Background Undernutrition is an important risk factor for childhood mortality, and remains a major problem facing many developing countries. Millennium Development Goal 1 calls for a reduction in underweight children, implemented through a variety of interventions. To adequately judge the impact of these interventions, it is important to know the reproducibility of the main indicators for undernutrition. In this study, we trained individuals from rural communities in Ethiopia in anthropometry techniques and measured intra- and inter-observer reliability. Methods and Findings We trained 6 individuals without prior anthropometry experience to perform weight, height, and middle upper arm circumference (MUAC) measurements. Two anthropometry teams were dispatched to 18 communities in rural Ethiopia and measurements performed on all consenting pre-school children. Anthropometry teams performed a second independent measurement on a convenience sample of children in order to assess intra-anthropometrist reliability. Both teams measured the same children in 2 villages to assess inter-anthropometrist reliability. We calculated several metrics of measurement reproducibility, including the technical error of measurement (TEM) and relative TEM. In total, anthropometry teams performed measurements on 606 pre-school children, 84 of which had repeat measurements performed by the same team, and 89 of which had measurements performed by both teams. Intra-anthropometrist TEM (and relative TEM) were 0.35 cm (0.35%) for height, 0.05 kg (0.39%) for weight, and 0.18 cm (1.27%) for MUAC. Corresponding values for inter-anthropometrist reliability were 0.67 cm (0.75%) for height, 0.09 kg (0.79%) for weight, and 0.22 kg (1.53%) for MUAC. Inter-anthropometrist measurement error was greater for smaller children than for larger children. Conclusion Measurements of height and weight were more reproducible than measurements of MUAC and measurements of larger children were more reliable than those for smaller children. Community-drawn anthropometrists can provide reliable measurements that could be used to assess the impact of interventions for childhood undernutrition.


Background Recently, several investigators have reported an association between influenza epidemics and increased birth rates of 'preschizophrenic' individuals some four to six months later. Here we examine whether maternal exposure to other infectious diseases can also predispose the foetus to later schizophrenia. Method Two independent sets of dates of birth of first admission schizophrenic patients, born between 1938 and 1965 in England and Wales, were obtained from the Mental Health Enquiry in England and Wales. Data on the number of deaths per month from 16 infectious diseases between 1937 and 1965 in England and Wales were also collected. We used a Poisson regression model to examine the relationship between deaths from infectious diseases and schizophrenic births. Results In the two separate data sets, increased national deaths from bronchopneumonia preceded, by three and five months respectively, increased numbers of schizophrenic births. We did not find any other significant associations between schizophrenic births and any of the other 15 infectious diseases. Conclusions The association between deaths from bronchopneumonia and increased schizophrenic births some months later may be a reflection of the fact that bronchopneumonia deaths increase markedly during influenza epidemics.


Indigenous participation in sentencing procedures has been occurring informally in remote communities for some time. During the late 1990s, formalisation of this practice began in urban areas with the advent of Indigenous sentencing and Circle Courts. Formalisation has also occurred in remote areas. The aim has been to make court processes more culturally appropriate, to engender greater trust between Indigenous communities and judicial officers, and to permit a more informal and open exchange of information about defendants and their cases. Indigenous people, organisations, elders, family and kin group members are encouraged to participate in the sentencing process and to provide officials with insight into the offence, the character of victim-offender relations, and an offender's readiness to change. This paper describes the range of practices used in different states and territories. It is a snapshot of current practice at year-end 2003 in Australia. The authors' research suggests that judicial officers and other legal officials, elders, community people, paid workers and volunteers are working in a sincere and dedicated way to make these new justice practices meaningful and effective.


Electronic cigarettes have been steadily increasing in popularity over the last few years. The sudden inflation in the use of e-cigarettes has raised interest regarding the safety and composition of these devices. With a large portion of users being adolescents, the concern has prompted investigators to research what the devices contain and try to qualitatively define the chemicals present as well as assess the associated health complications that may arise. Despite the potential health implications associated, e-cigarettes have found a place as an alternative to traditional nicotine replacement therapy as an option for smoking cessation in users who are trying to quit. Recent evidence has indicated a potentially promising place for electronic cigarettes in this facet of the market, however more research is necessary to determine the safety and the future role for these devices.


Until recently, the Ethiopian government's investment did not systematically target high potential areas for agricultural intensification, limiting the potential productivity gains. Waterlogged vertisols, which cover about 2.7 million hectares in the Ethiopian part of the Blue Nile Basin, are among the high potential soils where management interventions could result in positive impacts. This study utilized soil, climate, crop and livestock productivity data and models to demonstrate intensification strategies which can increase crop-livestock system productivity. To understand the effects of alternative land use and water management interventions on water productivity, the areas have been classified into three drainage status depending on slope classes. Accordingly, non-drainable (0–2%), drainable (2–5%) and naturally drained (>5%) respectively, represented areas where artificial drainage is not feasible, where drainage using broad bed and furrows (BBF) is recommended, and areas where waterlogging is not a problem and no intervention is needed. Early planting of wheat (Triticum spp.) on BBF instead of the traditional late planting on flat beds in drainable areas and rice (Oryza sativa) cultivation instead of the traditional extensive grazing or growing grass-pea (Lathyrus sativus) on the flat areas provide viable alternative cropping options. Yield data of the crops and biomass of the native grass were obtained from research stations in the area while the effective rainfall and crop water requirement were estimated using CROPWAT Model. The value of the native grass and crop straw as livestock feed was estimated based on previous works. With respect to effective rainfall, the water productivity increase due to BBF over the control ranged from 5% to 200%, with an average increase of 57%. Despite higher water consumption of rice, feeding its residues to livestock enhanced the overall economic water productivity of the system as compared to the natural grazing or grass-pea cultivation. This can be accounted for by higher rice biomass productivity and the greater demand for its grain. The study demonstrated that draining the excess water when the slope allows, growing suitable high value crops on non-drainable areas, and integration of livestock into improved land and water management enhance overall agricultural system water productivity.


Option-implied betas are a promising alternative to historical beta estimators, because they are inherently forward-looking and can incorporate new information immediately and fully. Recently, different implied beta estimators have been developed in previous literature, but very little is known about their properties and information content. This paper presents a first systematic comparison between six different implied beta estimators, which provides some guidance for applications and identifies directions for further improvements. The main results of the empirical study reveal that betas derived from implied variances are better predictors of realized betas than betas obtained from implied skewness, and that cross-sectional information from all stocks in the market improves beta estimation significantly. We also find that option-implied betas generally have a higher information content in periods of relatively high trading activity in options markets.


The tailoring of surfaces with nanostructured thin films, where interfacial properties can be controlled at the nanoscale, offers multiple possibilities for biological applications. The design of thin films with appropriate properties to induce desired biological responses at cell level requires the convergence of research from physics, chemistry, material science, biology, and medicine. Here, we will discuss the main surface properties that determine the behavior of isolated cells, cell colonies, and tissues interacting with a material. Surface roughness, morphological features, stiffness, wettability, chemical nature, and protein-surface interaction characteristics, as well as spatiotem-poral heterogeneities, are expected to contribute to the desired biological performance of a material. A brief review in relation to thin films for biological applications will be presented. We will focus on examples in which basic rather simple processes play a key role in determining the triggering of a particular biological cell phenotype.


Understanding environmental and residue influences on decomposition and nutrient dynamics under diverse conditions is critical for efficient resource management. Our objective was to evaluate the influence of water on decomposition and N dynamics for surface and buried residues. Decomposition of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench), and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. emend. Thell.) residues in fiberglass bags on the surface or buried at 120 mm in Pullman soil (fine, mixed, thermic Torrertic Paleustoll) at Bushland, TX, was measured from May 1990 to May 1991. A line-source sprinkler provided five water regimes (336, 287, 166, 60, and 5 mm) while precipitation provided 305 mm water. Decomposition coefficients (k) were greater for alfalfa than for wheat or grain sorghum and were greater for buried than for surface residues. Rate coefficients increased linearly with water applied. The increase was greater for alfalfa than for sorghum and wheat. Net N mineralization occurred from alfalfa residues throughout the study. Net N immobilization was longer than 1 yr for surface wheat and sorghum and about 0.33 yr for buried residues. Both Nₘₐₓ (grams N immobilized per kilogram of original biomass) and Nₑqᵥ (grams N immobilized per kilogram of biomass loss) were influenced by crop and placement but not water regime. The Nₘₐₓ value was similar for surface wheat and sorghum residues but was 50% lower for buried wheat than for sorghum. The Nₑqᵥ indicated the N requirement of microorganisms was less for buried than for surface residues. Water and residue quality interactions affecting decomposition and N dynamics should be considered in residue management strategies for soil protection and nutrient cycling.


The recent development of spectral method has been praised for its high-order convergence in simulating complex physical problems. The combination of embedded boundary method and spectral method becomes a mainstream way to tackle geometrically complicated problems. However, the convergence is deteriorated when embedded boundary strategies are employed. Owing to the loss of regularity, in this paper we propose a new spectral collocation method which retains the regularity of solutions to solve differential equations in the case of complex geometries. The idea is rooted in the basis functions defined in an extended domain, which leads to a useful upper bound of the Lebesgue constant with respect to the Fourier best approximation. In particular, how the stretching of the domain defining basis functions affects the convergence rate directly is detailed. Error estimates chosen in our proposed method show that the exponential decay convergence for problems with analytical solutions can be retained. Moreover, two-dimensional Poisson equations and convection-diffusion equations with simple and complex geometrical domains will be simulated. The predicted results justify the advantages of applying our method to tackle geometrically complicated problems.


