The objective of this study is to investigate potential market power exertion in the output market of the ethanol-producing sector using the Solow Residual-Based (SRB) test and its different modalities (primal and primal-dual). The markup estimates (Lerner's index) obtained using ethanol imports and processed crudel oil as instrumental variables to estimate the primal SRB are compared to the primal-dual SRB estimates. For both approaches, a statistically significant positive markup was estimated implying the presense of market power exertion. Both markup estimates are relatively close to each other.


Internet videos provide a virtually boundless source of audio with a conspicuous lack of localized annotations, presenting an ideal setting for unsupervised methods. With this motivation, we perform an unprecedented exploration into the large-scale discovery of recurring audio events in a diverse corpus of one million YouTube videos (45K hours of audio). Our approach is to apply a streaming, nonparametric clustering algorithm to both spectral features and out-of-domain neural audio embeddings. We use a small portion of manually annotated audio events to quantitatively estimate the intrinsic clustering performance. In addition to providing a useful mechanism for unsupervised active learning, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the discovered audio event clusters in two downstream applications. The first is weakly-supervised learning, where we exploit the association of video-level metadata and cluster occurrences to temporally localize audio events. The second is informative activity detection, an unsupervised method for semantic saliency based on the corpus statistics of the discovered event clusters.


At least three subtypes of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors (alpha 1ARs) have been identified using molecular techniques (alpha 1a/d, alpha 1b, and alpha 1c), whereas two subtypes of alpha 1ARs have been identified pharmacologically (alpha 1A and alpha 1B); however, controversies exist regarding how these two classification schemes relate to each other. In an attempt to clarify some of the controversies regarding classification of alpha 1AR subtypes, we have re-evaluated the distribution of mRNA for the cloned alpha 1AR subtypes (alpha 1a/d, alpha 1b, and alpha 1c) in various rat tissues thought to express alpha 1AR subtypes, as well as the human neuronal cell line SK-N-MC (a recently described model for pharmacologically defined alpha 1AAR and alpha 1BAR subtypes), using sensitive ribonuclease protection assay techniques. Total RNA extracted from various rat tissues and SK-N-MC cells was hybridized with rat and human alpha 1AR subtype-specific probes, respectively. In contrast to previously reported Northern blot analyses, alpha 1cAR mRNA is expressed in many rat tissues. Expression of alpha 1cAR mRNA is highest in those tissues that have been previously characterized by radioligand binding as expressing the classical, pharmacologically defined alpha 1AAR. Likewise, the human neuronal SK-N-MC cell line, classically thought to express pharmacological alpha 1AAR and alpha 1BAR subtypes, expresses both alpha 1a/dAR and alpha 1cAR mRNA and no alpha 1bAR mRNA. Collectively, these data suggest that the cloned alpha 1cAR subtype may represent the pharmacological alpha 1AAR, and they have important implications for merging pharmacological and molecular classifications of alpha 1AR subtypes.


Traditionally, a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) is executed at the physical (PHY) and medium access control (MAC) layers. A cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is usually performed at the MAC layer to decide whether a packet must be retransmitted. This design causes two problems-long latency and inefficient retransmission-when a transmission error appears in a large packet. In this paper, we propose a new HARQ scheme to solve these problems based not only on CRC but on the decoding of tail-biting convolutional codes (TBCCs) at the PHY layer as well. First, the TBCC codeword that was received at the decoder is cyclically shifted according to the reliability of the received code bits. The Viterbi algorithm (VA), starting from all states, is then applied. When every survival path in the VA is close enough to its corresponding abandoned path, retransmission of the codeword is invoked. Because retransmission is restricted to a codeword and determined at the PHY layer, short latency and efficient retransmission are achieved. Simulation results show that the proposed scheme reduces the number of retransmitted codewords by up to 43% compared with the traditional HARQ in IEEE 802.16e orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) under a Rayleigh faded channel when the 1024-point fast Fourier transform (FFT) and 64-state quadrature amplitude modulation (64-QAM) are employed.


Conditions for nurses' daily patient education work are unclear and require clarification. The aim was to develop and validate the Nurses' Patient Education Questionnaire, a questionnaire that assesses nurses' perceptions of appropriate conditions for patient education work: what nurses say they actually do and what they think about what they do. The questionnaire was developed from a literature review, resulting in the development of five domains. This was followed by 'cognitive interviewing' with 14 nurses and dialogue with 5 pedagogical experts. The five domains were identified as significant for assessing nurses' beliefs and knowledge; education environment; health care organisation; interdisciplinary cooperation and collegial teamwork; and patient education activities. A content validity index was used for agreement of relevance and consensus of items by nurses (n = 10). The total number of items in the final questionnaire is 60, consisting of demographic items, what nurses report they do and perceptions about patient education in daily work. The questionnaire can be used by managers and nurses to identify possibilities and barriers to patient education in different care contexts.


We construct a mixture of locally linear generative models of a collection of pixel-based images of digits, and use them for recognition. Different models of a given digit are used to capture different styles of writing, and new images are classified by evaluating their log-likelihoods under each model. We use an EM-based algorithm in which the M-step is computationally straightforward principal components analysis (PCA). Incorporating tangent-plane information [12] about expected local deformations only requires adding tangent vectors into the sample covariance matrices for the PCA, and it demonstrably improves performance.


This essay, written for the Sixth Annual LatCrit conference, explores the subterranean motifs of current rules regulating searches and seizures by the police. More specifically, it investigates whether and to what extent alienage, race and poverty influence the warrant and individualized suspicion rules purportedly governing police investigation. The essay begins by showing that, contrary to the assertion of other conference participants, Supreme Court doctrine has not created a "Mexican exception" to the Fourth Amendment (as distinguished from an "illegal alien" exception, which does seem to exist). The main focus of the article, however, is an examination of whether the Court's caselaw has established a "poverty exception" to the Amendment. Based on cases dealing with the Fourth Amendment threshold, car searches, consent searches, arrests, stops, and a variety of other contexts, the essay concludes that relative wealth plays a major role in determining whether a person's interests are protected by the Amendment. The essay also takes issue with Professor William Stuntz' article, The Distribution of Fourth Amendment Privacy, which, based on similar observations, concluded that Fourth Amendment strictures should be relaxed as a means of easing the cost of investigating the well-to-do. Stuntz is probably wrong in his assertion that the reason police pick on the poor is because that group is easier to search without violating search and seizure rules. In any event, his recommendation that we replace privacy with coercion as the touchstone of Fourth Amendment analysis fails to address the inequality problems that both he and I perceive, and his notion that we should refashion constitutional rules to neutralize the advantage that wealth confers would have several perverse effects.


In the past, efforts to reconcile the western concept of intellectual property with indigenous knowledge have not taken into account the schism between this knowledge and western scientific forms. As knowledge assumes increasing importance in the quest for self-determination, cultural survival, and economic empowerment, the gulf between indigenous and western scientific knowledge assumes a new meaning. In 'International Law and Indigenous Knowledge', Chidi Oguamanam argues that the crisis of legitimacy indigenous knowledge poses for the intellectual property system compels a re-thinking of the concept of intellectual property itself.Drawing on interdisciplinary research, 'International Law and Indigenous Knowledge' takes as its framework the legal doctrinal methodology, focusing on international legal and policy developments regarding the protection of indigenous knowledge. Using traditional medicine and biodiversity to illustrate his thesis, Oguamanam argues that recent international legal and policy developments in the direction of a cross-cultural approach to intellectual property rights are desirable trends. Such developments come closer to addressing the rift between western and non-western knowledge systems as well as the crisis of legitimacy in the conventional intellectual property system.


Key points - The recent decision of the High Court of the British Virgin Islands in Alfa v Cukurova has caused a stir among lawyers serving the international financial markets based in London. - The decision concerns the meaning of 'appropriation'. Appropriation is a new remedy for collateral takers introduced by the Financial Collateral Arrangements (No. 2) Regulations 2003, which implement the Financial Collateral Directive. - The decision holds that effective appropriation requires the collateral taker to take over from the collateral giver the ability to deal with the collateral as its own. - In Cukurova, where an equitable mortgage was taken over directly held shares, this required that the collateral taker become the registered owner of the shares. - The decision was appealed to the BVI Court of Appeal in late January 2008 and may go further. In the meantime, this article provides an overview of the decision and considers its wider significance.


Rocket Chip is an open-source Sysem-on-Chip design generator that emits synthesizable RTL. It leverages the Chisel hardware construction language to compose a library of sophisticated generators for cores, caches, and interconnects into an integrated SoC. Rocket Chip generates general-purpose processor cores that use the open RISC-V ISA, and provides both an in-order core generator (Rocket) and an out-of-order core generator (BOOM). For SoC designers interested in utilizing heterogeneous specialization for added efficiency gains, Rocket Chip supports the integration of custom accelerators in the form of instruction set extensions, coprocessors, or fully independent novel cores. Rocket Chip has been taped out (manufactured) eleven times, and yielded functional silicon prototypes capable of booting Linux.


Abstract The homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion has been attracting growing attention in recent years due to its potential for simultaneous improvement of exhaust gas emissions and fuel consumption in diesel engines. For practical application of HCCI to internal combustion (IC) engines, precise control of auto-ignition of pre-mixtures during the compression stroke is inevitable. This paper discusses the auto-ignition processes in an HCCI engine operated with n-heptane/air mixtures using a zero-dimensional combustion model including a detailed kinetics. The model proposed is validated first by a comparison between calculated and experimental pressure diagrams, and then the effects of initial charge conditions, compression ratio and excess air ratio on ignition and combustion are investigated. It was found from the parametric study that HCCI combustion of n-heptane/air mixtures is classified into three types of combustion: complete combustion, only low-temperature reaction and misfire, depending on the compression ratio and excess air ratio at which the engine is operated. Finally, the major paths of the HCCI reaction occurring in the engine cylinder were clarified by a sensitivity analysis of chemical reactions involved in the HCCI reaction scheme.


