectiveness. By comparison, implementation component was the most
important component. The findings further revealed that the sub-components of
target audience identification, obtaining credible facilitators/instructors, and
formulation of recommendations for changes and future actions were very
significant in a successful training. The professionals showed more favour to
Classical Viewpoint on planning practice. It was also indicated by the findings,
instead of teaching experience and frequency of involvement in training, the
professionals' perception on the importance of those criteria varied by their
experience in planning training programme.
The study therefore recommends that programme developers should take into
consideration the training stakeholders' point of views when developing training
programme. Further research could be pursued in examining the impact of the
input evaluation and/or formative evaluation as to provide insights for
improvement of programme development practice.


Abstract Herbicide resistance is 'wicked' in nature; therefore, results of the many educational efforts to encourage diversification of weed control practices in the United States have been mixed. It is clear that we do not sufficiently understand the totality of the grassroots obstacles, concerns, challenges, and specific solutions needed for varied crop production systems. Weed management issues and solutions vary with such variables as management styles, regions, cropping systems, and available or affordable technologies. Therefore, to help the weed science community better understand the needs and ideas of those directly dealing with herbicide resistance, seven half-day regional listening sessions were held across the United States between December 2016 and April 2017 with groups of diverse stakeholders on the issues and potential solutions for herbicide resistance management. The major goals of the sessions were to gain an understanding of stakeholders and their goals and concerns related to herbicide resistance management, to become familiar with regional differences, and to identify decision maker needs to address herbicide resistance. The messages shared by listening-session participants could be summarized by six themes: we need new herbicides; there is no need for more regulation; there is a need for more education, especially for others who were not present; diversity is hard; the agricultural economy makes it difficult to make changes; and we are aware of herbicide resistance but are managing it. The authors concluded that more work is needed to bring a community-wide, interdisciplinary approach to understanding the complexity of managing weeds within the context of the whole farm operation and for communicating the need to address herbicide resistance.


Abstract Life in South Africa and elsewhere in the less developed world abounds with examples of social injustice, to such an extent that one could justifiably speak of unjust and unequal societies. In South Africa, a divide between the newly rich and the very poor has developed, coupled with a high crime rate which is one of the results of this inequality. This paper examines the thesis that social injustice can be eradicated in all unequal societies through educating the upcoming generations to be people with integrity, people who can be truly "organic" individuals, that is, with a spirit of serving others and caring for their interests. Education should be aimed at forming, guiding, equipping and enabling future citizens of the country to become driven with a spirit of selflessness and unselfishness. This will imbue in them a readiness to share with others and in doing so, to act and behave to the common good of all living in that particular society. This study has implications for education in all unequal societies, those still riddled with social injustice and suffering deep social divides.


Options for adapting to changing water resources9 availability due to climate change have been routinely assessed for ability to alleviate expected impacts. Methods for evaluating effectiveness of adaptation options are usually based on, fundamentally different but complementary, hazards and vulnerability assessment based approaches. In this paper, we describe a framework to integrate these approaches for improved climate change adaptation policy making. We further review assessment approaches and corresponding criteria used for evaluation of planned adaptation options in the water sector. A synthesis of methods for evaluation reveals four main categories: (i) natural sciences based, (ii) social sciences based, (iii) overlapping and (iv) trans-disciplinary. Criteria from reviewed studies are classified using a scale vis-a-vis theme based classification, and unified into a criteria set covering important adaptation requirements while allowing case-specific modification. We find that important criteria, such as temporal scope of adaptation and implementability, have not been explicitly considered in scientific literature. The type of adaptation has an important bearing on evaluation and should be effectively modelled to make an informed decision regarding performance. Moreover, we suggest that it is important to explicitly consider influence of future changes in non-climatic factors along with climatic changes for a more robust analysis.