In most cases, gauged river flow records in southern South America extend for only a few decades, hampering the detection of long-term, decadal to centennialscale cycles and trends. Long streamflow series can be reconstructed from tree-ring records, offering the opportunity of extending the limited hydrological instrumental data to several centuries. In northern Patagonia, Argentina, the Neuqúen River has great importance for local and national socio-economic activities such as hydroelectric power generation, agriculture and tourism. In this study, new and updated tree-ring chronologies fromAraucaria araucanaand Austrocedrus chilensisare used to reconstruct the October–June mean streamflow for the Neuqu én River and place the period of gauged flows (1903–2009), in a long-term, multi-century context. The reconstruction covers the period 1346–2000 AD and was developed from a network of 43 tree-ring chronologies, grouped in composite series, using a nested principal component regression approach. Analyses of the frequency, intensity, and duration of droughts and pluvial events indicate that the 20th century contains some of the driest and wettest annual to decadal-scale events in the last 654 yr, but longer and more severe events were recorded in previous centuries. Blackman-Tukey and singular spectral analyses identified quasiperiodic oscillations from 3.5 to 17.5 yr. A dominant 6.8-yr cycle explains ca. 23.6 % of the total variance in the Neuqúen River streamflow reconstruction. Correlation analyses showed that discharges of the Neuqu ́ n River are related to variations in the Southern Annular Mode (SAM), a measure of air mass exchanges between middle and high latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere. This association is consistent with previous studies that indicate a strong correlation between rainfall in northern Patagonia and SAM variations.


Using data from a water‐balance instrument cluster with spatially distributed sensors we determined the magnitude and within‐catchment variability of components of the catchment‐scale water balance, focusing on the relationship of seasonal evapotranspiration to changes in snowpack and soil moisture storage. Co‐located, continuous snow depth and soil moisture measurements were deployed in a rain–snow transition catchment in the mixed‐conifer forest in the Southern Sierra Nevada. At each elevation sensors were placed in the open, under the canopy, and at the drip edge on both north‐ and south‐facing slopes. Snow sensors were placed at 27 locations, with soil moisture and temperature sensors placed at depths of 10, 30, 60, and 90 cm beneath the snow sensor. Soils are weakly developed (Inceptisols and Entisols) and formed from decomposed granite with properties that change with elevation. The soil–bedrock interface is hard in upper reaches of the basin (>2000 m) where glaciers have scoured the parent material approximately 18,000 yr ago. Below an elevation of 2000 m soils have a paralithic contact (weathered saprolite) that can extend beyond a depth of 1.5 m, facilitating pathways for deep percolation. Soils are wet and not frozen in winter, and dry out in the weeks following spring snowmelt and rain. Based on data from two snowmelt seasons, it was found that soils dry out following snowmelt at relatively uniform rates; however, the timing of drying at a given site may be offset by up to 4 wk because of heterogeneity in snowmelt at different elevations and aspects. Spring and summer rainfall mainly affected sites in the open, with drying after a rain event being faster than following snowmelt. Water loss rates from soil of 0.5 to 1.0 cm d−1 during the winter and snowmelt season reflect a combination of evapotranspiration and deep drainage, as stream baseflow remains relatively low. About one‐third of annual evapotranspiration comes from water storage below the 1‐m depth, that is, below mapped soil. We speculate that much of the deep drainage is stored locally in the deeper regolith during periods of high precipitation, being available for tree transpiration during summer and fall months when shallow soil water storage is limiting. Total annual evapotranspiration for water year 2009 was estimated to be approximately 76 cm.


The fitness-dependent optimizer (FDO) algorithm was recently introduced in 2019. An improved FDO (IFDO) algorithm is presented in this work, and this algorithm contributes considerably to refining the ability of the original FDO to address complicated optimization problems. To improve the FDO, the IFDO calculates the alignment and cohesion and then uses these behaviors with the pace at which the FDO updates its position. Moreover, in determining the weights, the FDO uses the weight factor ( ${wf}$ ), which is zero in most cases and one in only a few cases. Conversely, the IFDO performs ${wf}$ randomization in the [0–1] range and then minimizes the range when a better fitness weight value is achieved. In this work, the IFDO algorithm and its method of converging on the optimal solution are demonstrated. Additionally, 19 classical standard test function groups are utilized to test the IFDO, and then the FDO and three other well-known algorithms, namely, the particle swarm algorithm (PSO), dragonfly algorithm (DA), and genetic algorithm (GA), are selected to evaluate the IFDO results. Furthermore, the CECC06 2019 Competition, which is the set of IEEE Congress of Evolutionary Computation benchmark test functions, is utilized to test the IFDO, and then, the FDO and three recent algorithms, namely, the salp swarm algorithm (SSA), DA and whale optimization algorithm (WOA), are chosen to gauge the IFDO results. The results show that IFDO is practical in some cases, and its results are improved in most cases. Finally, to prove the practicability of the IFDO, it is used in real-world applications.


ERβ promotes apoptosis in prostate cancer cells through an estrogen-independent mechanism. Estrogen receptor (ER) β, the "second" ER, plays a gatekeeper role by inhibiting cell proliferation, promoting apoptosis, and impeding the progression of prostate cancer. Ironically, its presumed ligand, 17β-estradiol, promotes cancer development in experimental models. The mechanisms underlying the interplay between estrogens and ERβ in prostate cancer remain largely unclear. Research on a previously unknown tethering partner of ERβ, Krüppel-like zinc finger transcription factor 5 (KLF5), and its downstream gene target (FOXO1) helps to unlock this puzzle. 17β-Estradiol is not required to maintain the tumor-suppressive function of ERβ in the prostate, a tissue with limited estrogen availability; moreover, the presence of 17β-estradiol abrogates ERβ- and KLF5-mediated signaling and promotes cellular proliferation. Future research into ERβ will likely involve this estrogen independency and the preference for binding nonclassical DNA elements through tethering. The development of ERβ-based therapies may lead to improved drug efficacy.


This book gives readers the tools they need to create beautiful, functional WordPress-powered sites with minimal hassle. Using the WordPress user interface as a baseline, authors Jessica Neuman Beck and Matt Beck walk new users through the installation and setup process while providing valuable tips and tricks for more experienced users. With no other resource but this guide, readers can set up a fully-functional and well-designed WordPress site that takes advantage of all the features WordPress has to offer.


Variations in the arterial system of the upper limb are well documented. A thorough knowledge of arteries of the upper extremity is necessary during vascular and reconstructive surgery and also in evaluation of angiographic images. We present here a case of variant origin and course of ulnar artery. The ulnar artery had a high origin from the brachial artery in the middle of the arm and proceeded superficially in the forearm but had a normal termination in the hand. The brachial artery had a usual course in the arm but in the cubital fossa it divided into the radial and common interosseous arteries. Knowledge of this variation is important to the radiologists, orthopedic and plastic surgeons for appropriate planning of operative procedures involving superficial ulnar artery.


1 Tetanic stimulation of parallel fibres (PFs) produces a slow EPSP (sEPSP) or slow EPSC (sEPSC) in Purkinje neurones (PNs), mediated by type 1 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1). The conductance change underlying the sEPSP was investigated with rapid photolytic release of L‐glutamate from nitroindolinyl (NI)‐caged glutamate with ionotropic glutamate receptors blocked, and showed a slow mGluR1‐activated cation channel. 2 In cerebellar slices rapid photolytic release (t1/2 < 0.7 ms) of 7‐70 μM L‐glutamate on PNs voltage clamped at −65 mV activated first a transient inward current, peaking in 8 ms, followed by a slow inward current with time course similar to the PF sEPSP, peaking at −1 nA in 700 ms. 3 The initial current was inhibited by 300 μM threo‐hydroxyaspartate (THA) and did not reverse as the potential was made positive up to +50 mV, suggesting activation of electrogenic glutamate uptake. 4 The slow current was inhibited reversibly by 1 mM (R,S)‐MCPG or the non‐competitive mGluR1 antagonist CPCCOEt (20 μM), indicating activation of metabotropic type 1 glutamate receptors. The mGluR current was associated with increases of input conductance and membrane current noise, and reversed close to 0 mV, indicating activation of channels permeant to Na+ and K+. 5 The sEPSC was not blocked by Cd2+, Co2+, Mg2+ or Gd3+ ions, by the inhibitor of hyperpolarisation‐activated current (IH) ZD7288, or by the purinoceptor inhibitor PPADS. Activation was not affected by inhibitors of phospholipase C (PLC) or protein kinase C (PKC), nor mimicked by photorelease of InsP3 or Ca2+. The results show that mGluR1 in PNs produces a slow activation of cation‐permeable ion channels which is not mediated by PLC activation, Ca2+ release from stores, or via the activation of PKC.


Current GPUs rasterize micropolygons (polygons approximately one pixel in size) inefficiently. Additionally, they do not natively support triangle rasterization with jittered sampling, defocus, or motion blur. We perform a microarchitectural study of fixed-function micropolygon rasterization using custom circuits. We present three rasterization designs: the first optimized for triangle micropolygons that are not blurred, a second for stochastic rasterization of micropolygons with motion and defocus blur, and third that is a hybrid combination of the two. Our designs achieve high area and power efficiency by using low-precision operations and rasterizing pairs of adjacent triangles in parallel. We demonstrate optimized designs synthesized in a 45 nm process showing that a micropolygon rasterization unit with a throughput of 3 billion micropolygons per second would consume 2.9 W and occupy 4.1 mm2 which is 0.77% of the die area of a GeForce GTX 480 GPU.