MP3 audio recording, recorded 13 September 2007. Physical copy held by UTS Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Research Centre, City Campus, UTS Sydney


We investigate the effect of an exogenous change in loan loss provisioning rules on bank risk taking. To identify the effect we exploit that only banks with a high conditional accounting conservatism (CAC) in the pre-adoption period should respond to the change. We conduct a difference-in-differences analysis using a large sample of matched bank-firm data around the introduction of dynamic loan loss provisioning in Spain in 2000. The main result is that banks with a high CAC in the pre-adoption period significantly increased their risk taking in the post-adoption period. These banks lend significantly more to ex ante riskier borrowers, lend more to borrowers with lower accounting quality, and lend more to borrowers that exhibit higher loan growth. Our findings on bank risk taking are consistent with reduced screening and monitoring incentives and highlight unintended effects of the change in the loan loss provisioning rules.


PURPOSE
An obstructive megaureter identified in the neonatal period can be managed using a number of techniques, with the primary goal being to minimize the potential for further injury to the affected kidney. We describe our experience with refluxing ureteral reimplantation as a novel method for temporizing the obstructive megaureter.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Three patients identified prenatally with severe hydroureteronephrosis were confirmed following delivery to have an obstructive ectopic ureter. Unilateral obstruction was identified in 2 patients (1 female, 1 male). The third patient was a female with bilateral single system ectopic ureters. Treatment consisted of anastomosing the ureter proximal to the obstruction to the dome of the bladder in a freely high grade refluxing fashion. All of the patients were placed on antibiotic suppression after surgery.

RESULTS
All patients demonstrated improved drainage of the affected kidney(s) following surgery. One female patient with unilateral obstruction had a poorly functioning kidney that showed no improvement of renal function 6 months following refluxing reimplantation, and laparoscopic nephrectomy was performed. The male patient with unilateral obstruction had adequate function with a significantly decreased ureteral diameter 1 year following refluxing ureteral reimplant, and a ureteral reimplantation without tapering was performed. The female patient with bilateral obstruction had 1 breakthrough urinary tract infection 6 months after surgery and now awaits second stage repair.

CONCLUSIONS
Refluxing ureteral reimplantation is a safe, easy, beneficial and well tolerated means of temporizing the obstructive megaureter. This technique allows time for the child to mature, while accurately establishing renal function and preparing for a definitive surgical solution.


Why does the onset of glycolytic flux in muscle lag the start of exercise? We tested the hypothesis that both elevated metabolite levels and muscle activity are required for flux to begin. Glycolytic flux was determined from changes in muscle pH, phosphocreatine concentration, and P(i) concentration ([P(i)]) as measured by 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Eight subjects performed rapid ankle dorsiflexions to approximately 45% of maximal voluntary contraction force under ischemia at a rate of 1 contraction/s. Subjects completed two bouts of exercise separated by 1 min of ischemic rest. Glycolytic flux was activated by 27 s in the first bout, ceased during the ischemic rest period, and was activated more quickly in the second bout. Because the onset in both bouts occurred at approximately the same [P(i)], ADP concentration, and AMP concentration, the activation of glycolysis appears to be related to the elevation of these metabolite concentrations. However, because no glycolytic flux occurred at rest, even when metabolite levels were high, both muscle activity and elevated metabolites are needed to turn on this pathway. We conclude that the delayed onset of glycolytic flux during exercise reflects the time needed to raise metabolites to flux-activating levels.


The environment influencing hospitals in the health industry is quite complicated, and despite the high volume of inputs, the functions that occur at purchasing level are very intricate. The reason that the feedback mechanism of health services is not organized completely, and thus another reason that the health system is quite complicated, is diversification of inputs and the consequent rising volume of inputs from the environment, and high dependency on the environment.  Governing the demands and pressures of the environmental actors and reorganizing them for its own benefit are only possible for the business, depending on how much power it has in the interdependent relationship. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify the role of power as a concept when analyzing these environmental relationships in order to elucidate the behaviors of organizations. This study addresses power relations in the framework of resource dependency theory. The "power and dependency relationship" of the actors that are influential in purchasing decisions regarding clinics at a private hospital where physicians, who are experts in their field work, is the proposal of this research. The matter of which actors (hospital upper management, purchasing department, relevant expert physicians) have an influence on purchasing decisions and mutual relations are discussed in the context of power.


Distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) elicited by tones below 60-70 dB sound pressure level (SPL) are significantly more sensitive to cochlear insults. The vulnerable, low-level DPOAE have been associated with the postulated active cochlear process, whereas the relatively robust high-level DPOAE component has been attributed to the passive, nonlinear macromechanical properties of the cochlea. However, it is proposed that the differences in the vulnerability of DPOAEs to high and low SPLs is a natural consequence of the way the cochlea responds to high and low SPLs. An active process boosts the basilar membrane (BM) vibrations, which are attenuated when the active process is impaired. However, at high SPLs the contribution of the active process to BM vibration is small compared with the dominating passive mechanical properties of the BM. Consequently, reduction of active cochlear amplification will have greatest effect on BM vibrations and DPOAEs at low SPLs. To distinguish between the "two sources" and the "single source" hypotheses we analyzed the level dependence of the notch and corresponding phase discontinuity in plots of DPOAE magnitude and phase as functions of the level of the primaries. In experiments where furosemide was used to reduce cochlear amplification, an upward shift of the notch supports the conclusion that both the low- and high-level DPOAEs are generated by a single source, namely a nonlinear amplifier with saturating I/O characteristic.


Here I propose procedural replication as a method for diagnosing errors and omissions and identifying research artifacts in published studies. The goal of procedural replication is not to make substantive contributions so much as improve research practice, or how scientists go about doing science. This is accomplished by generating checklists of lessons learned that scholars can use to assess the reliability of new or existing studies, guide editorial reviews, and make scientific knowledge production more reliable. I demonstrate the method by implementing a procedural replication of Michael Ross's controversial finding that democracy has no effect on child mortality. I find this null finding is an artifact of the way five-year averages were computed and the static nature of the preferred model. I demonstrate, using causal diagrams, how concerns about listwise deletion and selection bias affecting previous studies may have been overstated. I also provide a checklist with lessons learned.


Since long time it has been used traditionally as a remedy for several skin disorders, it is used by the cosmetic industries in preparing skin care products but this aspect is still untouched by Ayuvedic researchers.So in this chapter, we will give the literary description of Mandukaparni so that we can know our drug very well. In recent times, focus on plant research has increased all over the world. Centella asiatica is an important medicinal herb that is widely used in the orient and is becoming popular in the West. Triterpenoid, saponins, the primary constituents of Centella asiatica are manly believed to be responsible for its wide therapeutic actions. Apart from wound healing, the herb is recommended for the treatment of various skin conditions such as leprosy, lupus, varicose ulcers, eczema, psoriasis, diarrhoea, fever, amenorrhea, diseases of the female genitourinary tract and also for relieving anxiety and improving cognition. In general, there are various drugs, used in various conditions, in various forms from long time, among them Mandukaparni is one, which is well known for its Medhya property.


Background: The main objective of our study was to identify, by means of global longitudinal strain (GLS), territorial strain (TS), and postsystolic shortening (PSS) of left ventricle, which patients with acute coronary syndrome without ST elevation (NSTE-ACS) had ≥ 70% coronary stenosis.
Methods: One hundred patients (PTS) with diagnosis of NSTE-ACS were stratified according to GRACE risk score, and underwent coronary angiography. GLS and TS were calculated. We also evaluated the strain curves in the 18 segments to identify the presence of the PSS and to calculate the post systolic index (PSI).
Results: Mean age was 60 ± 11. 4, 62% was male. The majority were low and moderate cardiovascular risk. They were divided into group A (34 PTS) with coronary stenosis<70% and group B (66 PTS) with coronary stenosis ≥ 70%. Clinical score was higher in group B (GRACE=88. 7 ± 24. 18, p=0. 040) and 98. 5% was in low/moderate risk by GRACE score. GLS allowed the identification of PTS with coronary stenosis ≥ 70% in this group (AUC=0. 72, p=0. 001, sensitivity=58%, specificity=88%, positive predictive value=75. 1% and negative predictive value=74. 9%). Regarding the TS, the accuracy to determine coronary stenosis ≥ 70% was 0. 70 (p=0,001). The accuracy of the PSS in detecting coronary stenosis ≥ 70% was 69. 3%, with sensitivity estimated at 73. 3% and specificity at 60. 7%.
Conclusion: The GLS, territorial strain, and PSS may improve the detection of severe coronary stenosis in patients with low/moderate risk by GRACE risk score. Thus, it can be an additional tool for a better stratification of such patients in the emergency unit.