Tool Lending Libraries function much like that of a public library, offering users the chance to check out a variety of tools at no cost, as part of a membership fee or on a tool by tool fee basis, far lower than the purchase price for each tool, and below rates offered by for-profit rental agencies. This study attempts to determine what factors make a successful tool lending library and how these operations contribute to community sustainability. Findings for specific criteria were inconclusive, but suggest it is extremely difficult to isolate variables enough that insight will be provided into criteria outside of ability to serve the most tool users with the desired tools. Tool lending libraries have shown to contribute to community sustainability through criteria such as lowering economic barriers to home improvement, reduction in tool consumption, and home energy efficiency improvements. Application of findings were tentatively applied to the Lincoln 501(c)(3) Ecostores Nebraska, including a survey to EcoStores Nebraska customers addressed in the text. Further research into number of areas would be beneficial to understanding the growth trend in these operations.


In the first part of the thesis we develop the theory of standard bases in free modules over (localized) polynomial rings. Given that linear equations are solvable in the coefficients of the polynomials, we introduce an algorithm to compute standard bases with respect to arbitrary (module) monomial orderings. Moreover, we take special care to principal ideal rings, allowing zero divisors. For these rings we design modified algorithms which are new and much faster than the general ones. These algorithms were motivated by current limitations in formal verification of microelectronic System-on-Chip designs. We show that our novel approach using computational algebra is able to overcome these limitations in important classes of applications coming from industrial challenges.

The second part is based on research in collaboration with Jason Morton, Bernd Sturmfels and Anne Shiu. We devise a general method to describe and compute a certain class of rank tests motivated by statistics. The class of rank tests may loosely be described as being based on computing the number of linear extensions to given partial orders. In order to apply these tests to actual data we developed two algorithms and used our implementations to apply the methodology to gene expression data created at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research. The dataset is concerned with the development of the vertebra. Our rankings proved valuable to the biologists.


The document describes the results of the EC135 R/C flight trials that have been carried out with DLR's research helicopter FHS, an EC 135, in Bremen. A curved approach procedure has been developed in WP2.4 for Bremen airport taking into account the idea of simultaneous non-interfering rotorcraft IFR operations. This concept offers the possibility of allowing individual rotorcraft approaches that do not interfere with standard fixed wing traffic and thus will contribute to increase capacity in terms of airport throughput.
Since future ATM operations will be based on 4D trajectories, rotorcraft IFR operations might as well require 4D capabilities. A basic requirement for this kind of operation is the rotorcraft's capability to meet a required time of arrival (RTA) at a given waypoint. The functions developed within OPTIMAL for EC135 experimental Flight Management System allow flying a time referenced curved approach with an RTA given at the Missed Approach Point which has been defined at the end of the curve.
These functions and the design of the procedure itself have been tested in flight trials at Bremen airport. The main objectives were to verify the flyability of the curved approach and to assess the 4D capability of the experimental FMS functions. SBAS (EGNOS) has been used as primary input to the navigation system. 35 approaches to Bremen under various weather (wind) conditions have been carried out. The curved approaches have been flown with two different guidance concepts: a tunnel display and a bug-PFD-guidance display. All approaches have been flown manually without any SAS assistance or autopilot assistance.
With respect to the Flight Technical Error (FTE), the results obtained with the tunnel display are better than those obtained with the bugs guidance concept. With the tunnel guidance concept, pilot stayed in almost 100% of the flight time from the IF down to the MAPt within the tunnel (tunnel dimensions 80m x 60m). Using the bugs display, pilots deviated in up to 15% of the flight trials more than 40 meters from the nominal flight path.
Pilots clearly expressed their preference for the tunnel display. They reported about a by far lower workload compared to the bugs display. With the tunnel display, this rather complex procedure, that includes steep and curved segments in addition to speed reductions during the curve, is flyable without further automation. The tunnel itself provided sufficient situation awareness.
In the first 27 approaches, required times of arrival (RTAs) have been given for the MAPt to verify the 4D capability of the FMS. Pilots have been able to achieve this RTA with an accuracy of less than 5 seconds.

Basically the trials have shown that
• The developed curved approach procedure is flyable
• With the tunnel display this rather complex procedure is flyable without further automation and with a sufficient accuracy and an acceptable level of workload.
• The tunnel itself provided sufficient situation awareness.
• With additional speed guidance information, the procedure can be flown with a very good 4D accuracy (less than 5 seconds).