Composites based on polyoxometalates (POMs) and nanostructured carbon such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) or graphene have attracted widespread attention as they combine the unique chemical reactivity of POMs with the unparalleled electronic properties of nanocarbons. The exceptional properties of these composites have been employed in catalysis, energy conversion and storage, molecular sensors and electronics. Herein, we summarize the latest progress in POM/CNT and POM/graphene nanocomposites with a focus on energy materials for water splitting and fuel cells, composite electrode materials for batteries and supercapacitors as well as composites for environmental pollutant sensing. Current applications are critically assessed and promising future target systems are discussed.


Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) causes an acute, highly contagious disease that associated with significant economical losses to the poultry industry worldwide. Since IB vaccine induced immunity is serotype-specific, vaccine failures are often associated with the emergence of antigenic variants that differ from the vaccine viruses. Hence, structural genes characterization of IBV isolates is required for developing strategies to improve currently used vaccines. This study described the sequence analysis of structural genes S1, S2, M and N of two Malaysian IBV strains, MH5365/95 and V9/04. The structural genes were amplified using gene-specific primers in reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and cloned into TOPO TA cloning vector. The cloned products were then sequenced and complete nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the genes were determined and analyzed using bioinformatics tools. Nucleotide sequence alignments revealed many point mutations, short deletions and insertions in S1 region of both IBV strains. Sequence and phylogenetic analysis of S1 and M genes showed that MH5365/95 and V9/04 are variant strain since it does not relate to any Massachusetts vaccine strains of IBV. Analysis based on other structural genes (S2, M and N), indicated both strains are highly related to each other and there were less mutation occurred in the respective genes.
A one step real-time PCR procedure using SYBR Green I dye was used in this study. The developed PCR was performed using a pair of newly designed primers against N gene. Amplification was detected when primer was used with vaccine strains, H120, Volvac® ND+IB MLV, Cevac® BI L, Poulvac® IB H-120, Cevac® Bron 120 L, Beaudette and M4 and non-vaccine strains, T-strain, MH5365/95 and V9/04 with TM ranging from 85.2°C to 86.0°C. The sensitivity of the assay was compared to the conventional method for IBV detection, virus isolation test using 18 clinical samples from IB suspected cases. Six out of 18 suspected IB cases were positive when analyzed using the real-time PCR assay while none of the samples showed consistent results through lesion observation when analyzed using the virus isolation method followed by HA test. Therefore, the SYBR Green I real-time PCR was found to be more sensitive than virus isolation method. In addition, it was found the assay could detect up to 1:103 dilution of RNA with the concentration 1X 10-1 ng/μl. The assay was also proven to be specific in IBV detection since no specific amplification signal was detected when tested avian viruses such as AIV H9N2, IBDV isolate MB067/05 and NDV isolate 00/IKS. Therefore, the study has successfully developed a rapid, sensitive and specific method for IBV detection using SYBR Green I based real-time PCR when compared to virus isolation and HA test. However, further experiment for improvement of the assay is needed to evaluate the reliability of the system in order to replace the traditional diagnostic method for IBV detection.


Two cytokine-inducible kinases, IKKalpha and IKKbeta, are components of a 700-kDa kinase complex that specifically phosphorylates IkappaB. Phosphorylation of IkappaB by IKK leads to its ubiquitination and subsequent degradation, resulting in the nuclear translocation of NF-kappaB. The oncogenic protein Tax, encoded by human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1), stimulates IKK activity to result in constitutive nuclear levels of NF-kappaB. In an attempt to gain insights into the mechanism by which Tax mediates constitutive activation of the NF-kappaB pathway, we analyzed the chromatographic distribution of IKK proteins using cellular extracts prepared from three T lymphocytes either lacking or containing Tax. IKK kinase activity and the distribution of proteins in the IKK complex were characterized. In extracts prepared from cells containing Tax, the activity of both IKKalpha and IKKbeta present in the 700-kDa IKK complex were increased. Surprisingly, cell lines expressing Tax also contained an additional peak of IKKbeta, but not IKKalpha activity, that migrated at 300 kDa rather than at 700 kDa. We noted that extracts containing Tax had extremely low levels of IkappaBbeta, but not IkappaBalpha, and contained predominantly a truncated form of the MAP3K MEKK1. These results suggest that Tax may target several components of the NF-kappaB pathway leading to constitutive activation of this important regulator of cellular gene expression.


The impact of roads on local biodiversity is a major issue associated with urbanisation. A major arterial road in the southern suburbs of Brisbane, south-east Queensland, was upgraded in 2004-05 from two to four lanes. In an attempt to minimise the impact of the larger road on local wildlife populations, a range of fauna crossing structures were constructed at the site. Monitoring of road-kill was undertaken for 4 months before construction and after the completion of construction. Assessment of the use of two underpasses and a large overpass ('land-bridge') started 6 months after construction using sand tracking in underpasses and scat sampling on the land-bridge. An initial 26-week period of intensive monitoring was undertaken from August 2005 to February 2006 followed by monthly monitoring from June 2006 to June 2007. On average, 1-5 tracks per day were detected in the underpasses at the start of the survey, increasing steadily to ~42 tracks per day by February 2006. The monthly survey showed regular use of the underpasses by a wide range of species and species-groups, the most abundant being 'rodents', most likely Rattus species, both native and introduced. The land-bridge was also used continuously by three species of macropod (red-necked wallaby, Macropus rufogriseus; swamp wallaby, Wallabia bicolor; and eastern grey kangaroo, Macropus giganteus) with brown hare (Lepus capensis) becoming increasingly common in summer 2006. The exclusion fencing was extremely effective in preventing most road-kill, at least of larger species, except following human-related breaches in the fence.


IMMUNOLOGY
Lymphocytes with cytotoxic activity induce cell death by delivering pro-apoptotic granzymes to the cytosol of target cells. One of the two principle granzymes, granzyme A, operates independently of caspase activation and appears to disrupt nuclear integrity and damage single-stranded DNA.

Having already identified an endoplasmic reticulum- associated protein complex, called SET, as a target of granzyme A, Fan et al . provide further insight into how interference with this complex promotes apoptosis. Apurinic endonuclease-1 (Ape-1), a DNA binding protein possessing endonuclease and redox activities, was isolated from the SET complex and shown to be cleaved upon exposure to granzyme A. As a result, two putative anti-apoptotic processes of Ape-1 were disrupted: the repair of abasic sites in DNA and the ability to mediate oxidative repair of transcription factors. Disruption of Ape-1 expression in cell lines by RNA interference enhanced apoptosis, whereas transfection with a noncleavable form of Ape-1 protected cells from granzyme A-induced cell death. Granzyme A may thus operate through the combined effects of disrupting the cellular repair activities of Ape-1 and of other members of the SET complex. — SJS

Nature Immunol . 4 , 145 (2003).


Efforts to reduce tobacco consumption in the United States, stimulated by the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA), contributed to a sharp decline in the demand for U.S.-grown tobacco. The other major contributor to the long term decline in domestic as well as foreign demand was the federal price support program, which limited supply and raised the price of U.S. tobacco above competitive market levels. Consequently, foreign-grown tobacco displaced U.S. tobacco in both domestic and world markets. Because of the drop in demand, farmers asked for and received compensation and assistance from cigarette manufacturers and the federal government. Manufacturers, in conjunction with the MSA, pledged $5.15 billion in payments to farmers to be distributed over 12 years. Also, Congress approved $328 million in tobacco loss payments to farmers for FY2000, $340 million for FY2001, another $129 million for FY2001, and $55 million for FY2003. In addition, losses on 1999 crop price support loan stocks, amounting to $625 million, were shifted to taxpayers. Finally, in 2004, legislation was adopted terminating the tobacco support program, but with compensation to quota owners and active producers of $9.6 billion (paid by manufacturers).


Transportation of unrefined crude oil from the production unit to a refinery or large storage area by a pipeline is difficult due to the different properties of crude in various areas. Thus, the design of a crude oil pipeline is a very complex and time consuming process, when considering all the various parameters. There were three very important parameters that play a significant role in the transportation and processing pipeline design; these are: viscosity profile, temperature profile and the velocity profile of waxy crude oil through the crude oil pipeline. Knowledge of the Rheological computational technique is required for better understanding the flow behavior and predicting the flow profile in a crude oil pipeline. From these profile parameters, the material and the emulsion that is best suited for crude oil transportation can be predicted. Rheological computational fluid dynamic technique is a fast method used for designing flow profile in a crude oil pipeline with the help of computational fluid dynamics and rheological modeling. With this technique, the effect of fluid properties including shear rate range with temperature variation, degree of viscosity, elastic modulus and viscous modulus was evaluated under different conditions in a transport pipeline. In this paper, two crude oil samples was used, as well as a prepared emulsion with natural and synthetic additives, at different concentrations ranging from 1,000 ppm to 3,000 ppm. The rheological properties was then evaluated at a temperature range of 25 to 60 °C and which additive was best suited for transportation of crude oil is determined. Commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used to generate the flow, velocity and viscosity profile of the emulsions for flow behavior analysis in crude oil transportation pipeline. This rheological CFD design can be further applied in developing designs of pipeline in the future. Keywords—Natural surfactant, crude oil, rheology, CFD, viscosity.


