In 1997, when New Yorkers decisively defeated a constitutionally mandated ballot proposition to convene what would have been the state's fourth constitutional convention in the twentieth century, they placed the fate of constitutional reform with the state legislature.(1) Not until the year 2017 will the question be required to appear on the ballot,(2) and the likelihood of the legislature proposing a convention vote in the interim is remote.(3) New York does not permit amendments to be submitted to the electorate through constitutional initiative,(4) and no constitutional commission has the power to submit amendments directly to the voters;(5) constitutional reform can only emanate from either a constitutional convention or the state legislature.(6) Since 1938, legislatively proposed amendments have been the only procedure successfully used for revising the state's charter.(7) Paradoxically, the latest rejection came at a time when many of the state's political actors agreed that systematic constitutional revision was needed.(8) The League of Women Voters, Civil Service Employees Association (C.S.E.A.), American Federation of Labor--Congress of Industrial Organizations (A.F.L.-C.I.O.), National Organization of Women (NOW), and various environmental groups who opposed the calling of a convention in 1997, were, nevertheless, in agreement with proponents of the convention on the need for constitutional reform.(9) Thus, debate has focused on the means for achieving reform. Constitutional conventions, viewed as cumbersome, expensive,(10) and subject to approval by a suspicious, even dangerous, electorate have fallen from favor with citizen groups(11) and politicians.(12) The alternative, the legislature, may not be the ideal agency for providing systematic, regular revision and, in any case, has not been a successful forum for addressing such serious problems as fiscal integrity(13) and state/local relations.(14) Have we reached an impasse? This article examines the use of the constitutional commission, particularly in New York, as a means of achieving constitutional reform. A study of the constitutional history of New York reveals that the constitutional commission has a long and vital history as a means of proposing meaningful and necessary reform within the state. Some of the most significant constitutional revision in New York has been the product of such commissions, and the most successful commissions were held in the aftermath of constitutional convention defeats. This article examines the history and tradition of commissions as mechanisms to effectuate constitutional reform in New York, from its origins in the 1870s, when the state was struggling with issues such as corruption, home rule for burgeoning cities, and AfricanAmerican suffrage, to the present-day, when the state budget process, debt limitations, and social welfare are issues of concern. Each commission will be analyzed, and placed in the historical context from which it emerged.(15) Although a detailed analysis of the results of each commission is outside the scope of this article, an emphasis will be placed on the accomplishments and failures of each commission, as well as each commission's unique contributions to New York's constitutional history. After analyzing the constitutional commission experience of New York State, this article examines the use of constitutional commissions to provide meaningful constitutional reform in several other states, such as Florida, Utah, and Georgia.(16) I. THE NEW YORK STATE CONSTITUTIONAL COMMISSION EXPERIENCE Throughout its history, New York has convened ten constitutional commissions.(17) Of these bodies, five were created specifically to prepare for upcoming constitutional conventions,(18) while six were formed to study and propose changes to the existing constitution.(19) As indicated by the appended table, the majority of constitutional commissions were statutorily created, although some were formed by a resolution of one or both houses of the legislature, and others were the product of executive order. …


Pavement rutting not only decreases the road service life but also creates a danger for the security of road users. In recent years, pavement rutting rate has increased significantly due to constant traffic intensity increment. It is well known that the increase in heavy vehicles flow, transported load, tyre pressure and the use of single tyres instead of dual tyres induce considerable pressure within bituminous layers. Due to these solicitations, bituminous layers can quickly attain their permanent deformation limit resistance and this phenomenon can lead to a pavement depression, located in the tyre- road contact surface. The purpose of this paper is to present a methodology to estimate the rutting of bituminous pavements and to be able to predict the rutting risk considering the results obtained with the LPC traffic simulator and taking into account the traffic and environmental characteristics. The traffic characteristics are represented by the total heavy traffic expressed in equivalent single axle loads (ESAL) passed on the pavement during the service period and the speed adopted by these heavy vehicles on the considered section. The environmental characteristic is represented by the pavement temperature at 2 cm depth. The developed model gives rut depths values after having determined material and site characteristics and presents a very good correlation coefficient giving very satisfactory results in its verification phase with additional materials.


The purpose of this paper is to investigate the pricing performance of agricultural market advisory services in hogs. Pricing recommendations are available for all quarters from the beginning of 1995 through the end of 2001. The results show that average differences between advisory programs and market benchmarks are small in nominal terms for all three benchmarks, -$0.41/bu., $O.OO/cwt. and $-0.27/cwt. versus the cash, index and empirical benchmarks, respectively, and none of the average differences are significantly different from zero. Hence, advisory programs as a group do not outperform the market benchmarks in terms of average price. Advisory programs also do not outperform the market benchmarks in terms of average price and risk. Finally, there is little evidence that advisory programs with superior performance can be usefully selected based on past performance in the hog market.


Forensic science has come to be assigned an important role in contemporary crime fiction. In this article, I analyze the cultural repertoire of forensic science conveyed by the popular television show Crime Scene Investigation (CSI). I argue that CSI science, in delivering an absolute "truth" about how and by whom crimes have been committed, is equated with justice, effectively superseding nonfictional forensic science as well as nonfictional judicature as a whole. Thus, CSI as a cultural performance adds to the mediascape a repertoire of wishful-thinking science with which to think about perceptions of and desires for crime and justice in nonfictional society. This repertoire seems to be considered relevant enough to nonfictional society to cause concern about the judicial system, as expressed in discussions of the so-called "CSI effect.".


Recently, laminates of multi-directional carbon fiber reinforced polymers (MDL-CFRP) have been developed for Civil Engineering applications. A MDL-CFRP laminate has fibers in distinct directions that can be arranged in order to optimize stiffness and/or strength requisites. These laminates can be conceived in order to be fixed to structural elements with anchors, resulting high effective strengthening systems. To evaluate the strengthening potentialities of this type of laminates, pullout tests were carried out. The influence of the number of anchors, their geometric location and the applied pre-stress are analyzed. The present work describes the carried-out tests and presents and analyzes the most significant obtained results.


A connection between the impedance spectroscopy response of anomalous Poisson-Nernst-Planck (PNPA) diffusional models and of equivalent circuits containing constant phase elements (CPE) is established for a typical electrolytic cell. The analysis is carried out in the limit of low frequency in order to highlight the surface effects and to explore how they can be connected to the presence of CPE in the circuit. It is shown that, depending on the choice of the equivalent circuit, the action of these elements can be the same as the one obtained by using integro-differential boundary conditions to describe anomalous diffusive processes in the framework of PNPA models. The predictions are also compared with an experimental data obtained from an electrolytic solution.


markdownabstract__Abstract__

This thesis contributes to two research streams of the literature regarding agricultural cooperatives, namely, social capital and product diversification of cooperatives. First, the thesis examines the nature of a marketing cooperative by considering both its economic and social attributes. Several formal models are formulated to address the interaction between cooperative governance structure and the different dimensions of cooperative social capital. The cooperative's social and economic attributes are viewed as the equilibrium outcome of this interaction, while the social context of the cooperative community affects the equilibrium that the cooperative will choose. Second, the governance structure of cooperatives has an impact on the product diversification. An agent-based simulation shows that the single origin constraint of a cooperative creates a centralization effect in its product portfolio evolution, resulting in a lower diversification level and a larger output of the cooperative. Empirical evidence from the Netherlands shows that cooperatives are less diversified than publicly listed firms in 2001. However, the diversification level of cooperatives is comparable to that of publicly listed firms in 2012. It is concluded that, by making a change in the governance model in response to changes in the competitive environment, cooperatives may actually behave not differently from other types of enterprises in terms of product diversification.


SUMMARY Oxcarbazepine (OXC) is a widely used novel antiepileptic drug that has been available for routine prescription for 10 years. To examine low dose OXC-induced neurotoxic effects on cerebellar development, we administered 25 mg/kg OXC orally to newborn Wistar rats once a day on postnatal days 2-14. Microscopic processed cerebellar sections of the control and treated groups were examined by volumetric analysis. Volume estimations were obtained using the Cavalieri's principle using a computerized stereological image analyzer (CAST-GRID). The total volume of the cerebellum, white matter and the various cerebellar layers (except extragranular layer) were significantly increased in the treated animals. These data may provide useful implications for the management of OXC-induced developmental neurotoxicity in children exposed to OXC during the late fetal period. Our finings suggest that women suffering from epilepsy should be given OXC carefully only at the lowest effective doses during pregnancy.