Tropical forests are globally important, but it is not clear whether biodiversity enhances carbon storage and sequestration in them. We tested this relationship focusing on components of functional trait biodiversity as predictors. Data are presented for three rain forests in Bolivia, Brazil and Costa Rica. Initial above‐ground biomass and biomass increments of survivors, recruits and survivors + recruits (total) were estimated for trees ≥10 cm d.b.h. in 62 and 21 1.0‐ha plots, respectively. We determined relationships of biomass increments to initial standing biomass (AGBi), biomass‐weighted community mean values (CWM) of eight functional traits and four functional trait variety indices (functional richness, functional evenness, functional diversity and functional dispersion). The forest continuum sampled ranged from 'slow' stands dominated by trees with tough tissues and high AGBi, to 'fast' stands dominated by trees with soft, nutrient‐rich leaves, lighter woods and lower AGBi. We tested whether AGBi and biomass increments were related to the CWM trait values of the dominant species in the system (the biomass ratio hypothesis), to the variety of functional trait values (the niche complementarity hypothesis), or in the case of biomass increments, simply to initial standing biomass (the green soup hypothesis). CWMs were reasonable bivariate predictors of AGBi and biomass increments, with CWM specific leaf area SLA, CWM leaf nitrogen content, CWM force to tear the leaf, CWM maximum adult height Hmax and CWM wood specific gravity the most important. AGBi was also a reasonable predictor of the three measures of biomass increment. In best‐fit multiple regression models, CWMHmax was the most important predictor of initial standing biomass AGBi. Only leaf traits were selected in the best models for biomass increment; CWM SLA was the most important predictor, with the expected positive relationship. There were no relationships of functional variety indices to biomass increments, and AGBi was the only predictor for biomass increments from recruits. Synthesis. We found no support for the niche complementarity hypothesis and support for the green soup hypothesis only for biomass increments of recruits. We have strong support for the biomass ratio hypothesis. CWMHmax is a strong driver of ecosystem biomass and carbon storage and CWM SLA, and other CWM leaf traits are especially important for biomass increments and carbon sequestration.


A compilation of resources to begin your research in Humanities. A compilation of resources to begin your research in Humanities.


Pharmacophore-based virtual screening is an important and leading compound discovery method. However, current pharmacophore generation algorithms suffer from difficulties, such as ligand-dependent computation and massive extractive chemical features. On the basis of the features extracted by the five probes in Pocket v.3, this paper presents an improved receptor-based pharmacophore generation algorithm guided by atomic chemical characteristics and hybridization types. The algorithm works under the constraint of receptor atom hybridization types and space distance. Four chemical characteristics (H-A, H-D, and positive and negative charges) were extracted using the hybridization type of receptor atoms, and the feature point sets were merged with 3 Å space constraints. Furthermore, on the basis of the original extraction of hydrophobic characteristics, extraction of aromatic ring chemical characteristics was achieved by counting the number of aromatics, searching for residual base aromatic ring, and determining the direction of aromatic rings. Accordingly, extraction of six kinds of chemical characteristics of the pharmacophore was achieved. In view of the pharmacophore characteristics, our algorithm was compared with the existing LigandScout algorithm. The results demonstrate that the pharmacophore possessing six chemical characteristics can be characterized using our algorithm, which features fewer pharmacophore characteristics and is ligand independent. The computation of many instances from the directory of useful decoy dataset show that the active molecules and decoy molecules can be effectively differentiated through the presented method in this paper.


The author decomposes the returns of quantitative long–short factor portfolios to those attributable to "fundamental return"—the return due to underlying business operations—and those attributable to "multiple expansion"—the return due to the change in the market valuation of those businesses. He does so by aggregating the statistics of the underlying stocks held in each leg of the portfolios over their respective holding periods. The author identifies two types of factors differentiated by the source of performance. The first type, of which the value factor is an example, outperforms because it identifies businesses whose valuations are subsequently bid up relative to the market; and despite that, it invests in "bad" businesses, or those that subsequently grow capital by less than average. In other words, its outperformance is entirely attributable to market behavior. The second type, of which momentum and quality (gross profitability to assets) are examples, outperforms because it identifies "good" businesses, or those that subsequently grow capital by more than average, and despite investors subsequently lowering their relative valuations.


Nowadays, food has reached a great level of differentiation, linked to processes, products, and ethical issues as well (Aprile, et al., 2012; Grunert, 2002). Growing consumers awareness of specific product attributes related to health, origin, environment and ethical concerns is shaping a wider concept of food quality (Feldmann & Hamm, 2015; Grunert, 2005). In this scenario, modern agri-food sector builds a new quality construct by integrating search, experience and credence attributes in an innovative way (Oliver, 1980). In particular, the role of credence characteristics to achieve product differentiation is increasing in importance (Fernqvist & Ekelund, 2014). Following the wider concept of food quality, credence attributes cover different dimensions from health and production methods to environmental and social orientation (Moser, et al., 2011). Since such characteristics cannot be verified, credence attributes require standards or certifications to be communicated and to ensure consumers (Scarpa & Del Giudice, 2004; Meixner & Haas, 2016; Sheldon, 2017). This process led to a more specific and complex system of food public and private standards starting from basic elements as origin, to other credence aspects that are decreasingly linked to the intrinsic attributes of the product (Giampietri, et al., 2016).


Given the water restriction in the Valley of Mexico, where population groups do not have access to water distribution networks or access is restricted, a market for water supplied by tank cars (pipes) is generated. The objective was to analyze the marketing and supply chain of the water distributed by pipes in the East of the Valley of Mexico with data obtained in 2017, as well as the participating agents. The direct method of the marketing channel was used following the product since it is extracted from the well, sold to the "piperos", who transport it and sell it to the final consumer. The owner of a well was interviewed and fifty interviews were conducted with piperos, with the information the costs incurred by each agent, as well as the respective profit margins and rates, were calculated. It was found that the highest absolute margin per m3 is obtained by piperos ($52.63) while the pocero is smaller ($14.75). However, when weighting the margins for the respective costs, the highest profit rate (1 180%) is obtained by the pocero, while that of the piperos is lower (206%). It is concluded that the water market supplied by pipes is extremely profitable, because it is not a regulated market, and that if public policies were established through regulation, liquid prices could be reduced in favor of consumers.


Urban coyote (Canis latrans) management is often complicated, but the technical portion of any management program is only one part of the equation. The use of lethal (traps, snares, shooting, toxicants) and non-lethal (exclusion, guard animals, husbandry practices, harassment) coyote management strategies can be successful, less than successful, or not successful depending on the appropriate match of technical skill and technology available in a particular situation. However, technical sophistication is only a portion of the management dilemma. Issues of policy, law, politics, and economics, as well as human values, attitudes, and ethics play an obvious and profound role in shaping the development, implementation, evaluation, and eventual success or failure of coyote damage management programs. Urban coyote management programs are not immune to these influences. I describe how I teach university students about coyote management. I approach the classroom with the philosophy of teaching students how to think, not what to say or do. This involves giving them detailed information, and all of it. For urban coyote issues, students tended to be compassionate and realistic, yet still preferred less than lethal strategies. I discuss "the wildlifer's lament," or why we wish we could educate the public. People are exposed to many messages about wildlife, and most of these messages are not coming from wildlife management professionals. Although wildlifers wish they could educate the public, in most cases, they cannot.


ABSTRACT Asthma medication adherence is low, particularly among Medicaid enrollees. There has been much debate on the impact of direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) on health care use, but the impact on medication use among children with asthma has been unexamined. The study sample included 180,584 children between the ages of 5 and 18 with an asthma diagnosis from a combined dataset of Medicaid Analytic eXtract and national advertising data. We found that DTCA expenditure during the study period was significantly associated with an increase in asthma medication use. However, the effectiveness declined after a certain level.


There was range of disadvantages in the informal
roadside metalwork fabrication apprenticeship practice in
North Western Nigeria that includes the lack of appropriate
Technical skills to better serve the society. The purpose of this
research was to identify those Technical skills desirable for the
informal roadside metalwork fabrication apprenticeship
practice in Nigeria. To this effect an investigation was carried
out through survey research, using questionnaire instrument
and interview as entailed by methodological triangulation. The
survey research was conducted using140 population of master
craft persons from sampled workshops in seven states of North
West geo-political zone of Nigeria. Interview of 10 participants
was made, who were randomly selected from, Industry-based
trainers, lecturers and instructors within the seven states in
North Western Nigeria. The interviews were conducted to have
a balance result. Open coding was made, followed by Axial
coding, Selective coding was lastly made, results were
interpreted as they complemented the descriptive results which
entailed the methodological Triangulation method. To validate
the results obtained from methodological triangulation, eleven
Delphi panel of experts were involved. Binary analysis and
Kendall's coefficient of concordance (Kendall's Wa) were used
to measure and determine the consensus of the experts on the
Technical skills items. Positive results were obtained because,
the level of consensus between the participants was strong, the
Technical Skills needed items score was 0.621. The result also
indicated an inter-judge reliability. Suggestions were made for
the improvement of the sector, as the appropriate and valid
Technical skills needed were outlined.


Background: Home health care services for older adults are essential to their ability to age in place as independently as their health will allow. Prior research examining care service utilization has typically included age, but has generally not looked at how different older adult age groups use care services, and examined centenarians specifically. Objective: The present research is designed to examine if the predictors of care services utilization are the same for those in their 80s and those aged 100 and over and if centenarians will need more services than those in their 80s. Methods: The data reported in the current study were collected from 213 proxies of community-dwelling octogenarians (63) and centenarians (150) during 2001-2009 by the Georgia Centenarian Study team. Results: Significant differences were found between octogenarians and centenarians in their care service use, except in the total number of hours they used care services and the number of care services that were provided by friends. For the three care service variables (i.e., number of care services, total number of care service hours, and number of services provided by a paid helper), the predisposing factors age and education were the primary predictors of care service use. Of the enabling factors, urbanicity was the only significant predictor and it is only significant for total number of care service hours. Discussion: Octogenarians and centenarians have different home care service needs and there also appear to be differences in care service usage based on education, ethnicity, urbanicity, and need factors. Care service organizations as well as policy makers need to address the future increase in home care service use and help make sure that education, ethnicity, and urbanicity are not barriers to receiving services.