Cutting-edge CMOS neurochips, which consist of a Microelectrode Array (MEA) manufactured on top of CMOS circuitry, allow the recording of the electrical activity of neural networks in-vitro, and their stimulation. As CMOS technology continues to scale down, signal processing is favorably done in the digital domain, which requires Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) to be integrated on-chip. To relax the requirements on the neurochip's surface temperature control system, a low-power ADC is targeted1. Among various ADC architectures, the Switched-Capacitor (SC) or Charge-Redistribution Successive Approximation Register (SAR) ADC is best suited for low power and 12-bit resolution. To avoid common-mode errors, the SC SAR ADC uses a differential topology. To decrease area, power, and cost while maintaining 12-bit accuracy, the Binary-Weighted (BW) capacitor array is split into three sub-BW capacitor arrays connected through two series capacitors. A comparator with three preamplifier stages and a latch discriminates voltage differences as small as 200μV while concurrently working with rail-to-rail input signals. The SAR control logic uses only four DFFs for the finite state machine, whereas a classical SAR implementation with shift-registers would use 12 DFFs. Furthermore, a shared register bank contains the output codes and memorizes the position of switches. The SAR ADC will be manufactured in UMC 0.18μm CMOS technology.


In spite of the development of information and communications technology (ICT), MNCs seem to be highly sensitive to untraded externalities and localised knowledge spillovers in their location strategy. Therefore, in an age in which space and time constraints have been reduced (or even eliminated) by the fast pace of technological change, proximity still matters. Within the global-local nexus debate, the role played in the development of ICT by regions from European small countries has been neglected. Using regionalised patent data granted in the USA to large electronic firms for their European-located research, the aim of this paper is twofold. First of all, the significance of a region- over a nation-state-based analysis is argued. Second, the interaction between local and foreign corporate technological development in small country regions is investigated in order to evaluate the role of these locations in the geographical division of labour in European-owned ICT multinationals.


We compute the transmission of two-dimensional electromagnetic waves through a square lattice of lossless dielectric rods with a channel defect. The lattice is finite in the direction of propagation of the incident wave and periodic in a transverse direction. We revisit a boundaryintegral formulation of 2D electromagnetic scattering (Venakides, Haider, Papanicolaou, SIAM J. Appl. Math., 2000) that is Fredholm of the first kind and develop a second-kind formulation. We refine the numerical implementation in the above paper by exploiting separability in the Green's function to evaluate the far-field influence more efficiently. The resulting cost savings in computing and solving the discretized linear system leads to an accelerated method. We use it to analyze E-polarized electromagnetic scattering of normally incident waves on a structure with a periodic channel defect. We find three categories of resonances: waveguide modes in the channel, highamplitude fields in the crystal at frequencies near the edge of the frequency bandgap, and very high-amplitude standing fields at frequencies in a transmission band that are normal to the direction of the incident wave. These features are captured essentially identically with first-kind formulation as with the second-kind.


BACKGROUND--Infection with Pneumocystis carinii typically results in a pneumonia which histologically is seen to consist of an eosinophilic foamy alveolar exudate associated with a mild plasma cell interstitial infiltrate. Special stains show that cysts of P carinii lie within the alveolar exudate. Atypical histological appearances may occasionally be seen, including a granulomatous pneumonia and diffuse alveolar damage. In these patients the clinical presentation may be atypical and results of investigations negative unless lung biopsies are performed and tissue obtained for histological examination. METHODS--The incidence and mode of presentation of histologically atypical pneumocystis pneumonia was studied in a cohort of HIV-I antibody positive patients. RESULTS--Over a 30 month period 138 patients had pneumocystis pneumonia, of whom eight (6%) had atypical histological appearances which were diagnosed (after negative bronchoalveolar lavage) by open lung biopsy in five, percutaneous biopsy in one, and at post mortem examination in two. Atypical appearances included granulomatous inflammation in four patients, "pneumocystoma" in two (one also had extrapulmonary pneumocystosis), bronchiolitis obliterans organising pneumonia in one patient, diffuse alveolar damage and subpleural cysts in one (who also had intrapulmonary cytomegalovirus infection), and extrapulmonary pneumocystosis in two patients. CONCLUSIONS--Various atypical histological appearances may be seen in pneumocystis pneumonia. Lung biopsy (either percutaneous or open) should be considered when bronchoalveolar lavage is repeatedly negative and evidence of P carinii should be sought, by use of special stains, in all lung biopsy material from HIV-I antibody positive patients.


Objectives: To assess the effects of virtual reality environment (VRE)-based educational interventions for health professionals on knowledge, skills, and participants' attitude towards and satisfaction with the interventions. Additionally, this review will assess the interventions' economic impact (cost and cost effectiveness), patient-related outcomes and unintended adverse effects of VRE-based educational interventions for post-registration healthcare providers.


Sometimes I ain't so sho who's got ere a right to say when a man is crazy and when he ain't. Sometimes I think it ain't none of us pure crazy and ain't none of us pure sane until the balance of us talks him that-a-way. It's like it ain't so much what a fellow does but it's the way the majority of folks is looking at him when he does it.


On October 22-24, 2008, nearly fifty scholars, librarians, museum professionals, computer scientists, software developers, and funders attended a workshop at Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City, Maryland, to discuss the past, present, and future of tools that can assist scholarship in an age of massive digital resources. The workshop, co-funded by the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, brought these people together because of their active engagement with the production and use of these digital tools and their deep knowledge of associated issues such as scholarly communication and sustainability. (Please see Appendix A for a list of attendees.)

The discussion was pragmatic rather than ideological; the goal was to understand from experience and example how such tools could be created, disseminated, and built upon in a more effective way than has been the norm. In 2005, the NSF sponsored a Summit on Digital Tools for the Humanities in conjunction with the University of Virginia's Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities. This new meeting was explicitly conceived as an opportunity to build on that earlier effort and advance progress toward some of the challenges raised.


Purpose In line with epidemiological and sociocultural changes in Korea over the past decades, reliable estimation of diseases as a result of dietary and metabolic risks is required. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the contributions of dietary and metabolic factors to cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) in Korean adults (25–64 years old) during 2012–2013. Materials and Methods Distribution of risk factors and cause-specific mortality by gender and age per year was obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and Statistics Korea, respectively. The association between the two was obtained from published meta-analyses. The population-attributable fraction attributable to the risk factors was calculated across gender and age strata (male and female, age groups 25–34, 35–44, 45–54, and 55–64) in 2012 and 2013. Results The results showed that during the period studied, high body mass index [5628 deaths; uncertainty intervals (UIs): 5473–5781] and blood pressure (4202 deaths; UIs: 3992–4410) were major metabolic risks for CMD deaths, followed by dietary risks such as low intake of whole grain (4107 deaths; UIs: 3275–4870) and fruits (3886 deaths; UIs: 3227–4508), as well as high intake of sodium (2911 deaths, UIs: 2406–3425). Also, males and the younger population were seen more prone to be exposed to harmful dietary risk than their female and older counterparts. Conclusion The findings provide the necessary information to develop targeted government interventions to improve cardiometabolic health at the population level.


Security for Wireless Sensor Networks using Identity-Based Cryptography introduces identity-based cryptographic schemes for wireless sensor networks. It starts with an exhaustive survey of the existing layered approach to WSN securitydetailing its pros and cons. Next, it examines new attack vectors that exploit the layered approach to security.After providing the necessary background, the book presents a cross-layer design approach that addresses authentication, integrity, and encryption. It also examines new ID-based key management mechanisms using a cross-layer design perspective. In addition, secure routing algorithms using ID-based cryptography are also discussed. Supplying readers with the required foundation in elliptic curve cryptography and identity-based cryptography, the authors consider new ID-based security solutions to overcome cross layer attacks in WSN.Examining the latest implementations of ID-based cryptography on sensors, the book combines cross-layer design principles along with identity-based cryptography to provide you with a new set of security solutions that can boost storage, computation, and energy efficiency in your wireless sensor networks.


Compressed Sensing (CS) is an emerging paradigm in which signals are recovered from undersampled nonadaptive linear measurements taken at a rate proportional to the signal's true information content as opposed to its ambient dimension. The resulting problem consists in finding a sparse solution to an underdetermined system of linear equations. It has now been established, both theoretically and empirically, that certain optimization algorithms are able to solve such problems. Iterative Hard Thresholding (IHT) (Blumensath and Davies, 2007), which is the focus of this thesis, is an established CS recovery algorithm which is known to be effective in practice, both in terms of recovery performance and computational efficiency. However, theoretical analysis of IHT to date suffers from two drawbacks: state-of-the-art worstcase recovery conditions have not yet been quantified in terms of the sparsity/undersampling trade-off, and also there is a need for average-case analysis in order to understand the behaviour of the algorithm in practice. In this thesis, we present a new recovery analysis of IHT, which considers the fixed points of the algorithm. In the context of arbitrary matrices, we derive a condition guaranteeing convergence of IHT to a fixed point, and a condition guaranteeing that all fixed points are 'close' to the underlying signal. If both conditions are satisfied, signal recovery is therefore guaranteed. Next, we analyse these conditions in the case of Gaussian measurement matrices, exploiting the realistic average-case assumption that the underlying signal and measurement matrix are independent. We obtain asymptotic phase transitions in a proportional-dimensional framework, quantifying the sparsity/undersampling trade-off for which recovery is guaranteed. By generalizing the notion of fixed points, we extend our analysis to the variable stepsize Normalised IHT (NIHT) (Blumensath and Davies, 2010). For both stepsize schemes, comparison with previous results within this framework shows a substantial quantitative improvement. We also extend our analysis to a related algorithm which exploits the assumption that the underlying signal exhibits tree-structured sparsity in a wavelet basis (Baraniuk et al., 2010). We obtain recovery conditions for Gaussian matrices in a simplified proportional-dimensional asymptotic, deriving bounds on the oversampling rate relative to the sparsity for which recovery is guaranteed. Our results, which are the first in the phase transition framework for tree-based CS, show a further significant improvement over results for the standard sparsity model. We also propose a dynamic programming algorithm which is guaranteed to compute an exact tree projection in low-order polynomial time.