Modern computer systems rely heavily on methods of authentication and identity verification to protect sensitive data. One of the most robust protective techniques involves adding a layer of biometric analysis to other security mechanisms, as a means of establishing the identity of an individual beyond reasonable doubt. In the search for a biometric technique which is both low-cost and transparent to the end user, researchers
have considered analysing the typing patterns of keyboard users to determine their characteristic timing signatures. Previous research into keystroke analysis has either required fixed performance of known keyboard input or relied on artificial tests involving the improvisation of a block of text for analysis. I is proposed that this is insufficient to determine the nature of
unconstrained typing in a live computing environment. In an attempt to assess the utility of typing analysis for improving intrusion detection on computer systems, we present the notion of 'genuinely free text' (GFT). Through the course of this thesis, we discuss the nature of GFT and attempt to address whether it is feasible to produce a lightweight software platform for monitoring GFT keystroke biometrics, while protecting
the privacy of users. The thesis documents in depth the design, development and deployment of the multigraph-based BAKER software platform, a system for collecting statistical GFT data from live environments. This software platform has enabled the collection of an extensive set of keystroke biometric data for a group of participating computer users, the analysis of which we also present here. Several supervised learning techniques were
used to demonstrate that the richness of keystroke information gathered from BAKER is indeed sufficient to recommend multigraph keystroke analysis, as a means of augmenting
computer security. In addition, we present a discussion of the feasibility of applying data obtained from GFT profiles in circumventing traditional static and free text analysis biometrics.


Resilient Hyperpolarization Despite constant exposure to all sorts of stressors, most people are resilient and do not develop depression, but we do not understand the neurophysiological underpinnings of stress resilience. Friedman et al. (p. 313) studied this phenomenon in a mouse model of social-defeat stress depression. In the mice they found that, despite apparently pathological levels of hyperpolarization and elevated potassium channel currents in the ventral tegmental area (a structure known to be involved in depression), resilient mice showed normal activity in dopaminergic neurons. Thus, if "depressed" mice were experimentally provoked into hyperpolarization—unexpectedly, they completely reversed depression-related behaviors. Intensifying pathogenic changes paradoxically ameliorate depressive symptoms in mice. Typical therapies try to reverse pathogenic mechanisms. Here, we describe treatment effects achieved by enhancing depression-causing mechanisms in ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine (DA) neurons. In a social defeat stress model of depression, depressed (susceptible) mice display hyperactivity of VTA DA neurons, caused by an up-regulated hyperpolarization-activated current (Ih). Mice resilient to social defeat stress, however, exhibit stable normal firing of these neurons. Unexpectedly, resilient mice had an even larger Ih, which was observed in parallel with increased potassium (K+) channel currents. Experimentally further enhancing Ih or optogenetically increasing the hyperactivity of VTA DA neurons in susceptible mice completely reversed depression-related behaviors, an antidepressant effect achieved through resilience-like, projection-specific homeostatic plasticity. These results indicate a potential therapeutic path of promoting natural resilience for depression treatment.


Methane hydrate (MH) is considered as one of the most promising energy source. It is necessary to understand the characteristics of methane hydrate formation and dissociation in marine sediments. In this study, the marine sediments from the South China Sea were employed to remold sediment core samples containing methane hydrates. Then, the MH-bearing sediment was dissociated by depressurization. The experimental results indicated that with the continuous supply of gas source, it is easier to nucleate and grow for methane hydrate in marine sediments under confining pressure. However, hydrate formation may lead to grain-coating or contact-cementing pore, thereby not contributing to the gas flow. Thus, as the continuous gas injection causes the hydrate saturation to increase, the time required for inlet pressure raised to equal outlet pressure becomes longer and longer. In the later stage of depressurization, under the influence of confining pressure and fluid flow driving, water production and gas production in marine sediments are extremely difficult.