We investigate decision trees in which one is allowed to query threshold functions of subsets of variables. We are mainly interested in the case were only queries of AND and OR are allowed. This model is a generalization of the classical decision tree model. Its complexity (depth) is related to the parallel time that is required to compute Boolean functions in certain CRCW PRAM machines with only one cell of constant size. It is also related to the computation using Ethernet channel. We prove a tight lower bound of (k log(n=k)) for the required depth of a decision tree for the threshold-k function. As a corollary of the method we also prove a tight lower bound for the 'direct sum' problem of computing simultaneously k copies of threshold-2 in this model. Next, the size complexity is considered. A relation to depth-three circuits is established and a lower bound is proven. Finally the relation between randomized, nondeterminism and determinism is also investigated, we show separation results between these models.


*+\)cD. \m m J Excess of K.E. of parts over that of the whole is \fAC + CB i AB\ 2\ m m' M ) VfAD + DC + 2AD . DC cos <f> _,_ BD + DC 2BD • DC cos <fr 2\ AD T DB " -) Z4R±TM*DC>=MxDC> 2 AD.BD 2mm' M (rel. vel.)x (mm'Y 2mm' M L mm' , . . = 2 x ' j r x ( r e l ' In the case of a bursting shell, this expression measures the increase of K.E. In the case of two bodies colliding, the relative velocity is reduced by the impact, and the loss of K.E. is


In this paper, a 350 km/h high-speed train is taken as the research object. Using the realizable kmodel to calculate the steady-state flow field around the train, based on the results, calculating aerodynamic noise source of the train body surface by using the broadband noise model. The drag, lift and acoustic data of the train with the non-smooth surface units arranged on different positions of the vehicle are analyzed and compared, so as to analyze the influence of the layout of the non-smooth surface units on the drag reduction and noise reduction of the train. The simulation results show that when the non-smooth surface units are arranged in the bogie area, the aerodynamic resistance of the head and the intermediate vehicle can be effectively reduced, with the drag reduction effect of 12.2% in the head vehicle and 26.9% in the intermediate vehicle; when the non-smooth surface units are arranged on the nose of the train, for the intermediate vehicle, the drag reduction effect is 9.3%, and 11.5% when arranged on the transition area; when the non-smooth surface units are arranged on the nose of the train, there are quite a number of scattered points of low surface acoustic power in the streamline area of the tail vehicle, in which the lowest surface acoustic power level is only 50 dB, which is 25.3% lower than that of the train without non-smooth surface units.


Lung cancer is the most lethal tumor type in the US and Europe, with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounting for 15 to 18% of these cases (1, 2). SCLC is one of the most aggressive of all cancers, with up to 70% of patients presenting with distant metastasis at time of diagnosis (3, 4). Despite being initially responsive to therapy, currently the average survival for SCLC cases with limited disease is about 18 months, while patients with extensive disease survive about 9 months from the date of diagnosis (5). New treatment modalities are therefore urgently needed. The search for antigenic targets that could be utilized as part of a vaccine therapy in cancer has been an area of intense research. Identifying the array of antigenic targets in SCLC and understanding whether such responses can result in anti-tumor immunity is critical, and may lead to successful immune vaccination against SCLC. We identified SOX Group B and ZIC2 proteins as highly immunogenic neuro-ectodermal antigens in SCLC by SEREX (6). We recently completed the analysis of 90 SCLC patients, 42 (47%) of whom had antibodies to either SOX1 or ZIC2. None had autoimmune paraneoplastic disease. SOX1, 2 and 3 antibodies were present in 28, 22 and 16% of patients respectively and 28% had ZIC2 antibodies. All patients with SOX2 and/or SOX3 antibodies were SOX1 seropositive. In contrast, only 8 patients (9%) had both SOX and ZIC2 antibodies. 36% of SOX1 seropositive patients had titers equal to or greater than 1:106. Antibody titers against all antigens were highest at time of diagnosis and stable up to 6 months after. Seroreactivity against either SOX1 or ZIC2 showed statistically significant correlations with younger age, female gender, lower LDH levels and better response to initial therapy. Trends towards better overall survival, a larger proportion of limited stage disease and longer times to progression were observed for all seropositive patients when compared to seronegatives. A significant number of neuro-ectodermal antigenic proteins were independently isolated as immune targets in autoimmune paraneoplastic neurological disease (PND) associated with SCLC (7). Despite the infrequent occurrence of autoimmune PND, antibodies to neuro-ectodermal antigens associated with PND, such as Hu or VGCC occur in up to 25% of SCLC patients (8, 9, 10, 11). The presence of anti-neuro-ectodermal antigens in SCLC has been associated with clinical parameters of less aggressive disease (9, 12). Thus, immune responses directed against multiple neuro-endocrine tumor antigens might relate to a better prognosis in SCLC (13). This abstract was published in Cancer Immunity, a Cancer Research Institute journal that ceased publication in 2013 and is now provided online in association with Cancer Immunology Research.


Abstract Background: The influence of assay variation and duration of storage on changes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of tau and phosphorylated (P)-tau with time was evaluated in 112 patients with various neurological disorders. Methods: These patients (aged 66±9 years, 52% male), referred to our memory clinic, underwent two spinal taps (mean interval 19 months) and the baseline samples were assayed twice in a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA): once after the first spinal tap (A1) and once in a separately stored aliquot (A2) simultaneous with the follow-up sample (B). Results: Coefficients of variances (CVs) of tau and P-tau levels determined in repeated spinal taps (ΔB–A2) measured in one assay (10.9% and 7.6%) were lower (p<0.01) than the CVs observed in two different (ΔB–A1) assays (16.5% and 11.7%). The CVs of tau and P-tau measurement of one CSF sample repeated on two occasions (ΔA1–A2) were 12.3% and 8.6%. A difference in mean P-tau level was found if the same CSF samples were repeatedly measured in two different ELISAs (A1–A2). Conclusions: Longitudinal CSF tau and P-tau are best measured in one assay resulting in a lower variability compared to measurement in two different assays. The within person variability in levels of these markers currently limits the use of these ELISAs in a longitudinal clinical setting. Clin Chem Lab Med 2008;46:1300–4.


Ferredoxin-NADP(H) reductases (FNRs) represent a prototype of enzymes involved in numerous metabolic pathways. We found that pea FNR ferricyanide diaphorase activity was inhibited by Zn2+ (Ki 1.57 microM). Dichlorophenolindophenol diaphorase activity was also inhibited by Zn2+ (Ki 1.80 microM), but the addition of ferrocyanide was required, indicating that the inhibitor is an arrangement of both ions. Escherichia coli FNR was also inhibited by Zn-ferrocyanide, suggesting that inhibition is a consequence of common structural features of these flavoenzymes. The inhibitor behaves in a noncompetitive manner for NADPH and for artificial electron acceptors. Analysis of the oxidation state of the flavin during catalysis in the presence of the inhibitor suggests that the electron-transfer process between NADPH and the flavin is not significantly altered, and that the transfer between the flavin and the second substrate is mainly affected. Zn-ferrocyanide interacts with the reductase, probably increasing the accessibility of the prosthetic group to the solvent. Ferredoxin reduction was also inhibited by Zn-ferrocyanide in a noncompetitive manner, but the observed Ki was about nine times higher than those for the diaphorase reactions. The electron transfer to Anabaena flavodoxin was not affected by Zn-ferrocyanide. Binding of the apoflavodoxin to the reductase was sufficient to overcome the inhibition by Zn-ferrocyanide, suggesting that the interaction of FNRs with their proteinaceous electron partners may induce a conformational change in the reductase that alters or completely prevents the inhibitory effect.


In this paper, we discuss the advantages of broadband time-domain measurement techniques applied to electromagnetic interference (EMI) problems. The digital signal processing of EMI measurements allows to emulate in real-time the various modes of conventional analogous equipment, e.g., peak-, average-, RMS- and quasi-peak-detector mode. It is also possible to introduce new concepts of analysis, e.g., phase spectra, short-time spectra, statistical evaluation and FFT-based time-frequency analysis methods. Since time-domain techniques allow to process the amplitude and phase information of the whole signal spectrum in parallel, the measurement time may be reduced by at least one order of magnitude. The signal processing algorithms and the measurement results obtained with the time-domain electromagnetic interference (TDEMI) measurement system are discussed.


