With reading proficiently by the end of third grade as a common goal, many school districts are exploring options to enhance early reading instruction. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the supplemental, computer-assisted reading program i-Ready would significantly affect first grade students' reading achievement. Participants (n=159) were first graders at two elementary schools - treatment (n= 82) and comparison n= 77). An independent samples t-test was used to compare the mid-year reading achievement scores of the treatment and comparison groups and found no statistically significant differences between groups. Following 10 weeks of twice-weekly 45-minute sessions of i-Ready reading instruction for the treatment group, an independent samples t-test showed that no statistically significant differences in reading achievement existed between the treatment and comparison groups. Several possibilities for this finding are discussed.


Over the decades, due to technology limitations and regulatory restrictions, information services have been delivered to subscribers through multiple service providers. In recent years, however, the advancement of digital communication technology, the passing of the 1996 Telecommunications Act in the U.S., and the emergence of the Internet are driving network convergence. As a result, the industry is calling for the consolidation of an integrated Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) in the customer's premises to provide integrated services, such as multi-media, voice, and data services. However, the ever-changing network standards and competing technologies not only confuse carriers, but also prevent them from committing to massive CPE deployment. In this paper, the problems carriers face in the deployment of integrated services over broadband are first described. In order to remove these deployment obstacles, and also to create new value-added services, service models are investigated and an open CPE architecture is proposed that will support the wide range of broadband access technologies and ever-changing network standards. For your reference, an Appendix of acronyms used in this paper is included.


Iron-deficiency anaemia (IDA) is a global public health problem, affecting an estimated 51% of children below 4 years of age in developing countries and 12% in developed countries. Owing to rapid body growth and a depletion of neonatal iron stores, iron requirements during late infancy are higher than during any other period of life. There is a well-known association between IDA and delayed neurodevelopment in infants and young children. Early weaning to cow's milk or formula unfortified with iron is known to increase the risk for IDA in this age group. Iron fortification of common infant foods is recommended in many countries. Iron supplements are often recommended for infants who are breast-fed for longer than 4–6 months and who do not consume adequate amounts of iron-fortified complementary foods. The scientific bases for these recommendations are discussed in this review, as are safety aspects, and the diagnostic criteria for IDA in infants and young child
 ren are critically examined. Keywords: Human infant, infant nutrition, iron-deficiency anaemia, iron status, iron supplementation, nutritional requirements


Wet snow avalanches pose a threat to snow recreationists and to infrastructure such as mountain roads. The timing of wet snow avalanche formation is difficult to predict. The loss of strength is more important than stress imposed by additional loads. Processes leading to weakening, such as water infiltration can be gradual or sudden. Therefore, the time scale of observations is essential. A questionnaire among 40 international avalanche professionals aimed at determining common practice in assessing wet snow stability during first and repeated wetting events. It turns out that only few respondents use different stability tests for dry and wet snow. 14 respondents consider tests in wet snow useful. In view of the responses, we sampled 35 locations during first and repeated wetting cycles in the Swiss Alps. We compare the results of one rutschblock test (RB), four extended column tests (ECT) and two shovel shear tests from the morning and the afternoon. Additionally, vertical liquid water content profiles and snow profiles are analyzed. Moist and very soft persistent weak layers most often produce unstable test results, where the failure character is a collapse. Observed ponding horizons did not produce failures in the tests. As in dry snow, the RB is comparable to the ECT in wet and moist snow. The influence of surface melt-freeze crust is investigated by comparing ECT fracture propagation with a modified version of the ECT, where the surface melt-freeze crust is removed. A procedure to assess deep, wet snow instabilities is suggested.


Abstract Cerambycid beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) can locate suitable hosts and mates by sensing pheromones and plant volatiles. Many cerambycid pheromone components have been identified and are now produced synthetically for trap lures. The range over which these lures attract cerambycids within a forest, and the tendency for cerambycids to move out of a forest in response to lures, have not been explored previously. We conducted two field experiments using baited and unbaited panel traps in northern Delaware to investigate these questions. Within forest fragments, unbaited traps that were 2 m from a baited trap captured more beetles than unbaited control traps, suggesting increased cerambycid activity leading to more by-catch in unbaited traps at 2 m from the pheromone source. Traps at further distances from a baited trap did not catch significantly more beetles than equivalent controls. In contrast, male Prionus laticollis (Drury), which were attracted by the likely female-produced sex pheromone 3,5-dimethyldodecanoic acid, were rarely collected in unbaited traps at any distance from baited traps. Outside the forest, baited traps attracted significantly more cerambycids than unbaited traps at distances up to 40 m from the forest edge, with catch generally decreasing between 8 and 40 m from the forest. Some cerambycids were collected in both baited and unbaited traps at all distances from the forest edge, indicating that at least some species dispersed out of the forest independent of any pheromonal attractants. Our results provide context to previous studies that used these pheromone lures, and offer insights into cerambycid dispersal behavior.


With the rapid development of science and technology, people's acceptance of online shopping is increasing. As an important part of online shopping, small and medium-sized cosmetics enterprises have the characteristics of small investment scale and flexible adjustment of brand strategy, but previous research lack sustained and effective methods and tools to analysis brand impact. The paper takes INOHERB as an example, to explore the connotation and feature of brand and brand image from the perspective of the cosmetics online shopping, as well as the relevant theories of online shopping intention. Through literature review, the paper applies the bell brand image measurement model, dividing brand image into corporate image and product or service image, and user image. It also adds the analysis on the consumption characteristics, so as to test result reasonableness of the brand image analysis's influence on online shopping intention. Data were collected from college female students by print questionnaires and online surveys. The result indicated that corporate image has a strong influence on consumer online shopping intention. Besides, product and service image also have a significant influence on consumer online shopping intention, consumers are more willing to buy cosmetics online above average prices with positive word of mouth and good quality.


ABSTRACT Existing work on civil-military relations in Turkey has left the question of coup outcomes understudied. Although coups organized in line with the military chain of command are automatically assumed most likely to succeed, not all coup attempts carried out by junior/mid-ranking officers are doomed to fail. While 27 May 1960 coup by junior officers succeeded, three other coups attempted outside the chain of command in 1962, 1963, and 15 July 2016 in Turkey failed. Why? This article uses 'coordination game' framework as a theoretical tool to provide an answer. These cases lend significant support to application of game theoretic models to the literature on military coup outcomes.


It addition to its high evaporation field, diamond is also known for its limited photoabsorption, strong covalent bonding, and wide bandgap. These characteristics have been thought for long to also complicate the field evaporation of diamond and make its control hardly achievable on the atomistic-level. Herein, we demonstrate that the unique behavior of nanoscale diamond and its interaction with pulsed laser lead to a controlled field evaporation thus enabling three-dimensional atom-by-atom mapping of diamond (12)C/(13)C homojunctions. We also show that one key element in this process is to operate the pulsed laser at high energy without letting the dc bias increase out of bounds for diamond nanotip to withstand. Herein, the role of the dc bias in evaporation of diamond is essentially to generate free charge carriers within the nanotip via impact ionization. The mobile free charges screen the internal electric field, eventually creating a hole rich surface where the pulsed laser is effectively absorbed leading to an increase in the nanotip surface temperature. The effect of this temperature on the uncertainty in the time-of-flight of an ion, the diffusion of atoms on the surface of the nanotip, is also discussed. In addition to paving the way toward a precise manipulation of isotopes in diamond-based nanoscale and quantum structures, this result also elucidates some of the basic properties of dielectric nanostructures under high electric field.


This study involved qualitative analyses of the benefits and difficulties of providing home-based Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for Japanese parents of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An open-ended questionnaire survey was administered to 35 parents of children with autism who were implementing home-based ABA. The mean age of the parents was 38.7 years old (SD = 3.80), and the time since initiation of home-based ABA was 25.5 months (SD = 19.58). The mean age of the children with ASD was 64.5 months old (SD = 37.7). Data were analyzed using the KJ method of qualitative analysis. The benefits of implementing home-based ABA were related to growth of the parents themselves and child development. Identified difficulties included balancing work and household responsibilities and psychological problems. These findings were then compared with similar previous studies to discuss support for families implementing in-home ABA programs.


The velocity of income (V1) is considered for the United States over the past century, and
more thoroughly examined within the current context of the financial crisis. With all inference
based on 1 percent significance testing, a Granger Causality relationship from velocity growth
to real income growth formalizes velocity's importance. Its long- and short-run behavior is
estimated reserving a role for previous empirical literature and current extraordinary
stimulating packages. Fiscal policy in terms of public debt accumulation appears to be
substantially negatively influencing velocity behavior. A negative Granger Causality linkage
from public debt growth to velocity growth makes a case for a gradual run-down in public
debt.


Abstract Background The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) were analyzed in various carcinomas and their potential prognostic significance was determined. The objective of present study was to determine the correlation between these parameters and the survival of patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), since very few studies have been published on this type of carcinoma. Patients and methods One hundred and forty patients diagnosed with SCLC at University Hospital Center Zagreb, between 2012 and 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Extensive-stage disease (ED) was verified in 80 patients and limited-stage disease (LD) in 60 patients. We analyzed the potential prognostic significance of various laboratory parameters, including NLR, PLR, and LMR, measured before the start of treatment. Results Disease extension, response to therapy, chest irradiation and prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI), as well as hemoglobin, monocyte count, C-reactive protein (CRP), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) showed a prognostic significance in all patients. When we analyzed the patients separately, depending on the disease extension, we found that only skin metastases as well as LDH and NLR values, regardless of the cut-off value, had a prognostic significance in ED. Meanwhile, the ECOG performance status, chest irradiation, PCI, and hemoglobin and creatinine values had a prognostic significance in LD. Conclusions NLR calculated before the start of the treatment had a prognostic significance for ED, while PLR and LMR had no prognostic significance in any of the analyzed groups of patients.


