Future Internet services require access to large volumes of dynamically changing data records that are spread across different locations. With thousands or millions of distributed nodes storing the data, node crashes or temporary network failures are normal rather than exceptions and it is therefore important to hide failures from the application. We suggest to use peer-to-peer (P2P) protocols to provide self-management among peers. However, today's P2P protocols are mostly limited to write-once/read-many data sharing. To extend them beyond the typical file sharing, the support of consistent replication and fast transactions is an important yet missing feature. We present Scalaris, a scalable, distributed key-value store. Scalaris is built on a structured overlay network and uses a distributed transaction protocol. As a proof of concept, we implemented a simple Wikipedia clone with Scalaris which outperforms the public Wikipedia with just a few servers.


Using ground observations of total electron content (TEC) and equatorial electrojet (EEJ) in the Asian sector, along with plasma and neutral densities obtained from the CHAMP satellite, we investigate the ionospheric electrodynamics and neutral background in this longitude sector during the major stratospheric sudden warming (SSW) in January 2009. Our analysis reveals the following prominent features. First, the TEC response in tropical regions is strongly latitude dependent, with monotonic depletion at the dip equator but a semidiurnal perturbation at low latitudes. Second, the TEC semidiurnal perturbation possesses a significant hemispheric asymmetry in terms of onset date and magnitude. It starts on the same day as the SSW peak in the Northern Hemisphere but 2 days later in the Southern Hemisphere. Its magnitude is twice as strong in the north than in the south. Third, strong counter electrojet occurs in the afternoon, following the strengthening of the eastward EEJ in the morning. Fourth, semidiurnal perturbation in both TEC and EEJ possesses a phase shift, at a rate of about 0.7 h/day. Comparisons with results reported in the Peruvian sector reveal clear longitude dependence in the amplitude and hemispheric asymmetry of the semidiurnal perturbation. Finally, thermospheric density undergoes ?25% decrease at low latitudes in the afternoon local time sector during the SSW, indicating significant cooling effects in the tropical upper thermosphere.


Aims. We study non-axisymmetric oscillations of a straight magnetic tube with an elliptic cross-section and density varying along the tube. Methods. The governing equations for kink and fluting modes in the thin tube approximation are derived. We found that there are two kink modes, polarised along the large and small axes of the elliptic cross-section. We have shown that the ratio of frequencies of the first overtone and fundamental harmonic is the same for both kink modes and independent of the ratio of the ellipse axes. Results. On the basis of this result we concluded that the estimates of the atmospheric scale height obtained using simultaneous observations of the fundamental harmonic and first overtone of the coronal loop kink oscillations are independent of the ellipticity of the loop cross-section.


Monthly rainfall amounts are distributed according to different frequency distribution functions in different parts of the world. However, in extremely arid regions gamma probability distribution functions are most often found to fit the existing data well. Libyan monthly rainfall distributions are found to abide by gamma probability distribution function which is confirmed on the basis of chi-square tests. Almost all the rainfall sequences recorded for at least the last 20 years in Libya are investigated statistically and gamma distribution parameters are calculated at existing stations. The shape and scale parameters are then regionalized and hence it becomes possible to find the parameter values at any desired location within the study area and then to generate synthetic sequences according to the gamma distribution. Predictions of 10, 25, 50 and 100 mm rainfall amounts are achieved by this probability function.


Introduction: Pleomorphic lobular carcinoma in situ (PLCIS), a rare variant of LCIS depicting a more aggressive morphology, has been recognized, for which controversy exists as to its biology, classification and management. In this study, we aimed to compare the immunophenotypic features of PLCIS with classical LCIS (CLCIS) and determine if PLCIS exhibits characteristics more closely associated with some forms of high grade ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) e.g. basal and HER2+ types. Methods: A total of 46 lesions of in situ lobular neoplasia {23 PLCIS and 23 classical lobular neoplasia (CLN)} from 42 women (4 had both CLCIS and PLCIS) diagnosed in consultation from January 2005 to September 2009 were studied. A diagnosis of PLCIS required acinar distension by dyscohesive tumor cells with nuclear pleomorphism score 3 using the Nottingham grading system for invasive breast cancer. Immunohistochemistry for estrogen receptor (ER) (n=33), CK5/6 (n=34), CK14 (n=30), GCDFP‐15 (n=2), E‐cadherin (EC) (n=44), keratin 34BE12 (n=4) and HER2 (n=2) was performed with the biotin‐avidin method, and results were assessed with the H‐scoring system. Results: PLCIS lesions were largely (16/17, 94%) and intensely ER positive {H‐score distribution:0–9 (n=1),10–49 (n=3), 50–99 (n=0), 100–199 (n=2), 200–300 (n=11)}. One PLCIS lesion was both ER (H‐score 225) and HER2 (H‐score 300) positive. The single ER negative case (H‐score=0) was GCDFP‐15 positive (H‐score 270) with overt apocrine histology. PLCIS lesions were uniformly negative (H‐scores=0) for CK5/6 (n=17) and CK14 (n=15). 18/23 (78%) PLCIS lesions were EC negative, while five disclosed patchy, attenuated EC reactivity (1+ intensity, H‐scores 10–50). In comparison, all lesions of CLN were ER positive (16/16) {H‐score distribution: 0–49 (n=0), 50–99 (n=1), 100–199 (n=3), 200–300 (n=12)}. They were similarly negative for CK5/6 (n=17) and CK14 (n=15) (H‐scores=0). 19/21(90%) CLN lesions were non‐reactive for EC, while two were weakly EC reactive (1+ intensity, H‐scores 10–50). CLN lesions were HER2 negative (n=1, H score 0), GCDFP‐15 negative (n=1) and keratin 34BE12 positive (n=4, H‐scores 200–300). Conclusions: PLCIS exhibits a similar immunoprofile to CLN, a finding in keeping with recent molecular data, implying that it is more closely related to the LN family, rather than a variant of E‐cadherin negative high grade DCIS. Furthermore, PLCIS, despite expression of keratin 34BE12, exhibits consistent ER positivity with CK5/6 and CK14 negativity and therefore appears an unlikely precursor of basal‐like breast cancer. Like CLN, PLCIS may be amenable to therapeutic hormonal intervention. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):B64.


The amount and spatial distribution of deep drainage (downward movement of water across the bottom of the root zone) and groundwater recharge affect the quantity and quality of increasingly limited groundwater in arid and semiarid regions. We synthesize research from the fields of ecology and hydrology to address the issue of deep drainage in arid and semiarid regions. We start with a recently developed hydrological model that accurately simulates soil water potential and geochemical profiles measured in thick (.50 m), unconsolidated vadose zones. Model results indicate that, since the climate change that marked the onset of the Holocene period 10 000-15 000 years ago, there has been no deep drainage in vegetated interdrainage areas and that continuous, relatively low ( ,21 MPa) soil water potentials have been maintained at depths of 2-3 m. A conceptual model con- sistent with these results proposes that the native, xeric-shrub-dominated, plant communities that gained dominance during the Holocene generated and maintained these conditions. We present three lines of ecological evidence that support the conceptual model. First, xeric shrubs have sufficiently deep rooting systems with low extraction limits to generate the modeled conditions. Second, the characteristic deep-rooted soil-plant systems store suffi- cient water to effectively buffer deep soil from climatic fluctuations in these dry environ- ments, allowing stable conditions to persist for long periods of time. And third, adaptations resulting in deep, low-extraction-limit rooting systems confer significant advantages to xeric shrubs in arid and semiarid environments. We then consider conditions in arid and semiarid regions in which the conceptual model may not apply, leading to the expectation that portions of many arid and semiarid watersheds supply some deep drainage. Further ecohy- drologic research is required to elucidate critical climatic and edaphic thresholds, evaluate the role of important physiological processes (such as hydraulic redistribution), and evaluate the role of deep roots in terms of carbon costs, nutrient uptake, and whole-plant devel-


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The Cambrian Drumian Carbon Isotope Excursion (DICE) and the Steptoean Positive Carbon Isotope Excursion (SPICE) have been so far reported in subtropical platforms: the DICE event is a large negative excursion in δ13Ccarb record that nearly coincides with the beginning of the Drumian (Cambrian Series 3), whereas the SPICE event is a large positive shift in δ13Ccarb identified close to the base of the Paibian (Furongian Series). The chemostratigraphic excursions have been recognized in carbonate-dominated platforms, and their application to mid- and high-latitude, siliciclastic-dominated platforms has been problematic. This paper offers, for the first time, a high-resolution stratigraphic analysis of this time span in a temperate-water platform (Montagne Noire, France) that recorded episodes of carbonate productivity in nearshore environments. Two sections were analyzed in detail: a complete Cambrian Series 3–Tremadocian succession, devoid of carbonate interbeds and paleogeographically located in the distal part of the platform (Pardailhan nappe), and a Furongian-Tremadocian succession, which has limestone interbeds and represents the proximal part of the platform (Minervois nappe).