The problem of designing farm irrigation systems is complicated by the fact that the return from a project is a function not only of the design variables, but also of the operation schedules. These operation decisions are not independent, as irrigation applications at any given time period affect the entire set of applications to be made in the future. An optimisation dynamic programming model, CSUDP, was used to analyse the effects of irrigation levels, yield response factors, and initial soil moisture on irrigation scheduling. The CSUDP model requires the following as input data: crop evapotranspiration, rainfall, soil moisture holding capacity, and length of crop sensitivity stages with corresponding yield response factors. Weekly irrigation scheduling, which maximises crop yield, was obtained for a given amount of irrigation water. It has been observed that irrigation scheduling that takes into account crop sensitivity stages reduces irrigation amounts by optimally distributing the irrigation water over the growing season. For some crops, simulation results show that water saving of about 50% resulted in yield reduction of only 25%. By varying yield response factors around the values given in literature, it was observed that increasing the yield response factor of a sensitivity stage decreases relative yield for a given amount of irrigation water. Though residual soil moisture contributed to the crop production under limited irrigation water availability, its effect on irrigation scheduling was found to be limited only to the first 2 sensitivity stages. This information can be of great importance in optimal irrigation water management under limited water conditions.


In this study, the effects of energy efficiency, rebound effect, on energy production, consumption, saving, import as well as inflation and current account deficit are examined using time series analysis in the period of 1967-2015 in Turkish economy. Firstly, in order to determine the stationary level of the variables ADF and PP unit root tests are used and the results show that all of the variables considered within the model are stationary at the first difference level. Second, the finding of Johansen-Juselius cointegration analyze reveals the existence of long-run relationships among variables, and Granger causality analysis reflects at least the validity of one-way causal links among variables. The findings of the VEC analysis point out that the Jevons Paradox or rebound effect is valid in the Turkish economy, which means that energy consumption rises as energy efficiency and production increases. In addition, the findings show that depending on increasing energy consumption energy import level rises and therefore current account deficit and inflation begin to deteriorate, also.


These guidelines are the result of two years collaborative research undertaken by WEDC with partners in Africa and South Asia. They demonstrate how water supply and sanitation projects in rural and peri-urban areas can be designed to meet user demand. The aim is to improve the use and sustainability of the services provided. The guidelines consist of three books: Book 1: Concept, Principles and Practice Book, 2: Additional Notes for Policy Makers and Planners, Book 3: Ensuring the Participation of the Poor. Concepts, Principles and Practice is intended for practitioners - engineers, social facilitators, financial specialists and managers - implementing water supply and sanitation projects in rural and peri-urban areas. This book is divided into two parts. The concept of demand is introduced in Part I, explaining what demand is and how it can be used to guide project design. Part II shows how the concept and principles described in Part I can be translated into practice, ensuring that vulnerable groups are included in the process.


BACKGROUND
Dietary habits have long been associated with many manifestations of cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVE
We sought to investigate whether a diet enriched with fish and n-3 fatty acid consumption are associated with changes in the potential duration of the electrical action, as represented by the QT duration on a resting electrocardiogram, in a population-based sample of Greek adults.

DESIGN
During 2001 and 2002, we randomly enrolled 1514 men (18-87 y old) and 1528 women (18-89 y old) stratified by age and sex distribution (in the 2001 Greek census) from the Attica area, Greece. We studied several demographic, anthropometric, lifestyle, dietary, and bioclinical factors of the participants. Dietary habits (including fish consumption) were evaluated by using a validated food-frequency questionnaire. All subjects underwent electrocardiography with a 12-lead surface, in which, along with several other indexes, QT duration was measured, and the heart rate-corrected QT (QTc) was calculated (corrected by using Bazett's rate). The tested hypothesis was evaluated through multiple linear regression analysis, after control for physical activity status, sex, age, medication intake, and several other potential confounders.

RESULTS
Compared with fish nonconsumers, those who consumed >300 g fish/wk had a mean 13.6% lower QTc (P<0.01). These findings were confirmed after adjustment for age, sex, physical activity status, BMI, smoking habits, intake of nuts, and other confounders. Moreover, compared with fish nonconsumers, those who consumed >or=300 g fish/wk had a 29.2% lower likelihood of having QTc intervals >0.45 s (P=0.03).

CONCLUSIONS
Long-term consumption of fish is associated with lower QTc interval in free-eating people without any evidence of cardiovascular disease. Thus, fish intake seems to provide antiarrhythmic protection at a population level.


The robust control problem is addressed for a single machine infinite bus system with static var compensator (SVC), the damping coefficient uncertainty and external distur- bances in this paper. Storage functions of the control syste ma re constructed based on modified adaptive backstepping sliding mode control and Lyapunov methods. A nonlinear robust controller and a parameter updating law are obtained simulta- neously. The controller cannot only attenuate the influences of external disturbances on the system output, but also has strong robustness for system parameters variations. Since the controller design is based completely on the nonlinear dynamic system without any linearization, the nonlinear property of the dynamic system is well preserved. The simulation results show that more rapid speed response and stronger robustness can be obtained by the proposed method than the conventional adaptive backstepping and adaptive backstepping sliding mode control methods.


This paper discusses the degree distribution of a type of social networks and some technological networks with similar topological structures. Firstly, we propose a most simplified model and try to show analytically that the degree distribution and the act degree distribution are well consistent, but the distribution of the number of the nodes inside an act have much smaller influence on the degree distribution. Secondly, we perform numerical simulations in a more general situation of the model, so as to show that the above mentioned conclusion is rather universal. This model leads to a conclusion that these generalized collaboration networks usually have a degree distribution between the power law and the exponential function. In the last part of the article, we introduce very briefly the results of the empirical statistical investigation on some practical collaboration networks to show that the model is valid for generalized collaboration networks.


To investigate the in vivo cellular tropism of human T cell leukemia virus type II (HTLV-II), subpopulations of fresh peripheral blood mononuclear cells from infected individuals were isolated and analyzed by polymerase chain reaction for the presence of provirus. In eight of nine patients, HTLV-II was detected exclusively in the CD8+ T lymphocyte population. In the remaining patient, provirus was also detected in CD4+ T lymphocytes. Provirus was not detected in B lymphocytes or monocytes of any patient. These results suggest that in vivo HTLV-II has a preferential, and perhaps in some cases, an exclusive tropism for CD8+ T lymphocytes. The findings contrast sharply with those on HTLV-I where there is a preferential tropism for CD4+ T lymphocytes. Although HTLV-II infection has not been consistently associated with any lymphoproliferative disorders, the results suggest that if these occur, they may be different from those known to be associated with HTLV-I.


Coherent Raman detected electron spin resonance spectroscopy is a technique that bridges the established fields of magnetic resonance and magneto-optics. By exploiting the orientational selectivity of the microwave resonance condition it becomes possible to measure the relative orientations of the magnetic and optical anisotropies of paramagnetic chromophores, and thereby to test models of their electronic structure. This paper reports the application of this method to the CuA centre from Paracoccus pantotrophus nitrous oxide reductase, an unusual mixed valence copper, Cu(I)/Cu(II), dimer centre also found in some heme-copper terminal oxidases. Data from the principal visible bands (at 476, 514 and 750 nm) shows that their magnetic circular dichroism is almost entirely aligned with the g-value z-axis. This is consistent with previous models of the electronic structure in which the optical transitions are polarized within the copper-thiolate plane of the centre, and the g-value z-axis is orientated normal to this plane.


The amount of chitin and of protein in the blowfly larval cuticle remains essentially unchanged during the process of hardening and darkening of the puparium. In the formation of the puparium there is a gain of weight of about 6 % over the larval cuticle weight, and this can be accounted for by the incorporation of phenolic substances. These are derived from the free tyrosine in the blood which decreases by an amount sufficient to account for the weight increase of the cuticle. An insoluble and highly resistant fraction has been isolated from the puparium, and this consists of about equal quantities of protein and pigment and possibly represents the natural association of these two substances in parts of the puparium. All the evidence suggests that the tyrosine is deaminated before giving the derivatives which combine with the cuticle substance, hardening and darkening it. Further properties of arthropodin, the water-soluble protein of soft arthropodal cuticles, are described. X-ray and related studies give a picture of the polysaccharide/protein complex in the cuticle which implies a model with alternating monolayers of protein and chitin. This appears to be based on a ratio of 3 amino acid residues to 1 chitobiose residue, or for equal lengths of protein and chitin chains a weight ratio of 45:55. This basic weight-ratio of protein and chitin appears to occur in the soft cuticles of blowfly larvae and other arthropods. A review is given of the composition and properties of various cuticles, and it is evident that hardening may be achieved without darkening of the cuticle. The chemical basis of this type of cuticle stabilization merits further study.


Kasf forest, with an area of over 12 ha, running in the east-west direction and located at a distance of 20 kilometers in the north of the city of Bardaskan in a mountainous arid region. The minimum and maximum temperature of the area ranges between -10° C and +45° C. The average annual precipitation of the region is 155 mm. The altitude of the forest is about 1600 m above sea level with a 15% slope. The vegetation of this forest was studied using floristic methods 2 years after a devastative fire and life forms and geographical distributions of plant species were determined. Sixty nine plant species belonged to 29 families (25 Dicots, 3 monocots and one gymnosperm). The largest families were the Lamiaceae with 11, Asteraceae with 9 and Caryophyllaceae with 5 species. The percentages of life forms were determined as follows: Therophytes with 36% (25 species), Hemicryptophytes with 29% (20 species), Chamaephytes with 16% (11 species), Phanerophytes with 13% (9 species) and Cryptophytes with 6% (4 species) of total investigated species. The high percentage of Hemicryptophytes indicated the dominance of cold mountainous climate and the presence of Asteraceae species such as harmala (Peganum harmala) showed that a severe disturbance had taken place in the region, which indicated a poor ecological administration in the studied region.