The progress in neuromorphic computing is fueled by the development of novel nonvolatile memories capable of storing analog information and implementing neural computation efficiently. However, like most other analog circuits, these devices and circuits are prone to imperfections, such as temperature dependency, noise, tuning error, etc., often leading to considerable performance degradation in neural network implementations. Indeed, imperfections are major obstacles in the path of further progress and ultimate commercialization of these technologies. Hence, a practically viable approach should be developed to deal with these nonidealities and unleash the full potential of nonvolatile memories in neuromorphic systems. Here, for the first time, we report a comprehensive characterization of critical imperfections in two analog-grade memories, namely passively-integrated memristors and redesigned eFlash memories, which both feature long-term retention, high endurance, analog storage, low-power operation, and compact nano-scale footprint. Then, we propose a holistic approach that includes modifications in the training, tuning algorithm, memory state optimization, and circuit design to mitigate these imperfections. Our proposed methodology is corroborated on a hybrid software/experimental framework using two benchmarks: a moderate-size convolutional neural network and ResNet-18 trained on CIFAR-10 and ImageNet datasets, respectively. Our proposed approaches allow 2.5x to 9x improvements in the energy consumption of memory arrays during inference and sub-percent accuracy drop across 25-100 C temperature range. The defect tolerance is improved by>100x, and a sub-percent accuracy drop is demonstrated in deep neural networks built with 64x64 passive memristive crossbars featuring 25% normalized switching threshold variations.


There are large quantities of waste rice husk, e.g. around 3 million tons are estimated as biomass waste every year in Japan. Air pollutants emitted from exhaust gases of rice husk incineration lead to very important environmental damage, not only because of the influence on global environment and climate, when released into the atmosphere, but also on human health due to local air pollution. Therefore, it is necessary to effectively utilize waste rice husk and to reduce air pollutants. In recent years, there is an increasing demand on the utilization of unused biomass instead of fossil oil fuel in combustors for farminggreenhouses heating during the winter season. This increase in the demand will increase the running costs. In general, since these combustors are small in size, there is lack of regulations or laws (e.g. the air pollution control act and the waste disposal and public cleaning law) in operation for their air pollution control. So far, small size combustors are characterized by their simplicity of structure and the low costs; therefore, they emit visible black carbon (elemental carbon) due to their poor combustion performance. In this study, we investigated if fossil fuel can be substituted by waste rice husk in laboratory model combustion experiments. We evaluated the emission behavior of harmful air pollutants emitted from rice husk combustion by measuring carbonaceous and ionic composition of suspended particulate matter in the exhaust gases. From the analytical results we found that particulate mass concentrations can be reduced substantially at high temperature combustion. Fine particle size distribution is different with combustion conditions (e.g. smoldering combustion, flaming combustion). Ionic composition is mainly


At the margins of the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets warmer ocean temperatures triggered a retreat, speedup and thinning of numerous marine-terminating glaciers and ice shelves. The flow of warm subsurface waters toward the glaciers and ice shelves is steered by the bathymetry of the continental shelves surrounding Greenland and Antarctica. In Northeast Greenland the 79 North Glacier has Greenland's largest floating ice tongue. A unique data set comprising bathymetric, hydrographic, and current velocity observations obtained at the calving front of the 79 North Glacier emphasizes the importance of the complex bathymetry for the heat transport into the sub-ice cavity. A narrow strait steers the flow of waters exceeding 1°C toward the calving front. Warm waters spilling over a sill and Froude numbers peaking at 1.1 point to a hydraulically controlled flow into the sub-ice cavity. By mixing with glacial meltwater (i.e., both basal meltwater and subglacial runoff), waters inside the cavity are cooled by 0.9°C and freshened by 0.4 generating a shallow outflow of glacially modified waters. Thus, the sub-ice cavity circulation is characterized by a negatively buoyant gravity plume and a positively buoyant ice-shelf plume. Both processes lead to turbulent entrainment and are important drivers for the overturning inside the cavity. Topographic control may constrain the overturning circulation by limiting the amount of warm waters supplied to the grounding line of the floating ice tongue. Although the topographic settings that shape this ice shelf-ocean system are quite specific, the results obtained here may be applied to comparable settings in Northern Greenland and Antarctica.


This work deals with the behavior of structural continuous composite steelconcrete beams, which are widely used in building and bridge constructions. Therefore the structural behavior of composite beams under negative moment is a significant subject. However experimental tests in this field are very rare and information about the efficiency of shear connection when the slab is under tension are really few. In the present research, available experimental tests on composite steel-concrete beams under negative bending are theoretically analyzed using the finite element software ANSYS. ANSYS computer program is a large-scale multipurpose finite element program which may be used for solving several cases of engineering analyses. The proposed three dimensional model is able to simulate the overall flexural behavior of composite beams. This covers; load-deflection behavior, longitudinal slip at the steel-concrete interface, and distribution of shear studs. The reliability of the model is demonstrated by comparison with available experiment and alternative numerical analysis which shows 9-10% difference.


THE PRESENT-DAY treatment of idiopathic acquired hemolytic anemia centers around the use of corticotropin (ACTH) or cortisone with or without splenectomy. Transfusions are often given, but the results frequently are not such as one hopes for, the transfused cells being rapidly hemolyzed and the patient not improved. Recently we have had under observation a small child with acquired hemolytic anemia who seemed to be made worse by transfusions, corticotropin, and cortisone. Replacement transfusion produced a dramatic, although temporary, remission, while cortisone alone at a later date brought about a symptomatic cure. REPORT OF CASE E. H., a 22-month-old girl, was admitted to the Winnipeg Children's Hospital, July 8, 1953, with a history of recurrent purulent otitis media for 19 months; pallor for 12 months, unresponsiveness to iron; intermittent jaundice for 8 months, deepening with upper respiratory infections; no family history of jaundice or anemia. On admission the child was pale


For nominal 3 and 9 nm FePt nanoparticles coated with oleylamine/oleic acid and having a face-centred-cubic (fcc) structure, temperature variations (5–300 K) of magnetization M, ac susceptibility χ′ and χ″ for the frequency range fm = 0.1–1000 Hz and electron magnetic resonance (EMR) spectra at 9.28 GHz are reported. X-ray diffraction of the samples shows fcc structure with a lattice constant a = 3.84 Å and TEM characterization yields log-normal distributions of the particle sizes with average D = 3.15(0.16) nm and D = 8.70(0.12) nm for the 3 nm and 9 nm samples, respectively. M versus T data for the zero-field-cooled and field-cooled modes yield a blocking temperature TB = 15 K (85 K) for the 3 nm (9 nm) samples whereas the hysteresis loops at 5 K yield a coercivity Hc = 0 Oe (1.4 kOe). Analysis of the data of TB at different fm determined from the peaks in χ″ in ac susceptibility and the temperature variation of the EMR spectra are used to determine the following parameters of the Vogel–Fulcher relaxation for the 3 nm (9 nm) samples respectively: the attempt frequency fo = 8 × 1010 Hz (2 × 1012 Hz); inter-particle interaction temperature To = 3 K (33 K) and anisotropy Ka = 1.96 × 106 ergs cm−3 (4.3 × 105 ergs cm−3). The use of the above parameters for the calculations of the optimum size for magnetic hyperthermia is analysed and discussed.


Source rock geochemistry of the paleogene (Imo and Ameki Formations) strata in BendeUmuahia and its environs, Niger Delta Basin, southern eastern Nigeria was assessed for its hydrocarbon play using walkley black wet oxidation and rock-eval pyrolysis techniques. The total organic carbon (TOC) average values for Imo and Ameki Formation are 0.86wt% and 0.74 wt%, this indicates a fair petroleum potential and organic matter concentration. The generative potential (GP) average value of 0.38mg Hc/g for the two formations studies indicates that the organic matter quality is poor. The result of hydrogen index (HI) shows a studied area that is basically type IV Kerogen. The average Tmax value for Imo Formation was 408.8C ad 410.8C for Ameki Formation, which suggest that the studied area is thermally immature. The average vitrinite reflectance (RO) values for Imo and Ameki Formation, which are 0.59Ro and 0.32Ro respectively also suggests that the area studied is thermally immature.Theplots of Rock-Eval s2 versus Toc and hydrogen index versus oxygen index indicates that the studied area is basically type IV Kerogen, while the plots of production Index versus Tmax and Hydrogen index versus Tmax indicates thermally immature for the area. Source rock geochemistry of type IV Kerogen, Thermally immature and fair petroleum potential can be assigned to the area studied.


This paper studies an overlapping generations model with selfish agents, natural resources and human capital externalities. The initial result is to quantify the economic effects of intergenerational transfers by comparing a complete markets allocation with transfers to an allocation without transfers due to incomplete markets. The core contribution is then to show that a higher resource regeneration rate boosts the effect of transfers on economic growth for both allocations, although it also implies a higher gap in growth performances between them. Finally, it is shown that transfers can be financed through a constant lump-sum tax relative to the output level.