The lower part of the La Gardie Formation in the Pardailhan nappe displays background δ13Corg values of −22‰ punctuated by a large negative, middle Languedocian (regional substage) shift, peaking at −24.5‰. This negative excursion is similar to the DICE event reported close to the base of the Drumian, although the latter is exclusively based on δ13Ccarb values. Stable isotopes of δ13Ccarb and δ13Corg from both sections also indicate a common chemostratigraphic shift at the onset of the Furongian. In nearshore deposits of the Minervois nappe, the δ13Ccarb background values for the interbedded limestone strata of the Val d'Homs Formation gradually increase from −3‰ to −1‰ and are punctuated by a sharp increase in δ13Ccarb values to >3.0‰. By contrast, in basinal shales of the La Gardie Formation in the Pardailhan nappe, the δ13Corg background values decrease from −22‰ to −27.1‰. This trend is directly controlled by total organic carbon (TOC) contents and is interpreted to have been initiated by changes in the degree of biodegradation of organic matter, sulfate reduction, and methanogenesis before or soon after burial. Despite this overprinting and the very low degree of metamorphism reached by the shales, the δ13Corg background trend is also punctuated by a sharp positive shift in δ13Corg values to >4.0‰, similar to the SPICE event. In addition, the asymmetric shape of the SPICE excursion in the Montagne Noire shows evidence for the HERB event, a late Furongian negative carbon isotope excursion not yet accepted as a worldwide chemostratigraphic anomaly.

The recognition of both chemostratigraphic shifts in mixed and clayey strata opens new possibilities of chemostratigraphic correlation in mid- and high-latitude platforms, where carbonate factories did not widely develop, and strata only contain endemic fauna. This implication has a major consequence because the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Drumian and Paibian stages occurs near the base of both excursions.


A detection system usually contains a predetection filter whose function is to enhance the strength of the signal relative to that of the noise. An optimum predetection filter is defined in this paper as one which maximizes the "distance" between the signal and noise components of the output (subject to a constraint on the noise compgnent) in terms of a suitable distance function d(x, y). In a special case, this definition leads to the criterion used by North, and yields filters which maximize the signal-to-noise ratio at a specified instant of time. North's theory of such filters is extended to the case of nonwhite noise and finite memory (i.e., finite observation time) filters. Explicit expressions for the impulsive responses of such filters are developed, and two examples of practical interest are considered.


We investigate several state-of-the-practice shared-memory optimization techniques applied to key routines of an unstructured computational aerodynamics application with irregular memory accesses. We illustrate for the Intel Knights Landing processor, as a representative of the processors in contemporary leading supercomputers, identifying and addressing performance challenges without compromising the floating point numerics of the original code. We employ low and high-level architecture-specific code optimizations involving thread and data-level parallelism. Our approach is based upon a multi-level hierarchical distribution of work and data across both the threads and the SIMD units within every hardware core. On a 64-core Knights Landing chip, we achieve nearly 2.9x speedup of the dominant routines relative to the baseline. These exhibit almost linear strong scalability up to 64 threads, and thereafter some improvement with hyperthreading. At substantially fewer Watts, we achieve up to 1.7x speedup relative to the performance of 72 threads of a 36-core Haswell CPU and roughly equivalent performance to 112 threads of a 56-core Skylake scalable processor. These optimizations are expected to be of value for many other unstructured mesh PDE-based scientific applications as multi and many-core architecture evolves.


Species' traits influence how populations respond to land-use change. However, even in well-characterized groups such as birds, widely studied traits explain only a modest proportion of the variance in response across species. Here, we show that associations with particular forest types strongly predict the sensitivity of forest-dwelling Amazonian birds to agriculture. Incorporating these fine-scale habitat associations into models of population response dramatically improves predictive performance and markedly outperforms the functional traits that commonly appear in similar analyses. Moreover, by identifying habitat features that support assemblages of unusually sensitive habitat-specialist species, our model furnishes straightforward conservation recommendations. In Amazonia, species that specialize on forests along a soil–nutrient gradient (i.e. both rich-soil specialists and poor-soil specialists) are exceptionally sensitive to agriculture, whereas species that specialize on floodplain forests are unusually insensitive. Thus, habitat specialization per se does not predict disturbance sensitivity, but particular habitat associations do. A focus on conserving specific habitats that harbour highly sensitive avifaunas (e.g. poor-soil forest) would protect a critically threatened component of regional biodiversity. We present a conceptual model to explain the divergent responses of habitat specialists in the different habitats, and we suggest that similar patterns and conservation opportunities probably exist for other taxa and regions.


Context. About 35% of the nearby disc galaxies host a weak bar for which different formation scenarios, including the weakening of a strong bar and tidal interaction with a companion, have been suggested. Measuring the bar pattern speeds of a sample of weakly barred galaxies is a key step in constraining their formation process, but such a systematic investigation is still missing. Aims. We investigated the formation process of weak bars by measuring their properties in a sample of 29 nearby weakly barred galaxies, spanning a wide range of morphological types and luminosities. The sample galaxies were selected to have an intermediate inclination, a bar at an intermediate angle between the disc minor and major axes, and an undisturbed morphology and kinematics to allow the direct measurement of the bar pattern speed. Combining our analysis with previous studies, we compared the properties of weak and strong bars. Methods. We measured the bar radius and strength from the r band images available in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and bar pattern speed and corotation radius from the stellar kinematics obtained by the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area Survey. We derived the bar rotation rate as the ratio between the corotation and bar radii. Results. Thirteen out of 29 galaxies (45%), which were morphologically classified as weakly barred from a visual inspection, do not actually host a bar component or their central elongated component is not in rigid rotation. We successfully derived the bar pattern speed in 16 objects. Two of them host an ultrafast bar. Using the bar strength to differentiate between weak and strong bars, we found that the weakly barred galaxies host shorter bars with smaller corotation radii than their strongly barred counterparts. Weak and strong bars have similar bar pattern speeds and rotation rates, which are all consistent with being fast. We did not observe any difference between the bulge prominence in weakly and strongly barred galaxies, whereas nearly all the weak bars reside in the disc inner parts, contrary to strong bars. Conclusions. We ruled out that the bar weakening is only related to the bulge prominence and that the formation of weak bars is triggered by the tidal interaction with a companion. Our observational results suggest that weak bars may be evolved systems exchanging less angular momentum with other galactic components than strong bars.


Institutions shape the incentives and opportunities people find and create. The institutions of poverty discourage accumulations of assets, disable accountability of governance, and dilute potential. After an empirical overview of past and present prevalence of poverty and its scholarly explanations, the macro-economic conditions of poverty are outlined. At the core of the chapter is the discussion of four institutions of poverty within economies; those are lack of assets, lack of accountability, lack of income predictability, and unfavorable spatial distribution. Analyzing the four institutions concurrently will explain poverty within any one country, either low- or high-income, and will allow establishing the level and persistence of poverty in any given country. Their relative weight as determinants of poverty persistence is situation-specific, i. e. differs from region to region, country to country, and social set-up to social-set-up. Selected case-studies – of worldwide microfinance, of Germany's labor market reform, of India's Rural Employment Guarantee act – illustrate the heuristic framework that this chapter proposes to students and policy makers concerned of poverty.


The fossil record suggests that animals evolved 565 million years ago (Ma) during the Vendian period of the latest Neoproterozoic era. By the beginning of the Cambrian period of the Paleozoic era, an explosive proliferation had established all of the major groups of animals. In their report, Wray et al. (p. 568) use genetic evidence to move the origins of animals back to between 1000 to 1200 Ma. In his Perspective, Vermeij discusses the implications of this big shift in the evolutionary time line.


In the winter of 2006, an industrial design team at a major university in the U.S. and a local enterprise began a joint project to design a safety device for children to be used in such emergency vehicles as ambulances and fire trucks. A faculty member in industrial design led the design team which included students, entrepreneurs, engineers and firefighters. This cross functional product development process enabled the team to take this project from a simple idea to a formidable product thereby revolutionizing safety for children in emergency transportation. Our goal was to ensure that all stakeholder needs were addressed through the design, making the product manufacturable, aesthetically appealing, and ergonomically comfortable. Students catalyzed the design process with fresh ideas and creative input, while the firefighters offered valuable insights regarding safety, regulation and real-life experience in this critical design project. Students gained valuable real world experience and had the opportunity to learn by doing, the entrepreneurial firm got a close look at the inner workings of new product development, and the firefighters were able to play an integral role by participating in the design of a product that they will use. As the entrepreneurs and firefighters were educated about the value of design through firsthand experience, they became eager to explore other product ideas through future collaboration. This paper illustrates the process of how an innovative life-saving product was developed by a multidisciplinary team and what design students learned about professional practice through their engagement in a real design project.


[Purpose] This study evaluated the influence of vibratory stimulation-induced kinesthetic illusion on brain function after stroke. [Subjects] Twelve healthy individuals and 13 stroke patients without motor or sensory loss participated. [Methods] Electroencephalograms were taken at rest and during vibratory stimulation. As a neurophysiological index of brain function, we measured the μ-rhythm, which is present mainly in the kinesthetic cortex and is attenuated by movement or motor imagery and compared the data using source localization analyses in the Standardized Low Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography (sLORETA) program. [Results] At rest, μ-rhythms appeared in the sensorimotor and supplementary motor cortices in both healthy controls and stroke patients. Under vibratory stimulation, no μ-rhythm appeared in the sensorimotor cortex of either group. Moreover, in the supplementary motor area, which stores the motor imagery required for kinesthetic illusions, the μ-rhythms of patients were significantly stronger than those of the controls, although the μ-rhythms of both groups were reduced. Thus, differences in neural activity in the supplementary motor area were apparent between the subject groups. [Conclusion] Kinesthetic illusions do occur in patients with motor deficits due to stroke. The neural basis of the supplementary motor area in stroke patients may be functionally different from that found in healthy controls.