As an economic good, software has a number of interesting properlies. k is relatively expensive to develop but can be almost costless to manufacture. Furthermore, the control of standards may be as critical in the software market as the intrinsic quality of the product. This is because a consumer who purchases a product adhering to industry standards is the beneficiary of a number of positive network externalities in the form of increased compatibility, greater training opportunities, lower learning costs, and a larger number of complementary products. The purpose of this research is to build and empirically test econometric models to identify and measure those product features that are important in the purchase and pricing decisions for microcomputer software. A special emphasis is to identify the effects of standards. By estimating both the values placed on specific product features (diversity) and the value placed on traits that benefit from network externalities (standards), the relative value of these traits can be analyzed. Preliminary results from a hedonic regression model are available for the microcomputer spreadsheet market for the time period 1985-1992. • The results indicate a 10.4% annual decline in the quality-adjusted real price of spreadsheet software in this period, even though the nominal price was essentially unchanged. This suggests that technical progress in software may be more rapid than previously assumed. · A second set of results shows the value ascribed to key features of spreadsheet packages. In addition to the intrinsic capabilities of the product, purchasers were found to place significant value on its adherence to standards. For example, packages that support the Lotus 1 -2-3 menu interface received an average premium of $67. • Finally, the results show how the values for various features change during this period and, in particular, the decline in value of the Lotus 1-2-3 menu interface in the face of the shift to graphical user interfaces (i.e., Microsoft Windows). This analysis is being extended to other applications. The expected conlributions of the research, in addition to a greater understanding of the packaged software industry, may also lead to suggestions on price implications for the US software industry and insights into the pricing of other goods, such as information, that possess some of the same properties as software. Furthermore, novel empirical results may lead to contributions to the growing theoretical work on the economics of standards.


Objectives: This study was carried out to compare the personality traits, personality disorders, and problem- solving strategies in self-introduced addicts and the normal population. Method: 50 self-introduced addicts, who had presented for the first time to the addicts' health center in the city of Rasht, Iran, were compared to 50 normal subjects who were matched on some demographic charac- teristics in a descriptive cross-sectional study. Data were gathered using the NEO Five-Factor Inventory- Revised (NEO-FFI-R), the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II), and Problem-Solving Strategies Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using correlation coefficient and multi-factor analysis of variance. Results: Addicts scored higher than normal people on the measure of neuroticism (N), and lower on measures of agreeableness (A), openness (O), and conscientiousness (C) (p<0.05). No significant difference was showed on the measure of extraversion (E) between the two groups. There was a significant difference in most measures of personality disorder between the self-introduced addict group and the normal group; with the addict group scoring higher in these measures (p<0.05). Moreover, addicts, in comparison with normal individuals used non-constructive problem-solving strategies such as avoidance and helplessness (p<0.05).


The focus of this paper is to provide an overview of analysis and optimal design of systems in which the system reliability is dependent upon the structure of the system (such as the layout of a water distribution system) and the size of the design components. Failure in these systems may occur due to a component failing independently (or at least assumed so) of the loading on the system. This, so called, mechanical failure can occur in hydraulic components such as pumps, turbines, pipelines, and valves. Depending upon the redundancy in the system the component mechanical failure can result in system failure. In addition, failure may occur depending upon the load on the system. Thus, it is desirable to quantify system of structure reliability as a function of both the mechanical reliability and system load. In the hydraulics area, efforts in structural reliability have proceeded primarily for water distribution systems including pipe networks and pump stations. Other potential application areas include water and wastewater treatment facilities and hydropower generation. Outside of the hydraulics area the concept of mechanical failure and system reliability has been studied in power and communication systems and engineering structure design.


While machine learning approaches to image restoration offer great promise, current methods risk training "onetrick ponies" that perform well only for image corruption of a particular level of difficulty—such as a certain level of noise or blur. First, we examine the weakness of a one-trick pony model and demonstrate that training general models to handle arbitrary levels of corruption is indeed non-trivial. Then, we propose an on-demand learning algorithm for training image restoration models with deep convolutional neural networks. The main idea is to exploit a feedback mechanism to self-generate training instances where they are needed most, thereby learning models that can generalize across difficulty levels. On four restoration tasks—image inpainting, pixel interpolation, image deblurring, and image denoising—and three diverse datasets, our approach consistently outperforms both the status quo training procedure and curriculum learning alternatives.


The Logic of History reveals the rational basis for historians' descriptions, interpretations and explanations of past events. C. Behan McCullagh defends the practice of history as more reliable than has recently been acknowledged. Historians, he argues, make their accounts of the past as fair as they can and avoid misleading their readers. He explains and discusses postmodern criticisms of history, providing students and teachers of history with a renewed validation of their practice. McCullagh takes the history debate to a new stage with bold replies to the major questions historians face today.


We address the issue of the reducibility of the dynamics on a multilayer network to an equivalent process on an aggregated single-layer network. As a typical example of models for opinion formation in social networks, we implement the voter model on a two-layer multiplex network, and we study its dynamics as a function of two control parameters, namely the fraction of edges simultaneously existing in both layers of the network (edge overlap), and the fraction of nodes participating in both layers (interlayer connectivity or degree of multiplexity). We compute the asymptotic value of the number of active links (interface density) in the thermodynamic limit, and the time to reach an absorbing state for finite systems, and we compare the numerical results with the analytical predictions on equivalent single-layer networks obtained through various possible aggregation procedures. We find a large region of parameters where the interface density of large multiplexes gives systematic deviations from that of the aggregates. We show that neither of the standard unweighted aggregation procedures is able to capture the highly nonlinear increase in the lifetime of a finite size multiplex at small interlayer connectivity. These results indicate that multiplexity should be appropriately taken into account when studying voter model dynamics, and that, in general, single-layer approximations might be not accurate enough to properly understand processes occurring on multiplex networks, since they might flatten out relevant dynamical details.


Five patients with involutional osteoporosis were treated with 24,25 dihydroxycholecalciferol (24,25-(OH)2D3) for 6 months, in doses sufficient to double plasma levels at that time. Dietary calcium absorption transiently improved by nearly 2 mmol Ca per day at 2 weeks, but this effect was lost by 6 months. The calcium and phosphate balances followed the trends in calcium absorption. Only twenty-five dihydroxyvitamin D levels changed little. Histomorphometric and kinetic indices of new bone formation and bone blood flow remained stable but there was an increase in urine hydroxyproline at 6 months, which was of borderline statistical significance. Treatment at this dosage of 24,25(OH)2D3, which increased plasma levels within the physiological range, conferred no measurable long-term benefit on our patients. Larger doses, or combination therapy, may warrant further clinical evaluation in osteoporosis.


Naruto is a ninja-in-training with a need for attention, a knack for mischief, and sealed within him, a strange, formidable power. His antics amuse his instructor Kakashi and irritate his teammates, intense Sasuki and witty Sakura, but Naruto is serious about becoming the greatest ninja in the village of Konohagakure! In another world, ninja are the ultimate power - and in the village of Konohagakure live the stealthiest ninja in the world. But twelve years ago Konohagakure was attacked by a fearsome threat - a nine-tailed fox demon which claims the life of the Hokage, the village champion. Today, peace has returned, and a troublemaking orphan named Uzumaki Naruto is struggling to graduate from the Ninja Academy. His goal: to become the next Hokage. But unknown to Naruto and his classmates, within him is a terrifying force...


Over the years, ProB has moved from a tool that complemented proving, to a development environment that is now sometimes used instead of proving for applications, such as exhaustive model checking or data validation. This has led to much more stringent requirements on the integrity of ProB. In this paper we present a summary of our validation efforts for ProB, in particular within the context of the norm EN 50128 and safety critical applications in the railway domain.


It is increasingly common to embed embodied, human-like, virtual agents into immersive virtual environments for either of the two use cases: (1) populating architectural scenes as anonymous members of a crowd and (2) meeting or supporting users as individual, intelligent and conversational agents. However, the new trend towards intelligent cyber physical systems inherently combines both use cases. Thus, we argue for the necessity of multiagent systems consisting of anonymous and autonomous agents, who temporarily turn into intelligent individuals. Besides purely enlivening the scene, each agent can thus be engaged into a situation-dependent interaction by the user, e.g., into a conversation or a joint task. To this end, we devise components for an agent's behavioral design modeling the transition between an anonymous and an individual agent when a user approaches.