As digital cameras with Global Positioning System (GPS) capability become available and people geotag their photos using other means, it is of great interest to annotate semantic events (e.g., hiking, skiing, party) characterized by a collection of geotagged photos with timestamps and GPS information at the capture. We address this emerging event classification problem by mining informative features derived from image contents and spatio-temporal traces of GPS coordinates that characterize the underlying movement patterns of various event types, both based on the entire collection as opposed to individual photos. Considering that events are better described by the co-occurrence of objects and scenes, we bundle primitive features such as color and texture histograms or GPS features to form the discriminative compositional feature. A data mining method is proposed to efficiently discover discriminative compositional features of small classification errors. A theoretical analysis is also presented to guide the selection of the data mining parameters. Upon compositional feature mining, we perform the multiclass AdaBoost to further integrate the mined compositional features. Finally, the GPS and visual modalities are united through a confidence-based fusion. Based on a dataset of more than 3000 geotagged images, experimental results have shown the synergy of all of the components in our proposed approach to event classification.


When product or service quality cannot be well-specified ex-ante because of uncertainty and information asymmetry, consumer surplus (CS) is not well-defined or known ex-ante. Traditional measures of CS have implicitly assumed that the quality expected is the same as the quality that is paid for. However, when the service and price exchange doesn't take place at the same time and in the presence of information asymmetry, the expected service quality may not necessarily realize, which may either overestimate or under-estimate its real level, thus misrepresenting the surplus e-markets offer to customers (service buyers).In this paper, using global e-markets for services outsourcing as a context, we propose a quality-adjusted measure for CS. We first relax the assumption that buyers always get what they expected. Second, we include the psychological factors of disconfirmation on satisfaction to construct the functional form for the measure. We leverage expectation-confirmation theory to theorize the way expected service quality and ex-post consumer satisfaction affect CS and derive a quality-adjusted measure for CS.Empirically, using transaction data from a leading e-market for services outsourcing, we find the following: First, the quality-adjusted measure of CS for the initial project of a buyer predicts whether he decides to stay on the marketplace, and even his subsequent payments and projects; while the traditional measure of CS does not have prediction power. Second, we propose the difference between the quality adjusted measure and traditional measure of CS ( ΔCS ) to be an indicator of ex-post differential satisfaction, and find buyer experience, repeat purchase, lack of language barrier and labor arbitrage to be positively associated with ΔCS , while number of bids is negatively associated with ΔCS . Third, the results also show that buyers reap an average surplus of $94.4-$175.5, even the lower-bound estimate is surprisingly high (about 69% of the winning bid price ($137)). Also, providers' CS will be inflated if the quality-adjusted measure is not employed. We discuss validity of the quality-adjusted measure of CS and call for revisiting the estimation of CS toward economic reality.


Learn how to animate emotion in your characters and add drama to your animation! Character Emotion in 2D and 3D Animation deals specifically with body language, facial expressions, emotional reactions, and other methods of giving characters emotion. It also deals with adding emotion and drama to a scene or setting. A majority of animation books cover emotion as a side element. Character emotion is a major element that plays a vital role in the believability of the character. Character Emotion in 2D and 3D Animation offers comprehensive coverage of the techniques that can help you create believable emotion in your characters.


Author(s): Kanipe, Katherine Nicole | Advisor(s): Moskovits, Martin; Stucky, Galen | Abstract: Although surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a spectroscopic technique with unusually high sensitivity and molecular specificity, few practical analytical applications have been implemented that take advantage of its power. Based on what is understood about SERS from the experimental and theoretical research of the past forty years, we developed a few well-defined design principles on the basis of which a reliable and reproducibly manufacturable SERS-active substrate could be fabricated that is highly enhancing, highly uniform, stable, and based on a broad range of metals so that various chemical processes could be probed. Finally, we restricted ourselves to using only readily scalable fabrication techniques. The resulting SERS-active device was a metal over silica, two-dimensional nano-grating that was shown to produce enhancements of ~107 when compared to a smooth surface of the same metal. This SERS substrate also shows unprecedented signal uniformity over square centimeters, and is fabricated using commonly-available foundry-based approaches exclusively. Initially, we explored the properties of a gold-coated substrates in which a first-order grating resonance due to long-range symmetry is augmented by a local resonance due to the individual core-shell grating elements. The SERS properties of such grating systems were systematically studied as a function of various structural parameters such as the grating pitch, the inter-element gap and the thickness of the metal layer. The most enhancing substrates were found to have a grating parameter with a radiative, rather than evanescent, first-order resonance; a sufficiently small gap between nearest neighbor grating elements to produce near-field interactions; and a gold layer whose thickness was larger than the electronic mean-free-path of the conduction electrons, so as to ensure a high conductivity for the metal layer to sustain strong surface plasmons.We applied these same architectural principles to metals other than gold, and concluded that every workable metal (and virtually any material with sufficiently high electrical conductivity) when appropriately nanostructured, has the potential to be an efficient SERS substrate. The use of materials for SERS beyond silver and gold, has significant advantages, most importantly, allowing SERS to be used to study the surface chemistry and catalysis taking place on metals with more interesting chemistries than those of Au and Ag. Additionally, SERS substrates can be fabricated from high natural abundance, low cost materials. This was illustrated by producing SERS substrates using copper, aluminum, and nickel in addition to silver and gold which were used as benchmarks. All five metals were found to yield high SERS intensities. The variation of the SERS enhancement among them is ascribed mainly to local field effects, with the (larger) grating-based enhancement making an approximately equivalent contribution to the SERS enhancement of the five metals. This conclusion is supported by local electric field simulations. The utility of these new grating-based SERS substrates was demonstrated by implementing them in chemical analysis in both aqueous and gas phases for which, for example, we were able to readily detect opioids such as fentanyl and morphine at concentrations as low as less than one part per billion. Additionally, we have made good progress toward integration of this substrate architecture into a microfluidic channel for a higher degree of sample workup and control.


Inhibition of myostatin is an attractive strategy for the treatment of muscular atrophic diseases such as muscular dystrophy. For the efficient inhibition of myostatin, functionalized peptides were developed by the conjugation of a 16-mer myostatin-binding d-peptide with a photooxygenation catalyst. These peptides induced myostatin-selective photooxygenation and inactivation under near-infrared irradiation, and were associated with little cytotoxicity or phototoxicity. The peptides are resistant to enzymatic digestion due to their d-peptide chains. These properties could contribute to the in vivo use of photooxygenation-based inactivation strategies targeting myostatin.


The aim of the present research work was to develop release modulated beads of losartan potassium complexed with anion exchange resin, Duolite AP143 (cholestyramine). Chitosan was selected as a hydrophilic polymer for the formation of beads which could sustain the release of the drug up to 12 h, along with drug resin complex (DRC). Chitosan beads were prepared using an in-liquid curing method by ionotropic cross-linking or interpolymer linkage with sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP). The formulation of the beads was optimized for entrapment efficiency and drug release using 32 full factorial design. The independent variables selected were DRC/chitosan and percent of TPP. The optimization model was validated for its performance characteristics. Studies revealed that as the concentration of chitosan and TPP was increased, entrapment efficiency and the drug release were found to increase and decrease, respectively. The swelling capacity of chitosan–TPP beads decreased with increasing concentration of TPP. The effect of chitosan concentration and percentage of TPP solution used for cross-linking on entrapment efficiency and drug release rate was extensively investigated. Optimized beads were subjected to in vivo studies in Wistar albino rats to determine the mean arterial blood pressure and compared with marketed formulation. The pharmacodynamic study demonstrates steady blood pressure control for optimized formulation as compared to fluctuated blood pressure for the marketed formulation.


Abstract

Based on Habermas's theory of communicative action, a study of school education in Hong Kong was conducted, with a span more than sixty years from 1945 to 2008. It focused on how social reproduction was possible in school education, how school education was worked in general, and how school education was developed. Moreover, it employed a three-scale analysis of situational analysis and a historical analysis to analyze the above three research foci. In situational analysis, at classroom scale, a symbolic reproduction of the lifeworld of students was depicted, whereas at school scale, an uncoupling of the system from the lifeworld was seen, and finally, at regional scale, a colonization of the lifeworld by the system was concluded. Moreover, its historical development depicted a phenomenon of a colonization of the lifeworld by the system. In sum, the above, other than at classroom scale, showed mainly an undesired and distorted way of development of school education. However, educators and the public sphere strove for the desired or logic development, and resisted the undesired or dynamic one conducted by the government administration.

Based on the summary and conclusions drawn from the analysis of school education in Hong Kong, the study elucidated a new and critical approach in sociology of education. This approach was set out in two dimensions. The first dimension was a three-level analysis of education, with meta-theoretical level concerned learning and teaching action as communicative action, with methodological level concerned interpretive understanding, and with empirical level concerned development of education as a process of rationalization. The second dimension was three concerns in the study of school education, with communicative rationality as the rationality problematic in inquiry, with the integration of the perspectives of action and the system, and with the logic development of education. This approach, based on the theory of communicative action, did provide a conceptual framework for a fuller picture of education, and for a pathway to further development in education.


The semiarid region of Northeastern Brazil is characterized by long drought periods, and the use of saline waters appears as an alternative for the expansion of irrigated areas. Associated with the use of these waters, silicon fertilization constitutes an important attenuator of salt stress. In this perspective, this study aimed to evaluate the phytomass production and quality of the passion fruit cultivar 'Gigante Amarelo' grown with saline water and silicon fertilization. The experiment was conducted in a plant nursery belonging to the Center of Agrifood Science and Technology, in the municipality of Pombal-PB. A completely randomized block design in a 5 x 5 factorial scheme was used, referring to five levels of electrical conductivity of the irrigation water (0.3, 1.0, 1.7, 2.4, and 3.1 dS m-1) and five doses of silicon fertilization (0; 25; 50; 75, and 100 g of potassium silicate/plant), with four replications and two plants per plot. The phytomass accumulation (leaves, stem, and roots), as well as the total dry phytomass, shoot dry phytomass, root/shoot ratio, and the quality index of Dickson were evaluated. The data obtained were subjected to the F-test at 0.01 and 0.05 level of probability. The electrical conductivity of water from 0.3 dS m-1 caused the decrease of phytomass production in seedlings of the passion fruit cultivar 'Gigante Amarelo', although it is possible to produce good quality passion fruit seedlings with water salinity up to 3.1 dS m-1. The doses of silicon fertilization mitigated the effect of salt stress on the root/shoot ratio of plants of the passion fruit cultivar 'Gigante Amarelo'.