In an earlier article I charted the legal and political events from David Cameron's Bloomberg speech in 2013 until the outcome of the referendum, including the beginning of the legal challenge to the way in which Article 50 TEU could be triggered. This article continues the story, covering the period after the referendum to the present. The approach in the earlier article is preserved, employing the metaphor of an unfolding drama, with Shakespearian quotations appropriately chosen for each Act or Scene. This article therefore begins with Act 7, following on from Act 6 of the previous piece.
Act 7 is entitled 'In Search of a Negotiating Strategy', and is divided into three scenes. It introduces the leading political 'players' in the UK, the EU and the capitals of prominent EU Member States that shaped political developments over this period, and will continue to do so during the Brexit negotiations. The analysis then shifts to evolution of the 'plan', connoting choice between a hard or soft Brexit strategy, how this unfolded over the Autumn of 2016 and was clarified in the Spring of 2017. The final scene of this Act focuses on the fact that the Brexit plan as it evolved in Westminster was intended to be a 'plan for the UK', in which the devolved parliaments and assemblies would have voice. There was, however, a significant mismatch between Westminster rhetoric and political reality, and the views of the devolved assemblies were largely ignored both substantively and procedurally.
Act 8 is entitled 'In Search of the Exit Trigger'. At the same time as the UK government was deliberating on its Brexit negotiating strategy, it was fighting a legal battle of its own making to ascertain the constitutional legal requirements for triggering Article 50 TEU. The government contended that this could be done through recourse to the prerogative, without seeking authority from Parliament. The claimants contested this assumption. The claimants won and the government lost, both in the Divisional Court and in the Supreme Court. The first scene of this Act, 'the legal', provides an overview of the central legal and constitutional arguments in the case. The second scene, 'the political', stands back and looks at the broader picture, arguing that this was a legal fight that the government was always likely to lose and never had to fight. The discussion concludes with reflection as to why the House of Commons was quiescent when afforded the opportunity for voice by the courts.
Act 9 continues the motif of search, being entitled 'In Search of an Agreement'. The story picks up after the formal triggering of Article 50, beginning with the first scene, 'reaction', connoting the response of the EU to the Prime Minister's letter triggering Article 50. The ink was barely dry on this letter, when she lost the first round of the negotiations. The UK had argued strenuously that discussion concerning withdrawal and future trade should proceed in parallel. This was rejected by the European Council, and prominent EU leaders. The negotiations were instead to be phased, such that discourse concerning trade would not begin until sufficient progress had been made on withdrawal. The negotiations did not in fact begin until 19 June 2017, because of the intervening UK general election. It is the subject of the second scene, 'temptation', which explains why the Prime Minister could not resist calling a snap election, even though she had asseverated that she would not do so. The rest, as they say, is history, with the prospects of Prime Ministerial electoral triumph dashed on the rocks of shifting voter affiliation within but a few weeks. The scene ends with discussion of the electoral impact on the unfolding Brexit negotiations. The final scene, 'negotiation', charts the way in which discussions concerning the key issues of the withdrawal agreement, people, money, and borders have unfolded thus far, including the fault lines concerning future trade relations between the UK and the EU.


This study examines the differences among the importance and frequency of librarians' duties in public libraries of different sizes in Greece, and it considers whether they have been influenced by the economic crisis. In this respect, 43 public libraries' managers evaluated 116 duties. To identify the significant differences among the libraries with respect to both their number of users and material sizes, a two-way analysis of variance was conducted. The results showed, regarding duties' importance, significant differences for the subcategory of user education according to libraries' number of users. Number of users was also related to the frequency of the subcategory collection development planning. Materialsize was significantly associated with the frequency of material ordination, and software management duties. Findings can be helpful for appropriate strategic planning, and for supporting specific actions to advance libraries' intellectual contribution.


The transportation of liquids through pipelines is attributed with highenergy consumption due to the turbulent nature of their transportation. Low concentrations of polymeric additives were proven effective flow enhancing agent when injected into these pipelines due to its viscoelastic property capable of suppressing the turbulent structures; however, the mechanical degradation of polymers is a disadvantage, which can be controlled efficiently by using complex in a surfactantpolymer interface. In this presented work, turbulent drag reduction (DR) efficacy of anionic Xathan gum and nonionic surfactant (PDDAC) regarding the surfactant -polymer interface was studied using a rotating disk apparatus (RDA) technique and pipeline. The effect of surfactant addition, critical concentration of XG, and the dependence of drag reduction on the turbulent strength from the rotation speed were also studied. The critical behavior of the interface was found at XG (700 ppm) and (1000-ppm) concentrations, respectively. The drag reduction (~70%) was observed at critical concentration behavior, which is largely reliant on the alkyl chain in the surfactant molecule. The result of the a rotating disk apparatus (RDA) gave about 51% drag reduction with the Xanthan gum alone while in the pipe, about 58% drag reduction percent (DR%) was obtained. (PDDAC) alone yielded about 32% and 36% drag reduction in the rotating disk apparatus (RDA) and pipe respectively. However, combining the Xanthan gum polymer and Polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride (PDDAC) surfactant gave 62% drag reduction. Thus, it could be inferred that the combination of these duo has greater impact than the individual materials. It could thus be concluded that the complex formed by these materials is another form of drag reducing agents. KeywordsDrag reduction, Polymer, Rotating Disk apparatus, Turbulent Flow,


It has been suggested that the apparent relationship between children's cigarette smoking and their respiratory symptoms could be explained by the effect of parents' smoking upon both child's smoking and symptoms. This was investigated in a study of 6000 Derbyshire schoolchildren. Children who smoked regularly were more likely than nonsmokers to report cough first thing in the morning, cough at other times during the day or at night, and breathlessness. Children whose parents smoked were also more likely to report these symptoms than were the children of nonsmokers. Both the child's and parents' smoking were independently related to the child's respiratory symptoms. Morning cough was less prevalent than cough at other times during the day or at night, but the relationship between the child's smoking and morning cough was much closer than its relationship to cough at other times. The relationship between parents' smoking and the child's symptoms was similar for each symptom.


Over the twentieth century 35,000 Australians suffered as prisoners of war in conflicts ranging from World War I to Korea. What was the reality of their captivity? Beyond Surrender presents for the first time the diversity of the Australian 'behind-the-wire' experience, dissecting fact from fiction and myth from reality. Beyond Surrender examines the impact that different types of camps, commandants and locations had on surrender, survival, prison life and the prospects of escape. It considers the attitudes of Australian governments to those who had surrendered, the work of relief agencies and the agony of families waiting at home for their husbands, brothers and fathers to be freed. Covering several conflicts and diverse sites of captivity, Beyond Surrender showcases new research from Kate Ariotti, Joan Beaumont, Lachlan Grant, Jeffrey Grey, Karl James, Jennifer Lawless, Peter Monteath, Melanie Oppenheimer, Aaron Pegram, Lucy Robertson, Seumas Spark and Christina Twomey.


Thiostrepton (TS) is a thiazole antibiotic that inhibits expression of FOXM1, an oncogenic transcription factor required for cell cycle progression and resistance to oncogene-induced oxidative stress. The mechanism of action of TS is unclear and strategies that enhance TS activity will improve its therapeutic potential. Analysis of human tumor specimens showed FOXM1 is broadly expressed in malignant mesothelioma (MM), an intractable tumor associated with asbestos exposure. The mechanism of action of TS was investigated in a cell culture model of human MM. As for other tumor cell types, TS inhibited expression of FOXM1 in MM cells in a dose-dependent manner. Suppression of FOXM1 expression and coincidental activation of ERK1/2 by TS were abrogated by pre-incubation of cells with the antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), indicating its mechanism of action in MM cells is redox-dependent. Examination of the mitochondrial thioredoxin reductase 2 (TR2)-thioredoxin 2 (TRX2)-peroxiredoxin 3 (PRX3) antioxidant network revealed that TS modifies the electrophoretic mobility of PRX3. Incubation of recombinant human PRX3 with TS in vitro also resulted in PRX3 with altered electrophoretic mobility. The cellular and recombinant species of modified PRX3 were resistant to dithiothreitol and SDS and suppressed by NAC, indicating that TS covalently adducts cysteine residues in PRX3. Reduction of endogenous mitochondrial TRX2 levels by the cationic triphenylmethane gentian violet (GV) promoted modification of PRX3 by TS and significantly enhanced its cytotoxic activity. Our results indicate TS covalently adducts PRX3, thereby disabling a major mitochondrial antioxidant network that counters chronic mitochondrial oxidative stress. Redox-active compounds like GV that modify the TR2/TRX2 network may significantly enhance the efficacy of TS, thereby providing a combinatorial approach for exploiting redox-dependent perturbations in mitochondrial function as a therapeutic approach in mesothelioma.


We describe the theoretical ideas, developed between the 1950s–1970s, which led to the prediction of the Higgs boson, the particle that was discovered in 2012. The forces of nature are based on symmetry principles. We explain the nature of these symmetries through an economic analogy. We also discuss the Higgs mechanism, which is necessary to avoid some of the naive consequences of these symmetries, and to explain various features of elementary particles.


ABSTRACT To explore the mechanisms by which CAG trinucleotide repeat tracts undergo length changes in yeast cells, we examined the polarity of alterations with respect to an interrupting CAT trinucleotide near the center of the tract. In wild-type cells, in which most tract changes are large contractions, the changes that retain the interruption are biased toward the 3′ end of the repeat tract (in reference to the direction of lagging-strand synthesis). In rth1/rad27mutant cells that are defective in Okazaki fragment maturation, the tract expansions are biased to the 5′ end of the repeat tract, while the tract contractions that do not remove the interruption occur randomly on either side of the interruption. In msh2 mutant cells that are defective in the mismatch repair machinery, neither the small changes of one or two repeat units nor the larger contractions attributable to this mutation are biased to either side of the interruption. The results of this study are discussed in terms of the molecular paths leading to expansions and contractions of repeat tracts.


Selective regression testing involves retesting of software systems with a subset of the test suite to verify that modifications have not adversely impacted existing functions. The J2EE platform has come to dominate the commercial Java application market. Unlike standalone Java applications, J2EE applications also use configuration files to control the presentation, service, data access, and persistence layers. Traditional regression test selection approaches for standalone Java applications generate regression test suites by only deriving test cases that traverse the changed parts of pure Java classes and thus are generally insufficient for the regression testing scenarios of J2EE applications. This paper proposes an end-to-end regression test selection solution for J2EE applications by providing two unique features—hybrid test-case tracing and unified change identification—that are not addressed by existing approaches. An empirical study is presented to show that this approach can ensure change coverage, and reduce regression test cost for J2EE applications efficiently and effectively.


We investigate the error floor performance of Luby Transform (LT) codes over the additive white Gaussian noise channel. We first derive a lower bound on the bit error rate for an LT code, which we subsequently use to show that the corresponding error floor is predominantly caused by low-degree variable nodes. Based on this observation, we propose a modified encoding scheme for LT codes that provides a lower error floor with no increase in encoding and decoding complexities. The convergence behavior of the proposed scheme is analyzed using extrinsic information transfer charts, and shown to be similar to the original LT code. Numerical examples demonstrate the improvements of the modified LT code as a stand-alone code and as a component code of a Raptor code.