Protein tyrosine phosphatases act in conjunction with protein kinases to regulate the tyrosine phosphorylation events that control cell activation and differentiation. We have isolated a previously undescribed human phosphatase, Lyp, that encodes an intracellular 105-kD protein containing a single tyrosine phosphatase catalytic domain. The noncatalytic domain contains four proline-rich potential SH3 domain binding sites and an NXXY motif that, if phosphorylated, may be recognized by phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domains. Comparison of the Lyp amino acid sequence with other known proteins shows 70% identity with the murine phosphatase PEP. The human Lyp gene was localized to chromosome 1p13 by fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis. We also identified an alternative spliced form of Lyp RNA, Lyp2. This isoform encodes a smaller 85-kD protein with an alternative C-terminus. The lyp phosphatases are predominantly expressed in lymphoid tissues and cells, with Lyp1 being highly expressed in thymocytes and both mature B and T cells. Increased Lyp1 expression can be induced by activation of resting peripheral T lymphocytes with phytohemagglutinin or anti-CD3. Lyp1 was found to be constitutively associated with the proto-oncogene c-Cbl in thymocytes and T cells. Overexpression of lyp1 reduces Cbl tyrosine phosphorylation, suggesting that it may be a substrate of the phosphatase. Thus, Lyp may play a role in regulating the function of Cbl and its associated protein kinases.


Several authors have proposed staggered wage bargaining as a way to introduce sticky wages into search and matching models while preserving individual rationality. I evaluate the quantitative implications of such an approach. I feed through a series of estimated shocks from US data into a search and matching model with sticky prices and wages. I compare the implications of how the sticky wages enter into the hiring decision, and there seems to be a tradeoff between generating business cycle volatility and matching the lack of a long-run relationship between vacancy creation and inflation. With regard to wages, the sticky wage model unconditionally does a better job at matching wages than the flexible wage model


THE 1580S HAS BEEN A PERPLEXING DECADE for theater historians. For one thing, scholars writing surveys or histories of a theater in which the dominant figure, William Shakespeare, does not appear until the following decade, are not quite sure how much of the 1580s to include in their chronological range of materials, if any. Some include all of it (for example, The Cambridge Companion to English Renaissance Drama [1580-1642]), some part of it (for example, The Oxford History of English Literature's The English Drama 1586-1642), and some none of it (for example, The Professions of Dramatist and Player in Shakespeare's Time 1590-1642). The most recent volume of this type, A New History of Early English Drama, covers the 1580s but attempts to avoid the pitfalls of periodic designations altogether by using the term "early" to describe its chronological range.(1) For scholars interested in plays of high literary merit, a major problem is that the decade lacks sustainable focus from beginning to end. In so far as it is treated as a period at all, the 1580s tends to be carved up into unequal halves to highlight development or change. Critics are fond of referring to the post-1587 period as the "breakthrough years," marking "the expansion" and "flowering" of Elizabethan drama, a time when the first playhouse on the Bankside (the Rose) opens and when the drama emerges from the inexplicable dumbshows, jog-trot verse, mongrel-tragicomedy and primitive stage effects described in such works as The Schoole of Abuse (1579) and The Apology of Poetry (1581).(2) Without denying that the drama of Kyd, Marlowe, and the other University Wits represents a major artistic advancement, this scenario underestimates the extent to which the theater was already a complex, technically sophisticated--not to mention highly popular--institution in London at the beginning of the decade. We need to keep in mind that as early as 1567 England's first known playhouse, the Red Lion, opened in Stepney with an enormous stage, forty feet wide by thirty feet deep, equipped with a trap door and a "turret of Tymber" supporting a floor eighteen feet above the stage which was probably used for ascents and celestial figures.(3) Since the Red Lion discovery effectively dislodges "1576" as the year in which the urban playhouses were established, we are now looking at a London theater industry well into its second decade of operation by 1580. Indeed, by that year at least ten professional acting companies were performing plays, many regularly on weekdays, at nine or ten different commercial playing venues in the London area.(4) When the city politicians and preachers raised a storm of opposition to their existence in the early eighties, the players were sufficiently self-confident and self-asserting to respond with perhaps the first "antipuritan" play of the period, "The Play of Plays." Unfortunately, this play (described by Gosson) has vanished into oblivion along with most others of the 1580s.(5) For the period 1580 to 1589, The Annals of English Drama lists 86 titles, for which 53 texts survive, most of the latter dated in the final years of the decade.(6) Yet these numbers represent a fraction of what once existed. William Ingram offers a plausible argument for upwards of 200 plays written per year in the late 1570s, and I see no reason for a significant decrease during the 1580s.(7) The implications of this loss for researchers of the 1580s is far-reaching. It certainly raises questions about when, and at what pace, linguistic, artistic, and technological advances occurred during the decade. To be sure, playhouse audiences may not have seen, or heard, anything like Tamburlaine when it debuted on the London stage in the summer of 1587. On the other hand, Peele's Arraignment of Paris was already experimenting with flexible blank verse for court drama as early as 1581, and who is to say that Peele or one of the other Wits did not write blank-verse plays designed for the professional stage between then and 1587 which anticipated Marlowe's poetic dialogue? …


Cryptographic protocols based on public key methods are based on
certificates and large scale public key infrastructure (PKI) to
support certificate management. The emerging field of Identity Based
Encryption protocols allows to simplify the infrastructure
requirements via a Private-key Generator (PKG) while providing the
same flexibility. However one significant limitation of Identity Based
Encryption methods is that the PKG can end up being a de-facto key
escrow server with undesirable consequences. Another observed
deficiency is a lack of mutual authentication of communicating
parties. Here, Identity Based Authenticated Key Exchange (IBAKE)
Protocol is specified which does not suffer from the key escrow
problem and in addition provides mutual authentication and a perfect
forward and backwards secrecy.


This Article examines the dilemma of a fiduciary acting for parties who, as among themselves, have conflicting commercial interests - an inquiry fundamentally different from that of the traditional study of conflicts between fiduciaries and their beneficiaries. Existing legal principles do not fully capture this dilemma because agency law focuses primarily on an agent's duty to a given principal, not on conflicts among principals; trust law focuses primarily on gratuitous transfers; and commercial law generally addresses arm's length, not fiduciary, relationships. The dilemma has become critically important, however, as defaults increase in the multitude of conflicting securities (e.g., classes of securities of the same issuer having different priorities or sources of payment) that are typical of modern finance. A fiduciary, such as a trustee, acting for investors in these securities faces the difficult task of trying to understand and balance the respective obligations owed to conflicting classes and the risk of being sued no matter how the balancing is performed.


Dependency derivation is the search for combinations of variables (or states of variables) in a database, that co-occur unexpectedly often. In Bayesian dependency derivation, indications are ranked primarily by their estimated strengths, but an adjustment is made to account for uncertainty when data is scarce. This reduces the risk of highlighting spurious associations. This report presents refined methods for IC analysis—one method for Bayesian dependency derivation. The disproportionality measure in IC analysis is the Information Component (IC) [BLE98]. It relates the observed joint frequency of two particular states of two different variables to the frequency expected under the assumption of independence. In the current implementation of IC analysis, estimates for the lower 95% credibility interval limit are derived based on a normal approximation to the posterior IC distribution [OLBL00]. In this report, the validity of these approximations is examined through Monte Carlo simulation. Monte Carlo simulation is also proposed and used as a general tool to study the IC distribution. For accurate lower credibility interval limit derivation over the entire domain of possible parameter values, two Monte Carlo based approaches are proposed: brute force simulation and a tabular method. These methods vary in execution time and the ranges in which they give accurate results. The optimal combination and implementation of the known approaches is highly dependent on characteristics of the database of interest. Furthermore, this report shows that for a certain choice of non-informative priors the multinomial and the Poisson data models yield equivalent posterior IC distributions and that Monte Carlo simulation under these circumstances is equivalent to the Bayesian bootstrap. Relevant aspects of the multiple comparisons issue and problems related to stratification and confounding variables are also discussed. A Monte Carlo method for Bayesian dependency derivation


State abstraction is a useful tool for agents interacting with complex environments. Good state abstractions are compact, reuseable, and easy to learn from sample data. This paper combines and extends two existing classes of state abstraction methods to achieve these criteria. The first class of methods search for MDP homomorphisms (Ravindran 2004), which produce models of reward and transition probabilities in an abstract state space. The second class of methods, like the UTree algorithm (McCallum 1995), learn compact models of the value function quickly from sample data. Models based on MDP homomorphisms can easily be extended such that they are usable across tasks with similar reward functions. However, value based methods like UTree cannot be extended in this fashion. We present results showing a new, combined algorithm that fulfills all three criteria: the resulting models are compact, can be learned quickly from sample data, and can be used across a class of reward functions.