Speaking the truth has become somewhat of a rare commodity in modern society. It is estimated that people lie at least once or twice daily and in approximately 30-38 per cent in all interactions (Sridhar, 'Polygraph/narco-analysis testing' (2011) The Practical Lawyer December S-15). It is therefore not surprising that, in the search for the ever elusive truth, polygraph testing is no longer a novel concept in the workplace. Employers in all sectors, ranging from security companies and retailers to corporate giants and governmental divisions, are increasingly enticed by this forensic investigative tool for various purposes ('Pre-employment polygraph tests prevent crime' http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/22/87876.html, accessed on 15 September 2014; De Ryhove, 'Polygraphs and the test of fairness' http://www.polity.org.za/print-version/polygraphs-and-the-test-of-fairness-2012-02-29, accessed on 15 September 2014). In instances of misconduct, where the misappropriation of company property has a crippling effect on a business, employers often resort to the use of polygraphs in desperation (Rheeder, 'Polygraph testing in the employment environment' http://www.jrattorneys.co.za/south-african-labourlaw-case-articles/disciplinary-hearings/11-polygraph-tests-in-the-employment-environment.html, accessed on 15 September 2014). Here employers make use of this investigative tool in specific incident testing to facilitate the enquiry into the misconduct, to narrow the focus where there are a number of suspects who are employees, to corroborate statements or to exonerate innocent parties who are surrounded by circumstantial evidence (De Ryhove).


This thesis describes a series of studies devoted toward the synthesis of model complexes that mimic aspects of structure, redox state, and spectroscopy of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) of Photosystem II. The OEC is a unique metallocofactor featuring a heteronuclear CaMn4 core that catalyzes water oxidation. While advances in spectroscopic and structural techniques offer an ever more detailed view of the structure of the S-state catalytic intermediates, the precise mechanism of O−O bond formation remains debated. Aspects such as (1) role of Ca2+, (2) the location of the substrate waters, and (3) the (electronic) structure of the S-state intermediates remain unclear. To obtain a better understanding of the OEC, systematic structure−function(property) studies on relevant model complexes may be necessary. Despite significant efforts to prepare tetra- and pentanuclear complexes as models of the OEC, relevant complexes in terms of structure, redox state, spectroscopy, and reactivity are rare, likely due to the synthetic challenges of accessing a series of isolable clusters that are suitable for comparisons. Chapter 1 presents a survey of tetramanganese model compounds with an emphasis on redox state and electronic structure, as probed by magnetometry and EPR spectroscopy. Structurally characterized model complexes are grouped according to Mn oxidation states and the S-state that they are mirroring. In contrast to the vast number of spectroscopic studies on the OEC, studies that probe the effect of systematic changes in structure on the spectroscopy of model complexes are rare in the literature. Chapter 2 presents ongoing synthetic efforts to prepare accurate structural models of the OEC. The synthesis of accurate structural models is hampered by the low structural symmetry of the cluster, the presence of two types of metals, and the propensity of oxo moieties to form extended oligomeric structures. Desymmetrization of the previously reported trinucleating ligand leads to the formation of tetranuclear Mn4II precursors. Oxidation in the presence of Ca2+ leads to a CaMn4O2 model of the OEC, underscoring the utility of low-symmetry multinucleating ligands in the synthesis of hitherto unobserved oxo-bridged multimetallic core geometries related to the OEC. Chapter 3 presents a series of [MnIIIMn3IVO4] cuboidal complexes as spectroscopic models of the S2 state of the OEC. Such complexes resemble the oxidation state and EPR spectra of the S2 state, and the effect of systematic changes in the nature of the bridging ligands on spectroscopy was studied. Results show that the electronic structure of tetranuclear Mn complexes is highly sensitive to even small geometric changes and the nature of the bridging ligands. Model studies suggest that the spectroscopic properties of the OEC may also react very sensitively to small changes in structure; the effect of protonation state and other reorganization processes needs to be carefully assessed. Chapter 4 presents a series of [YMn3O4] complexes as models of the [CaMn3O4] subsite of the OEC. The effect of systematic changes in the basicity and chelating properties of the bridging ligands on redox potential was studied. Results show that in the absence of ligand-induced geometric distortions that enforce a contraction of metal-oxo distances, increasing the basicity of the ligands results in a decrease of cluster reduction potential. A small contraction of metal-oxo/metal-metal distances by ~0.1 A enforced by a chelating ligand results in an increase of cluster reduction potential even in the presence of strong basic donors. Such small, protein-induced changes in Ca-oxo/Ca-Mn distances may have a similar effect in tuning the redox potential of the OEC through entatic states, and may explain the cation size dependence on the progression of the S-state cycle. Chapter 5 presents a series of [CaMn3O4] and [YMn3O4] complexes as models of the [CaMn3O4] subsite of the OEC. The effect of systematic changes in cluster geometry, heterometal identity, and bridging oxo protonation on cluster spin state structure was studied. Results show that the electronic structure of the Mn3IV core is highly sensitive to small geometric changes, the nature of the bridging ligands, and the protonation state of the bridging oxos: the spin ground states of essentially isostructural compounds can be S = 3/2, 5/2, or 9/2. Interpretation of EPR signals and subsequent structural assignments based on an S = 9/2 spin state of the CaMn3O4 subsite of the OEC must be done very cautiously. While unfinished, appendices 1 and 2 present other important aspect in OEC model chemistry. Appendix 1 presents the synthesis of 17O-labeled [MnIIIMn3IVO4] and [CaMn3IVO4] complexes as models of the OEC. Ongoing characterization of μ3-oxos in such complexes provide valuable benchmarking parameters for future mechanistic studies. Appendix 2 presents the synthesis and characterization of [Mn4IVO4] cuboidal complexes as spectroscopic models of the S3 state of the OEC, the last observable intermediate prior to O−O bond formation at the OEC.


WILLIAM R. PACE is Executive Director of the World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy and is the Convenor of the NGO Coalition for an International Criminal Court. Behind the daily headlines of world crises and UN failures, negotiations are underway to strengthen the rule of justice and law in the maintenance of international peace and security. For the past three years, a partnership of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governments, and international organizations have been leading a quiet but determined effort to create a permanent International Criminal Court (ICC). If this progressive partnership succeeds in ratifying an ICC, the new world court will be the last major international organization established during a century described by historians as the most war-ridden and bloody in history. Proposals for an international criminal tribunal to prosecute those individuals accused of the most heinous crimes in international law have surfaced several times during the past century. Shortly after World War II and the Nuremberg Tribunals, there were high hopes for creating an ICC. But even the horrors of the Holocaust and subsequent calls of "never again" were soon forgotten amidst the new nationalist hysteria of a four-decade Cold War. Ironically, at the end of the Cold War the European victors of World War II were mere shadows of their former selves, the "losers" were back as great powers, and the world had experienced the most radical four decades in history of decolonization, development of nation-states, and growth in self-government. Despite democratization within states, progress toward international democracy and supranational law had remained, except in Western Europe, essentially stagnant. Recent Developments After decades of delay, the United Nations is nearing the conclusion of a treaty negotiation to establish a permanent ICC. Legal experts from around the world are scheduled to convene in Rome in 1998 to finalize the statute for the Court. The framework for an ICC as now proposed was formally introduced to the General Assembly by Trinidad and Tobago in 1989, but the idea gained impetus only following the creation of Ad Hoc Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia. The proposed new world court, in cooperation with national legal systems, is designed to deter and, if necessary, to bring to justice future Hitlers, Idi Amins, and Pol Pots and those who aid them. Although some have suggested that the Court's domain be expanded to include crimes of aggression, most governments support limiting its jurisdiction to crimes against the international community defined in treaties such as the 1907 Hague, 1948 Genocide, and 1949 Geneva Conventions: genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The new court will function as an arbiter of individual responsibility; the existing "World Court," the International Court of Justice, will continue in its mandate to resolve disputes between nations. The negotiations have progressed surprisingly rapidly since the International Law Commission (ILC) reported its draft Statute to the UN General Assembly's Sixth (Legal) Committee in the Fall of 1994. The UN Preparatory Committee on the Establishment of an ICC has met for six weeks of negotiation during each of the last three years, discussing such issues as the definition of crimes within the Court's jurisdiction, the relationship of national courts to the ICC, the complaint mechanism of the Court, organization and funding, and the role of the UN Security Council. Though the ILC Draft Statute remains the basis of the negotiations, the current consolidated texts represent a much more detailed, radically amended composite proposal. Civil Society and the ICC The composite text includes options which, if adopted, would provide for an independent, just, and effective ICC. But without sustained support from experts and organizations representing broad sectors of international civil society during this next fateful year, the window of opportunity could once again close. …


Although the size of an organism is a defining feature, little is known about the mechanisms that set the final size of organs and whole organisms. Here we describe Arabidopsis DA1, encoding a predicted ubiquitin receptor, which sets final seed and organ size by restricting the period of cell proliferation. The mutant protein encoded by the da1-1 allele has a negative activity toward DA1 and a DA1-related (DAR) protein, and overexpression of a da1-1 cDNA dramatically increases seed and organ size of wild-type plants, identifying this small gene family as important regulators of seed and organ size in plants.