Soil moisture is a key control on runoff generation and biogeochemical processes on hillslopes. Precipitation events can evoke different soil moisture responses with depth through the soil profile, and responses can differ among landscape positions along a hillslope. We sought to elucidate the nature of these responses by estimating changes in water content, response time between peak precipitation and peak soil moisture, and wetting front velocities for 43 storms at 45 locations on three adjacent hillslopes within a headwater catchment of the southern Appalachian Mountains (NC, USA). We used a multivariate modeling approach to quantify the relative influences and the predictability of soil moisture responses by a combination of landscape and storm characteristics. We quantified the lag correlations between hillslope mean soil moisture and catchment runoff to demonstrate how storm properties and hillslope‐scale characteristics may influence runoff at the catchment outlet. Soil moisture responses varied widely, and no consistent patterns were observed among response metrics laterally or vertically along hillslopes. In contrast to other studies, we found that the relative influence of hillslope properties and storm characteristics varied with soil moisture responses and during storms. Antecedent conditions and storm depths influenced the strength of lag correlations between soil moisture and runoff, whereas storm mean intensity was correlated with the lag times. These results highlight the utility of intensive observations for characterizing heterogeneity in soil moisture responses, suggesting, among other things, a need for better representation of the subsurface processes in rainfall‐runoff models. Identifying the relative importance of drivers can be beneficial in building parsimonious hydrological models.


A microstructured SS-fiber@ZSM-5 core–shell catalyst engineered from micro- to macro-scale in one step is developed through a cost-effective and high-efficiency vapor-phase transport (VPT) synthesis. A sinter-locked three-dimensional microfibrous-structure consisting of 15 vol% stainless steel fibers (SS-fiber, 20 μm dia.) was dip-coated with a synthesis gel containing silicalite-1 and subsequently steamed at 180 °C using ethylenediamine (EDA) solution. The as-synthesized ZSM-5 shell contains fine coffin-shaped crystals and small grains with remarkable intercrystalline mesopores derived from the initial aggregated aluminosilicate particles while the mesopore size is ever-changing with the progression of the crystallization. The catalyst lifetime for the MTP reaction shows a volcano-like evolution against the VPT time length, which correlates well with the crystallization-time-dependent amount of Bronsted acid and mesoporosity. The most promising SS-fiber@HZSM-5 catalyst is the one obtained via VPT synthesis for 120 h, with a high shell diffusion coefficient of 1.6 × 10−14 m2 s−1, delivering a prolonged single-run lifetime of 45 h with a high propylene selectivity of ∼46.9% at 450 °C at a high methanol weight hourly space velocity (WHSV) of 10 h−1.


Interaction of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) with human lipoproteins is known to prevent the LPS-induced activation of human monocytes and release of cytokines (monokines). LPS was exposed to lipoprotein classes separated by ultracentrifugation and to apolipoprotein A-I. Then monocytes were added, and the LPS activation of monocytes was determined by measuring the induced monokines. Failure of LPS to induce monokine release was called LPS inactivation caused by lipoproteins or apolipoproteins. The LPS inactivation is shown to be a function of low-density lipoproteins. High-density lipoproteins inactivate LPS to a much lesser extent. The very-low-density lipoproteins cannot inactivate LPS. Lipid components seemed not absolutely required for LPS inactivation, because purified human apolipoprotein A-I without its physiological lipid complement also inhibits LPS-induced monokine release.


Moyamoya is probably an inherited vasocclusive disease first described in Japan and now reported from all over the world. Genetic linkage studies and study of the factors possibly involved in its pathogenesis have shed new light on this disease. There is some suggestion that the pathogenesis may vary between races. A number of revascularization procedures have been devised. There is still controversy regarding the timing and the type of surgery. Functional MRI and PET scanning may provide more objective criterion on the outcome of these procedures. Neuropsychological studies may also be of use in judging the benefits of surgery. In this review, some of the recent advances in the study of the genetics and pathogenesis of the disease are reviewed and the clinical manifestation and the role of surgery are discussed. Relative lack of literature from outside Japan and the Korean peninsula has hampered the understanding of the disease in other countries.


This poster describes a new approach to the teaching of workplace technological skills in computing. It also summarizes the experience of applying this to training undergraduates about to start their third year industry placement in Computer Science. By Pragmatic programming [Hunt and Thomas, 1999] I refer to "programming from the trenches", programming craftsmanship with the tools, techniques of software development today.The term authenticity [Reeves et al., 2002] is chosen to emphasize the actuality of doing as well as a verisimilitude (truthfulness) to professional practice. This is as opposed to other related approaches such as Reavens' action learning (which has more of an emphasis on performance), problem-based learning, or inquiry-based learning (which is more open-ended). The focus is on the activities of a programmer as opposed to learning about programming. The tasks are real-world tasks that are sustained over a period of days. This is facilitated by an agile approach to software development, which supports a flexible incremental lifecycle of short activities and review [McAvoy and Sammon, 2005].The problems need to be sufficiently complex to warrant creative problem solving and all actions in authentic practise should have logical and reasonable consequences. The tools and methods used are those used by professionals. Some tasks are intentionally ill-defined to spur student investigation [Bransford et al., 1990]. Students must work in pairs, but not in larger groups as in many other constructivist learning approaches. Pair programming is a tenet of many agile methods in software development, such as Extreme Programming [Beck and Andres, 2004]. The primary coding technique the students use is refactoring [Fowler et al., 1999] - restructuring code in a disciplined way.The Workplace Technologies module enabled students to gain practical programming skills with a flexible, tools-based, and agile approach to software development. There was a high-level of engagement by students and a desire to take the work further. The majority of students were able to accomplish a series of complex tasks involving test creation and code restructuring in a tight timeframe.


This paper examines the effect of inequality on the incentives to emigrate according to a person's observable and unobservable skills. Borjas (1987) shows that higher skilled individuals are more likely to emigrate than lower skilled individuals when the returns to skill are higher in a potential foreign destination. Building on this framework, we develop a model which shows that this prediction holds for observable skills like education which are "general" in the sense of being easily transferable to another country. However, we show that the relationship between unobservable skills and the probability of emigrating is an inverse U-shape - since unobservable skills are a mixture of "general skills" and "country-specific skills" which are not easily transferable. We examine the predictions of our model with a unique data set containing information on who emigrates from Israel between 1995 and 2004, combined with a full set of demographic and labor market variables for both movers and stayers in 1995. By exploiting differences between Israel and the United States in the returns to observable (education) and unobservable skills across different sectors (industries and occupations), we find strong evidence that a lower return to unobservable skills in Israel versus the US entices higher ability Israelis to leave the country. Also, we find that virtually the entire positive relationship between education and the rate of emigration would be eliminated if the returns to education were increased in Israel to US levels within each industry. Overall, the results strongly support our model and the importance of differentiating between general and "country-specific" skills in the analysis of immigrant selection.


Vascular diseases are already the leading cause of death in the industrialized countries and many of the associated risk factors are increasing. A multi-disciplinary approach including biomechanics is needed to better understand and more effectively treat these diseases. Specifically, constitutive modeling is critical in understanding the biomechanics of the vascular wall and to uncover pathologies like Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAAs), i.e. local dilatations of the infrarenal aorta. Aneurysms are formed through irreversible pathological remodeling of the vascular wall and integrating this biological process in the constitutive description could improve our current understanding of aneurysm disease. It might also increase the predictability of biomechanical simulations towards augmenting clinical decisions. The present chapter develops histomechanical constitutive models for the AAA wall according to Lanir's pioneering approach. Consequently, macroscopic properties were derived through an integration of distributed fibers, where collagen was regarded as the most important protein of the aneurysmatic Extra Cellular Matrix (ECM). Collagen organization was quantified through Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM) of picrosirius red stained histological slices from tissue samples harvested during elective open AAA repair. This histological information was either directly integrated in the constitutive description or used to qualitatively validate the predicted remodeling of the AAA wall. Specifically, two descriptions for the AAA wall were used, where collagen was regarded either as a purely passive entity of the ECM or as an active entity. The suggested constitutive models were able to successfully capture salient features of the AAA wall, but a rigorous validation against detailed experimental data was beyond the scope of this chapter.


Introduction Because lack of inpatient capacity is associated with emergency department (ED) crowding, more efficient bed management could potentially alleviate this problem. Our goal was to assess the impact of involving a patient placement manager (PPM) early in the decision to hospitalize ED patients. The PPMs are clinically experienced registered nurses trained in the institution-specific criteria for correct unit and bed placement. Methods We conducted two pilot studies that included all patients who were admitted to the adult hospital medicine service: 1) 10/24 to 11/22/2010 (30 days); and 2) 5/24 to 7/4/2011 (42 days). Each pilot study consisted of a baseline control period and a subsequent study period of equal duration. In each pilot we measured: 1) the number of "lateral transfers" or assignment errors in patient placement, 2) median length of stay (LOS) for "all" and "admitted" patients and 3) inpatient occupancy. In pilot 2, we added as a measure code 44s, i.e. status change from inpatient to observation after patients are admitted, and also equipped all emergency physicians with portable phones in order to improve the efficiency of the process. Results In pilot 1, the number of "lateral transfers" (incorrect patient placement assignments) during the control period was 79 of the 854 admissions (9.3%) versus 27 of 807 admissions (3.3%) during the study period (P<0.001). We found no statistically significant differences in inpatient occupancy or ED LOS for "all" or for "admitted" patients. In pilot 2, the number of "lateral transfers" was 120 of 1,253 (9.6%) admissions in the control period and 42 of 1,229 (3.4%) admissions in the study period (P<0.001). We found a 49-minute (352 vs. 401 minutes) decrease in median LOS for "admitted" ED patients during the study period compared with the control period (P=0.04). The code 44 rates, median LOS for "all" patients and inpatient occupancy did not change. Conclusion Inclusion of the PPM in a three-way handoff conversation between emergency physicians and hospitalist providers significantly decreased the number of "lateral transfers." Moreover, adding status determination and portable phones for emergency physicians improved the efficiency of the process and was associated with a 49 (12%) minute decrease in LOS for admitted patients.