This qualitative study investigated the perspectives of high school photography teachers regarding visual literacy. A qualitative methodology that used a phenomenographic research design was employed to gain understanding about the perspectives of high school photography teachers in their conceptualization, perceptions, and experiences surrounding visual literacy. A survey/ questionnaire was used to explore participants' paths towards becoming a high school photography teacher, the amount of years they have been teaching, and their geographic location. Participants perception of school demographics such as school size, community contexts, racial, ethnic, and economic diversity were also collected. Additional prompts were designed to investigate curricular influences, pressing concerns, and pedagogical considerations regarding the various aspects of visual literacy. 100 survey/ questionnaire responses were collected along with five semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed through constant comparison and in vivo coding was used to construct categories of description. The categories of description were further organized into three main themes: Curricular Influences, Pedagogical Considerations and Creative Applications. Data were then sorted into structural and referential aspects of experience to provide an overview of the outcome space. The structural aspects are described as teachers' influential experiences and the referential described as the teaching of visual literacy. The results of this study were organized into five major discussion points: 1.) Participants' lived experiences directly impact their teaching of visual literacy, 2.) Curriculum standards have limited impact on the teaching of visual literacy, 3.) Participants employ dialogue-based strategies when teaching visual literacy, 4.) Both analyzing and creating images are important aspects of visual literacy, 5.) Visual literacy addresses the needs of high school photography students.


Abstract The occurrence of agglutinated foraminiferal specimens belonging to the Badenian (middle Miocene) genus Colominella Popescu, 1998 was recently documented for the first time in a lower Pliocene succession of the western Mediterranean area. Direct comparisons with topotype specimens of Colominella paalzowi (Cushman 1936), sampled in the Badenian type section of Lăpugiu de Sus (Transylvania), show that the Pliocene individuals from the western Mediterranean morphologically resemble the type species C. paalzowi, but they also differ in possessing a longer biserial chamber arrangement with a higher number of internal chamber partitions, in lacking a clear early triserial stage and in having a more complex microstructure of the agglutinated wall, thereby supporting the idea that the Pliocene Mediterranean specimens represent a new, more highly evolved species. The fact that the Pliocene individuals from the Mediterranean appear to be more evolved with respect to the Badenian specimens from Paratethys represents an interesting evolutionary development of the genus Colominella that also permits the known stratigraphical and geographical range of the genus, previously limited to the middle Miocene (Badenian) of the Paratethys, to be extended.


In studying the history of the human mind one is impressed again and again by the fact that the growth of the mind is the widening of the range of consciousness, and that each step forward has been a most painful and laborious achievement. One could almost say that nothing is more hateful to man than to give up even a particle of his unconsciousness. Ask those who have tried to introduce a new idea! Carl Jung


The development of advanced hi-tech technologies has an impact on every area of social life. Changes resulting from it are visible at every turn. Public administration cannot be indifferent to these changes, especially when they are desired by the society. According to the current principles of law, to make it possible for public administration to convert to electronic administration (or even e-government), it is essential to pass certain regulations. E-government in Poland is nowadays laboriously becoming a fact, and there are some projects that we can be proud of. In this paper, the author describes them in detail and reveals their weak and strong sides.


ABSTRACT Wrong-patient errors from inadvertent menu selections while using computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems could have fatal consequences. This study investigated whether the manipulation of CPOE interface design could improve healthcare providers' ability to recognize patient selection errors and also decrease the time to error recognition. Using a 2 × 2 design, 120 participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups, interacting with different versions of a simulated CPOE: (1) control – standard version; (2) highlighted selection – the selected patient row was highlighted for 2 s, by blanking the rest of the screen; (3) photo – photographs of patients' faces were displayed in all screens; (4) combined – with photo and highlighted selection. Each participant navigated through five order scenarios. On the last scenario, an error was simulated by directing the participant to a wrong patient. Recognition rates of the wrong-patient error and times to error recognition were significantly improved for the highlighted selection, photo, and combined groups, relative to the control group. These results suggest that the addition of patient photos and highlighted selection could substantially reduce errors in CPOE systems and other applications.


Based on ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations we derive an analytical expression for the interplanar potential of grain boundaries and single crystals as a function of coupled tensile and shear displacements. This energy function captures even details of the grain boundary behaviour, such as the tension-softening of the shear instability of aluminium grain boundaries, with good accuracy. The good agreement between the analytical model and the DFT calculations is achieved by introducing two new characteristic parameters, namely the position of the generalised unstable stacking fault with respect to the stable stacking fault, and the ratio of stable and unstable generalised stacking fault energies. One of the potentials' parameters also serves as a criterion to judge if a grain boundary deforms via crack propagation or dislocation nucleation. We suggest this potential function for application in continuum models, where constitutive relationships for grain boundaries need to be derived from a sound physical model.