A virtual environment system for human behavior analysis, called a service field simulator, and its application to marketing investigation are described. The practicability and advantages of applying this service field simulator to marketing investigation are demonstrated through two case studies involving actual business scenarios. The first case study highlights the similarities and differences that occur when in-store marketing investigation is carried out in a real store versus a virtual store. The results of the second case study, an actual in-virtual-store marketing investigation, verify the feasibility of the proposed service field simulator.


Two seeds systems co-exist in Nigeria, the formal and
informal systems. An integrated system (semi-formal)
brings together core elements of both the formal and
informal systems. In the semi-formal seed system,
farmer groups produce, distribute and market
Certified Seeds endorsed by the National Agricultural
Seeds Council (NASC). The primary beneficiaries of
the semi-formal system are members of concerned
farmer groups and other farmers within and out of
their communities. In 2016, NASC identified over
712 farmer groups engaged in the semi-formal seed
system in Nigeria with 92% (655) engaged in the
production, distribution and marketing of Certified
Seeds and vegetatively propagated materials.
Increasingly, this seed system is becoming the
focus of technical and financial partners (donor) for
enhancing the availability of quality seeds to farmers
across West and Central Africa (WCA), including
Nigeria. As an approach, the semi-formal seed system
makes available farmer and market preferred seed
varieties. Groundnut and vegetatively propagated
planting materials notably yams, cassava, coco-yams,
potatoes (Sweet and Irish) may well benefit from
this system and contribute to making quality seed
available to the anxious farming communities in
Nigeria.


Abstract The characteristics of flow past a partial cross-stream array of (idealized) tidal turbines are investigated both analytically and computationally to understand the mechanisms that determine the limiting performance of partial tidal fences. A two-scale analytical partial tidal fence model reported earlier is further extended by better accounting for the effect of array-scale flow expansion on device-scale dynamics, so that the new model is applicable to short fences (consisting of a small number of devices) as well as to long fences. The new model explains theoretically general trends of the limiting performance of partial tidal fences. The new model is then compared to three-dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) computations of flow past an array of various numbers (up to 40) of actuator disks. On the whole, the analytical model agrees well with the RANS computations, suggesting that the two-scale dynamics described in the analytical model predominantly determines the fence performance in the RANS computations as well. The comparison also suggests that the limiting performance of short partial fences depends on how much of device far-wake mixing takes place within the array near-wake region. This factor, however, depends on the structures of the wake and therefore on the type/design of devices to be arrayed.


The effects of aldrin, an organochlorine insecticide, on accessory sex glands and plasma testosterone levels in rats were studied. The aldrin was administered i.p. for 13 days and 26 days at a dose of 150 micrograms/kg. Relative weights of prostate, seminal vesicles and coagulating glands were significantly decreased in the treated rats compared to those in controls. In addition, there was a significant fall in acid phosphatase activity in prostate and fructose content in accessory sex glands was also observed in treated animals. Plasma testosterone values showed a decrease with the duration of treatment. HCG supplementation with aldrin treatment prevented all those untoward effects of aldrin in experimental rats.


Human observer performance tests were conducted to identify optimal imaging techniques in dual-energy (DE) imaging of the chest with respect to a variety of visualization tasks for soft and bony tissue. Specifically, the effect of kVp selection in low- and high-energy projection pairs was investigated. DE images of an anthropomorphic chest phantom formed the basis for observer studies, decomposed from low-energy and high-energy projections in the range 60-90 kVp and 120-150 kVp, respectively, with total dose for the DE image equivalent to that of a single chest radiograph. Five expert radiologists participated in observer preference tests to evaluate differences in image quality among the DE images. For visualization of soft-tissue structures in the lung, the [60/130] kVp pair provided optimal image quality, whereas [60/140] kVp proved optimal for delineation of the descending aorta in the retrocardiac region. Such soft-tissue detectability tasks exhibited a strong dependence on the low-kVp selection (with 60 kVp providing maximum soft-tissue conspicuity) and a weaker dependence on the high-kVp selection (typically highest at 130-140 kVp). Qualitative examination of DE bone-only images suggests optimal bony visualization at a similar technique, viz., [60/140] kVp. Observer preference was largely consistent with quantitative analysis of contrast, noise, and contrast-to-noise ratio, with subtle differences likely related to the imaging task and spatial-frequency characteristics of the noise. Observer preference tests offered practical, semiquantitative identification of optimal, task-specific imaging techniques and will provide useful guidance toward clinical implementation of high-performance DE imaging systems.


In this work, SiGe/SiO2 multi-layer (ML) films with layer thickness in the range of a few nanometers were successfully fabricated by conventional RF-magnetron sputtering at 350 °C. The influence of the annealing treatment on SiGe nanocrystals (NCs) formation and crystalline properties were investigated by Raman spectroscopy and grazing incidence x-ray diffraction. At the annealing temperature of 800 °C, where well defined SiGe NCs were observed, a thorough structural investigation of the whole ML structure has been undertaken by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy, grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy. Our results show that the onset of local modifications to the ML composition takes place at this temperature for annealing times of the order of a few tens of minutes with the formation of defective regions in the upper portion of the ML structure. Only the very first layers over ...


1. To study the synaptic mechanisms of excitatory transmission in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), we assessed the effects of excitatory amino acid receptor antagonists on excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) recorded from SCN neurons in horizontal and parasagittal hypothalamic slice preparations from rats and guinea‐pigs. The EPSPs were evoked by electrical stimulation of either optic nerve or a site near the SCN. 2. When evoked at membrane potentials between ‐60 and ‐100 mV, the EPSPs from optic nerve stimulation were conventional in shape; they rose to the peak quickly (6.2 +/‐ 0.5 ms, mean +/‐ S.E.M.; n = 45) and decayed gradually over 50‐250 ms. When evoked at membrane potentials between ‐20 and ‐55 mV after blockade of outward K+ currents and fast Na+ spikes by intracellular injection of Cs+ and QX‐314 (n = 5 neurons), a slow depolarizing potential emerged near the fast peak of the EPSP. This slow potential, unlike the fast peak, was not linearly related to membrane potential. 3. An antagonist for kainate‐ and quisqualate‐type excitatory amino acid receptors, 6,7‐dinitroquinoxaline‐2,3‐dione (DNQX 1‐10 microM), depressed in a concentration‐dependent and reversible manner the EPSPs evoked by optic nerve stimulation at membrane potentials between ‐60 and ‐100 mV (n = 9). The effects of DNQX were not associated with any significant changes in the baseline input resistance or membrane potential of the postsynaptic neurons. The selective N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, DL‐2‐amino‐5‐phosphonopentanoic acid (AP5, 50‐100 microM), did not affect significantly and consistently the EPSPs evoked at these membrane potentials (n = 7). On the other hand, AP5 (50 microM) blocked or depressed the slow depolarizing component of the EPSPs evoked at membrane potentials between ‐20 and ‐55 mV (n = 4). No significant changes in baseline input resistance or membrane potential accompanied the effects of AP5. 4. Stimulation of a site lateral or dorsocaudal to the SCN evoked EPSPs distinct from those evoked by optic nerve stimulation. Again, DNQX (0.3‐10 microM) depressed the EPSPs evoked at membrane potentials between ‐60 and ‐100 mV (n = 4) whereas AP5 (50 microM) had no effect (n = 5). When evoked at less negative membrane potentials (i.e. ‐20 to ‐55 mV) after intracellular injection of Cs+ and QX‐314, the EPSPs had a slow depolarizing potential, similar to the EPSPs from optic nerve stimulation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)


Background < Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) occurs in 2 e 5% of adult men and postmenopausal women in the developed world and is a common cause of referral to gastroenterologists. Gastrointestinal (GI) blood loss from colonic cancer or gastric cancer, and malabsorption in coeliac disease are the most important causes that need to be sought. Defining iron deficiency anaemia < The lower limit of the normal range for the laboratory performing the test should be used to define anaemia (B). < Any level of anaemia should be investigated in the presence of iron deficiency (B). < The lower the haemoglobin the more likely there is to be serious underlying pathology and the more urgent is the need for investigation (B). < Red cell indices provide a sensitive indication of iron deficiency in the absence of chronic disease or haemoglobinopathy (A). < Haemoglobin electrophoresis is recommended when microcytosis and hypochromia are present in patients of appropriate ethnic background to prevent unnecessary GI investigation (C). < Serum ferritin is the most powerful test for iron deficiency (A). < has < All <


The authors present a stochastic simulation model that projects cash flows (capital calls and distributions) as well as unfunded commitment levels for private equity allocations over time. Their contribution links the underlying dynamics in the targeted private equity allocation to movements in the underlying portfolio while managing liquidity and rebalancing risks. Importantly, their model allows investors to assess the impact of changing the pace of annual commitment and of varying assumptions regarding capital calls, distributions, and underlying returns. Their model also offers insights into more-efficient approaches to building up an allocation to private equity strategies over time. TOPICS: Private equity, simulations, portfolio construction


Salinity causes additional manufacture of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in plants, and ascorbate plays important role in maintaining of ROS scavenging antioxidant enzymes. In this study, the role of exogenous ascorbic acid (AsA) was examined on growth, chlorophyll and oxidative stress related enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants in three maize hybrids under NaCl mediated salt stress. In hydroponic culture, AsA was applied at 0.5 and 1.0 mM with and without 12 dSm-1 NaCl, each treatment comprised two independent experiments with three replications. After four weeks, plants were harvested for recording growth and biochemical parameters. Root length, shoot length, dry matter accumulation, chlorophyll (Chl a and Chl b), AsA, reduced glutathione (GSH) and activity of ascorbate peroxidase (APX) were markedly reduced by salt stress, while H2O2 and Malondialdehyde (MDA) content were increased significantly. Exogenous application of AsA in saline treatment significantly improved root length, shoot length, dry matter accumulation, chlorophyll, AsA, GSH and APX activity while it decreased the contents of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) significantly in all the hybrids. However, content of dehydroascorbate (DHA) was reduced only in 900M Gold and PS-999. On the other hand, activity of monodehydroascorbatereductase (MDHAR) was increased only in Super gold and 900M gold (by 0.5 mM AsA) while dehydroascorbatereductase (DHAR) activity increased in Super gold only. The results of the present study evidently concluded that exogenous AsA application responded differentially in maize genotypes under salt stress and mitigated the negative effects of salinity.