We reveal multiple components of an interacting galaxy system at z ≈ 3.35 through a detailed analysis of the exquisite high-resolution Keck/HIRES spectrum of the afterglow of a gamma-ray burst (GRB). Through Voigt-profile fitting of absorption lines from the Lyman series, we constrain the neutral hydrogen column density to NH i ≤ 1018.35 cm-2 for the densest of four distinct systems at the host redshift of GRB 080810, which is among the lowest NH i ever observed in a GRB host, even though the line of sight passes within a projected 5 kpc of the galaxy centres. By detailed analysis of the corresponding metal absorption lines, we derive chemical, ionic, and kinematic properties of the individual absorbing systems, and thus build a picture of the host as a whole. Striking differences between the systems imply that the line of sight passes through several phases of gas: the star-forming regions of the GRB host; enriched material in the form of a galactic outflow; the hot and ionised halo of a second interacting galaxy falling towards the host at a line-of-sight velocity of 700 km s-1; and a cool metal-poor cloud that may represent one of the best candidates yet for the inflow of metal-poor gas from the intergalactic medium.


Aim: To comparison of Scapular Manipulation with External Rotation Method of Reduction of Acute Anterior Shoulder Dislocation for Sedation Requirements and Success Rates. Material and Methods: The study was conducted in the Department of Orthopaedics, Vardhman Institute of Medical Sciences, Pawapuri, Nalanda, India.from December 2016 to January 2017. All 120 patients with clinical and radiographic features of anterior shoulder dislocation (on standard anteroposterior and lateral views) were include and allocated either into the SMM group (60Patients) or the ERM group (60Patients) alternatively on the basis of presentation. The groups were compared for sedation requirements, pain scores, and success rates. Results: Of the 120, 60 patients each in the SMM group and ERM group. Out of 120 patients 74.17% were male and 25.83% were female. Reductions using SMM had fewer requirements for sedation (20% versus 35%; p<.05) and higher first-pass success rates (80% versus 65%; p<.05) as compared with ERM for anterior shoulder dislocation reduction. The numeric rating score of pain during reduction procedures was less in SMM (mean, 1.82 [standard deviation, 1.9]) than in ERM group (mean, 4.87 [standard deviation, 1.8]; p<0.01). Conclusion: The technique of choice to treat shoulder dislocations ultimately is chosen by the doctor/clinic itself. However, further analysis of various methods could help to improve the efficacy of treatment.


"Waste stations", where residents dispose of household waste, are usually maintained by the residents themselves; however, not all stations are well maintained. It was hypothesized that the level of waste station maintenance would correlate with the degree of social ties in the community, and would be influenced by local environment in the area around the waste station. A combination of observational and survey research methods were employed to test these hypotheses. Self-reported inappropriate disposal behavior and social ties were measured using a questionnaire survey, while the level of maintenance of waste stations and local surrounding environment were recorded using observational methods. Data from 508 residents, assigned to 102 waste stations in 23 local areas of Sapporo, Japan, were analyzed. Sequential regression analysis indicated that social ties in the community was the stronger predictor of the management level of waste station than the self-report disposal behavior. Furthermore, multi-level model tests revealed that the level of management of waste stations was predicted by the local surrounding environment, which provided spatial reminders of community interactions. This indicates that managing the local surrounding environment is an important intervention to encourage appropriate waste station management.


Purpose To understand patients' perspectives on living with dry eye disease (DED), and on the unmet needs in DED and chronic ocular surface pain (COSP) management. Methods A moderated, structured discussion with patients with ocular surface diseases and healthcare professionals (HCPs) was conducted using a virtual platform to capture patients' journey with DED, their opinion on unmet needs, and design and conduct of clinical trials in DED and COSP. Results Nine participants, including four patient representatives from patient organisations, one ophthalmologist and one optometrist participated in the discussion. Patients had DED of varying severity and aetiology; three patients had Sjögren's. Over 4 weeks, 785 posts were entered on the platform. Prior to diagnosis, patients rarely associated their symptoms with DED. Convenience and symptomatic relief scored higher than treating the disease. Patients expressed the need for plain language information and dialogue with knowledgeable and sensitive HCPs. Online forums and social media were suggested as key recruitment resources, whereas convenience and safety concerns were highlighted as main barriers to enrolment. The need for the inclusion of outcome measures that have a real impact on patients' experience of their condition was highlighted. Both target product profiles were received positively by participants, highlighting the twice-daily dosing regimen and convenience of the products. Participants acknowledged the value of digital tools and suggested the need to feel valued post-trial. Conclusions This moderated dialogue provided actionable insights on the unmet needs in DED and useful inputs for consideration when designing future clinical trials for DED and COSP.


Modal analysis was carried out to calculate the natural frequencies and vibration modes of 20 orders for a certain pipeline system of the outdoor machine of air-conditioner using finite element simulation. Excitation was exerted on the pipeline system for harmonic analysis, and the optimized design was proposed based on the analysis of simulation results. Results prove that the design by changing the direction of pipeline is more effective than that one by adding damping blocks to improve the natural frequency of pipeline system, and the optimized design can avoid the resonance zone of the working frequency of compressor. Besides, the maximum vibration displacement is also greatly decreased.


Opportunity cost constitutes a substantial component of the costs of ecological restoration projects undertaken in agricultural landscapes. Private benefits generated by restored environmental assets are also important in determining the success of restoration projects. In this study, we compare the implications of using different assumptions about private benefits and opportunity cost for the optimal spatial pattern of ecological restoration of a cleared agricultural landscape in north-central Victoria, Australia. We employ a spatially explicit bio-economic model that optimizes ecological restoration through revegetation of a cleared landscape. We compare implications of using different assumptions about opportunity cost: (a) fixed marginal opportunity costs based on property value, and (b) variable marginal opportunity costs that take into account land value and private benefits generated by environmental assets on the property. Using variable marginal opportunity costs that account for private benefits captured by the landowners gives a better biodiversity outcome than using fixed marginal opportunity cost subject to the same budget constraints. Spatial patterns of ecological restoration of these scenarios differ substantially, with ecological restoration pattern shifting towards smaller properties (lifestyle landowners) in the variable-marginal-value scenario. Our results show that in order to avoid providing misleading recommendations to environmental managers about priorities for ecological restoration on private lands, it is important to take into account amenity values to land owners of native vegetation and variable opportunity costs.


The vaccinia virus expression system differs from others in that transcription occurs in the cytoplasm of mammalian cells rather than in the nucleus. As a vector, vaccinia virus has a number of useful characteristics, including a capacity that permits cloning large fragments of foreign DNA (20+ kbp) with retention of infectivity, a wide host range, a relatively high level of protein synthesis, and "appropriate" transport, secretion, processing, and posttranslational modifications as dictated by the primary structure of the expressed protein and the cell type used. This overview discusses the life cycle of the vaccinia virus along with effects of vaccinia infection. The vaccinia vector expression system is described along with specific steps for expressing genes using these vectors. Important safety considerations are also presented.


Bituminous mixtures undergo cracking, either top-down or bottom-up, as a consequence of the repeated application of traffic loads, thermal cycling or a combination of the two mechanisms. Cracking is considered as one of the major distress modes in asphalt pavements. This study presents a method to characterise crack resistance of asphaltic mixtures containing waste materials using a semi-circular bending (SCB) fracture test. Three different bituminous mixtures containing incinerator bottom ash waste and one control mix, containing limestone, were tested under cycling SCB loading conditions at 5 degrees Celcius and the results were interpreted using Paris Law. The same mixtures were also tested under controlled stress creep conditions at the same temperature. This paper examines the link between the time dependant index from creep tests with the n parameter from the Paris Law model, based on visco-elastic continuum damage mechanics analysis and linear elastic fracture mechanics principles.


Introduction: There has been a vigorous change in the healthcare sector with increased patient expectations, technological advancements, and growing competition in the healthcare market. Therefore hospitals have to shift from traditional management approach to more diverse aspects like TQM practices and effective quality management system to augment the performance level. Relationship between TQM practices and performance is multipronged and widely discussed in the literature. Aim: Main purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of TQM practices on nonfinancial performance elements of performance in different quality management system settings. Methods: This study used an empirical approach to identify and explain the TQM practices and non-financial performance relationship. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 5 hospitals from different regions with either Joint Commissioned International (JCI) or ISO 9001 based quality management system. Data were collected from 150 hospital managers between October 2018 and February 2019. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS 20 version. Results: Finding of the study support that TQM practices have a statistically significant and positive relationship with non-financial performance (p<0.05). Result of multiple linear regression analysis shows that TQM practices are a strong predictor of non-financial performance (Beta=0.793, t=15.837, R2=0.629, and p=0.000) and explain 63% variation in the model. TQM practices demonstrate higher overall and individual mean values for JCI accredited hospitals. T-test shows that there is a significant difference (p<0.05) in TQM practices between JCI and ISO-based quality management system. Conclusion: It can be inferred from this study that TQM practices have a leading role in the improvement of the non-financial performance of hospitals. Hospital managers at a different level can achieve improved results with effective implementation of identified TQM practices. TQM practices significantly contribute towards individual dimensions as well as an overall improvement in non-financial performance.