The prevalent use of XML highlights the need for a generic, flexible access-control mechanism for XML documents that supports efficient and secure query access, without revealing sensitive information unauthorized users. This paper introduces a novel paradigm for specifying XML security constraints and investigates the enforcement of such constraints during XML query evaluation. Our approach is based on the novel concept of security views, which provide for each user group (a) an XML view consisting of all and only the information that the users are authorized to access, and (b) a view DTD that the XML view conforms to. Security views effectively protect sensitive data from access and potential inferences by unauthorized user, and provide authorized users with necessary schema information to facilitate effective query formulation and optimization. We propose an efficient algorithm for deriving security view definitions from security policies (defined on the original document DTD) for different user groups. We also develop novel algorithms for XPath query rewriting and optimization such that queries over security views can be efficiently answered without materializing the views. Our algorithms transform a query over a security view to an equivalent query over the original document, and effectively prune query nodes by exploiting the structural properties of the document DTD in conjunction with approximate XPath containment tests. Our work is the first to study a flexible, DTD-based access-control model for XML and its implications on the XML query-execution engine. Furthermore, it is among the first efforts for query rewriting and optimization in the presence of general DTDs for a rich a class of XPath queries. An empirical study based on real-life DTDs verifies the effectiveness of our approach.


We report the result of the first search for multipoint in situ and imaging observations of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) starting with the first Solar Orbiter (SolO) data in 2020 April–2021 April. A data exploration analysis is performed including visualizations of the magnetic-field and plasma observations made by the five spacecraft SolO, BepiColombo, Parker Solar Probe (PSP), Wind, and STEREO-A, in connection with coronagraph and heliospheric imaging observations from STEREO-A/SECCHI and SOHO/LASCO. We identify ICME events that could be unambiguously followed with the STEREO-A heliospheric imagers during their interplanetary propagation to their impact at the aforementioned spacecraft and look for events where the same ICME is seen in situ by widely separated spacecraft. We highlight two events: (1) a small streamer blowout CME on 2020 June 23 observed with a triple lineup by PSP, BepiColombo and Wind, guided by imaging with STEREO-A, and (2) the first fast CME of solar cycle 25 (≈1600 km s−1) on 2020 November 29 observed in situ by PSP and STEREO-A. These results are useful for modeling the magnetic structure of ICMEs and the interplanetary evolution and global shape of their flux ropes and shocks, and for studying the propagation of solar energetic particles. The combined data from these missions are already turning out to be a treasure trove for space-weather research and are expected to become even more valuable with an increasing number of ICME events expected during the rise and maximum of solar cycle 25.


Within the European research project HOPE, 64 office buildings were audited regarding in-door environment quality and building characteristics. Of those buildings, two groups are se-lected: 21 buildings with low prevalence of the sick building syndrome, and 21 buildings with the largest prevalence. However, none of these buildings was considered a priori as sick. Both groups are similar for age of occupants, type of work, ownership, external environment, outdoor temperature, orientation, and smoking policy. This study shows that large or tall buildings with low ceilings and high occupancy ratio are more likely to present a high build-ing-related symptom index (BSI). Noise sources may also influence the BSI, but no clear rela-tionship between pollution and BSI was found. Finally buildings with mechanical ventilation systems were shown to have on average a higher BSI, but there are buildings where the me-chanical ventilations system is well designed and maintained, which present a low BSI.


As environmental problems increase on a global scale, a framework must be established to achieve environmental balance. Because the power of local governments is rising as a result of decentralization in Japan, local governments must shoulder the responsibility of dealing with environmental consumption within a region and set up a suitable system for an area. This study examines an ecologically balanced area based on the balance of environmental productivity and consumption capacity. Using a case study approach examining Ibaraki prefecture in Japan, which has been influenced strongly by Tokyo because of its location in the national capital region, it is possible to explain how the concept promotes understanding of ecological productivity and consumption. The study evaluated the Ecological Footprint (EF) of all 44 municipalities in Ibaraki prefecture and connected municipalities with a high environmental load with a low environmental load as one area. To the lower one, the higher one pays for its obligation for environmental management. Results of a case study demonstrated a method to let the designed areas manage their environment voluntarily and to promote local production for local consumption through interregional cooperation. This concept used in environmental planning will improve the ecological balance. The conclusions show that most municipalities in Ibaraki prefecture are not ecologically balanced and that the environmental consumption of the area is influenced by the positional relation with Tokyo metropolitan district. The median value of environmental load excess ratio of all municipalities was designed as a reduction goal in ecologically balanced areas. Consequently, the 44 municipalities in Ibaraki prefecture were formed into 11 areas, with four municipalities left without matching with the others.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the nutritional content of recipes prepared in popular children's television (TV) cooking shows.

Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional analysis of 150 recipes focusing on calorie, total fat and carbohydrates, saturated fatty acids, fibre, sugar, protein and salt content was performed. Main course recipes were evaluated against the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA), and the proportions of energy derived from each nutrient were evaluated against the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.

Findings
While a significant proportion met the FSA and WHO recommendations for energy and salt, 58 per cent were above the FSA recommendation for total fat (χ2=5.598, p=0.01), 56 per cent failed to meet the recommendations for saturated fatty acids (χ2=4.551, p=0.03) and 60 per cent exceeded the FSA protein recommendations (χ2=12.602, p<0.001). Only 17 and 21 per cent of the recipes met the minimum recommendations for carbohydrates (χ2=30.429, p<0.001) and fibre (χ2=16.909, p<0.001), respectively. Only 37 per cent had adequate portion of fruits and vegetables. The nutritional content varied depending on the composition of the recipes; vegetarian recipes were more likely to meet the recommendations than poultry, meat or fish recipes.

Research limitations/implications
Foods displayed by children's popular TV cooking show fall short of the standards for healthy eating, thus warranting further research on how these shows affect eating behaviour.

Originality/value
This study is the first to consider children's TV cooking shows as a platform of exposure to unhealthy foods.


Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of a hyperglycemia protocol in neonates with critical cardiac illness. Neonates are often regarded as high risk for hypoglycemia while receiving continuous insulin infusions and thus have been excluded from some clinical trials. Design: A retrospective review. Setting: A pediatric cardiac ICU in a tertiary academic center. Interventions: Neonates with critical cardiac illness who developed hyperglycemia were placed on an insulin-hyperglycemia protocol at the attending physician's discretion. Insulin infusions were titrated based on frequent blood glucose monitoring. Measurements: Critical illness hyperglycemia was defined as a blood glucose less than 140 mg/dL. Hypoglycemia was defined as moderate (⩽ 60 mg/dL) or severe (⩽ 40 mg/dL). Initiating blood glucose, lowest blood glucose during insulin infusion, doses of insulin, duration of insulin, and time to blood glucose greater than 140 mg/dL were evaluated. Main Results: A total of 44 patients were placed on the protocol between January 2009 and October 2011. The majority of insulin infusions were initiated in the early postoperative period (33 of 44, 75%). Moderate hypoglycemia occurred in two patients (4.5%), with blood glucose levels of 49 and 53 mg/dL. No episodes of severe hypoglycemia occurred. A total of 345 discrete blood glucose levels were analyzed; two of these being greater than 60 mg/dL (0.58%). Mean blood glucose prior to starting insulin was 252 ± 45 mg/dL and time until euglycemia was 6.1 ± 3.9 hours. The mean duration of insulin infusion was 24.6 ± 38.7 hours, mean peak dose was 0.10 ± 0.05 units/kg/hour, and mean insulin dose was 0.06 ± 0.02 units/kg/hour. For postoperative patients, mean time after bypass until onset of hyperglycemia was 2.2 ± 2.6 hours. Conclusions: A glycemic control protocol can safely and effectively be applied to neonates with critical cardiac disease. Neonates with critical cardiac illness should be included in clinical trials evaluating the benefits of glycemic control.


The corporate insolvency elements of the Enterprise Act 2002 attempt to revitalise the 'rescue culture' in the UK. At the core of the new administration regime introduced by the Act lies a statutory list of objectives available to the administrator, the Insolvency Practitioner presiding over the insolvency proceedings. The insolvency proceedings must be directed towards the pursuit of one of these objectives. The list consists, roughly, of the attempt either to rescue the company, or (some of) its business as a going concern, or the liquidation of that business piecemeal for distribution to creditors. The aim of this paper is to consider the standard by which the administrator will be judged in making his choice about which of these objectives to pursue. In particular, how broad is his discretion to choose, and to what extent (if at all) is this discretion subject to legally binding requirements? The paper argues that, in settling upon the correct objective for an administration proceeding, the administrator owes the distressed company fiduciary obligations. These obligations are shaped by the administrator's statutory duties not unnecessarily to harm the company's creditors as a whole, to act in their interests as a whole, and to perform his functions as quickly and efficiently as is reasonably practicable. In making the selection, the administrator is under the duty to act rationally, which requires him to inform himself of all the facts and factors reasonably available to him that are relevant to his decision, and to act only after taking into account all relevant but no irrelevant considerations. The paper compares the nature of the administrator's role with that of administrative (i.e. public) decision makers. In particular, it highlights the administrator's duty to explain his reasons for pursuing lower priority objectives, and to consult creditors about his decision. Given that meaningful consultation requires arming the consultees with all the information reasonably available which bears upon their decision, and given that this requirement for the administrator to account for his decision is explicit in the statutory text, we suggested that the decision is likely to be subject to fairly intensive review if challenged.