 Key words: Maize, salinity, reactive oxygen species, antioxidant, ascorbic acid.


Phytohemagglutinin (PHA), the major seed lectin of the common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, accumulates in the parenchyma cells of the cotyledons. It has been previously shown that PHA is cotranslationally inserted into the endoplasmic reticulum with cleavage of the NH2- terminal signal peptide. Two N-linked oligosaccharide side chains are added, one of which is modified to a complex type in the Golgi apparatus. PHA is then deposited in membrane-bound protein storage vacuoles which are biochemically and functionally equivalent to the vacuoles of yeast cells and the lysosomes of animal cells. We wished to determine whether yeast cells would recognize the vacuolar sorting determinant of PHA and target the protein to the yeast vacuole. We have expressed the gene for leukoagglutinating PHA (PHA-L) in yeast under control of the yeast acid phosphatase (PHO5) promoter. Under control of this promoter, PHA-L accumulates to 0.1% of the total yeast protein. PHA-L produced in yeast is glycosylated as expected for a yeast vacuolar glycoprotein. Cell fractionation studies show that PHA-L is efficiently transported to the yeast vacuole. This is the first demonstration that vacuolar targeting information is recognized between two highly divergent species. A small proportion of yeast PHA-L is secreted which may be due to inefficient recognition of the vacuolar sorting signal because of the presence of an uncleaved signal peptide on a subset of the PHA-L polypeptides. This system can now be used to identify the vacuolar sorting determinant of a plant vacuolar protein.


3D shape recognition has attracted much attention recently. Its recent advances advocate the usage of deep features and achieve the state-of-the-art performance. However, existing deep features for 3D shape recognition are restricted to a view-to-shape setting, which learns the shape descriptor from the view-level feature directly. Despite the exciting progress on view-based 3D shape description, the intrinsic hierarchical correlation and discriminability among views have not been well exploited, which is important for 3D shape representation. To tackle this issue, in this paper, we propose a group-view convolutional neural network (GVCNN) framework for hierarchical correlation modeling towards discriminative 3D shape description. The proposed GVCNN framework is composed of a hierarchical view-group-shape architecture, i.e., from the view level, the group level and the shape level, which are organized using a grouping strategy. Concretely, we first use an expanded CNN to extract a view level descriptor. Then, a grouping module is introduced to estimate the content discrimination of each view, based on which all views can be splitted into different groups according to their discriminative level. A group level description can be further generated by pooling from view descriptors. Finally, all group level descriptors are combined into the shape level descriptor according to their discriminative weights. Experimental results and comparison with state-of-the-art methods show that our proposed GVCNN method can achieve a significant performance gain on both the 3D shape classification and retrieval tasks.


Alexandrium tamarense is a prominent harmful algal bloom forming species known to produce paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins (PSTs), as well as bioactive substances acting as allelochemicals. These specific allelochemical substances have not yet been structurally elucidated, but they have strong negative effects on a broad array of species, including many auto- and heterotrophic microplankton. The impact, however, of allelochemicals on actual bloom formation is currently under debate. Here we show the potential effect of allelochemicals on reducing grazing pressure on A. tamarense, while additionally demonstrating positive effects on the intra-population level. We established an allele-specific quantitative PCR (asqPCR) assay based on two A. tamarense microsatellite markers. The application of asqPCR distinguishes among three different strains of A. tamarense (A2, A4 and A5) in a mixed assemblage. Strain A2 expressed strong allelochemical activity, while A4 was only moderately lytic against targets and A5 was not lytic at all. All strains were grown individually, mixed either pairwise with each other, and/or pairwise together with a common protistan grazer, the dinoflagellate Polykrikos koifidii. When offered individual Alexandrium strains, the predator clearly grazed upon A5, moderate on A4 yet not upon A2. In pairwise mixtures, however, no prey strain-selection was observed. Finally, we show that the ecological concept of facilitation, invoking positive species interactions (here intra-specific), is a plausible explanation for the role of allelochemicals for natural populations of Alexandrium and their success in bloom formation.


To meet the increasing demand for power generation due to the rapid growing urbanization and industrialization, Nigeria-the most populated country of Africa, is reactivating her coal industry as supplementary energy source. Maiganga coal-field is one of the recently discovered coal deposits in northeast Nigeria that is receiving great attention from the investors and entrepreneurs of coal energy. The deposit is also a prime target for power generation by Nigerian government, yet little is known about the basic properties of the deposit. In this study, radiological, trace elemental and petrographic analyses were performed in coal samples from Maiganga coal-field in order to determine the intrinsic characteristics of the coal deposit, and to understand the environmental and human health challenges that may be associated with its exploitation and utilization. Radiological characterization of coal samples from Maiganga coal-field was done using a P-type coaxial HPGe gamma-ray detector, while the trace elemental concentrations was determined by using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Organic petrographic analysis was performed on polished coal blocks using a LEICA CTR 6000 Orthoplan microscope under monochromatic and ultraviolet light illumination. Proximate analysis was carried out on pulverized coal samples using Perkin Elmer Diamond Thermogravimetric-Differential Thermal Analyser (TG-DTA). The obtained results showed that mean activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in the analyzed coal samples were 8.0±3.5, 7.0±2.4 and 27.4±11.4 Bq kg-1 respectively. These values were found to be very low relative to the world average values of 20, 20, and 50 Bq kg-1 respectively, provided by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. Calculated radiological hazard parameters were all below safety limits provided for environmental and human protection. Concentrations of trace elements were found to be low relative to the world average values for low rank coals. Estimated enrichment/depletion factor was found to be less than one, indicating that coals from Maiganga coal-field are depleted in trace elements including those that are potentially hazardous. The results of petrographic analyses revealed that among the three available maceral groups, vitrinite macerals dominated the studied coal samples with average percentage composition of 41.50%. Mean random vitrinite reflectance varies from 0.25 to 0.52%. This suggested thermally immature lignite to subbituminous coal rank. The studied coal samples were characterized by low ash yield (3.9 to 9.9 %), which justifies government's expectations of good quality coal for power generation, and for industrial and domestic consumption. This study revealed that exploitation and utilization of coals from Maiganga coal-field for whatever purpose is therefore safe from the perspective of human health and environmental protection.


Discovering Religious History in the Modern Age. By Hans G. Kippenberg. Translated from the German by Barbara Harshav. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2002. xvi + 264 pp. $24.95 (paper). This is intellectual history as it should be written. Briefly, it is the story of how the study of religion, specifically comparative religion, came to be separated from theology. Overall the work presents "an analysis of the rise of comparative religion between 1850 and 1930" (p. xi). But in this claim the author is too modest. Kippenbergs first chapter alone is worth the price of the book us he takes us on a whirlwind and demanding four of developments in philosophy that cleared the path. Though the usual suspects are rounded up (Hobbes, Hume, Kant, Rousseau, Schleiermacher, Hegel, and Schopenhauer), they, their motives, and the results of their deliberations are freshly, appositely, and insightfully presented. Upon this basis, Kippenherg over his chosen period and in the remaining twelve chapters turns to the examination of the dramatis personae who forwarded the cause, often in conflicting ways rellective of issues pertaining to their national/cultural milieus. In this latter regard, the story moves principally among English, German, French, and American contexts. Thus, among others, we are engaged by F. Max Muller, E. B. Taylor, W. Robertson Smith, J. G. Frazer, Jane Harrison, R. R. Marett, K. Durkheim, Max Weber, William James, and Rudolph Otto-and all with due attention to their personal and cultural sitz im leben. The principal burden of this book is to examine how the rise of comparative religion is in itself a response to modernization. Some of the chapter titles are particularly instructive in this regard: chapter 4. "The Presence of the Original Religion in Modem Civilization"; chapter 6, "Under Civilization: The Menacing Realm of Magic"; chapter 9, "Competing Models of the Recapitulations of the Histon of Religions": chapter 11, "The Great Process of Disenchantment"; and chapter 12. "Religion as Experience of the Self." Other chapters are foundational in presenting either elements that incited the development of comparative religion-such as the philological studies and theory of Muller (chap. 3)-or challenges to such theories that carried the development of comparative religion in new directions-such as chapter 5, "The Origin of All Social Obligations: the Ritual of Sacrifice." In the latter, the investigations of W. Rohertson Smith prove singularly important to the exhibition of ritual in such a manner its to break the priority of myth in religious studies. Mythos appears, rather, as reflection upon something prior. This last observation, at least for reader sol this review, can be translated back into the realm of studies in Christianity to indicate what has become the liturgiological commonplace that liturgy represents a primary doing of theology while doctrine is derivative, being ordered and articulate reflection upon that which is experienced at the center of worship. …


In recent years, the applications of high-field REBa2CuOy (REBCO) coils have remarkably progressed towards NMR MRIs, accelerators, and other such devices. In a REBCO coil, the magnetic field due to the screening current is generated in the direction opposite to the field by the transport current, thus reducing the magnetic field, deteriorating the field homogeneity, and affecting the time stability of the magnetic field. Recently, the additional force and stress due to the screening current (referred to as screening-current-induced stress) has become a topic of concern. The screening current results in non-uniform current distributions in the REBCO tape. Therefore, the distribution of electromagnetic force in REBCO coils differs from that during the designing of the coil, assuming that the current flow in the tape is uniform. Thus, there is the possibility that the existence of screening current is a serious problem in the mechanical design of REBCO coils. In this study, we evaluate the electromagnetic force and stress due to the screening current by using the developed numerical simulation code for the electromagnetics and stress. We discuss the winding tension, thermal and electromagnetic stresses, and mechanical strength structure of the REBCO coil.