Using numerical schemes, this paper demonstrates how viscous resistance to volume changes modifies the simplest shock wave solutions presented in Part 1. For an initial condition chosen to form a step-function shock, viscous resistance causes the shock to disperse into a rank-ordered wavetrain of solitary waves. Large obstructions in flux produce large-amplitude, slow-moving wavetrains while smaller shocks shed small-amplitude waves. While the viscous resistance term is initially important over a narrow boundary layer, information about obstructions in the flux can propagate over many compaction lengths through the formation of non-zero wavelength porosity waves. For large-amplitude shocks, information can actually propagate backwards relative to the matrix. The physics of dispersion is discussed and a physical argument is presented to parameterize the amplitude of the wavetrain as a function of the amplitude of the predicted shock. This quantitative relationship between the prediction of shocks and the development of solitary waves also holds when mass transfer between solid and liquid is included. Melting causes solitary waves to decrease in amplitude but the process is reversible and freezing can cause small perturbations in the fluid flux to amplify into large-amplitude waves. These model problems show that the equations governing volume changes of the matrix are inherently time dependent. Perturbations to steady-state solutions propagate as nonlinear waves and these problems demonstrate several initial conditions that do not relax to steady state. If these equations describe processes such as magma migration in the Earth, then these processes should be inherently episodic in space and time.


The high frequency performance characteristics of a two-wire rhombic illuminator under common-mode excitation are studied using the Numerical Electromagnetics Code (NEC-2). The electrical length of the overwall wire structure ranges from approximately 700 wavelengths at 500 MHz to approximately 1400 wavelengths at 1 GHz. Efficient segmentation schemes are required to extend the analysis up to 1 GHz. The rhombic illuminator radiates more effectively as the frequency of operation is increased from 500 MHz to 1 GHz. Based on the resulting damping characteristic of the rhombic illuminator wire current at these frequencies, only a portion of the wire structure must be modeled. This technique allows one to analyze such a structure efficiently at very high frequencies. The general characteristics of the antenna impedance, wire currents, and radiated fields are discussed.<<ETX>>


Objective – The goals of this study were to 1) characterize the quantity and nature of research outputs created by or in cooperation with community-based research units (CBRUs) at Canadian universities; 2) assess dissemination practices and patterns with respect to these outputs; 3) understand the current and potential roles of institutional repositories (IRs) in disseminating community-based research (CBR).
Methods – The researcher consulted and consolidated online directories of Canadian universities to establish a list of 47 English language institutions. Working from this list of universities, the researcher investigated each in an attempt to identify any CBRUs within the institutions. Ultimately, these efforts resulted in a list of 25 CBRUs. All but 1 of these were from universities that also have IRs, so 24 CBRUs were included for further analysis. The researcher visited the website for each CBRU in February 2021 and, using the data on the site, created a list of each project that the CBRU has been involved in or facilitated over the past 10 years (2010-2020). An Excel spreadsheet was used to record variables relating to the nature and accessibility of outputs associated with each project.
Results – These 24 CBRUs listed 525 distinct projects completed during the past 10 years (2010-2020). The number of projects listed on the CBRU sites varied widely from 2 to 124, with a median of 13. Outputs were most frequently reports (n=375, which included research reports, whitepapers, fact sheets, and others), with journal articles (n=74) and videos (n= 42) being less common, and other formats even less frequent. The dissemination avenues for these CBRU projects are roughly divided into thirds, with approximately one third of the projects' results housed on the CBRU websites, another third in IRs, and a final third in "other" locations (third party websites, standalone project websites, or not available). Some output types, like videos and journal articles, were far less likely to be housed in IRs. There was a significantly higher deposit rate in faculty or department-based CBRUs, as opposed to standalone CBRUs.
Conclusion – The results of this study indicate that academic libraries and their IRs play an important role in the dissemination of CBR outputs to the broader public. The findings also confirm that there is more work to be done; academic librarians, CBRU staff, and researchers can work together to expand access to, and potentially increase the impact of, CBR. Ideally, this would result in all CBRU project outputs being widely available, as well as providing more consistent access points to these bodies of work.


Recombinant mouse beta-glucuronidase administered intravenously to newborn mice with mucopolysaccharidosis type VII (MPS VII) is rapidly cleared from the circulation and localized in many tissues. Here we determine the tissue distribution of injected enzyme and describe its effects on the histopathology in 6-wk-old MPS VII mice that received either one injection of 28,000 U recombinant beta-glucuronidase at 5 wk of age or received six injections of 28,000 U given at weekly intervals beginning at birth. These mice were compared with untreated 6-wk-old MPS VII mice. The single injection decreased lysosomal distention in the fixed tissue macrophage system. MPS VII mice that received multiple injections had 27.8, 3.5, and 3.3% of normal levels of beta-glucuronidase in liver, spleen, and kidney, respectively. Brain had detectable beta-glucuronidase, ranging from 2.0-12.1% of normal. Secondary elevations of alpha-galactosidase and beta-hexosaminidase in brain, spleen, liver, and kidney were decreased compared with untreated MPS VII mice. Although no improvement was observed in chondrocytes, glia, and some neurons, the skeleton had less clinical and pathological evidence of disease and the brain had reduced lysosomal storage in meninges and selected neuronal groups. These data show that recombinant beta-glucuronidase treatment begun in newborn MPS VII mice provides enzyme to most tissues and significantly reduces or prevents the accumulation of lysosomal storage during the first 6 wk of life. Whether therapy begun later in life can achieve this level of correction remains to be established.


In this paper, we extend the notion of generalized Hamming weight for classical linear block code to linear network codes by introducing the network generalized Hamming weight (NGHW) of a linear block code with respect to a given linear network code. The basic properties of NGHW are studied. We further show that NGHW can be used as a tool to characterize the security performance of a linear network code on a wiretap network. We also introduce the idea of Network Maximum Distance Separation code (NMDS code) by extending the notion of Maximum Distance Separation code in classical algebraic coding theory. We prove that NMDS codes play an important role in minimizing the information that an eavesdropper can obtain from the network.


Omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and their metabolites have long been recognized to protect against inflammation-related diseases including heart disease. Recent reports present conflicting evidence on the effects of n-3 PUFAs on major cardiovascular events including death. While some studies document that n-3 PUFA supplementation reduces the risk for heart disease, others report no beneficial effects on heart disease composite primary outcomes. Much of this heterogeneity may be related to the genetic variation in different individuals/populations that alters their capacity to synthesize biologically active n-3 and omega 6 (n-6) PUFAs and metabolites from their 18 carbon dietary precursors, linoleic acid (LA, 18:2 n-6) and alpha-linolenic (ALA, 18:3, n-3). Here, we discuss the role of a FADS gene-by-dietary PUFA interaction model that takes into consideration dietary exposure, including the intake of LA and ALA, n-3 PUFAs, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in determining the efficacy of n-3 PUFA supplementation. We also review recent clinical trials with n-3 PUFA supplementation and coronary heart disease in the context of what is known about fatty acid desaturase (FADS) gene-by-dietary PUFA interactions. Given the dramatic differences in the frequencies of FADS variants that impact the efficiency of n-3 and n-6 PUFA biosynthesis, and their downstream signaling products among global and admixture populations, we conclude that large clinical trials utilizing "one size fits all" n-3 PUFA supplementation approaches are unlikely to show effectiveness. However, evidence discussed in this review suggests that n-3 PUFA supplementation may represent an important opportunity where precision interventions can be focused on those populations that will benefit the most from n-3 PUFA supplementation.


Bench characterization of wide band oversampled converters is a challenge due to the high data rate at the output of the modulator. We propose the use of a duobinary test interface to extend the frequency range over which reliable laboratory measurements become possible. We show that using such an interface effectively randomizes the modulator output data and reduces high frequency content, thereby reducing the bandwidth demands made on the test equipment. It also reduces degradation of the modulator performance caused by package feedthrough effects. Experimental results from a test chip in 90 nm CMOS show that the proposed interface extends the upper sampling frequency limit of an existing single-bit CTDSM from 3.6 GHz to 4.4 GHz.


A cellulose-degrading bacterium, strain FCN3-3(T), was isolated from buffalo faeces collected in Nakhonnayok province, Thailand. The strain was characterized based on its phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. Strain FCN3-3(T) was a Gram-positive, aerobic, spore-forming, rod-shaped bacterium. It contained meso-diaminopimelic acid in cell-wall peptidoglycan. The major menaquinone was MK-7. Anteiso-C(15:0) (52.5%), iso-C(16:0) (18.9%) and C(16:0) (9.1%) were the predominant cellular fatty acids, and diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine and lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol were the major phospholipids. The DNA G+C content was 58.0 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain FCN3-3(T) was affiliated to the genus Cohnella and was closely related to Cohnella phaseoli GSPC1(T), Cohnella luojiensis HY-22R(T) and Cohnella hongkongensis HKU3(T), with 97.2, 96.8 and 96.3% sequence similarity, respectively. Strain FCN3-3(T) could be clearly distinguished from all known species of the genus Cohnella by its physiological and biochemical characteristics as well as its phylogenetic position and level of DNA-DNA relatedness. Therefore, the strain represents a novel species of the genus Cohnella, for which the name Cohnella cellulosilytica sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is FCN3-3(T) ( = KCTC 13645(T) = TISTR 1996(T) = PCU 323(T)).