This article addresses the dramatic increase of work-related demands and the deterioration of the psychosocial work environment for women employed in the public service sector in Sweden during the 1990s and the potential contribution of social enterprises to enriching women's work environment. The empirical part of the study of the staff of 57 day care centres, chosen throughout Sweden, compares the three main types of social enterprises providing day care services, namely parent cooperatives, voluntary organizations and worker cooperatives, with each other and contrasts them, in a retrospective study, with similar municipal services. The staff study shows that social enterprises provide good jobs in the sense of being both demanding and providing decision latitude for the employees. Women gain more control over their jobs through greater participation and influence in the decision-making processes of social enterprises. This both enriches their work life and results in a more engaged staff and better quality services.


Flood inundation is a major natural hazard that can have very severe socio-economic consequences. This thesis presents an enhanced numerical model for flood simulation. After setting the context by examining recent large-scale flood events, a literature review is provided on shallow flow numerical models. A new version of the hyperbolic horizontal variable density shallow water equations with source terms in balanced form is used, designed for flows over complicated terrains, suitable for wetting and drying fronts and erodible bed problems. Bed morphodynamics are included in the model by solving a conservation of bed mass equation in conjunction with the variable density shallow water equations. The resulting numerical scheme is based on a Godunov-type finite volume HLLC approximate Riemann solver combined with MUSCL-Hancock time integration and a non-linear slope limiter and is shock-capturing. The model can simulate trans-critical, steep-fronted flows, connecting bodies of water at different elevations.The model is validated for constant density shallow flows using idealised benchmark tests, such as unidirectional and circular dam breaks, damped sloshing in a parabolic tank, dam break flow over a triangular obstacle, and dam break flow over three islands. The simulation results are in excellent agreement with available analytical solutions, alternative numerical predictions, and experimental data. The model is also validated for variable density shallow flows, and a parameter study is undertaken to examine the effects of different density ratios of two adjacent liquids and different hydraulic thrust ratios of species and liquid in mixed flows. The results confirm the ability of the model to simulate shallow water-sediment flows that are of horizontally variable density, while being intensely mixed in the vertical direction. Further validation is undertaken for certain erodible bed cases, including deposition and entrainment of dilute suspended sediment in a flat-bottomed tank with intense mixing, and the results compared against semi-analytical solutions derived by the author.To demonstrate the effectiveness of the model in simulating a complicated variable density shallow flow, the validated numerical model is used to simulate a partial dam-breach flow in an erodible channel. The calibrated model predictions are very similar to experimental data from tests carried out at Tsinghua University. It is believed that the present numerical solver could be useful at describing local horizontal density gradients in sediment laden and debris flows that characterise certain extreme flood events, where sediment deposition is important.


This paper provides new insights into the dynamics of global value chains driven by Russian retailers in a variety of food and clothing chains that source from central Asia. It does so by examining the relationship between central Asian suppliers and their Russian buyers. The paper points to ongoing changes in the ways Russian retailers source supply―caused largely by changes in retail structure and increased retail competition within Russia. Based on fieldwork in central Asia, the paper examines how these changes are perceived by the suppliers, who are increasingly experiencing a transfer of risk onto themselves, as well as rising expectations regarding the provision of services and their financial capacity. Finally, the paper shows how the Russian buyers' expectations of their suppliers in central Asia regarding standardization seem to revolve primarily around public safety and hygiene standards, while pressures relating to so-called social standards seem to remain totally absent.


We propose a new turbo detection structure called as multiple channel turbo detection (MCTD) where the role of the channel is different than that in the classical case. Contrary to the classical case where the channel is serially concatenated to the channel encoder, it constitutes the component code of a parallel concatenated coding structure which is further concatenated serially with the channel encoding scheme. This is accomplished by transmitting the coded symbols in parallel through randomly interleaved multiplexed channels. The receiver performs joint equalization and decoding by using soft-in soft-out modules that provide a posteriori probabilities of coded as well as uncoded data. The results of computer simulations that are carried out on static as well as dynamic channels show that MCTD is a promising technique for the transmission of coded symbols through dispersive channels.


Because the construction phase accounts for the majority of project costs for pavement rehabilitation projects, most research on infrastructure project cost estimating focuses on that phase, rather than on the preconstruction phases. Nevertheless, costs incurred prior to construction, referred to in this report as "preconstruction costs" are significant and worthy of consideration (See Section 2.1 of the report for a more detailed and precise definition of preconstruction). In the 20202021 fiscal year, for instance, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) spent more than $169 million on preconstruction work for pavement rehabilitation projects. This report presents the results of a study of preconstruction cost estimating for pavement rehabilitation projects undertaken by Caltrans. It uses data on the 139 pavement rehabilitation projects for which Caltrans opened bids in the five-year period from April 26, 2016 to May 11, 2021. A data set was developed that combined the preconstruction hours for each project with the primary bid items for the pavement rehabilitation projects. Two models were developed to estimate preconstruction hours from the bid items, one using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and the other a parametric exponential model developed using multiple regression. The models had coefficients of determination of 0.85 and 0.80, respectively. Tools were then developed to assist professional users in validating their preconstruction cost estimates using each of the models. CTC staff or Caltrans can use these tools to evaluate the reasonableness of the preconstruction estimate on an individual project, or on the sum of an entire biennial SHOPP pavement rehabilitation portfolio, in order to assure the most efficient use of infrastructure funding to best serve the community's transportation needs.


The study was conducted on performance of eighteen genotypes of glory lily (Gloriosa superba L.) against leaf blight disease under Tamil Nadu conditions. Experiment was laid out in a randomized block design with three replications at the Medicinal Plants Unit, Botanical Garden, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore. All genotypes expressed significant variations for percent disease index and varied from 21.73 to 64.48%. The genotype GS 07 and genotype GS 05 exhibited the lowest index (21.73%) and highest index (64.48%), respectively. The percent disease index exhibited highly positive significant correlation both at phenotypic and genotypic levels for polyphenol oxidase. But it had negative significant association with peroxidase, total phenol content and catalase activity. The genotype GS 07 exhibited the lowest PDI value and this genotype considered as tolerant to leaf blight.


Urinary strictures are commonly managed by interventional radiologists and can result from both benign and malignant etiologies. Many patients end up with lifelong catheters. Although stricture dilation is commonly unsuccessful, some patients can eventually become catheter free. This review describes current outcomes with a variety of dilation and stenting techniques. Management of complex ureteral and urinary complications is also reviewed, including ureteral/arterial fistulas and ureteral embolization for permanent diversion.


ABSTRACT As in other ageing populations, dementia, musculoskeletal conditions and cardiovascular disease affect a high proportion of Australians aged over 65 years, and the prevalence of these conditions increases significantly with age. People with these conditions may need to access a range of care services over time to enable them to remain living in their homes. Many eventually need to move into a nursing home. In contrast to the considerable recent literature on the funding of long-term care systems for population ageing, studies on the care pathways followed by individuals are much less common. This paper explores the effect of disease on use of community care services and nursing homes over time, focusing on people with dementia, cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal conditions. Care-use transitions are identified using linked administrative client data for a cohort of 33,300 community-living Australians who had an aged care assessment in 2003-04 and who had not previously used aged care services. The different symptoms and courses of diseases meant that the patterns of aged care service use, both in terms of care services accessed and the timing of this access, varied considerably for people with different health conditions. These differences persisted across a range of client characteristics. In particular, people with dementia or cerebrovascular disease as their main health condition were more likely to enter nursing home care than those with heart disease or musculoskeletal conditions. The variation in use of aged care services according to disease group need to be taken into account in any projections of demand for aged care. Such projections must allow for predictions of disease prevalence, or else they will yield inaccurate predictions of demand for both community and residential care.


This study examines knowledge and beliefs of the general public about epilepsy and the discriminations of people with epilepsy. Employing qualitative research methods data were collected from both the general public and people with epilepsy of two purposively selected kebeles in Mizan Teferi town. Twenty four non-epileptic household heads (twelve from each kebele) and ten informants of people with epilepsy were purposively selected in order to gather information on their beliefs and knowledge about epilepsy and the discriminations of people with epilepsy. In addition, key informant interviews were conducted among eligible general public such as religious heads, community elders and government officials in the study areas to gather additional data on the issue under investigation. Study findings indicate that people in the study areas believe epilepsy is caused by evil spirit. It is a transmittable and trans-generational disease that it could be inherited from parents. As a result, the general public in the study areas develop negative attitudes against people with epilepsy. The non-epileptics avoid having marriage relations with the epileptics; they do not allow the children of people with epilepsy to learn along with the children of the general public. People with epilepsy are found as incompetent and hence they are denied employment opportunities and are outcast from the community.