Barley scald, caused by Rhynchosporium commune is one of the most prevalent diseases in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) worldwide. The primary loss from scald is reduced yield, which can exceed 25% in dry areas. In our earlier studies, we developed a low-resolution linkage map for recombinant inbred lines of the cross Tadmor/WI2291. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for scald were localized on chromosomes 2H and 3H flanked by Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) markers HVM54 and Bmac0093b on 2H and HVLTPP8, HVM62 and Bmag0006 on 3H. These chromosome 3H markers were found to be located close to the Rrs1 − R. commune resistance gene(s) on chromosome 3H. In this study, 10 homozygous resistant and 10 homozygous susceptible plants each from the F7 population of Tadmor/ Sel160, a panel of 23 barley varieties used routinely in the International Centre for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) breeding program and three populations were used for scald resistance screening using 25 DNA markers that are located very close to scald resistance gene(s) on barley chromosomes. Only five of those markers clearly discriminated co-dominantly between resistant and susceptible plants. These markers, Ebmac0871SSR, HVS3-SCAR, Bmag0006-SSR, reside on different arms of barley chromosome 3H. Ebmac871 is localized on the short arm of 3H and HVS3 and Bmag0006 are localized on the long arm of 3H. This result indicates that the scald resistance genes which they tag are probably close to the centromeric region of this chromosome. Scald resistance from several sources map to the proximal region of the long arm of chromosome 3H, forming the complex Rrs1 locus. The availability of highly polymorphic markers for the discrimination of breeding material would be extremely useful for barley breeders to select for the trait at the DNA level rather than relying on phenotypic expression and infection reaction.


The current thesis aimed to explore the novice driver problem from a psychological perspective. The ultimate aim was to enhance knowledge and understanding which may advise how to improve novice driver safety. The novice driver problem is a worldwide trend; which in the UK involves one in five newly licensed drivers being crash involved in their first year of driving (Maycock & Forsyth, 1997). Research suggests that both age and inexperience are the major factors of novice driver crash risk; although inexperience has been shown to be the more important (Maycock, 2002). Crash risk reduces dramatically as drivers gain experience of driving after licensure, although what drivers are psychologically learning through experience is not yet understood. Using the Task-Capability Interface model (Fuller, 2005) to conceptualise driving, the current thesis sought to extend the theory by exploring the psychological processes through which drivers appraise risk and how this shapes a decision and behavioural response. Study One reports that there are two distinct ways in which drivers appraise risk, which supports theory proposed by Slovic et al. (2004): risk as feelings and risk as analysis. Current neurological theory, in the form of the Somatic Marker Hypothesis (Damasio, 1994), supports the role of feelings and emotion as an evolved automated system of human risk appraisal that biases judgement and decision making. Studies Two and Three investigated emotional appraisal of hazards between novice and experienced drivers through physiological skin conductance. The results suggest that novice drivers fail to emotionally appraise developing hazards when compared to experienced drivers. Study Three demonstrated that novice drivers who had driven less than 1000 miles had physiological anticipatory scores similar to learner drivers whereas novices who had driven more than 1000 miles had scores approaching those of experienced drivers. This demonstrated a learning curve mediated by driving experience. As a result of the thesis, it is suggested that further research into the role of feelings and emotion in learning to drive is performed. The implication of the results for graduated licensing is also discussed.


THIS BRIEF and itinerate survey of the airwave spectrum, a somewhat arbitrary scan across the audio visual radar, takes a glancing read of some current films and television programmes. There should never be any inhibition or snobbery about the range or pluralism of the material we take seriously, in fact there is an imperative to attend to the things that most people watch. Even if these five fragments, very different pieces from different places in film and television, cannot possibly add up to a balanced overview, they form some part of the pattern of how things are now. 1) Kill BillAs the opening credits announce, this is indeed the fourth film by Quentin Tarantino; (it's worth remembering that Ford, Hawks and Huston used to produce that number every couple of years rather than over a decade and a half). But this is part of the enhanced self-promotion of...