Our goal is to recognize material categories using images and geometry information. In many applications, such as construction management, coarse geometry information is available. We investigate how 3D geometry (surface normals, camera intrinsic and extrinsic parameters) can be used with 2D features (texture and color) to improve material classification. We introduce a new dataset, GeoMat, which is the first to provide both image and geometry data in the form of: (i) training and testing patches that were extracted at different scales and perspectives from real world examples of each material category, and (ii) a large scale construction site scene that includes 160 images and over 800,000 hand labeled 3D points. Our results show that using 2D and 3D features both jointly and independently to model materials improves classification accuracy across multiple scales and viewing directions for both material patches and images of a large scale construction site scene.


Recent literature advances Wi-Fi signals to "see" people's motions and locations. This paper asks the following question: Can Wi-Fi "hear" our talks? We present WiHear, which enables Wi-Fi signals to "hear" our talks without deploying any devices. To achieve this, WiHear needs to detect and analyze fine-grained radio reflections from mouth movements. WiHear solves this micro-movement detection problem by introducing Mouth Motion Profile that leverages partial multipath effects and wavelet packet transformation. Since Wi-Fi signals do not require line-of-sight, WiHear can "hear" people talks within the radio range. Further, WiHear can simultaneously "hear" multiple people's talks leveraging MIMO technology. We implement WiHear on both USRP N210 platform and commercial Wi-Fi infrastructure. Results show that within our pre-defined vocabulary, WiHear can achieve detection accuracy of 91% on average for single individual speaking no more than 6 words and up to 74% for no more than 3 people talking simultaneously. Moreover, the detection accuracy can be further improved by deploying multiple receivers from different angles.


In this paper, a new approach for the development of planar metamaterial structures is developed. For this purpose, split-ring resonators (SRRs) and complementary split-ring resonators (CSRRs) coupled to planar transmission lines are investigated. The electromagnetic behavior of these elements, as well as their coupling to the host transmission line, are studied, and analytical equivalent-circuit models are proposed for the isolated and coupled SRRs/CSRRs. From these models, the stopband/passband characteristics of the analyzed SRR/CSRR loaded transmission lines are derived. It is shown that, in the long wavelength limit, these stopbands/passbands can be interpreted as due to the presence of negative/positive values for the effective /spl epsiv/ and /spl mu/ of the line. The proposed analysis is of interest in the design of compact microwave devices based on the metamaterial concept.


The lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cell chemistry is finding wide acceptance for energy storage on-board hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs), due to its high intrinsic safety, fast charging, and long cycle life. However, three main challenges need to be addressed for the accurate estimation of their state of charge (SOC) at runtime: • Long voltage relaxation time to reach its open circuit voltage (OCV) after a current pulse • Time-, temperature- and SOC-dependent hysteresis • Very flat OCV-SOC curve for most of the SOC range In view of these problems, traditional SOC estimation techniques such as coulomb counting with error correction using the SOC-OCV correlation curve are not suitable for this chemistry. This work addressed these challenges with a novel combination of the extended Kalman filter (EKF) algorithm, a two-RC-block equivalent circuit and the traditional coulomb counting method. The simplified implementation of the EKF algorithm offers a computationally efficient option for runtime SOC evaluation on-board vehicles. The SOC estimation was validated with experimental data of a current profile contaminated with pseudo-random noise and with an offset in the initial condition. The model rapidly converged to within 4% of the true SOC even with imposed errors of 40% to initial SOC, 24% to current measurement and 6% to voltage measurement.


It has been argued that climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. The extreme high temperatures of the summer of 2003were associatedwith up to seventy thousand excess deaths across Europe. Previous studies have attributed themeteorological event to the human influence on climate, or examined the role of heat waves on humanhealth. Here, for the first time, we explicitly quantify the role of human activity on climate and heat-relatedmortality in an event attribution framework, analysing both the Europe-wide temperature response in 2003, and localised responses over London and Paris. Using publicly-donated computing, we performmany thousands of climate simulations of a high-resolution regional climatemodel. This allows generation of a comprehensive statistical description of the 2003 event and the role of human influencewithin it, using the results as input to a health impact assessmentmodel of humanmortality.Wefind large-scale dynamicalmodes of atmospheric variability remain largely unchanged under anthropogenic climate change, and hence the direct thermodynamical response ismainly responsible for the increased mortality. In summer 2003, anthropogenic climate change increased the risk of heat-relatedmortality inCentral Paris by∼70%and by∼20% in London, which experienced lower extreme heat. Out of the estimated∼315 and∼735 summer deaths attributed to the heatwave event inGreater London and Central Paris, respectively, 64 (±3) deathswere attributable to anthropogenic climate change in London, and 506 (±51) in Paris. Such an ability to robustly attribute specific damages to anthropogenic drivers of increased extreme heat can inform societal responses to, and responsibilities for, climate change.


With a combined annual revenue of approximately $250 billion dollars, the luxury industry is highly significant, from a financial and commercial point of view. Within luxury, an area that is becoming increasingly important due to the visibility of this industry is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). While consumers are still not actively demanding CSR in luxury products and services, and there is evidence that CSR is not a key area of interest for the luxury industry; the luxury industry is becoming the target of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders interested in environmental and ethical practices. Thus, it is essential that luxury companies explore CSR implementation, as neglecting to do so, is likely to affect their brands and their brand value.

One of the most important assets that luxury firms have is brand value, an intangible asset influenced by consumer and company-led actions. CSR is a company-led action, which depending on how it is managed, can either increase or decrease brand value. It is important to note that to understand the role of CSR within luxury and how it can influence brand value, it is not possible to study CSR in isolation, as this would not fully reveal its importance in the wider context of brand value overall. Thus, CSR needs to be studied alongside other factors affecting brand value.

Despite the fact that CSR can influence brand value in luxury, CSR is still overlooked by the industry. Due to the increasing relevance of CSR within luxury, this research explores the role of CSR within luxury and how it, together with other factors, contributes to brand value in luxury. An additional consideration is that despite the importance of brand value in luxury, the industry does not normally measure, manage and leverage brand value. As a result, it is also necessary to examine how brand value is perceived within luxury.

To meet these research goals, a mixed methods approach was selected. More specifically, a theoretical framework was built with input from the literature and interviews with key interviewees from the luxury industry. Then, the theoretical framework was tested quantitatively. The quantitative analysis was conducted with a dataset based on consumer panels, and additional secondary data including Bloomberg, CSRHub, Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), Interbrand, and company reports. The results were subject to 'credibility checks' with interviewees from the industry. It is noteworthy to highlight that for the statistical analysis, one of the largest datasets with US consumer data was used. Similarly, for the qualitative interviews, representatives from some of the largest luxury companies in the world in terms of brand value, and luxury stakeholders were recruited.

The results from this research suggest that despite the importance of brand value within luxury; brand value is not widely understood by the industry and it is not measured, managed or leveraged. This research also suggests that CSR, company size, having controlled distribution, country of origin, marketing and research and development (RD are critical factors to brand value. Consequently, luxury brands need to manage all these determinants to be able to create and preserve brand value. Nevertheless, while all these determinants are important, their importance can vary by brand; depending on brand size, brand category, target market, and whether the brand is heritage or non-heritage.

With regard to CSR, an outcome from this research is that CSR is becoming an increasingly important contributor to brand value in luxury. Still, the luxury industry is not fully aware that CSR implementation is consistent with key luxury values such as high-quality and service and luxury's long-term vision; and that stringent CSR policies and practices constitute a potential strategy to anticipate future regulatory and social constraints.

Furthermore, CSR implementation within luxury is generally limited to discrete actions, such as collaboration with the arts, compliance, local production, philanthropy/voluntarism, and use of environmentally friendlier materials. It is crucial that luxury companies incorporate CSR into the DNA of their brands and choose a CSR strategy aligned with their brand vision. Luxury brands may be able to positively change consumer perceptions of CSR and, thus, drive consumer demand. Also, engagement with CSR may result in a competitive advantage to them and in a potential increase in their brand value.

Moreover, the results suggest that brand knowledge is overemphasized by the luxury industry, although it does not appear to be essential for brand value in luxury. Additionally, with respect to brand relevance, this research makes a case to consider brand desirability as a potentially more appropriate determinant of brand value within a luxury context.


This paper develops a switching strategy for networked mobile sensing agents to automatically decide when to perform individual exploration and when to perform cooperative exploration of an unknown scalar field corrupted by time-varying non-Gaussian noises. The switching condition from individual exploration to cooperative exploration is based on Razumikhin theorem, and the change of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) serves as the switching condition from cooperative exploration to individual exploration. A cooperative H∞ filter is proposed when the agents are collaborating. Sufficient conditions are derived for the cooperative H∞ filter to converge. This switching strategy balances the mobility of the agents and the exploring accuracy. Simulation results demonstrate that with the switching strategy, a group of sensing agents can succeed in finding a local minimum of an unknown scalar field efficiently.