The paper describes a (controller) design problem in the field of suspension systems for transport vehicles. A ten degrees-of-freedom model for a tractorsemitrailer vehicle is presented, using parameters derived from a real vehicle, which should be used for design and verification purposes. Road disturbance models, for stochastic as well as for deterministic disturbances, are given for use in the controller design and for checking the controller by a representative road simulation. Specifications the controlled system should fulfill are formulated. The specifications follow from the goals of a suspension system and the restrictions its environment places on the range of certain variables. To meet the specifications, a multiobjective control design seems appropriate. A formulation is proposed that includes three norm based objectives. These are (I) Ez-norm minimization to optimize both driver and load comfort for stochastic road disturbances, (2) restricting the C1-norm to prevent exceeding limits on designated variables and to reduce peak accelerations, and (3) bounding the E--norm to get robustness. Included in the problem formulation are realizability aspects related to power consumption, peak load, instrumentation, and controller implementation.


This article sheds light on how the Acehnese diaspora adapted to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a peace deal signed between the Indonesian government and the Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (Free Aceh Movement, GAM) after almost 30 years of small-scale war in Aceh. Analysing diasporic responses requires taking two sites into consideration: the host countries where Acehnese diasporans reside and the homeland, to which diasporans return and engage in local politics. Spontaneous and temporary return decreased the Acehnese diaspora significantly in numbers and this decline correlated with a loss of impact on homeland politics. Unlike in conflict times, the homeland no longer requires their involvement. Most remaining diasporans adjust to the loss of significance by transforming their collective activities to suit their new and more limited opportunities. Rather than long-distance politics they focus on identity politics to nurture their Acehneseness abroad. However, at the same time, the process of de-diasporisation is accompanied by a subtle wave of political re-diasporisation. Since the conflict in Aceh was the main rationale for the diasporisation of the Acehnese overseas, the end of conflict now threatens the diasporic cohesion. In order to save not only the notion of togetherness, but also the diaspora's reputation as a spearhead for Aceh's independence, a few diasporans continue to dedicate their activities to this separatist cause.


The theory of radiatively-induced warps in accretion discs is applied to the discs of Be stars. It is found that these discs may develop warps in their inner regions, although once the warp amplitude is large enough then the interaction between the disc and fast radiatively-driven wind will determine its evo- lution. The warping is shown to be more important for later than earlier B stars. Although the interaction of the fast-wind with the disc will limit the amplitude of the warp, it cannot drive the warp radially outwards, and so the radial evolution of the warp depends on the dominant advective process within the disc. Typical timescales associated with growing modes are shown to be short, of the order of days-weeks, although these are not likely to be the timescales inferred from observations of line-profile variations which are much longer, of the order of years.


Although dystopian novels have been prevalent under the young adult banner for decades, their abundance and popularity post-9/11 is noteworthy. The 21st century has found academics and laypersons alike discussing the supposed political apathy of young adults and teenagers of the Millennial Generation. However, despite this common complaint—and contrary to ample research that indicates that this age group has traditionally been uninterested in global politics—the reading preferences of this generation indicate that this label of "apolitical" may not be as fitting as some believe. In fact, the popularity of young adult dystopian literature, which is ripe with these political themes, suggests that this group is actually quite interested in these topics, although they often turn to the safe confines of fiction to wrestle with them. This article explores the potential educational uses of these young adult dystopias and argues that reading these texts may be a small step in the direction of engaging students in social justice issues and, perhaps, sparking more overt political action.


The low-power, high-programmability digital hearing aid chip with consideration of human factors is implemented. To achieve the human factored design with low-power consumption, the dual threshold preamplifier and the multi-channel digital signal processor (DSP) are designed. The dynamic range of the dual threshold preamplifier exists from 0.45-V to 0.8-V and dissipates 32-muW from a single 0.9-V supply. The core area of the preamplifier and the DSP are 0.057-mm2 and 0.5-mm2 respectively in a 0.18-mum CMOS technology.


RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) regulate RNA metabolism, from synthesis to decay. When bound to RNA, RBPs act as guardians of the genome integrity at different levels, from DNA damage prevention to the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Recently, RBPs have been shown to participate in DNA repair. This fact is of special interest as DNA repair pathways do not generally involve RNA. DNA damage in higher organisms triggers the formation of the RNA-like polymer – poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR). Nucleic acid-like properties allow PAR to recruit DNA- and RNA-binding proteins to the site of DNA damage. It is suggested that poly(ADP-ribose) and RBPs not only modulate the activities of DNA repair factors, but that they also play an important role in the formation of transient repairosome complexes in the nucleus. Cytoplasmic biomolecules are subjected to similar sorting during the formation of RNA assemblages by functionally related mRNAs and promiscuous RBPs. The Y-box-binding protein 1 (YB-1) is the major component of cytoplasmic RNA granules. Although YB-1 is a classic RNA-binding protein, it is now regarded as a non-canonical factor of DNA repair.


Random linear network coding (RLNC) is an emerging coding technique, which can provide several advantages in wireless networks, such as throughput gains, increased data robustness, and better utilization of network resources. In this paper, we present the first custom VLSI implementation of RLNC, integrated with an ultralow-power 2.4-GHz transmitter. We examine its energy efficiency and error recovery performance in the context of Internet of Things applications, and we perform experiments quantifying its benefits when it operates separately and jointly with physical layer forward error correction (FEC) codes, as a joint channel and network coding scheme. The chip is fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS process, occupies <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2 \times 1.3 ~{\mathrm{ m}}{\mathrm{ m}}^{2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and consumes 580 pJ/bit for processing and transmitting data at 1 Mbps. The digital packet processor and encoder occupies <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$200\times 200 ~\mu {\mathrm{ m}}^{2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, consists of an on-chip memory, a multi-rate convolutional encoder, and a RLNC accelerator with configurable redundancy, and consumes <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$15\mu \text{W}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, operating at 0.4 V. For improved spectral efficiency, an on-chip pulse shaping filter is implemented, reducing side lobes by 28 dB while consuming <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$15\mu \text{W}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. According to our over-the-air experiments, RLNC can provide an effective SNR improvement of 5.6 dB when combined with FEC rate 1/2, and 3.4 dB without FEC, at a packet error rate of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$10^{-2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>.


During the war in former Yugoslavia, city of Dubrovnik was shelled in 1991. Even though these experiences were traumatic for all those involved, the goal of this paper was to explore if these events resulted in a cultural trauma, i.e. a breakage of cultural patterns and of collective identity. We expected that the process of trauma-claiming, which is central to cultural trauma, was amplified because of the role, both physical and symbolic, that the Old Town played for the collective identity of Dubrovnik. In the paper, we give an outline of the war in Dubrovnik. To assess the way that the war in Dubrovnik affected the collective identity, as well as to find out the relation between personal and collective historical narratives, we conducted interviews with 13 informants. We observed that all the phases of trauma-claiming were successful, or in other words, that there indeed was a cultural trauma in Dubrovnik as a consequence of the shelling. Additionally, we were able not only to observe expressions of cultural trauma experienced by our informants, but also to trace further changes and developments spanning to the present day.


In this work, we have developed an innovative epitaxial growth process named the "Migration Enhanced Embedded Epitaxial" (ME3) growth process. It was found that at elevated growth temperatures, the epitaxial growth at the bottom of the trenches is greatly enhanced compared to growth on the sidewalls. This is attributed to the large surface diffusion length of reactant species mainly due to the higher growth temperature. In addition, it was found that this high temperature ME3 growth process is not influenced by the crystal-orientation. Similar growth behavior was observed for stripe-trench structures aligned either along the [11-20] or [1-100] directions. No difference was observed in the electrical performance of the pn diodes fabricated on either oriented stripe geometry. The ME3 process can also be used as an alternative to ion-implantation technology for selective doping process.