The initial interaction between uroepithelial cells and Escherichia coli which has adhesive or invasive activity for cultured cells was studied ultrastructurally at the in situ site of infection in the model of ascending pyelonephritis in mice. The densely piliated adhesive strain E77156 isolated from the urine of a patient with urinary tract infection adhered to the pelvic and renal tubular epithelial cells and colonized on their cell surfaces and thereafter in the cytoplasm. The non‐piliated invasive strain 633–65 isolated from a patient with dysentery‐like syndrome did not colonize on the uroepithelial cell surfaces but easily penetrated into the cytoplasm of these cells. Thereafter multiplication was observed in their cytoplasm. Neither strain scarcely penetrated into the interstitium via the basement membrane of the renal tubules.


Objective: We designed, prototyped, and tested a system that measures the viscoelastic response of tissue using nondestructive mechanical probing, with the goal of aiding clinical providers during epidural needle placement. This system is meant to alert clinicians when an epidural needle is about to strike bone during insertion. Methods: During needle insertion, the system periodically mechanically stimulates and collects viscoelastic response information data from the tissue at the needle's tip using an intra-needle probe. A machine-learning algorithm detects when the needle is close to bone using the series of observed stimulations. Results: Tests run on ex vivo pig spine show that the system can reliably determine if the needle is pointed at and within 3 mm of bone. Conclusion: Our technique can successfully differentiate materials at and in front of the needle's tip. However, it does not provide the 5 mm of forewarning that we believe would be necessary for use in clinical epidural needle placement. The technique may be of use in other applications requiring tissue differentiation during needle placement or in the intended application with further technical advances. Clinical and Translational Impact Statement: This Early/Pre-Clinical Research evaluates the feasibility of a method for helping clinical providers receive feedback during epidural needle insertion—thereby reducing complication rates—without significant alterations from current workflow.


INTRODUCTION
Depressive symptoms, negative life changes, poor self-care, and higher caregiver burden are common in caregivers who assist individuals with heart failure (HF) in managing daily activities and disease-related symptoms. Previous research findings suggest social support, problem solving, and family function may influence these outcomes. However, the influence of these factors on outcomes in rural HF caregivers is unknown. The purpose of this study is twofold: (1) to examine whether social support, problem solving, and family function predicted depressive symptoms, caregiving-related life changes, self-care, and caregiver burden in rural HF caregivers; and (2) to compare differences in these variables between rural and urban caregivers.

METHODS
Rural caregivers (n=114) completed an online researcher-developed sociodemographic and clinical survey and standardized (Likert-type) self-report instruments. Participants were recruited locally from south-eastern USA (using face-to-face and telephone contacts, posted flyers, newspaper advertisements, and social media), nationally (newspaper advertisements and social media sites) and internationally (using social media). Potential participants were directed to the study website to complete the online surveys. These methods recruited participants who lived in 24 states within the USA, as well as from Canada, England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Demographic statistics and Mann-Whitney U-test, as well as bivariate correlations, multivariate linear modelling, and Roy's largest root, were used to analyse data, controlling for covariates.

RESULTS
Rural (n=114) caregivers were primarily Caucasian (84.2%), women (58.8%), and 41.45 (±9.013) years old. Social support had significant effects on depressive symptoms (ηp2=0.384, p<0.001), self-care (ηp2=0.108, p=0.001), and life changes (ηp2=0.055, p=0.016), while problem solving showed significant effects on depressive symptoms (ηp2= 0.078, p=0.004) and caregiver burden (ηp2=0.23, p<0.001). Family function had significant effects on life changes (ηp2=0.104, p=0.001), self-care (ηp2=0.088, p=0.002), and caregiver burden (ηp2=0.116, p<0.001). Compared to urban (n=412) participants, rural caregivers experienced significantly less social support (p=0.001), worse problem-solving skills (p=0.003) and family functioning (p=0.009), and greater depressive symptoms (p≤0.01) and subjective burden (p=0.001). There were no significant differences in caregiver self-care (p=0.416) and perceived life changes (p=0.346) among rural and urban caregivers.

CONCLUSION
Both social support and problem solving have significant effects on depressive symptoms in rural HF caregivers, while social support and family function influences self-care. Problem solving and family function also affect caregiver burden, while social support and family functioning influences caregiver life changes. Rural caregivers are often separated by long distances, and have transportation issues and limited access to healthcare providers and support services; therefore, innovative strategies are needed to explore the usefulness of these variables in improving caregiver outcomes.


The use of Radon transforms for multiple suppression has recently gained popularity in the processing of seismic reflection data. The increased separation of events in the model space, obtained through the forward transform, is the cornerstone for multiple elimination. The application of the forward Radon transform effectively deconvolves the smearing and sharpens the image of the events. Thus, by inverse mapping the multiple energy and subtracting it from the original CMP gather. a primartes-only gather is obtained. In this paper, we first describe a simple, cost-effective methodology for multiple elimination via Radon transforms. Then, we show two distinct, case histories from the Saudi Arabian peninsula. Our processing scheme combines partlal stacking and the application of the forward/inverse Radon transform. Partial stacking just prior to the forward transform improves S/N and regularizes the geometry of the data. Thus, the Radon operators are computed only once, i.e., for the first gather. Finally, we examine the proposed Radon multiple elimination scheme in conjunction with AVO studies. We show that amplitudes and phases may be altered after Radon multiple elimination. Thus caution is advised in the application of Radon transforms for AVO studies.


ZnO nanorods (NRs) films, nitrogen-doped (ZnO:N), and ZnO doped with nitrogen and decorated with silver nanostructures (ZnO:N-Ag) NRs films were vertically supported on undoped and N doped ZnO seed layers by a wet chemical method. The obtained films were characterized structurally by X-ray diffraction. Morphological and elemental analysis was performed by scanning electron microscopy, including an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy facility and their optical properties by Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy. Analysis performed in the NRs films showed that the nitrogen content in the seed layer strongly affected their structure and morphology. The mean diameter of ZnO NRs ranged from 70 to 190 nm. As the nitrogen content in the seed layer increased, the mean diameter of ZnO:N NRs increased from 132 to 250 nm and the diameter dispersion decreased. This diameter increase occurs simultaneously with the incorporation of nitrogen into the ZnO crystal lattice and the increase in the volume of the unit cell, calculated using the X-ray diffraction patterns and confirmed by a slight shift in the XRD angle. The diffractograms indicated that the NRs have a hexagonal wurtzite structure, with preferential growth direction along the c axis. The SEM images confirmed the presence of metallic silver in the form of nanoparticles dispersed on the NRs films. Finally, the degradation of methyl orange (MO) in an aqueous solution was studied by UV-vis irradiation of NRs films contained in the bulk of aqueous MO solutions. We found a significant enhancement of the photocatalytic degradation efficiency, with ZnO:N-Ag NRs film being more efficient than ZnO:N NRs film, and the latter better than the ZnO NRs film.


Presynaptic zinc release and a postsynaptic transporter organize zinc into spatial and functional microdomains. The NMDA receptor (NMDAR) is inhibited by synaptically released zinc. This inhibition is thought to be the result of zinc diffusion across the synaptic cleft and subsequent binding to the extracellular domain of the NMDAR. However, this model fails to incorporate the observed association of the highly zinc-sensitive NMDAR subunit GluN2A with the postsynaptic zinc transporter ZnT1, which moves intracellular zinc to the extracellular space. Here, we report that disruption of ZnT1-GluN2A association by a cell-permeant peptide strongly reduced NMDAR inhibition by synaptic zinc in mouse dorsal cochlear nucleus synapses. Moreover, synaptic zinc inhibition of NMDARs required postsynaptic intracellular zinc, suggesting that cytoplasmic zinc is transported by ZnT1 to the extracellular space in close proximity to the NMDAR. These results challenge a decades-old dogma on how zinc inhibits synaptic NMDARs and demonstrate that presynaptic release and a postsynaptic transporter organize zinc into distinct microdomains to modulate NMDAR neurotransmission.


Newspaper clipping of an article about former aviator Eleanor "Mickey" McLernon Brown meeting Lt. Liz Steinecker, at a meeting of the Business and Professional Women's Luncheon Club. The article includes a photograph of Brown and Steinecker standing together. There are wedding announcements and local event news on the back of the clipping.


In the present case report, a rare bilateral carotid body tumor (CBT) and the imaging and pathological features of a CBT are described. In the present report, a rare case of bilateral carotid body tumor, which developed in the bifurcation of the common carotid artery, and the clinical manifestations, imaging and pathological features of this CBT are summarized. The imaging cannot validate the diagnosis; however, imaging identified that the tumor exhibited an intact envelope. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that the tumor cells were strongly positive for cluster of differentiation 56, Syn and protein S-100, moderately positive for transcription factor E3, negative for cytokeratin and epithelial membrane antigen, and partial cells were weakly positive for Desmir (<5%). In view of the clinical and pathological features of the carotid body tumor, surgery is hypothesized to be the optimal treatment and may enable the tumor to be resected completely. Refined surgical techniques provide the security of safe resection and decrease the risk of complications occurring.


One of the major issues involved in establishing new trading relationships is the lack of an a priori trust relationship between the parties. This is an old and well-known problem in international commerce. Unless it can be solved, establishing new trading relationships will be virtually impossible. One way to create the necessary trust is by using procedures that involve exchanges of documents between the trading partners to verify that each party has fulfilled its part of the agreement. The paper documents formerly used for this purpose are being replaced, in electronic commerce, by information exchanges. The issue of whether these are as trustworthy as paper documents remains a crucial question. It is easy to guarantee the uniqueness of ownership documents in the case of signed paper documents, but much harder with electronic messages. Electronic commerce will not succeed in international trade unless the trustworthiness of electronic versions of trade procedures can be demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt. This article presents a formal specification of a set of design principles for trustworthy trade procedures that adapts the basic principles of internal auditing within a company. This auditing method has already been implemented in INTERPROCS, a Prolog-based tool for representation and analysis of procedures. The formal specification of this auditing method can be used to verify audit principles, and in particular the INTERPROCS implementation of these principles. It is based on a combination of deontic, dynamic, and illocutionary modal logics.