In a retrospective review of 211 female infertility patients receiving ovulation induction agents, the role of sonography in infertility management is defined. Sonography is used to determine imminence of ovulation for timing of insemination and in vitro fertilization. It is also used to diagnose ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. To identify characteristics of the ovarian follicles of women able to conceive that might differentiate them from those unable to become pregnant, patients were assigned to "pregnant" (30.8%) or "nonpregnant" subgroups. In 259 sonographically monitored cycles reviewed, follicular size and configuration were not different for the two groups. The cumulus oophorus was seen in 28% of pregnant patients (8/28) and in only two nonpregnant patients. Low-level echoes were seen in the mature follicles of 11 patients but not in the large follicles of nonpregnant patients. Low-level intrafollicular echogenicity may be a prognostic indicator of fertility and may represent a periovulatory state, optimal, in the appropriate clinical setting, for artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization.


An approximate analytical solution is derived for a certain class of stochastic differential equations with constant diffusion, but nonlinear drift coefficients. Specifically, a closed form expression is derived for the response process transition probability density function (PDF) based on the concept of the Wiener path integral and on a Cauchy–Schwarz inequality treatment. This is done in conjunction with formulating and solving an error minimisation problem by relying on the associated Fokker–Planck equation operator. The developed technique, which requires minimal computational cost for the determination of the response process PDF, exhibits satisfactory accuracy and is capable of capturing the salient features of the PDF as demonstrated by comparisons with pertinent Monte Carlo simulation data. In addition to the mathematical merit of the approximate analytical solution, the derived PDF can be used also as a benchmark for assessing the accuracy of alternative, more computationally demanding, numerical solution techniques. Several examples are provided for assessing the reliability of the proposed approximation.


There has been an increase in the integration of global agricultural value chains in recent decades. This trend has created opportunities for smallholder farmers and agrifood industries in developing countries through forms of international exchange. At the same time, demographic changes and rising incomes across the developing world have affected the food security status of citizens in developing countries. Institutions have a prominent role to play in how integrated countries and smallholder farmers are in global value chains. This dissertation seeks to answer these questions first by studying coconut value chains. The first paper does this by first on a macro level by analyzing the role of institutions on the trade of coconut products. Second, I study a case study in Fiji qualitatively to understand the discourses and perceptions of farmers involved in coconut farming. Finally, the third paper takes a theoretical model to assess the effects of a transition of rural smallholder farming to selling or renting landholdings and supplying labor to larger commercial farms on the food security and economic welfare of in-country urban consumers. In line with the two previous papers, it emphasizes the importance of institutions since positive and negative institutional forces within the home country play a part in the persistence of smallholder farming.
Chapter 2 presents the first paper, titled "The role of institutional quality on the performance in the export of coconut products." It aimed to answer three research questions. First, we are interested in how the overall institutional environment in exporting countries affects the bilateral trade of coconut products. Second, we look into whether improvements in the exporters' individual indicator scores lead to an increase in trade with consideration to the exporters' and importers' overall institutional setting. Lastly, we investigate the effects of institutional similarities for coconut trade and its different compositions of value addition. To address these questions, we utilized structural gravity models to measure how institutional quality affects the trade performance of the top 26 coconut producing countries to the top 15 importing economies over the span of 20 years. The results suggest that increased government effectiveness enhances trade of high-value products, whereas better voice and accountability scores decrease the trade of coconut products in both categories of value addition.
The second paper, presented in Chapter 3, investigates the coconut value chain in Fiji. It is titled "Fiji's participation in the global coconut value chain: Opportunities and constraints." Field research was conducted in the islands of Fiji. I use predominately a qualitative approach to understand the rhetoric and discourses of each stakeholder group involved in the coconut sector and their perceptions of the challenges and opportunities. This chapter then follows the first paper and looks into the effect of institutional indicators on the performance in the export of coconut products from Fiji. The empirical results show that increased scores in the government's effectiveness and voice and accountability indicators enhance coconut exports from Fiji, suggesting that domestic institutions play an important role. Interviews with key actors reveal that communications among each stakeholder group are fragmented. The main institutional actors and the producers have different perceptions of the industry's challenges, thus resulting in different ideas on how to address the issues.
Chapter 4 of this dissertation is titled "Modern agricultural value chains and food security of urban consumers in developing countries." The work is a collaboration stemmed from my research stay at the University of California Davis. The study builds on previous research (Ma & Sexton, forthcoming) that assessed the future of smallholder farming systems in modern agricultural value chains. Their findings show that smallholders gain higher incomes and larger production outputs when they can supply inputs and labor to large commercial farms compared to working on own small farms across a range of plausible market settings. We address the unanswered question of how this improved productivity effect can affect the welfare and food security of domestic smallholders and urban consumers. We obtain price elasticities of demand for staple food commodities in developing countries from 15 peer-reviewed articles. Based on these figures, we embed a demand-side framework into the Ma-Sexton model to study the impacts of land consolidation and the advent of commercial farming systems on the dietary diversity of home country urban consumers.
Some general conclusions and implications can be drawn from the results of these chapters. First, we confirm that institutions matter, but not merely as one entity. Different aspects of institutional quality affect integration differently. When assessing coconut producing countries collectively, the findings of our first paper suggest that government effectiveness matters the most when enhancing trade of coconut products of varying degrees of value edition, while the indicator, voice and accountability, had contrasting effects. However, chapter 3 demonstrates that for Fiji, a small island economy, both government effectiveness and voice and accountability increase Fiji's export of coconut products. This implies that the heterogeneities of each country play a role and must be taken into consideration for future research. Each country has its specific institutional set-up and enabling environment. The integration of each country will differ albeit to a lesser or greater degree than another.
Findings from the last paper suggest that urban consumers, especially the poorer households, can benefit when prices of staple crops increase. Their overall welfare and diet improve as a result. Smallholders also see an improvement in welfare as the utility in consumption and leisure increases. Though governments and international donors have an egalitarian and development in mind when implementing policies and strategies that support smallholder farming, our findings suggest that there is a large welfare gain if policies enable smallholders to supply land and labor to commercial farms.


The issue of gender equality has long rolling and be on the agenda in many countries, including the Islamic discussion. Many studies and thinking about these gender issues by Muslim thinkers influencing the discourse of feminism studies. Muslim thinkers view that Islam has had in common with the concept of equality brought feminism. All the rules in Islam always puts equality and justice. But feminists do not think they declare Islam demikain contradictory to the spirit of justice and equality. Finally, many of the legal texts and passages that have been governing the relationship between men and women in Islam be re-examined, disassembled and modified to suit the gender equality perspective. This article exemplifies the study of discourse regulations to legalize polygamy in Pamekasan with the intention of positioning gender issues and perspectives of polygamy in Islam as true according to the quran and hadith


In this paper, we investigated a chromatic dispersion and Brillouin gain spectrum (BGS) control in highly nonlinear fibers (HNLFs). Downsized HNLFs (DS-HNLFs) with specific mechanical properties are effective to realize novel applications using a strain applied to the fibers. We experimentally demonstrated the zero dispersion wavelength (¿0) and the BGS tuning of the DS-HNLFs by the strain control technique. In addition, the efficient stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) suppression was also demonstrated by the dispersion and BGS managed downsized dispersion-decreasing HNLF. We confirmed that the efficiency of the wavelength conversion was increased drastically by the SBS suppression, and the maximum conversion efficiency of 1.5 dB was realized by a single continuous-wave pump without phase modulation.


A series of four-arm star copolymers, incorporating glycopolymer and antimicrobial polypeptide domains, was developed in the design of forthcoming anti-infective agents. Mannose, glucose, and galactose-based glycopolymers with a variety of well-defined chain lengths were prepared via atom transfer radical polymerization, whereas linear α-polylysine was prepared via ring-opening polymerization of N-carboxyanhydride monomers. Copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition was employed for 'click' conjugation of the glycopolymer arms and the polypeptide chains. The glycopolymer–polypeptide conjugates were non-hemolytic and exhibited higher cytocompatibility than the linear α-polylysine. The conjugates with shorter chains of mannose-based glycopolymer arms showed an enhanced bactericidal efficacy against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, with a therapeutic selectivity half of that of the linear α-polylysine. The pendant mannose moieties of the conjugates increased microbial targeting due to their specific affinity for bacterial surfaces, and binding competition with free mannopyranoside was demonstrated. Therefore, the molecular combination of glycopolymers and polypeptides without loss of their respective activities provides an interesting concept in the design of antimicrobial agents to combat infectious disease.


An effective strategy to restore p53 activity in cancer cells containing wild type p53 is to inhibit the Mdm2-p53 protein-protein interaction (PPI). NVP-HDM201 is a novel PPI inhibitor currently under evaluation in a Phase I clinical trial. It binds to the p53 binding-site of the Mdm2 protein, disrupting the interaction of the two proteins and leading to the activation of the p53 pathway. NVP-HDM201 belongs to a novel chemical series with a distinct biophysical and biochemical profile. Affinity constant of NVP-HDM201 for Mdm2 is in the picomolar range, with a selectivity ratio greater than a 10000-fold vs. Mdm4. Analysis of its binding mode provides evidence for a distinct set of critical interactions between the small molecule and its target, as compared with our other Mdm2 inhibitor NVP-CGM097, and explains as to why NVP-HDM201 binds equally to human, mouse, rat and dog Mdm2. Characterization of its binding kinetics indicates that the optimized interactions of NVP-HDM201 with Mdm2 protein are responsible for the increased stabilization of the complex resulting in high potency against Mdm2. This feature, together with favorable physicochemical and drug-like properties, supported the selection of NVP-HDM201 for clinical development. Citation Format: Therese Stachyra-Valat, Frederic Baysang, Anne-Cecile D'Alessandro, Erdmann Dirk, Pascal Furet, Vito Guagnano, Joerg Kallen, Lukas Leder, Robert Mah, Keiichi Masuya, Stefan Stutz, Andrea Vaupel, Francesco Hofmann, Patrick Chene, Sebastien Jeay, Philipp Holzer. NVP-HDM201: Biochemical and biophysical profile of a novel highly potent and selective PPI inhibitor of p53-Mdm2. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1239.