This research study is aimed at evaluating the accuracy of the displacement coefficient method (DCM) of FEMA 440 and associated nonlinear static procedure (NLSP) for actual buildings with soft story mechanism and various ductility capacities. The DCM and associated NLSP are evaluated using two existing seismically vulnerable buildings with soft story mechanism. The buildings are first retrofitted using a ductile steel‐brace‐link system to represent those with good ductility capacity and then retrofitted with RC squat infill shear panels (SISPs) to represent those with relatively poor ductility capacity. The evaluation of the DCM of FEMA 440 and associated NLSP is then performed by comparing the roof displacements (target displacements), maximum interstory drifts, and maximum plastic hinge rotations of the original and retrofitted buildings obtained from NLSP (at the target displacement level of DCM) with those obtained from nonlinear response history (NRH) analyses for three different seismic performance levels. It is observed that the DCM, and hence, the NLSP fail to accurately predict the NRH analyses results mainly due to uncertainties in the coefficient C1 of the DCM in the short period range, the inability of the DCM to capture the failure of structural members beyond a certain lateral displacement or plastic rotation limit and associated soft story mechanism. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Acute heart failure (HF) is a major public health concern, responsible for >26 million hospitalizations per year worldwide. Many trials have investigated new therapeutic options for acute HF, with most revealing equivocal results. Successful innovations in therapy for acute HF have remained limited, and standard of care has remained largely unchanged over the past decade, suggesting the need for a new approach for therapeutic decision making and clinical trial design in acute HF. This manuscript focuses on one approach that could prove useful in the development and application of novel therapies: classification of patients based on clinical profiles. While previous attempts at developing clinical profiles were successful in stratifying patients based on clinical and laboratory variables, they have not been utilized for personalized treatment strategies that improve patient outcomes. We suggest a new approach to the creation of clinical profiles that could stratify patients based on their underlying aetiology and their response to novel interventions. We also investigate novel analytic approaches to the creation of new clinical profiles that both investigators and clinicians alike could utilize to inform clinical trial design and the application of new therapies. Despite a large number of clinical trials for new therapeutic options, the treatment of acute HF has seen few advances over the past decades. Innovative approaches to patient selection through the use of clinical profiles could help to identify patients most likely to benefit from novel interventions and lead to the discovery of new therapeutic options.


Article history: Received 28 January, 2014 Received in Revised form 16 April, 2014 Accepted 25 April 2014 Available Online 15 May, 2014


ABSTRACT Many terrestrial insects live in environments that flood intermittently, and some life stages may spend days underwater without access to oxygen. We tested the hypothesis that terrestrial insects with underground pupae show respiratory adaptations for surviving anoxia and subsequently reestablishing normal patterns of respiration. Pupae of Manduca sexta were experimentally immersed in water for between 0 and 13 days. All pupae survived up to 5 days of immersion regardless of whether the water was aerated or anoxic. By contrast, fifth-instar larvae survived a maximum of 4 h of immersion. There were no effects of immersion during the pupal period on adult size and morphology. After immersion, pupae initially emitted large pulses of CO2. After a subsequent trough in CO2 emission, spiracular activity resumed and average levels of CO2 emission were then elevated for approximately 1 day in the group immersed for 1 day and for at least 2 days in the 3- and 5-day immersion treatments. Although patterns of CO2 emission were diverse, most pupae went through a period during which they emitted CO2 in a cyclic pattern with periods of 0.78–2.2 min. These high-frequency cycles are not predicted by the recent models of Förster and Hetz (2010) and Grieshaber and Terblanche (2015), and we suggest several potential ways to reconcile the models with our observations. During immersion, pupae accumulated lactate, which then declined to low levels over 12–48 h. Pupae in the 3- and 5-day immersion groups still had elevated rates of CO2 emission after 48 h, suggesting that they continued to spend energy on reestablishing homeostasis even after lactate had returned to low levels. Despite their status as terrestrial insects, pupae of M. sexta can withstand long periods of immersion and anoxia and can reestablish homeostasis subsequently. Highlighted Article: Despite their status as terrestrial insects, pupae of Manduca sexta survived 5 days underwater and showed diverse and unusual patterns of CO2 emission during recovery.


Canola (Brassica napus L.) is one of the most important grain crops in Western Canada. The recent profitability of canola has resulted in tightened crop rotations and increased acres devoted to canola production. Galium species, collectively known as cleavers, are highly competitive weeds, which represent the fastest growing weed species in Western Canada. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the efficacy of existing canola herbicides (glufosinate, glyphosate, imidazoline) and potential new herbicides (quinclorac and clomoazone) on Galium species. Field experiments were conducted in 2013 at Floral Saskatchewan and Scott Saskatchewan. A separate RCBD was set up for each herbicide tolerant system. In each RCBD 1 canola variety was chosen and seeded at a target density of 85 plants per m-2. Cleavers were planted at a target density of 85 plants per m-2. Variables measured were herbicide control, crop injury, canola biomass, cleaver biomass, canola height and yield. Data was subjected to ANOVA using the mixed model procedure in SAS. Cleaver biomass was the only variable found to be significant in all herbicide systems. All herbicide treatment significantly reduced cleaver biomass compared to the unsprayed check. In the glyphosate tolerant system yield was significant and a combination of preseed clomazone and in-crop glyphosate had the highest yield. In the imidazoline and glufosinate-ammonium system canola biomass was also found to be significant. Plant height was not significant in any of the herbicide systems.


The end of the 1990's saw a number of foreign automobile manufacturers become the largest shareholders in several Japanese automobile manufacturers. It seems logical to conclude that a firm only enters into a partial ownership arrangement (POA) if it is profit maximizing. However, research to date has treated POAs as if exogenous to the model. This paper develops a model that assumes POAs are determined endogenously. Data for the Japanese automobile industry are then used to investigate the factors that determine whether a firm enters into a POA, and the effects a POA has on the price-cost margin. The findings of this paper suggest that while both foreign and domestic firms take an interest in product mix when exploring POAs in the Japanese market, they have differing profit incentives. Furthermore, the level of ownership has a positive effect on POAs.


The present study aims to examine how Turkish students of French monitor their understanding and how they behave strategically when reading a French literary text. Differences between more proficient and less proficient readers are also explored in terms of types and frequencies of strategies used during the global monitoring cycle, which encompasses Evaluation, Action, and Checking phases. The data was collected through think-aloud protocols from eight students who studied French in the Department of Foreign Languages at a Turkish university. The findings reveal that the participants used mostly instrumental strategies from the Action phase to deal with problems at word or sentence level. Furthermore, they show that the more proficient participants in the study used a wider range of strategies from different phases of the monitoring cycle more frequently compared to their less proficient counterparts. However, the only significant difference found between the two proficiency groups relate to the skipping and ignoring a problem strategy.


Recently, dye-sensitized solar cells have attracted much attention relevant to global environmental issues. So far ruthenium(II) bipyridyl complexes have proven to be the most efficient TiO2 sensitizers in dye-sensitized solar cells. However, the highest power conversion efficiency has been stagnated in recent years. More importantly, considering that ruthenium is rare and expensive, novel dyes without metal or using inexpensive metal are desirable for highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells. To fulfill the requirement, it is crucial to develop inexpensive novel dyes that exhibit high efficiencies in terms of light-harvesting, charge separation, and charge collection. Porphyrins are important classes of potential sensitizers for highly efficient dye-sensitized solar cells owing to their photostability and potentially high light-harvesting capabilities that would allow applications in thinner, low-cost dye-sensitized solar cells. However, typical porphyrins possess an intense Soret band at 400 nm and moderate Q bands at 600 nm, which does not match solar energy distribution on the earth. Therefore, the unmatched light-harvesting property relative to the ruthenium complexes has limited the cell performance of porphyrin-sensitized TiO2 cells. Elongation of the -conjugation and loss of symmetry in porphyrins cause broadening and red-shift of the absorption bands together with an increasing intensity of the Q bands relative to that of the Soret band. On the basis of the strategy, the cell performance of porphyrin-sensitized solar cells has been improved remarkably by the enhanced light absorption. The efficiency of porphyrin-sensitized solar cells could be improved significantly if the dyes with larger red and near-infrared absorption could be developed.


64 patients with lung tuberculosis were operated on after chemotherapy course using regimens I and III. 69 patients were operated on after the treatment by DOTS/PLUS protocol. The obtained operative material was bacteriologically tested. Bacterial growth in samples of patients treated with DOTS/PLUS protocol caused by multydrug resistance of mycobacteria. The noncoinsidence of the drug resistance spectrum in sputum and resected samples was registered in 33% of patients treated by DOTS/ PLUS protocol and 25% of patients, treated by using regimens I and III.


Design of long lasting structures would require insights from the past. In this regard, design of future longlife bridges and the assessment of current ageing bridges can particularly benefit from understanding the evolution of safety over lifetime. This is an important issue since there has been an evolution of design live loads over the lifetime of such bridges in the past and such changes in definition can influence the computed estimates of safety; while the true state of the structure remains the function of the site-specific live loads. Considering the limitations around instrumenting individual bridges, it is important to investigate the variations of such computed estimates over their lifetime. Previous studies around this problem have focused on the changes in terms of reliability indices over time and life-cycle costs due to degradation. However, the key change in safety estimates for owners of bridges based on changes in live load definitions will be reflected in terms of safety factors, which remain a key index for taking commercial and safety intervention decisions for a bridge stock. This paper presents the variation in safety factors of representative slab, beam and prestressed bridges for changing live load definitions and compares it with corresponding changes in reliability index parameter importance factors for the life-cycle of such bridges. The work provides an insight to how future changes in anticipated changes in live loading definitions can influence safety factors and provides guidance around better built bridges for the future.