Juvenile myasthenia gravis presents before 18 years of age with different characteristics according to racial background and pubertal development. The authors aimed to determine the clinical characteristics of children and adolescents of Korean ethnicity with myasthenia gravis, and evaluate the presentation and clinical outcomes according to the sex and onset age of the patients. The authors recruited 88 Korean juvenile myasthenia gravis patients between September 2005 and August 2015. Worse clinical severity from presentation, more aggressive treatment strategies, and worse final treatment outcomes were noted in girls with postpubertal onset than in the other patients. The symptoms were milder (pure ocular presentation in 96.6% [85/88]) and the disease course was more benign (94.3% [83/88]) in this study than in the literature. The homogenous racial background might have contributed to these results. These findings highlight the influence of pubertal development and the need for timely and appropriate active treatment, including thymectomy, to improve prognosis.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to determine whether stigma affects the self-esteem of persons who have serious mental illnesses or whether stigma has few, if any, effects on self-esteem.

METHODS
Self-esteem and two aspects of stigma, namely, perceptions of devaluation-discrimination and social withdrawal because of perceived rejection, were assessed among 70 members of a clubhouse program for people with mental illness at baseline and at follow-up six and 24 months later.

RESULTS
The two measures of perceptions of stigma strongly predicted self-esteem at follow-up when baseline self-esteem, depressive symptoms, demographic characteristics, and diagnosis were controlled for. Participants whose scores on the measures of stigma were at the 90th percentile were seven to nine times as likely as those with scores at the 10th percentile to have low self-esteem at follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS
The stigma associated with mental illness harms the self-esteem of many people who have serious mental illnesses. An important consequence of reducing stigma would be to improve the self-esteem of people who have mental illnesses.


Abstract Acute restraint stress (ARS) for 3 h causes corticosterone (CORT) elevation in venous blood, which is accompanied by Fos up-regulation in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of male C57BL/6 mice. CORT elevation by ARS is attenuated in PACAP-deficient mice, but unaffected in PAC1-deficient mice. Correspondingly, Fos up-regulation by ARS is greatly attenuated in PACAP-deficient mice, but much less so in PAC1-deficient animals. We noted that both PACAP- and PAC1-deficiency greatly attenuate CORT elevation after ARS when CORT measurements are performed on trunk blood following euthanasia by abrupt cervical separation: this latter observation is of critical importance in assessing the role of PACAP neurotransmission in ARS, based on previous reports in which serum CORT was sampled from trunk blood. Seven days of chronic restraint stress (CRS) induces non-habituating CORT elevation, and weight loss consequent to hypophagia, in wild-type male C57BL/6 mice. Both CORT elevation and weight loss following 7-day CRS are severely blunted in PACAP-deficient mice, but only slightly in PAC1-deficient mice. However, longer periods of daily restraint (14–21 days) resulted in sustained weight loss and elevated CORT in wild-type mice, and these effects of long-term chronic stress were attenuated or abolished in both PACAP- and PAC1-deficient mice. We conclude that while a PACAP receptor in addition to PAC1 may mediate some of the PACAP-dependent central effects of ARS and short-term (<7 days) CRS on the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the PAC1 receptor plays a prominent role in mediating PACAP-dependent HPA axis activation, and hypophagia, during long-term (>7 days) CRS.


Climate change models predict increases in temperature and more frequent severe droughts and forest fires in the Southwest United States (Garfin et al. 2013). Aridity stress to forests caused by climate change will be especially severe in forests and woodlands of the Southwest because productivity is already strongly limited by low precipitation and humidity (Williams et al. 2013). Intense drought predisposes trees to disease and insect attack, such as bark beetles that have killed many trees in the Southwest in the last two decades (Raffa et al. 2008, Gaylord et al. 2013). Climate warming and fuel buildups in the Southwest are increasing wildfire-caused deforestation (Williams et al. 2010, Williams et al. 2013). There is a high risk of conversion of ponderosa pine forests to grassland or shrubs when intense burning, drought, or bark beetles cause high tree mortality, create large openings, and kill local tree seed sources (Roccaforte et al., 2012). Future increase in drought intensity caused by climate warming will reduce opportunities for ponderosa pine regeneration after deforestation (Savage et al. 2013). Moreover, climate-envelope models predict substantial shrinking of the range of ponderosa pine in the Southwest over the next century, especially at low-elevations (Rehfeldt et al. 2014).
The purpose of this fact sheet is to explain the need for using emerging knowledge about climate change and tree genetics to guide post-disturbance restoration of ponderosa pine in the Southwest.


The significance and clinical management of Candida colonization of the respiratory tract are ill-defined. We now report the frequency of Candida species from the lower respiratory tract in hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients (HSCT) undergoing bronchoscopy with broncheoalveolar lavage for pneumonitis after HSCT. The University of Michigan Clinical Microbiology Laboratory Database was queried for all respiratory cultures positive for Candida species between 2000 and 2012. We concurrently performed a retrospective analysis of 515 HSCT recipients with pneumonitis at our institution between 2001 and 2012. During this 12-year period, there were 2524 unique Candida isolates (78% Candida albicans). Of the 515 HSCT patients with suspected pneumonitis, 127 (24.7%) HSCT subjects were culture positive for a fungal pathogen, with Candida species identified in 27 cases (5.2%). When compared with other HSCT subjects, those cultures positive for Candida had significantly increased mortality (P=0.04). Candida sp. are commonly cultured from the respiratory tract of HSCT recipients, with increased mortality in affected patients. While there is insufficient evidence for antifungal treatment of Candida species colonization, the presence of the yeast may be useful as a surrogate marker of disease severity.


Across the world, the housing sector plays a key role in local and national economies, and expanding access to housing can encourage more equitably shared economic growth. This report surveys current policy interventions designed to encourage affordable housing in East Asia and the Pacific (EAP). The purpose of this report is to provide a general overview of the recent trends in urbanization and development in EAP and to consider different forms of government, market, and nonprofit actions that support housing affordability. It will also highlight key constraints and barriers that restrict the provision of low-cost housing in urban areas. Housing is important because it represents a significant household expenditure. The report assesses the strengths and limitations of affordable housing strategies used by different countries throughout EAP. This report offers broad conclusions that account for the broad social, political, and institutional variation among EAP countries; as such, these conclusions may well be applicable to more than one country context. The report also provides specific recommendations for improvement where existing interventions are new or have proven less successful. The report is divided into following chapters: chapter one gives introduction. Chapter two examines trends in urbanization rates, economic development, and inequality in order to introduce the need for high-quality, low-cost housing options. Chapter three examines EAP regional trends in urban housing affordability for owners and renters from select cities. Chapter four outlines future directions for affordable housing provision based on a comparative consideration of international best practices. Finally, chapter five surveys different affordable housing policies currently in place in EAP and summarizes their strengths and weaknesses.


Data exchange specifications not only must be broad and general to achieve acceptance, but also must be customizable in a controlled and interoperable manner to be useful. The Product Life Cycle Support (PLCS) suite of data exchange specifications (known as DEXs) uses templates to enable controlled customizability without sacrificing breadth or interoperability. DEXs are business context-specific subsets of ISO 10303 Application Protocol (AP) 239, subject to additional constraints imposed by the templates. A PLCS template defines how AP239 entities and their attributes will be instantiated using an externally-defined controlled vocabulary defined in a Reference Data Library. Template instantiations are defined using an Instantiation Path (IP) specified using an arcane syntax that must be manually written by the template developer. The PLCS information model is formally defined in the ISO 10303 EXPRESS language, but there is no formalism used at the template level. A challenge for newcomers to PLCS is to dive into and understand all the bespoken, non-standardized and PLCS-specific technologies (domain-specific languages and software) used to develop and implement the templates. DEXML presents an approach based on the Unified Modeling Language (UML) enabling the use of mainstream software and technologies to develop and implement DEXs, reducing the need for nonstandard and unfamiliar languages and tools.Copyright © 2011 by ASME


A high-resolution and sheetlike form imaging tactile sensor with video signal output has been developed. The sensor has a 64*64 array of sensing elements on a flexible PC board with 1-mm spatial resolution. Since the sensor outputs pressure distribution as a video signal, a real-time tactile image can be observed using a TV monitor. As the sensor is made up of a sheet of pressure-sensitive conductive rubber and stripe electrodes, there are undesirable currents passing between sensing elements. Thus these undesirable current passes must be cut within a short scanning period (500 ns for each element). The authors used a ground potential method and proved it useful under such a high-speed scanning condition. The properties of pressure-sensitive conductive rubber, including hysteresis and creep effects, are presented. A spatial filtering effect of an elastic cover for a tactile sensor is analyzed.<<ETX>>


Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare neoplasm that has captured popular attention because of its rising incidence and marked chemosensitivity. It is a non-Hodgkins B-cell lymphoma (NHL) that appears confined to the central nervous system (CNS) at presentation but may be multifocal within the brain or involve the leptomeninges or eyes at diagnosis. Like systemic lymphoma, it is highly sensitive to corticosteroids, and administration of steroids should be withheld until the diagnosis has been confirmed histologically. Currently, the initial treatment of choice incorporates high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) either as a single agent or in combination with other systemic chemotherapies. Whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) can be a highly effective treatment modality when combined with MTX, but the combination causes an unacceptably high incidence of severe permanent neurotoxicity, particularly in patients over age 60. Therefore, chemotherapy alone is the initial treatment of choice in older patients. This approach is also being explored in younger patients, but it is possible that deferring radiotherapy may compromise disease control. Consequently, the role of radiotherapy remains to be clarified in newly diagnosed younger patients with PCNSL.