We present a unified picture for the evolution of star clusters on the two-body relaxation timescale. We use direct N-body simulations of star clusters in a galactic tidal field starting from different multimass King models, up to 10% of primordial binaries and up to Ntot = 65, 536 particles. An additional run also includes a central Intermediate Mass Black Hole. We find that for the broad range of initial conditions we have studied the stellar mass function of these systems presents a universal evolution, which depends only on the fractional mass loss. The structure of the system, as measured by the core to half-mass radius ratio, also evolves toward a universal state, which is set by the efficiency of heating on the visible population of stars induced by dynamical interactions in the core of the system. Interactions with dark remnants (white dwarfs, neutron stars, and stellar mass black holes) are dominant over the heating induced by a moderate population of primordial binaries (3%–5%), especially under the assumption that most of the neutron stars and black holes are retained in the system. All our models without primordial binaries undergo a deep gravothermal collapse in the radial mass profile. However, their projected light distribution can be well fitted by medium concentration King models (with parameter W0 ∼ 8), even though there tends to be an excess over the best fit for the innermost points of the surface brightness. This excess is consistent with a shallow cusp in the surface brightness (μ ∼ R−ν with ν ∼ 0.4–0.7), like it has been observed for many globular clusters from high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope imaging. Generally, fitting a King profile to derive the structural parameters yields to larger fluctuations in the core size than defining the core as the radius where the surface brightness is one half of its central value. Classification of core-collapsed globular clusters based on their surface brightness profile may thus fail in systems that appear to have already bounced back to lower concentrations, particularly if the angular resolution of the observations is limited and the core is not well resolved.


Headquarters (HQs) represent central units within corporationsi and their goal is to add value to the firm and its respective subunits. They do so by taking over various responsibilities, such as allocating resources within the firm, coordinating and monitoring subunits, and identifying and realizing synergies, among others.
HQs are also important for the economy of the countries they are located in, as they offer for example high-value employment, increased demand for related business services (e.g., legal and financial services), and represent a non-trivial source of tax income. Additionally, there is scientific evidence suggesting that the location of the HQ influences its investment decisions and consequently adjacent economies (e.g., investments that are in regions close to the HQ are favoured). Thus, many countries consider it important to attract and maintain HQsii.
In this article, we will focus on a topic that has not received much attention yet. Specifically, we discuss how digitalization (i.e., recent advancements in areas such as big data analytics, automation, artificial intelligence, the internet of things, etc.) influences HQs in Austria, most of which have a strong focus on CEE countries. Companies are dealing with a variety of issues stemming from digitalization, which results in changes to business models, firm processes, and company culturesiii. Yet, digitalization also affects the role and value added of the HQs but we still lack a clear understanding of thativ.
In the following, we first discuss Austria as a location for HQs, then the impact of digitalization on HQs, and finally, we explore how the digitalization might influence the attractiveness of Austria for CEE-oriented HQs. Thereby, we refer to recent empirical material that we have collected.


Vicia sativa L. subsp. incisa (Bieb.) Arc. var. incisa was investigated karyologically (chromosome number, karyotype and mitotic division). The chromosome number of Vicia sativa subsp. incisa var. incisa was counted for the first time and it was found to be 2n=14. In the karyotype, 1 submedian (SM) and 6 subterminal (ST) chromosome pairs were found, in one of which a SAT-chromosome was detected. A satellite was on the short arm of the 3rd chromosome pair. In the cells of the root tips, the course of mitosis was regular. The presence of subsp. incisa var. incisa in the flora of Turkey was also confirmed with the specimens (A1(E) Edirne: EDTU 6851, EDTU 6852, EDTU 6853, EDTU 7287, ISTE 74462; A2(E) Istanbul: EDTU 7288).


Over the past decade universities have become increasingly global. International contacts, cooperation, exchange and communication is used for benchmarking research and teaching. English-speaking universities,in particular, are actively recruiting huge numbers of foreign students to increase the pool of paying and qualified students. At Copenhagen Business School, a significant number of students (5-10%) are on exchange - in and out -every year.Many foreign students find that they encounter a different world when signing up for classes at CBS - a world of different values and norms, expressed in discourses and practices in and around the university. This study investigates, through focus groups and a survey of 800 students, the character of this experience of contrast. What values do foreigners from different nations arrive with, how do they experience the difference and what do they feel about it? We relate our findings to broader notions of nationally different values in order to discuss both a general value problematic and issues of comparative and intercultural higher education.


BACKGROUND
Fatty acids are a vital component of human milk. They influence infant neurodevelopment and immune function, and they provide ∼50% of milk's energy content.

OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this study were to characterize the composition of human milk fatty acids in a large Canadian birth cohort and identify factors influencing their variability.

METHODS
In a subset of the CHILD cohort (n  = 1094), we analyzed milk fatty acids at 3-4 mo postpartum using GLC. Individual and total SFAs, MUFAs, and n-3 and n-6 PUFAs were analyzed using SD scores and principal component analysis (PCA). Maternal diet, sociodemographic, health, and environmental factors were self-reported. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms were assessed in the fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1-rs174556) and 2 (FADS2-rs174575) genes.

RESULTS
Fatty acid profiles were variable, with individual fatty acid proportions varying from 2- to >30-fold between women. Using PCA, we identified 4 milk fatty acid patterns: "MUFA and low SFA," "high n-6 PUFA," "high n-3 PUFA," and "high medium-chain fatty acids." In multivariable-adjusted analyses, fish oil supplementation and fatty cold water fish intake were positively associated with DHA and the "high n-3 PUFA" pattern. Mothers carrying the minor allele of FADS1-rs174556 had lower proportions of arachidonic acid (ARA; 20:4n-6). Independent of selected dietary variables and genetic variants, Asian ethnicity was associated with higher linoleic acid (18:2n-6) and total n-3 PUFAs. Ethnic differences in ARA were explained by FADS1 genotype. Maternal obesity was independently associated with higher total SFAs, the "high medium-chain fatty acid" pattern, and lower total MUFAs. Lactation stage, season, study site, and maternal education were also independently associated with some milk fatty acids. No associations were observed for maternal age, parity, delivery mode, or infant sex.

CONCLUSIONS
This study provides unique insights about the "normal" variation in the composition of human milk fatty acids and the contributing dietary, genetic, sociodemographic, health, and environmental factors. Further research is required to assess implications for infant health.


A 7-year-old girl was disabled by neurofibromatosis complicated by leg hypertrophy, recurrent massive hemorrhage, and cyst formation in her right tibia. A grotesque deformity resulted in the right lower leg over a three-year period despite elevation, compression, and aspiration for various bleeding episodes. Massive areas of bone had to be resected on two separate occasions. The extreme vascularity of the region caused postoperative recurrences, but there was always some improvement. The pathologic findings consisted of true schwannomas in the periosteum. The basic problem of neurofibromatosis was the endoneural cell proliferation that was responsible for the hypertrophy, hemorrhages, and cyst formation. While there are various hemorrhagic problems in neurofibromatosis, this case demonstrates the characteristic massive hemorrhage and rapid new bone formation that follow minimal trauma, and illustrated the difficulties that are encountered in both nonoperative and operative management.


In the current Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) traffic monitoring and incident detection are usually supported with mostly traditional and relatively slow reactivity technologies. In this paper we propose a new service, namely THOR (Traffic monitoring Hybrid ORiented service), able to combine two different wireless technologies and to provide real time information about vehicular traffic monitoring and incident detection. THOR relies on LTE (Long Term Evolution) and Dedicated Short Range Communication based VANETs (Vehicular ad-hoc NETworks) in a hybrid approach, which is compliant with ITS standards. This hybrid networking approach can be deployed today and can be ready for tomorrow VANET technology. We test THOR by simulations in a scenario with vehicle flows synthesized from real measured vehicular traffic traces. We provide an LTE load analysis and an assessment of incident detection capabilities. Our results are promising in terms of reactivity, precision and network traffic load sustainability.


An essential step in the safe design of systems is choosing the system configuration that will maximize the overall availability of the system and minimize its overall cost. The main objective of this paper is to propose an optimization method of multi-state system availability in the presence of both aleatory and epistemic uncertainties, to choose the best configuration for the system in terms of availability, cost, and imprecision. The problem is formulated as follows: let us consider several configurations of a system, with each configuration consisting of components with different working states, and imprecise failure and repair rates provided in the form of intervals. The aim is to find the best configuration regarding the system's imprecise availability, cost, and imprecision. First, the imprecise steady availability of each configuration is computed by using an original method based on Markovian approaches combined with interval contraction techniques. Then an objective function incorporating cost, the lower and upper bounds of availability, and imprecision is defined and computed to provide the best configuration. To illustrate the proposed method, a use case is discussed.