The passivation cracking of Micro-structures of IC packages is studied by maximum principal stress theory using a certain 2D FEM model with different design parameters, pitch of lines, width of line, thickness of epoxy, thickness of dielectric layer, thickness of glue, the glue material's yielding stress and Aluminium yielding stress (following as "d", "w", "t_epo", "t_Teos", "t_glue" "sy_glue" and "sy_al" respectively). For different critical process steps, the final process temperature is acted as a representative parameter to analyze its impact. Furthermore, Response Surface Model (RSM) of principal stress is established using any two design parameters. Results show that "d", "w", "t_epo", "sy_glue" and "sy_al" will have great influence on passivation cracking while "t_Teos" have a little impact.


Key points Measurement of FeNO has been approved for clinical use to monitor anti-inflammatory treatment in asthma. Increases in FeNO are suggestive of eosinophilic airway inflammation and are readily reduced by anti-inflammatory treatment. Increases in FeNO predict loss of asthma control before the appearance of symptoms and changes in lung function tests. Evaluation of EBC biomarkers for potential clinical applications are ongoing. Educational aims Long term: to improve management of asthma and other chronic inflammatory airway diseases. Short term: to introduce the measurement of exhaled NO; to summarise the main points of current guidelines for exhaled NO measurement; to give information on the usefulness of exhaled NO measurement in asthma management; and to give basic information on exhaled breath condensate. Summary Asthma is defined as an inflammatory disorder of the airways. Therefore, it is reasonable to add an "inflammometer" to the available methods of disease monitoring. In this respect, several biomarkers have been tested from different samples, including blood, urine and exhaled breath. Breath tests for the determination of exhaled biomarkers offer great opportunities for disease monitoring, as they are simple, completely non-invasive, can be performed in children and also in severe patients, and can be repeated even at short intervals. This article will focus on the use of exhaled biomarkers to monitor airway inflammation. The central aim is to introduce the measurement of exhaled NO as a prototype for the application of biomarkers in the management of asthma. The field of EBC is also mentioned to give some background information on the sampling of non-volatile biomarkers in exhaled breath.


Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) can provide benefits of cross-organization integration through embedded business process, if successfully implemented. But it is too difficult to implement an ERP system in an organization successfully. Therefore, techniques required to increase the successful implementation rate in ERP projects. On the other hand, the MIS departments of industry sectors typically provide Decision Support System (DSS). More recently, ERP and related systems are incorporating DSS tools and technologies. In this article, a new method to create parallel flows that make different use of DSS in ERP systems is proposed. To illustrate this new method, a case of parallel flows has been shown. The use of parallel flows leads to improve the main workflow in ERP systems and it will consequently increase the percentage of success of ERP in an organization.


The potent anticancer drug actinomycin D (ActD) acts by binding to DNA, thereby interfering with replication and transcription. ActD inhibits RNA polymerase far more specifically than DNA polymerase. Such discrimination is not easily understood by the conventional DNA binding mode of ActD. We have solved and refined at 1.7 A resolution the crystal structure of ActD complexed to CGATCGATCG, which contains no canonical GpC binding sequence. The crystal data are space group P4(3)2(1)2, a = b = 47.01 A, and c = 160.37 A. The structure was solved by the multiple wavelength anomalous diffraction method using a 5-bromo-U DNA. The asymmetric unit of the unit cell contains two independent dimers of a novel slipped duplex complex consisting of two decamer DNA strands bound with two ActD drug molecules. (The DNA in one dimer is numbered C1 to G10 in one strand and C11 to G20 in the complementary strand and in the second dimer, C101 to G110 and C111 to G120, respectively.) The structure reveals a highly unusual ActD binding mode in which the DNA adopts a slipped duplex with the A3-T4/A13-T14 dinucleotides looped out. ActD intercalates between G2-C11* (C11* being from a symmetry-related molecule) and C5-G20 base pairs. Two such slipped duplex-ActD complexes bound to each other by mutually intercalating their T4/T14 bases into the helix cavities (located between C5-G20 and G6-C19 base pairs) of neighboring complexes, forming a dimer of drug-DNA complexes. The binding site mimics the drug binding at the elongation point during transcription. Modeling studies show that the ActD-DNA complex fits snugly in the active site cavity in RNA polymerase but not in DNA polymerase. This may explain the strong preference of ActD inhibition toward transcription.


We present a novel method to train machine learning algorithms to estimate scene depths from a single image, by using the information provided by a camera's aperture as supervision. Prior works use a depth sensor's outputs or images of the same scene from alternate viewpoints as supervision, while our method instead uses images from the same viewpoint taken with a varying camera aperture. To enable learning algorithms to use aperture effects as supervision, we introduce two differentiable aperture rendering functions that use the input image and predicted depths to simulate the depth-of-field effects caused by real camera apertures. We train a monocular depth estimation network end-to-end to predict the scene depths that best explain these finite aperture images as defocus-blurred renderings of the input all-in-focus image.


Abstract The effect of solar irradiation on ex vivo dermatomed hairless rat skin samples maintained in culture on flow-through diffusion cells for at least 24 h was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay and by histological observations. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) measurements and kinetic analysis of the permeation of both tritiated water and 14C caffeine through the skin were performed after full-spectrum solar exposure involving the use of a xenon arc solar simulator. After a UV exposure of less than 420 mJ/cm2, skin integrity and permeation of both water and caffeine did not change significantly. In contrast, after a 420 mJ/cm2 UV exposure, the epidermis appeared more contracted, associated with an increase of 55% of TEWL and 220% of the skin permeation of tritiated water after 6 h. The data suggested a dramatic alteration of the skin barrier integrity. Moreover, the flux of 14C caffeine increased rapidly by 338% of the absorption of water 12 h after irradiation. These results reveal the presence of a threshold UV exposure that would not modify skin penetration.


Abstract This paper describes the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment planned for 1994 and 1995 to evaluate a set of hypotheses pertaining to tornadogenesis and tornado dynamics. Observations of state variables will be obtained from five mobile mesonet vehicles, four mobile ballooning laboratories, three movie photography teams, portable Doppler radar teams, two in situ tornado instruments deployment teams, and the T-28 and National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration P-3 aircraft. In addition, extensive use will be made of the new generation of observing systems, including the WSR-88D Doppler radars, demonstration wind profiler network, and National Weather Service rawinsondes.


New dental remains of a chinchillid rodent from Colhuehuapian beds (Lower Miocene) of Chubut province, Argentine, are described. These remains are tentatively referred to Eoviscaccia australis Vucetich, a species only known by two isolated teeth from Deseadan beds. The unworn and little worn cheek teeth show S-shaped occlusal morphology with four crests in the upper and three in the lower teeth, and the enamel is continuous. In little more worn teeth a bilobated configuration is acquired, a thin cement deposit between the laminae appears, and the enamel covering becomes discontinuous. The M3 has a rudimentary third lamina. The first description of the deciduous dentition of a chinchillid is presented herein. These new materials confirm that E. australis is more derived than E. boliviana Vucetich (Deseadan Age, Bolivia) but more primitive than Prolagostomus and Pliolagostomus (Santacrucian and Friasian Ages), due to its degree of hipsodonty, enamel reduction, development of a laminar dental pattern and of the third lamina in the M3.


A technique for the measurement of condensation heat transfer coefficients in microchannels is reported. The high heat transfer coefficients and low mass flow rates in microchannels make it difficult to accurately measure these coefficients. The requirements for accurate heat duty measurement are in direct conflict with the requirements for deducing the heat transfer coefficients from measured temperatures and flow rates. In addition, measurement of local condensation heat transfer coefficients in small increments of quality is difficult to accomplish due to the low heat transfer rates for such quality changes. The present work reports a technique that addresses these requirements. The inlet and outlet qualities to a microchannel test section are measured through energy balances on a pre- and post-condenser. The test section is cooled using water at a high flow rate to ensure that the condensation side presents the governing thermal resistance. Heat exchange with a secondary cooling water stream at a much lower flow rate is used to obtain a large temperature difference, which is in turn used to measure the condensation duty. Local heat transfer coefficients are therefore measured in small increments for the entire saturated vapor-liquid region. This technique is demonstrated using a square microchannel geometry with a hydraulic diameter of 0.76 mm. Heat transfer coefficients for the condensation of refrigerant R134a in this geometry range from 2,110–10,640 W/m2–K over the mass flux range 150 < G < 750 kg/m2–s.


This issue of the NCMJ addresses the problem of chronic pain in North Carolina; its diagnosis and management in primary and specialty care; and the need to balance efficacy and safety when prescribing opioid medications, as these drugs are associated with significant potential for misuse and abuse. The commentaries in this issue not only address the use of opioids for the management of chronic pain but also explore various alternatives, including medical marijuana, epidural and other injections, surgery, acupuncture, and other integrative therapies. Articles in this issue also describe the management of chronic pain in palliative care, the ways in which mental health affects pain, and the unintended consequences of chronic pain management. Finally, this issue describes several initiatives across the state that are addressing the epidemic of prescription drug abuse; these initiatives are effecting systematic changes in clinical practice to more effectively manage chronic pain, protect patients, and minimize the negative impact of prescription drug abuse on communities.