Communication in social groups, especially in human societies, is predicated on efficient decoding of physical properties of auditory and visual signals into messages. In this brief overview, I will discuss processes that lead to our experience of receiving a message focusing on semantic, prosodic and face processing operations. In spite of the fact that we experience such messaging as nearly instantaneous, it involves complex interactions between multiple brain regions that support processes involved in communication. In the course of such interactions neural operations analyze a physical signal, extract its features into abstract representations and assign meaning to them. Furthermore, abnormalities in these processes, brought about by either structural or functional deficits, result in profound cognitive difficulties that often manifest as clinical symptomatology. This chapter discusses in some detail which brain networks make social communication possible, as well as the consequences of their abnormalities.


We find huge divisions in India; most prominent being the divide of Bharat and India i.e., the nation of rural people and India represents urban people. The major part of the poor The benefits of Economic successes have not percolated down to all parts of the society and the reason is that all sectors have not yet been integrated in the loop of economic growth. India's economic growth is urban recent years. An important aspect of generating "inclusive growth" is shifting the target of government aid to rural areas. Typically, large projects such as power generation, roads and airports receive the lion's share of government subsidies, while rural infrastructure receives comparatively little. Rural infrastructure, which serves 70 percent of the population, doesn't get the attention it deserves. T and middle class particularly in urban areas, corporate sector, foreign institutional investors, IT sector have benefited from the economic reforms. But there is an important which is related to whether the benefits of overall productivity expansion result in higher private earnings for all groups within the economy. In short, to what extent will individuals in rural areas and, within rural areas, t expanding productivity through access to better paying and more secure employment? This is an active and growing area of research that is also of substantial interest to polic components of the 'inclusive growth of rural India' strategy requires a sharp increase in investment in rural areas, rural infrastructure and agriculture, spurt in credit for farmers, increase in rural employment through a unique social s and health care. The high growth rates witnessed in recent years would become unsustainable if growth is not made inclusive and uniformly spread across the country. The urban be bridged and rural areas integrated with the economic processes to ensure equitable and inclusive growth in rural India.


Closed cell polymeric foams are widely used in sport and medical equipments. In this study, an artificial neural network (ANN) based inverse finite element (FE) program has been developed and used to predict the nonlinear material properties of EVA foams with multiple layers. A 2-D parametric FE model was developed and validated against experimental data. Systematic data from FE simulations was used to train and validate the ANN model. The accuracy and validity of the ANN method were assessed based on both blind tests and experimental data. Results showed that the proposed artificial neural network model is robust and efficient in predicating the nonlinear parameters of foam materials.


First Nations youth across Canada face considerably higher risk to develop mental health issues compared to their non-First Nations counterparts. These disproportionate risks have arisen within the context of an extensive history of harmful treatment of First Nations peoples borne of political policies aimed at the destruction of First Nations cultures. Research has demonstrated the importance of culture for positive mental health outcomes among First Nations youth. Like other land-based initiatives, there has been growing interest regarding the importance of equine-assisted learning and therapy for First Nations youth mental wellness. However, there is limited scientific understanding of the mechanisms by which First Nations youth can heal with horses, and even less is known about how equine-assisted programs can be adapted for cultural relevance. The current paper addresses this gap in the literature by introducing the Lac La Croix Indigenous Pony as a potential key player in First Nations youths' healing journeys. A culturally-responsive framework is offered that highlights the ways in which a mutual helping relationship can be built between First Nations youth and this critically endangered Indigenous horse.


Until recently, adrenal cysts were diagnosed at surgery or autopsy. Current imaging methods allow accurate preoperative diagnosis in symptomatic patients and may obviate surgery in the asymptomatic. Eighteen cystic lesions of the adrenal glands are described. Computed tomography was the most useful diagnostic test. Many cysts had typical appearances of a thin-walled, fluid-filled lesion with or without thin septa and mural calcification. Atypical features included central densities, which may be characteristic of intracystic hemorrhage, and wall thickening which should initiate a search for endocrinopathy and tumor.


Institutional shareholder stewardship codes ('stewardship codes') exist in many jurisdictions. They reflect the growing importance of institutional shareholders in capital markets, and a belief that increased engagement by institutional shareholders improves corporate decision-making and provides protection against excessive risk-taking.

In theory, there is considerable sense in shareholders undertaking their stewardship activities collectively. By acting collectively, shareholders leverage their power, pool their resources and share costs, thereby making stewardship more feasible and less speculative. Consistently, the stewardship codes of many jurisdictions refer to, and implicitly support, collective action by institutional investors.

This paper examines the role of collective action as a form of stewardship, with particular reference to the Australian context. Australia provides favourable conditions for institutional investor stewardship and is, therefore, an interesting case study concerning the potential of collective action as a stewardship tool.

This paper's examination of collective action in Australia reveals, however, a nuanced image of this governance practice. Evidence indicates that investors do not routinely engage in direct forms of collective action, such as forming a coalition for the purpose of intervening in a company's governance. Instead, investors more typically leverage their collective influence through intermediary organisations, such as industry bodies and service providers that undertake behind-the-scenes engagement activities for investors.

The nuanced image of collective action emerging from the Australian experience highlights that collective action by institutional shareholders is by no means a simple governance phenomenon. The paper explores the implications of this insight for how securities and takeover laws apply to collective action, and how the issuers of stewardship codes frame their codes' expectations regarding collective action. This analysis is relevant to policy makers, regulators and researchers who are interested in the role and regulation of collective action as a corporate governance tool.


Atomic level structures have been determined for the soluble forms of several colicins and toxins, but the structural changes that occur after membrane binding have not been well characterized. Changes occurring in the transition from the soluble to membrane-bound state of the C-terminal 190-residue channel polypeptide of colicin E1 (P190) bound to anionic membranes are described. In the membrane-bound state, the alpha-helical content increases from 60-64% to 80-90%, with a concomitant increase in the average length of the helical segments from 12 to 16 or 17 residues, close to the length required to span the membrane bilayer in the open channel state. The average distance between helical segments is increased and interhelix interactions are weakened, as shown by a major loss of tertiary structure interactions, decreased efficiency of fluorescence resonance energy transfer from an energy donor on helix V of P190 to an acceptor on helix IX, and decreased resonance energy transfer at higher temperatures, not observed in soluble P190, implying freedom of motion of helical segments. Weaker interactions are also shown by a calorimetric thermal transition of low cooperativity, and the extended nature of the helical array is shown by a 3- to 4-fold increase in the average area subtended per molecule to 4,200 A2 on the membrane surface. The latter, with analysis of the heat capacity changes, implies the absence of a developed hydrophobic core in the membrane-bound P190. The membrane interfacial layer thus serves to promote formation of a highly helical extended two-dimensional flexible net. The properties of the membrane-bound state of the colicin channel domain (i.e., hydrophobic anchor, lengthened and loosely coupled alpha-helices, and close association with the membrane interfacial layer) are plausible structural features for the state that is a prerequisite for voltage gating, formation of transmembrane helices, and channel opening.


This paper studies the maturity and stream of payments of sovereign debt. Using Bloomberg bond data for eleven emerging economies, we document that countries react to crises by issuing debt with shortened maturity but back-load payment schedules. To account for this pattern, we develop a sovereign default model with an endogenous choice of debt maturity and payment schedule. During recessions, the country prefers its payments to be more back-loaded—delaying relatively larger payments—to smooth consumption. However, such a back-loaded schedule is expensive given that later payments carry higher default risk. To reduce borrowing costs, the country optimally shortens maturity. When calibrated to the Brazilian data, the model can rationalize the observed patterns of maturity and payment schedule, as an optimal trade-off between consumption smoothing and endogenous borrowing cost.


We are presenting this casebook on immigration law and policy from a social justice perspective. We believe that most law students interested in taking a course on immigration law have a social justice/public interest motivation. We think you are interested in representing immigrants facing deportation or who may fear deportation to their home country for social, economic, or political reasons. You also likely have a strong interest in the public policy debate over immigration visa reform, enforcement, or legalization because of the injustices you sense in current policies. Many instructors who teach immigration law (regular faculty members and adjunct professors) also come from a pro-immigrant perspective that regards the practice of immigration law squarely within social justice/public interest practice. We hope this casebook provides materials and a format that will enhance the classroom experience for students and instructors who approach the topic from that perspective.
The content and organization (outlined in the table of contents) is broad and contains new topics such as detention, public interest/rebellious lawyering theories, lessons for public interest lawyers, and background on migration, globalization, criminalization, and racialization of immigration law. Our goal is to inspire our public interest students, while providing a solid way to analyze immigration law through a political and social lens and the foundation to practice effectively. Our pedagogy combines standard cases, but also stories of the lives of immigrants, transcripts, training manuals, academic articles, news articles, and other tools that social justice lawyers use. Our rationale in editing cases is to hone in on the parts of the cases that are necessary for an understanding of the court's rationale and some aspects of important dissenting opinions.
We know that most of you come to the course already inspired to do good, socially-inspired work. Much of what has evolved within the world of U.S. immigration law and policy will disappoint and leave you upset. But hopefully, we have asked the right questions and pointed in particular directions that can help us takes some steps forward in achieving justice for immigrants, refugees, and their families. Included here are the detailed outline of contents and the introductory chapter.