It is generally agreed that a Banking Union should have common or 'single' institutions responsible for carrying out three basic functions: supervision, resolution and deposit insurance. So far, however, agreement has been reached in the EU on only the first two of these functions. The Commission has now presented its proposal on how to complete the Banking Union with a European Deposit Insurance Scheme (EDIS). It is an innovative and courageous proposal. It is courageous because it will clearly be very controversial in a number of member states (especially Germany) and it is innovative because it proposes a three-stage process, starting with re-insurance, then switching to co-insurance and finally to full direct insurance of deposits via a 'single' Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF). This final stage should be reached in 2024, which is also the date at which the Single Resolution Fund (SRF) will become the only source of financing for bank resolution. The Commission's proposal calls for integrating the decision-making for EDIS into the decision-making entity for the SRF, namely the existing Single Resolution Board (SRB). This makes sense if one views resolution and deposit insurance as two highly interlinked dimensions of dealing with banks in trouble. In this view the two dimensions should be bundled into one institution – and one suspects that over time the two funds (the SRF and the DIF) could be merged into one. This Policy Brief argues that re-insurance should not be considered as a transitory phase, but could also provide a solution for the long run. 'Experience rating' could be used to ensure a proper pricing of risk and to protect the interests of the depositors in countries with safer banking systems. Moreover, EDIS should have a decision-making structure separate from and independent of the SRM, since it has mainly a macroeconomic function.


Tissue injury triggers complex communication between cells via secreted signaling molecules such as cytokines and growth factors. Discerning when and where these signals begin and how they propagate over time is very challenging with existing cell culture and analysis tools. The goal of this study was to develop new tools in the form of microfluidic co-cultures with integrated biosensors for local and continuous monitoring of secreted signals. Specifically, we focused on how alcohol injury affects TGF-β signaling between two liver cell types, hepatocytes and stellate cells. Activation of stellate cells happens early during liver injury and is at the center of liver fibrosis. We demonstrated that alcohol injury to microfluidic co-cultures caused significantly higher levels of stellate cell activation compared to conditioned media and transwell injury experiments. This highlighted the advantage of the microfluidic co-culture: placement of two cell types in close proximity to ensure high local concentrations of injury-promoting secreted signals. Next, we developed a microsystem consisting of five chambers, two for co-culturing hepatocytes with stellate cells and three additional chambers containing miniature aptamer-modified electrodes for monitoring secreted TGF-β. Importantly, the walls separating microfluidic chambers were actuatable; they could be raised or lowered to create different configurations of the device. The use of reconfigurable microfluidics and miniature biosensors revealed that alcohol injury causes hepatocytes to secrete TGF-β molecules, which diffuse over to neighboring stellate cells and trigger production of additional TGF-β from stellate cells. Our results lend credence to the emerging view of hepatocytes as active participants of liver injury. Broadly speaking, our microsystem makes it possible to monitor paracrine crosstalk between two cell types communicating via the same signaling molecule (e.g. TGF-β).


This chapter presents an overview of our evaluation of the introduction of electronic medical records (EMR) in 20 nursing homes located in the New York City region. These organizations were part of an EMR demonstration project cosponsored by the for-profit segment of the nursing home industry in the region and 1199SEIU United Health Care Workers East, the union that represented frontline staff in these organizations. We report central lessons from our evaluation, which took place over the course of four years and included multiple data sources. The primary purpose of our research was to examine the effects of EMR adoption on employment and labor relations in the participating organizations. Findings are based on a longitudinal study of EMR adoption in 15 of the 20 organizations that received the EMR technology and five "control" organizations, which did not receive the technology, employing a mixed methodological design with both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. Results from our research inform the existing EMR adoption discussion in two ways. First, we find mixed evidence associated with EMR implementation. The adoption of this new technology enhances certain organizational outcomes, but it seems to hinder others. Second, findings from our research highlight the importance of preexisting organizational factors as predictors of EMR-associated outcomes. EMR-associated outcomes, positive or negative, are likely to be contingent on key organizational characteristics and on managerial adoption strategies. Our study's findings imply that the meaningful use of EMR needs to take into account not only the technical specifications of EMR but also the organizational characteristics of the physician practices and healthcare facilities adopting the technology. Healthcare organizations vary in their capacity and ability to make optimal use of health information technology, which should be incorporated into public policy and organizational practices designed to increase adoption.


Motivated by some real problems, our thesis puts forward two general two-period pricing models and explore optimal buying and selling strategies in two states of the two-period decision, when buyer/seller's decisions in the two periods are uncertain: commodity valuations may or may not be independent, may or may not follow the same distribution, be heavily or just lightly influenced by exogenous economic conditions, and so on. For both the example of buying laptops and the example of selling houses, the connections between each example and the two-envelope paradox encourage us to explore optimal strategies based on the works of McDonnell and Abbott (2009) and McDonnell et al. (2011), which proposed optimal strategies on the condition that the amount of the first envelope is known. In the case of buying laptop whether on Black Friday, or on Boxing day, We derive an optimal strategy for minimizing the expected loss in the two-period economy when a pivotal decision needs to be made during the first time-period and cannot be subsequently reversed. In the cases of selling real estate in Punta del Este, a resort town in Uruguay, real-estate property is in demand by both domestic and foreign buyers. There are several stages of selling residential units: before, during, and after the actual construction. Different pricing strategies are used at every stage. We propose a general model to derive, under various scenarios of practical relevance, optimal strategies for setting prices within two-stage selling framework, as well as to explore the optimal timing for accomplishing these tasks in order to maximize the overall seller's expected revenue. The optimal strategies in this model draw hints from the example of selling real estate proposed by Egozcue et al. (2013), where the ideas of McDonnell and Abbott (2009) and McDonnell et al. (2011) were applied in two states of the one-period decision scenario. All our optimal buying/selling strategies are illustrated with numerical and graphical examples using appropriately constructed parametric models.


Contributor Role Ontologies and Taxonomies (CROTs) are standard vocabularies to describe individual contributions to a scholarly project or research output. Contributor Roles Taxonomy (CRediT) is one of the most widely used CROTs, and has been adopted by numerous journals to describe author's contributions, and recently formalized as a ANSI/NISO standard. Despite these developments, there is still much work left to be done to improve how CROTs are used across different research domains, research output types, and scholarly workflows. In this paper, we describe how CROTs could be extended to include roles from various disciplines in an ethical and inclusive manner. We explore potential approaches to apply CROTs to diverse research objects and various disciplines; as well as envision their integration into various scholarly workflows, such as promotion and tenure in academic institutions. Lastly, we discuss potential mechanisms for wide adoption and use. While acknowledging that improving current systems of attribution is a slow and iterative process, we believe that engaging the community in the evolution of CROTs will ultimately enhance the ethical attribution of credit and responsibilities in scholarly publications.


Play is an underlying theme of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) but it is often a challenge for practitioners to provide a play based curriculum. This book investigates the values and beliefs that underpin play and demonstrates through case studies how play opportunities can be observed, planned and assessed in a meaningful context for the child.
Organised into four sections that mirror the EYFS, this book takes you through the curriculum framework demonstrating how play underpins each of these principles and is the common thread that links them together.
Chapters include: celebrating children's play choices; ways to work with parents; inspiring environments for inspirational play; the role o play in supporting key relationships; creative play for flexible learning.
Incorportating the voices of early years practitioners, this book takes the unique approach of analysing academic theory, showing how this can be put into practice and then suggests activities to facilitate reflective practice and professional development.
Useful to all those studying on any early years course, this book is particularly relevant to those leading practice in early years settings and those working towards Early Years Professional Status (EYPS).


There are compelling reasons to combine the concepts of an architecture description language with those of an object-oriented framework to provide support for the development of reusable and extensible software architectures. This paper presents C++CL, an object-oriented framework for developing reconfigurable distributed software architectures, which follows that approach. The reconfigurability of C++CL enables us to develop distributed systems, which require changes to take place during run time without having to shut the system down. Examples of systems of this kind are evident in banking, industrial control and telecommunications and are becoming more common in many other areas. The main focus of the paper is to show how C++CL supports re-usability and the evolution of distributed systems through the use of inheritance and the modelling of architectural styles. Inheritance can be applied not ony to the components of an architecture but to the description of the architectural configuration itself. An architectural style, similarly to a pattern, defines an architecture-based solution to a family of problems. The combination of those two concepts provides powerful support for re-usability of architecture descriptions.


Sexual selection is a widespread evolutionary force that acts on variation between individuals in reproduction, driving the evolution of traits that increase fertilisation success. Although generally well-studied, there are gaps in our understanding of how sexual selection (1) impacts population-level fitness, and (2) shapes trait divergence at the level of the gamete. Here, I investigate these questions using experimentally evolved populations of the promiscuous flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, which vary only in contrasting strengths of sexual selection across 58+ generations. For population fitness, sexual selection is theorised to act either positively or negatively, depending on its alignment with natural selection, and/or the impact of sexual conflict. I found no evidence for either consistently positive or negative effects of sexual selection history on adult resistance to environmental stresses or intrinsic ageing. However, significant and consistent benefits of strong sexual selection histories were recorded within the ability of individuals to cope with poor nutrition. Furthermore, a history of strong sexual selection improved a population's ability to invade novel, intra-specific competitor populations across multiple generations, demonstrating superior biotic fitness across life history traits. Overall, these results provide evidence for population fitness benefits of sexual selection. At the gamete level, sperm number is known to be a vital predictor of sperm competition success, however, the influence of sexual selection on the huge diversity in sperm morphology remains unclear. I found that strong sexual selection led to the evolution of greater sperm competitiveness in adult males, and this was associated with increasing sperm length divergence, but no effect on length variance. Finally, a study of sex-specific ageing in this promiscuous species revealed that stark sexual dimorphism in reproductive senescence was associated with sexual dimorphism in intrinsic lifespan, supporting ageing theories and suggesting significant differences in the cost of early reproduction for males and females.