Runtime hardware Trojan detection techniques are required in third party IP based SoCs as a last line of defense. Traditional techniques rely on golden data model or exotic signal processing techniques such as utilizing Choas theory or machine learning. Due to cumbersome implementation of such techniques, it is highly impractical to embed them on the hardware, which is a requirement in some mission critical applications. In this paper, we propose a methodology that generates a digital power profile during the manufacturing test phase of the circuit under test. A simple processing mechanism, which requires minimal computation of measured power signals, is proposed. For the proof of concept, we have applied the proposed methodology on a classical Advanced Encryption Standard circuit with 21 available Trojans. The experimental results show that the proposed methodology is able to detect 75% of the intrusions with the potential of implementing the detection mechanism on-chip with minimal overhead compared to the state-of-the-art techniques.


The intravenous injection of Sephadex particles (G200) into rats produced a specific increase in numbers of blood eosinophils peaking 7 days later. A second injection, given on day 14 when the numbers of blood eosinophils had fallen to control levels, produced a dose-dependent increase in numbers, greater than the first, and peaking 5 days later. At this time there was a dose-dependent increase in numbers of eosinophils, but not of other leucocytes, in broncho-alveolar lavage fluids and lung tissue, together with an increase in sensitivity of the rats to the respiratory effect produced by the intravenous injection of 5-hydroxytryptamine.


The Exito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training (Exito!) program was developed to encourage Latino master9s level students and graduates to pursue a doctoral degree and career in Latino cancer health disparities (CHD) research. Strengthening the academic pipeline for Latinos is critical for (1) ensuring that the next generation of health practitioners and researchers is representative of the U.S. population and (2) ensuring that culturally relevant solutions are developed to reduce health disparities and improve health equity among Latinos. The Exito! Program was established to address historically low numbers of Latino scientists in cancer health disparities research. Exito! comprises two main components: a 5-day summer institute (SI) for 25 attendees and paid internships offering practical cancer health disparities research experiences. SI attendees are recruited from across the U.S. through communications and partnerships with over 55 universities, 240 faculty members, and 40 national student organizations and associations. A competitive online application process is open each year from November to February with the SI occurring in early June. Twenty-five master9s-level students or master9s-level health professionals are selected to participate in the SI. The SI features presentations by leaders in Latino CHD research who discuss different aspects of graduate student life including such topics as academics, finances, and family life. Speakers are predominately Latinos and are encouraged to share their graduate school experiences. The internship component is designed to expose program participants/alumni to Latino cancer health disparities research, and enhance their research skills. To be considered for an internship, applicants must identify a mentor and submit a work plan during the program recruitment period outlining the scope of the research they would like to perform (e.g., secondary analysis of cancer-related data, field-experience on an established research project). All internships are conducted at the applicant9s home institution or university and are six months long. Exito! outcomes are measured through five surveys: pre/post-Summer Institute surveys, pre/post- internship surveys, and an annual alumni survey. The pre-SI survey collects demographic (e.g., age, gender, nativity), and academic information (e.g., stage in master9s program, familial expectations to attend and obtain graduate education), as well as information on the perception of academic barriers and facilitators (e.g., discrimination based on race, gender, age) and academic self-efficacy (e.g., confidence about writing a competitive personal statement, acceptance into a doctoral program of choice). The survey also captures information about participants9 confidence in applying to a doctoral program in the next year and the next five years, as well as their confidence in pursuing a career in cancer control research. The post-SI survey collects the same information as the pre-SI survey so that changes of key outcomes can be assessed. The annual alumni survey consists of questions related to applying for doctoral programs, doctoral program acceptance, current academic and employment status, and intention to pursue a career in Latino cancer health disparities research. In addition, the survey also captures the SI alumni confidence toward applying to a doctoral program in the next year and five years. From 2011-2016, we recruited 126 SI participants and awarded 28 internships. All were U.S. citizens with the majority being U.S. born (71%), single (71.4%), and having no children (83.3%). The highest level of education for the majority of participants9 parents was reported as being "some college or less," with 60% endorsing the description about their fathers, and 67% endorsing the description about their mothers. Sixty-seven percent of SI attendees agreed that they were expected to complete a bachelor9s degree. Regarding further education, only 28% agreed that they were expected to complete a master9s degree and only 16% agreed they were expected to earn a doctoral degree. As reported on the post SI survey, 90% of attendees said that the SI increased their interest in pursuing a doctoral degree and about 75% stated that the SI increased their interest in pursuing a career in cancer research. The overwhelming majority (91%) of the attendees "strongly agreed" (n=93) or "agreed" (n=22) that the program motivated them to overcome barriers to get a doctoral degree. Of the 126 total alumni, 72 responded to the 2016 annual alumni survey. Twenty six of the 72 respondents reported that they had applied to a doctoral program. At the time of the survey, 3 were accepted and would start in the next year, 2 were awaiting decisions, 2 did not get accepted, and 19 were currently enrolled in a doctoral program. Of those SI alumni respondents who had not applied to a doctoral program (n=46), almost half indicated they were "very confident" or "confident" they would not apply to a doctoral program in the next year (n=22) and 16 were "unsure" if they would apply. However, when asked how confident they were to apply to a doctoral program in the next five years, 46% (n=21) indicated they were "very confident" or "confident" that they would apply in the next five years. Overall results from the SI experience demonstrated improvements across all measures of academic self-efficacy, as well as improvements in confidence towards applying to a doctoral program in the next five years. Survey findings for internships also demonstrated improvements in students9 research skills. Currently, 24% (n=30) of SI alumni are currently enrolled in a doctoral program. The Exito! program provides strong evidence in support of targeted programs focused on reducing the gap in Latino representation at the doctoral level as well as in cancer control and health disparities research. Exito! has proven successful in its goal to foster confidence among Latino students/graduates in their capacity to pursue a doctorate and a career in cancer control research. Over the last six years, the Exito! program has provided the mentorship and encouragement necessary to increase the pipeline of Latino cancer health disparities researchers. Citation Format: Arely Perez, Kipling Gallion, Amelie G. Ramirez. Exito! Cultivating new Latino scientists in cancer health disparities research [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Tenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2017 Sep 25-28; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2018;27(7 Suppl):Abstract nr C28.


The management of stage II colorectal cancer is still difficult. We aimed to construct a new immune cell-associated signature for prognostic evaluation and guiding chemotherapy in stage II colorectal cancer. We used the "Cell Type Identification by Estimating Relative Subsets of RNA Transcripts" (CIBERSORT) method to estimate the fraction of 22 immune cells by analyzing bulk tumor transcriptomes and a LASSO Cox regression model to select the prognostic immune cells. A 12-immune cell prognostic classifier, ISCRC, was built, which could successfully discriminate the high-risk patients in the training cohort (GSE39582: HR = 3.16, 95% CI: 1.85–5.40, P < 0.0001) and another independent cohorts (GSE14333: HR = 3.47, 95% CI: 1.18–10.15, P =0.0167). The receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that the AUC of the ISCRC model was significantly greater than that of oncotypeDX model (0.7111 versus 0.5647, p=0.0152). We introduced the propensity score matching analysis to eliminate the selection bias; survival analysis showed relatively poor prognosis after chemotherapy in stage II CRC patients. Furthermore, a nomogram was built for clinicians and did well in the calibration plots. In conclusion, this immune cell-based signature could improve prognostic prediction and may help guide chemotherapy in stage II colorectal cancer patients.


Plants can respond to insect egg deposition and thus resist attack by herbivorous insects from the beginning of the attack, egg deposition. We review ecological effects of plant responses to insect eggs and differentiate between egg-induced plant defenses that directly harm the eggs and indirect defenses that involve egg parasitoids. Furthermore, we discuss the ability of plants to take insect eggs as warning signals; the eggs indicate future larval feeding damage and trigger plant changes that either directly impair larval performance or attract enemies of the larvae. We address the questions of how egg-associated cues elicit plant defenses, how the information that eggs have been laid is transmitted within a plant, and which molecular and chemical plant responses are induced by egg deposition. Finally, we highlight evolutionary aspects of the interactions between plants and insect eggs and ask how the herbivorous insect copes with egg-induced plant defenses and may avoid them by counteradaptations.