Understanding the physical mechanisms that govern the ion and fluidic transport in salt-concentration-based nanochannel/nanopore systems is essential for the potential applications in bioanalysis. One central challenge is to interpret the observed four-stage change from osmosis to the reverse one with increasing salt gradient. Here we provide a unified model that outlines the intriguing role of two competing factors, the exclusion- and diffusion-induced electrical potentials. We demonstrate theoretically a direction control of a hydrodynamic flow via the salt gradient. Based on this, we also propose a salt-gradient approach for regulating DNA motion in nanochannels that enables voltage-free single-molecule capture with a significantly low translocation speed. The present method would be used as a useful protocol to overcome the key hurdle of tailoring the capture-to-translocation dynamics of polynucleotides for nanopore sequencing.


Retrieving snow surface reflectance is difficult in optical remote sensing. Hence, this letter evaluates five surface reflectance models, including the Ross-Li, Roujean, Walthall, modified Rahman and Staylor models, in terms of their capacities to capture snow reflectance signatures using ground measurements in Antarctica. The biases of all the models are less than 0.0003 in both visible and near-infrared regions. Moreover, with the exception of the Staylor model, all models have root-mean-square errors of around 0.02, indicating that they can simulate the reflectance magnitude well. The R2 performances of the Ross-Li and Roujean models are higher than those of the others, indicating that these two models can capture the angle distribution of snow surface reflectance better.


In the last several years there has been a surge of interest in fostering more sustainable logistical operations in urban areas. Under the umbrella of the generic term City Logistics, these initiatives try to take advantage of the coordinating power of a municipal government to convince urban delivery companies to participate in collaborative schemes that by reducing truck trips, increasing the utilization of trucks, or both, may reduce the negative externalities associated with urban truck traffic. While most research on this topic focuses on freight models (Holguin-Veras, et al, 2001), freight transport networks (Yamada, et al, 2010) and urban freight project evaluation (Thompson and Hassall, 2005), not much research has been conducted to understand the behaviors of urban carriers and freight receivers in response to the cooperative multicarrier delivery initiatives and assess its impacts on a disaggregate level. Some researchers had studied the behavioral modeling between freight agents (Thompson and Hassall, 2005). It is important to investigate the interactions between freight agent and how those relations impact decision making and policy implementation. To investigate a cooperative multicarrier delivery initiative and assess its impacts on a disaggregate level, this report is divided into two parts. The first part studies freight delivery patterns in New York City and related influential factors. Results would serve the feasibility study of implementing freight consolidation centers (FCC) in New York City. The second part focuses on studying the decision-making process for developing urban FCC using experimental economics approach. Players acting as different stakeholders are given cash bonus to mimic the decision making process.


IMPORTANCE
Early-life antibiotic exposure has been associated with increased adiposity in animal models, mediated through the gut microbiome. Infant antibiotic exposure is common and often inappropriate. Studies of the association between infant antibiotics and childhood weight gain have reported inconsistent results.

OBJECTIVE
To assess the association between early-life antibiotic exposure and childhood weight gain.

DESIGN AND SETTING
Retrospective, longitudinal study of singleton births and matched longitudinal study of twin pairs conducted in a network of 30 pediatric primary care practices serving more than 200,000 children of diverse racial and socioeconomic backgrounds across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

PARTICIPANTS
Children born between November 1, 2001, and December 31, 2011, at 35 weeks' gestational age or older, with birth weight of 2000 g or more and in the fifth percentile or higher for gestational age, and who had a preventive health visit within 14 days of life and at least 2 additional visits in the first year of life. Children with complex chronic conditions and those who received long-term antibiotics or multiple systemic corticosteroid prescriptions were excluded. We included 38,522 singleton children and 92 twins (46 matched pairs) discordant in antibiotic exposure. Final date of follow-up was December 31, 2012.

EXPOSURE
Systemic antibiotic use in the first 6 months of life.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Weight, measured at preventive health visits from age 6 months through 7 years.