This volume provides a synthetic review of the background and archaeology that has emerged through archaeological interventions associated with the quarrying of sand, gravel, and rock for aggregates. The book covers all periods from the Lower Palaeolithic to Medieval, and is organized on a regional basis. The review, which also contains as yet unpublished data, shows how the variety and preservation of archaeology can greatly expand our understanding of the relationships of humans to their changing environments.


Entrepreneurial activity is important not just from an economic point of view but it also recognizes the power and value of an individual. In a developing country like Pakistan that ranks high when it comes to ease of doing business but very low in entrepreneurship, alternatives must be devised to empower individuals socially and economically. The Pakistani women being empowered than ever before have to be paid special attention to in case of entrepreneurship. The current study is thus aimed at assessing the e-business related entrepreneurial finance and potential of women doing e-business. E-business helps women overcome many traditional barriers to employment and entrepreneurship. Using Theory of Planned behaviour and entrepreneurship models, a framework for assessing e-business and seeking entrepreneurial finance alternatives is developed. Unlike the previous theories which suggested eight variables the current study found that for e-business entrepreneurs only perceived propensity, desirability, feasibility, mother-hood, management and meso and macro environment are significant. Besides money, market and management which are important for starting any business, IT knowledge is important. The results based on regression analysis suggest that the model fits well as it predicts value of the entrepreneurial intention at 95% with a 5% significance value. Based on the findings of the study a new model for assessment of e-business entrepreneurial intention is developed which includes all significant variables and IT knowledge as a moderating variable. Based on this assumption, there is a clear implication for the policy makers to stress IT literacy to encourage entrepreneurial activity


The doctrine of illegality is now in vogue as an answer to liability in tort. It is also very regularly discussed by scholars. It has generated a literature that is large enough to justify the publication of a bibliography. However, the attention that has been lavished on the doctrine as it operates within tort law has largely been confined to the context of actions for negligently inflicted personal injury. The doctrine's role in other situations within tort law has been neglected. This chapter begins the process of redressing this situation. It does so by analysing the doctrine in relation to actions for interference with chattels. We postulate a wide range of hypothetical cases and consider how these cases would be decided if they arise. This discussion reveals the existence of significant lacunae in this area of the law, with no authority that provides definitive guidance as to whether the doctrine applies in particular situations. We also ask, in the in relation to those cases that would fail on the ground of illegality, what the precise legal route is by which that result is achieved. Finally, we investigate how the hypothetical cases ought to be decided. We contend that what little law there is on the doctrine of illegality in the chattels context sometimes produces the wrong outcome and, where it delivers the right outcome, it frequently does so for the wrong reasons.


Compactibility of Al/Al2O3 Isotropic Composite with Variation of Holding Time Sintering. The requirement of component with structural ability, light weight and also strength is increasing base on Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) by aluminum as matrix (AMCs). A structural ability is connected to composites compactibility which is depend on quality of interfacial bounding. Powder metallurgy is one of method to produce composite with powder mixing, compacting and sintering. Volume fractions reinforced and sintering time can influence composites compactibility. Volume fractions reinforced variable can produce different reinforcement effect. Beside that, on sintering enables the formation of new phase during sintering time. In this research, Al/Al2O3 isotropic composites are made with aluminum as matrix and alumina (Al2O3) as reinforced. Volume fraction reinforced used 10%. 20%. 30% and 40%. Sintering temperature and compaction pressure are each 600C and 15 kN. The tests that applied are compression and metallographic test. The result that obtained is optimum compactibility of Al/Al2O3 composite reached at holding time 2 hour. During sintering, new phase can occur that is aluminum oxides (alumina), with unstable properties. The best volume fraction reinforced and holding time sintering are 40% and 2 hours.


ETAF appears to have a multiplicity of divergent biologic effects: enhancement of thymocyte proliferation, stimulation of cells in the hypothalamus to mediate fever, stimulation of leukocyte chemotaxis, stimulation of hepatic synthesis of acute-phase proteins, induction of muscle proteolysis, augmentation of IL-2 production, and fibroblast and keratinocyte growth stimulation (Fig 4). However, it is unclear whether these divergent activities are mediated by one single cytokine, as is true for other hormones, or whether these divergent activities are mediated by several different but closely related cytokines, as is the case with interferons. In either case, ETAF, like IL 1, may play an important role in local cutaneous and systemic inflammatory and immunologic events.


Rationale: There are few indicators of which cigarette smokers are at highest risk for developing lung cancer and COPD, and it is unclear why individuals remain at risk for decades after smoking-cessation. The kinetics of gene-expression alterations upon smoking-cessation might delineate distinct biological processes that are activated in response to and during recovery from tobacco smoke exposure. Furthermore, differences in this response or recovery might be associated with disease risk. We therefore sought to determine whether the kinetics of gene-expression alterations upon smoking-cessation could be detected in readily collected nasal epithelium. Methods: Nasal epithelial brushings were obtained from 8 active smokers enrolled in smoking-cessation programs. Brushings were obtained at baseline and at 4, 8, 16, and 24-weeks after smoking-cessation. Urine cotinine or exhaled carbon monoxide was used to assess tobacco abstinence. RNA extracted from the nasal brushings was processed and hybridized to Gene 1.0 ST Arrays. Gene expression changes associated with smoking-cessation were identified with a linear mixed effects model. Functional enrichment was determined using DAVID. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to determine the relationship of nasal epithelial gene-expression changes associated with smoking-cessation to previous cross-sectional bronchial and nasal airway gene expression datasets of current, longer-term former and never smokers and to a previous published dataset of in-vitro exposure of cultured bronchial epithelial cells (NHBE) to cigarette smoke (CS). Results: The expression levels of 78 genes were associated with short-term smoking-cessation (FDR q<0.05, FC ≥ 1.75), with 6 genes up-regulated and 72 genes down-regulated with tobacco abstinence. A majority of the changes occur within 1-2 months of quitting. These genes were enriched in functional categories including oxidoreductase activity and metabolism of xenobiotic (p<0.05). Genes that decreased with smoking-cessation were enriched for genes whose expression levels in the airway datasets were higher in current smokers relative to never smokers or longer-term former smokers (FDR <10−3). Genes increased in active smokers that reversed with smoking-cessation were enriched among genes that are induced followed 15 minutes in-vitro exposure of NHBE to CS (FDR <5*10−3). Conclusion: Nasal epithelial gene expression profiles reflect the host response to smoking-cessation and are concordant with reversible changes identified in an independent bronchial airway dataset. Genes that reverse rapidly after smoking-cessation are inversely related to gene expression differences induced by acute cigarette smoke exposure in-vitro; suggesting that aspects of the gene-expression response to tobacco smoke both occur and reverse with rapid kinetics upon smoking. We have further found that genes with different biological functions revert to baseline with different dynamics following smoking-cessation. These data suggest that the smoking-induced field of injury can be measured non-invasively in nasal epithelium and leveraged to understand the kinetics of the reversible impact of smoking. These minimally invasive tools can be applied in population studies to assess the physiological impact of alternate tobacco products and other inhaled environmental exposures. Citation Format: Kahkeshan Hijazi, Bozena Malyszko, Xiaohui Zhang, Gang Liu, Yuriy Alekseyev, Yves-Martine Dumas, Louise Hertsgaard, Joni Jenson, Cindy Rohde, Dorothy K Hatsukami, Stephen S. Hecht, Daniel R Brooks, George O'Connor, Marc Lenburg, Katrina Steiling, Avrum Spira. Nasal epithelial gene expression profiles reflect dynamic biological response to smoking cessation. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B07.


We present a proof of Brouwer's fixedpoint theorem in intuitionistic mathematics. Unlike most constructive proofs of the theorem it does not use Sperner's lemma. Instead, we first reduce the theorem to the no-retraction theorem and then use a constructive version of a proof by Karol Sieclucki that there is no retraction |K| → |∂K| from a n-dimensional complex to its boundary. In our constructive version of this theorem we use rational cubical complexes rather than arbitrary simplicial complexes. We define the the polyhedron |K| of a cubical complex K to be the stable union of the cubes in K. We prove that a stable union of finitely many compact spaces is compact and this allows us to conclude that |K| is compact. In intuitionistic mathematics we may then derive a strong version of the fixedpoint theorem using the fact that all functions from a compact metric space to another metric space are uniformly continuous. Our proof has been completely checked using the proof assistant Nuprl. Nuprl's type theory is fully intuitionistic because it includes free choice sequences and has rules for bar induction and a continuity principle for numbers. Our argument could also be carried out in the system BISH of Bishop's school by proving the theorem only for uniformly continuous functions. Some additional work would be needed to prove that certain homeomorphisms (e.g. between a ball and a cube) are uniformly continuous, so we have not made a formal proof in BISH. Our proof is of interest because it is akin to Brouwer's original proof which used simplicial methods, and because it shows how a statement with constructive content (viz. the existence of an approximate fixedpoint) can be reduced to a statement with no constructive content (the non-existence of a retraction). Also, our use of the stable union, which is crucial to this proof, seems to be novel, and hence, a contribution to the tool kit of constructive mathematics (in both the BISH and INT systems).


ABSTRACT Bat detectors are commonly used to monitor bat behaviour. Earlier research has suggested that there may be systematic differences in the response of different detectors to bat calls. Such differences would have important implications for the comparability of quantitative surveys conducted with bat detectors. The present study examines variability within and between brands of bat detector in accuracy of tuning, directionality and sensitivity to different types of bat echolocation call in bat detectors from three manufacturers. The consistency of results from a field survey incorporating the three brands in a standardised methodology are also examined. Significant differences were found within and between brands in directionality and sensitivity which would lead to bias in bat surveys. The implications of these findings for bat surveys are discussed, as are the design features of importance for species identification.