In Texas, Hispanic populations (people of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race) have increased from 6.7 million in 2000 to 7.4 million in 2005, or by approximately 10.5%. This growth trend is expected to continue with estimates that Hispanics will represent approximately 37% of the state's population by 2015. The problem this research addressed is that participation in higher education by Texas Hispanics is not keeping pace with the growth in the Texas Hispanic population. If allowed to continue, the state could be in danger of realizing devastating economic and societal consequences. The present study utilized regression analysis to determine how well four institutional characteristics explained the variance in Hispanic enrollment and graduation percentages of students attending public 4-year institutions in states with prevalent Hispanic populations. Findings indicate that while local Hispanic population is a strong, positive predictor of Hispanic enrollments, it has a negative impact on Hispanic graduation rates. The independent variables of average cost of attendance and average financial aid package are the strongest predictors of Hispanic graduation percentages. Implications for the state of Texas include stress on public 4-year institutions in coping with Hispanic population increases, possible enrollment overflows at the community college level, and need for additional allocations to state and institutional financial aid programs.


In our laboratory, children born to women are known to be infected with Human T-cell Leukemia Virus type-1 (HTLV-I) have been followed using, detect of gene by PCR and antibody by Western Blot Assay (WB) and Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA) test from 1990 through 1996. Four children out of 123 delivery cases have been confirmed to be infected with HTLV-I. We analyzed the correlation between the concentration of cytokines (IL-2, sIL-2R, IFN-gamma) and HTLV-I infection. IL-2 and sIL-2R in sera increased after HTLV-I infection. There was no correlation between the concentration of IFN-gamma and HTLV-I infection. These result suggested that detection of IL-2 and sIL-2R might be the marker of HTLV-I infection.


This paper provides theoretical insights on the behaviour of ethnicity in the developmental experience of two African countries, namely, Nigeria and South Sudan, which have been regarded as failed states not due to their heterogenic configurations but due to the adverse effects of ethnicity and inequality. This paper reinforces the argument that political and social instability are the major causes of African underdevelopment. It posits that ethnicity encapsulates these factors using the cases of Nigeria and South Sudan to offer germane examples of the hydra-headed effects of ethnicity. Since independence, the surge of inequality in Africa has been driven not by the revolution in technology but by ethnicity and its concomitants. Africa is also the continent with the highest rate of poverty, illiteracy, and infant mortality. As palliatives, several development and international financial aid programmes have tried to address the issues of poverty and underdevelopment in Africa, Asia and Latin America. While these programs yielded results in some parts of the world, they were almost a failure in Africa. Indeed, ethnicity remains a source of conflict used by nationalist and political entrepreneurs to promote their ambitions at the expense of Africa's development. This paper established the relationship between ethnicity and development and its dimension on inequalities. It argued that ethnicity and inequality are complex social constructs, that have continually retarded Africa's development.


The performance of in-memory based data analytic frameworks such as Spark is significantly affected by how data is partitioned. This is because the partitioning effectively determines task granularity and parallelism. Moreover, different phases of a workload execution can have different optimal partitions. However, in the current implementations, the tuning knobs controlling the partitioning are either configured statically or involve a cumbersome programmatic process for affecting changes at runtime. In this paper, we propose CHOPPER, a system for automatically determining the optimal number of partitions for each phase of a workload and dynamically changing the partition scheme during workload execution. CHOPPER monitors the task execution and DAG scheduling information to determine the optimal level of parallelism. CHOPPER repartitions data as needed to ensure efficient task granularity, avoids data skew, and reduces shuffle traffic. Thus, CHOPPER allows users to write applications without having to hand-tune for optimal parallelism. Experimental results show that CHOPPER effectively improves workload performance by up to 35.2% compared to standard Spark setup.


A general Moreau-Yosida-based framework for minimization problems subject to partial differential equations and pointwise constraints on the control, the state, and its derivative is considered. A range space constraint qualification is used to argue existence of Lagrange multipliers and to derive a KKT-type system for characterizing first-order optimality of the unregularized problem. The theoretical framework is then used to develop a semismooth Newton algorithm in function space and to prove its locally superlinear convergence when solving the regularized problems. Further, for maintaining the local superlinear convergence in function space it is demonstrated that in some cases it might be necessary to add a lifting step to the Newton framework in order to bridge an $L^2$-$L^r$-norm gap, with $r>2$. The paper ends by a report on numerical tests.


The protein kinase activity of the DNA-PKcs (DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit) and its autophosphorylation are critical for DBS (DNA double-strand break) repair via NHEJ (non-homologous end-joining). Recent studies have shown that depletion or inactivation of DNA-PKcs kinase activity also results in mitotic defects. DNA-PKcs is autophosphorylated on Ser2056, Thr2647 and Thr2609 in mitosis and phosphorylated DNA-PKcs localize to centrosomes, mitotic spindles and the midbody. DNA-PKcs also interacts with PP6 (protein phosphatase 6), and PP6 has been shown to dephosphorylate Aurora A kinase in mitosis. Here we report that DNA-PKcs is phosphorylated on Ser3205 and Thr3950 in mitosis. Phosphorylation of Thr3950 is DNA-PK-dependent, whereas phosphorylation of Ser3205 requires PLK1 (polo-like kinase 1). Moreover, PLK1 phosphorylates DNA-PKcs on Ser3205 in vitro and interacts with DNA-PKcs in mitosis. In addition, PP6 dephosphorylates DNA-PKcs at Ser3205 in mitosis and after IR (ionizing radiation). DNA-PKcs also phosphorylates Chk2 on Thr68 in mitosis and both phosphorylation of Chk2 and autophosphorylation of DNA-PKcs in mitosis occur in the apparent absence of Ku and DNA damage. Our findings provide mechanistic insight into the roles of DNA-PKcs and PP6 in mitosis and suggest that DNA-PKcs' role in mitosis may be mechanistically distinct from its well-established role in NHEJ.


Scientists know that two of the three neutrino flavors are close in mass and one is further off. But they don9t know whether there are two lighter neutrinos and one heavier one, or two heavier ones and one light one. Groundbreaking is slated for later this year in southern China on a $300 million neutrino detector aiming to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy and observe geoneutrinos flowing from Earth9s deep interior.


The current reluctance for democratic transition in Muslim societies is mostly attributed to Islamic political theories that do not allow a separation between religion and politics. Extremist views often reject democracy because it is perceived to be anti-religion. This paper examines the thread of classical Islamic political theory that considers religion and state to be inseparable twin brothers. Exploring the origins of this thread in Sassanid and tenth century Islamic thought, analysis of the doctrine reveals that Muslim political thought more generally has traditionally been more pragmatic on political issues (siyasah), with Muslim jurists continuously marking boundaries between religion and culture in their fatawa, particularly concerning bid'ah (innovation) and tashabbuh bi'l kuffar (imitation of the infidels). Indeed, all definitions of religion that make it inseparable from the state are seen to be a modern phenomenon, in which religion is defined in terms of the ideology of political power, with secularism perceived as its rival. Analysing diverse interpretations of the doctrine from the Abbasid period to the twenty-first century, the paper finds that, like twin brothers, religion and politics are separate in Islam albeit united in their origin. This perspective becomes more meaningful in modern times if we recognise the role of social consensus (ijma'), besides the political and the religious spheres.


The design of molecular structures inspired by naturally occuring light harvesting systems has been intensely pursued over the last couple of decades. Interesting new structures include the π-conjugated porphyrin nanorings, which show promising features such as ultrafast excited-state delocalization, leading to suppressed radiative rates, superradiance with increasing temperature, and energy transfer times comparable to their natural counterparts. An important question to be addressed in such systems is the role and time scale of structural motions and how they affect excited-state delocalization. Here it is shown that porphyrin nanorings which are not rigidified by a template are structurally heterogeneous in the ground state and evolve dynamically on a tens of picoseconds time scale. In the excited state a structural relaxation of the porphyrin nanorings is observed on a picosecond time scale. Furthermore, ultrafast excitation delocalization is observed by anisotropy measurements, being insensitive to s...


Protein libraries are essential to the field of protein engineering. Increasingly, probabilistic protein design is being used to synthesize combinatorial protein libraries, which allow the protein engineer to explore a vast space of amino acid sequences, while at the same time placing restrictions on the amino acid distributions. To this end, if site-specific amino acid probabilities are input as the target, then the codon nucleotide distributions that match this target distribution can be used to generate a partially randomized gene library. However, it turns out to be a highly nontrivial computational task to find the codon nucleotide distributions that exactly matches a given target distribution of amino acids. We first showed that for any given target distribution an exact solution may not exist at all. Formulated as a constrained optimization problem, we then developed a genetic algorithm-based approach to find codon nucleotide distributions that match as closely as possible to the target amino acid distribution. As compared with the previous gradient descent method on various objective functions, the new method consistently gave more optimized distributions as measured by the relative entropy between the calculated and the target distributions. To simulate the actual lab solutions, new objective functions were designed to allow for two separate sets of codons in seeking a better match to the target amino acid distribution.


What is the influence of sand grain shapes on an hourglass accuracy, and how does it affect the jamming probability? We study such a question using numerical simulation and our recently introduced spheropolyhedral particles. Spheropolyhedra constitute a very rich class of shapes that naturally generalize the traditional spheres used in the Distinct Element Model. Our experiment consists in pouring particles into a container pierced with a circular opening, and to note whether they flow or jam. By repeating this experiment, one can evaluate the jamming probability of a given granular assembly. We show here that intuition is misleading: while the jamming probability is clearly dependent on friction, it does not show a dependence on particle sharpness.