RESULTS
Of 38,522 singleton children (50% female; mean birth weight, 3.4 kg), 5287 (14%) were exposed to antibiotics during the first 6 months of life (at a mean age of 4.3 months). Antibiotic exposure was not significantly associated with rate of weight change (0.7%; 95% CI, -0.1% to 1.5%; P = .07, equivalent to approximately 0.05 kg; 95% CI, -0.004 to 0.11 kg of added weight gain between age 2 years and 5 years). Among 92 twins (38% female; mean birth weight, 2.8 kg), the 46 twins who were exposed to antibiotics during the first 6 months of life received them at a mean age of 4.5 months. Antibiotic exposure was not significantly associated with a weight difference (-0.09 kg; 95% CI, -0.26 to 0.08 kg; P = .30).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Exposure to antibiotics within the first 6 months of life compared with no exposure was not associated with a statistically significant difference in weight gain through age 7 years. There are many reasons to limit antibiotic exposure in young, healthy children, but weight gain is likely not one of them.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE
To examine factors related to perceived caregiving burden in a sample of caregivers assisting service members and veterans (SMVs) across four areas: SMV injury and health status; caregiver life circumstances; caregiver duty and responsibilities; and caregiver needs. Research Method/Design: Participants were 214 caregivers (95.8% female; 86.0% spouse/partner; Age: M = 38.6 years [SD = 10.4]) of SMVs who sustained a mild, moderate, severe, or penetrating traumatic brain injury (TBI). Caregivers were recruited from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and via community outreach. Participants completed the Caregiver Appraisal Scale, Mayo-Portland Adaptability Inventory-4, and Caregiver Questionnaire. The sample was divided into 2 Caregiver Burden groups: High (n = 138) and Low Burden (n = 76).

RESULTS
Factors significantly related to higher levels of perceived burden were (a) experiencing a greater caregiving time commitment now and over time, (b) caring for activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living, (c) experiencing an impact of caregiving on employment, income, and out of pocket expenses, (d) parenting more than 1 child, (e) having less time to devote to one's self now and over time, (f) having caregiver needs, and/or (g) assisting a SMV who had incurred a mild TBI; was experiencing greater functional disability; had a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis; received mental health and rehabilitation treatment; and/or used an assistive device (all p < .05; odds ratios [ORs] = 1.13 to 14.57; ds = .02 to 1.30).

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS
Providing care for a SMV after a TBI can impose a heavy burden, particularly for caregivers who provide support to SMVs with comorbid mental health problems, such as PTSD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).


Academic performance for students with moderate to severe disabilities falls far behind their typically developing peers and puts them at risk for continued dependence after school ends. Video prompting is an evidence-based practice that has been used to teach various nonacademic skills; however, few studies have focused on using video prompting to teach academic skills other than reading. This study used a delayed multiple baseline across students design to evaluate the use of video prompting to teach singleand double-digit addition to three students with moderate disabilities. Results indicated that all three students improved their accurate completion of addition problems immediately upon introduction of the video prompting intervention. In addition, all three students completely faded the use of the videos and generalized completing addition problems to another setting. Social validity of the intervention was high across all participants, their families, and their teacher.


The national diversity of Europe is reflected in the diversity of its criminal landscape and history. From the north of Scotland to Ukraine one finds different focal points and patterns of crimes and criminal entrepreneurs. This does not necessarily lead to a corresponding reaction of the authorities. Some responses are the result of a gradually developed form of cross-border cooperation, as is the case between Poland and Germany, other authorities appear carried away with emotional decision making and an inflexible political correctness as is observed in the field of the sex service industry. In another country, in the adjacent field of child trafficking, we find the converse: no response as victims are not labelled as such. And no victim label, no criminal law policy.

Where the interactions between the upper- and underworld come into sight, this volume presents the reader with a select picture gallery of criminal faces: from corrupt football to remarkable criminal finances in Ukraine, to fraud and criminal abuse in the informal or quack health sector. Naturally, each face has its own pretences in order to hide its criminal background, be it large scale cannabis growing in the Netherlands or organised cybercrime from Romania to all countries in Europe.

Indeed, the criminal portrait series in this Cross-border Crime Volume shows that criminal Europe does not lead to a boring uniformity, despite the fear of globalism.

This sixteenth volume of the Cross-border Crime Colloquium contains the seventeen peer-reviewed contributions of 26 authors presented in 2016 at the Cross-border Crime Colloquium held at Northumbria University, Newcastle. The authors represent upcoming experts and established researchers in the field of (organised) crime for profit and related policies. The contributions are based on empirical research and independent analysis and provide new data and insights on which to build new theories and future research.