Newspaper reporting of rape, and in particular, representations of women as rape victims, have historically been presented by the media in a misinformed manner, influenced by myths and misconceptions about the dynamics of sexual violence. Previous research has shown media depictions can promote victim-blaming attitudes which affect society's understanding toward sexual violence, promoting false narratives and rape-supportive beliefs. Victim narratives of sexual victimisation struggle within a 'culture of silencing' that prevents the majority of sexual offending from coming to the attention of authorities, and identifying the silencing of women's experiences of rape has, and continues to be, a key objective for feminist scholars. Newspapers are one medium which has been exclusionary of women's experiences, therefore it is important to look at the role of newspapers on a longitudinal level to investigate whether there have been changes in reporting practices and attitudes. To address this issue, this study draws on feminist perspectives and adopts a quantitative and qualitative methodology utilising newspaper articles as a specific source of inquiry. Articles concerning male-female rape were collected from eight prominent New Zealand newspapers across a 40 year period from 1975 – 2015 with individual years for analysis being 1975, 1985, 1995, 2005 and 2015. Results from this analysis show minimal inclusion of women's words regarding newspaper commentary in articles concerning rape. This study also found that across the four decades of analysis, newspapers consistently reported the rape of women by strangers, and sympathetic justice system responses were achieved if the victim was 'respectable' and adhered to an 'appropriate' version of femininity. The findings from this study illustrate discourses that reflect features of a broader social discourse relating to the responsibility of women to protect themselves from rape. The implications from this research can be utilised to better inform journalists in their reporting practices on sexual violence cases in the New Zealand press, with a hope to challenge the way that newspaper reporters and consumers think about constructing rape, and women as rape victims.


Grasses may differ in their compatibility with white clover (Trifolium repens L.) during establishment. We conducted greenhouse and field experiments to evaluate the compatibility of early- and late-maturing cultivars of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) and orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) with 'Will' white clover during establishment. Monocultures and binary mixtures of each cultivar with white clover were established from seed in pots in two greenhouse studies. After an initial harvest at 6 wk of growth, plants were harvested every 2 or 4 wk at a 4- or 8-cm height for 8 wk. The same monocultures and mixtures were planted in field plots and harvested twice at 4 or 8 cm after an 11-wk establishment period. White clover produced more (P < 0.05) stolon + leaf mass and clover proportion of herbage yield was greater when grown with early-maturing than with late-maturing grass cultivars in the field and greenhouse. This indicates that early-maturity grasses were more compatible with white clover. Individual perennial ryegrass plants had about twice as many tillers per plant (P < 0.01) and yielded 24% more (P < 0.01) dry matter than orchardgrass in mixture with clover. Perennial ryegrass-clover mixtures yielded 20% more herbage and had 40% more tillers per unit area than orchardgrass-clover in the field. Clover plants in monoculture were heavier and more complex in structure than plants in mixture in both field and greenhouse. We conclude that maturity of grass cultivars has an effect on white clover establishment and that early-maturing cultivars of perennial ryegrass or orchardgrass are more compatible with Will white clover during the establishment phase.


This chapter canvasses the fiduciary duties other than the primary duties of loyalty and care. The core claim is that these other, subsidiary duties are field-specific elaborations of the primary duties of loyalty and care that implement those duties as applied to commonly recurring circumstances within the particular type or kind of fiduciary relationship. Together, the primary duties of loyalty and care, structured as open-ended standards, and the subsidiary duties, structured as rules or at least more specific standards, provide for fiduciary governance by a mix of rules, specific standards, and open-ended standards that mitigates the weaknesses of governance entirely by rules or standards alone. Fiduciary law thus improves on the familiar trope of rules versus standards as competing governance strategies. The increased specification provided by the subsidiary duties simplifies application of fiduciary obligation to cases that fall within their terms. But because the primary duties of loyalty and care remain operative, the specification for recurring matters provided by the subsidiary duties does not provide a roadmap for strategic avoidance behavior. If a fiduciary acts in a manner that is inimical to the principal's interests and not addressed by a subsidiary duty, the principal may still invoke the open-ended primary duties of loyalty and care in challenging the fiduciary's actions.


Purpose: BLID is a BH3-like motif containing apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family of proteins. This study was designed to investigate the mechanism of BLID-induced apoptosis and to assess the significance of BLID expression in breast cancer. Experimental Design: The interaction between BLID and Bcl-XL was examined using in vitro transcription/translation, coimmunoprecipitation, and immunoflourescence assays. The relationship between BLID mRNA expression and pathologic measures in breast cancer specimens (n = 55) was examined using the publicly available ONCOMINE microarray database. Immunohistochemistry was done using formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of 148 cases of invasive ductal breast carcinomas (IDC) and 58 cases of invasive lobular breast carcinomas, and breast tissue microarrays representing additional 437 cases (>85% IDC) with associated clinicopathologic database and long-term clinical follow-up (median 7 years). Results: BLID was found to interact with Bcl-XL, and the binding was enhanced in cancer cells exposed to doxorubicin or cisplatin. Exogenous expression of BLID correlated with activation of Bax and an increase in cytosolic cytochrome c. BLID mRNA expression was significantly reduced in grade 3 relative to grade 1 and 2 breast cancer (P = 0.023). Cytoplasmic BLID immunoreactivity was absent in IDC compared with invasive lobular breast carcinoma (P < 0.001). Lack of BLID expression was associated with younger age (median 40 years), African American ethnicity, tumor size, and triple-negative breast cancer (estrogen receptor negative, progesterone receptor negative, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative; all P < 0.005). Significant correlations were observed between BLID negativity and declines in overall, cause-specific, and local relapse-free survival (all P < 0.03). Multivariate analysis indicated that BLID is an independent prognostic factor of distant metastasis-free survival (hazard ratio, 0.302; 95% confidence interval, 0.160-0.570, P = 0.0002). Conclusion: BLID is a new binding partner of Bcl-XL and a significant prognostic factor in breast cancer. Clin Cancer Res; 16(11); 2939–48. ©2010 AACR.


Existing smart helmets in the market provide only limited functionalities for convenience and lack safety considerations to proactively prevent accidents. We followed a user-centered design process from which we present three major steps in this paper: user research, prototyping, and testing. Our user research revealed core use cases of a new smart helmet. An important usability issue is the way micro-mobility riders make their input while riding. Three alternatives (head gesture, push button, kick button) were evaluated and both quantitative and qualitative feedback was gathered from participants. The results show that head gesture interaction is natural and satisfactory considering the specific riding posture and traffic situations of micro-mobility users. We also present detailed specifications of the rolling head gesture used in our final prototype, as well as the user feedback methods for other functionalities such as a rear approach warning light and rear light.


Objective(s): The adverse effects of pyridaben on reproductive system in male animals are not well established. This study was designed to elucidate how pyridaben can effects the histomorphometric, hormonal alternations and reproductive functions of BALB/c mice. Materials and Methods: For this study, 80 adult and apparently healthy male BALB/c mice were divided into three groups Viz, control, test group 1 and test group 2. Test groups 1 and 2 were received the toxin at doses of 53 mg/kg. BW, and 212 mg/kg. BW, respectively. The experiment period for both groups was 10, 25 and 45 days. Results: The levels of FSH, LH and testosterone were significantly (P<0.05) decreased on the dose and time dependant means. The levels of the ROS and NOS were significantly (P<0.05) increased in all test groups. The percent body weight gains significantly (P<0.05) reduced, whereas weights significantly (P<0.05) increased in test groups in a dose and time dependant manner. The histomorphometric and stereologic findings, including diameters of somniferous tubules, thickness of somniferous tubules epithelium, the leydig's cell distribution, TDI, SI, RI revealed that, all these parameters are also significantly (P<0.05) reduces in test groups in a dose and time dependant manner. Conclusion: Pyridaben causes histomorphometric and stereologic changes in testis, as well as hormonal and reproductive functional alternations in BALB/c mice.


Thirty-eight cases of Legg-Perthes' disease treated by innominate osteotomy have been reviewed and compared with 33 cases, matched for age and severity, treated in recumbency in plaster hip spicas. The results were similar in the two groups, the radiologic results in the innominate osteotomy group being marginally worse. There was a high incidence of poor results in both groups in those over the age of eight years at the onset of symptoms, especially if femoral "head at risk" signs were present. Other methods of treatment need to be provided for these older children.


Abstract Preceding his Arcadia with a non-existing quotation, Jim Crace proves to be no Arcadian innocent: challenging the shrewdness of his readers, the contemporary novelist seems to take pleasure in inviting them to an intellectual game which begins before the novel unfolds. The highly evocative title and the bogus quotation are bound to evoke associations which become the subject of minute examination in the novel. Its result turns out to be as astounding as the uncommon aphoristic trap laid for the readers. This article examines the significance of the bogus quotation as a part of the novel's message and a key to its interpretation.


Abstract Improvements in construction equipment and techniques in recent years have made possible the use of drilled shaft foundations in diameters and lengths not previously considered practical or feasible. Many highway bridge and other structures are now routinely founded on drilled shafts which are 2.5 m to 3.0 m (8 to 12 feet) in diameter and extending over 60 m (200 feet) in depth below grade. There are unique challenges associated with constructing such large and deep cast-in-place foundations and engineers should be aware of the special needs associated with site investigation, construction specifications, material requirements, and quality assurance. This paper outlines a number of special considerations for these foundations, along with strategies that may be employed to improve the reliability and quality of large drilled shaft foundations.


For many applications in the geosciences, remote sensing is the only feasible method of obtaining data from large areas with limited accessibility. This is especially true for the cryosphere, where light conditions and cloud coverage additionally limit the use of optical sensors. Here, instruments operating at microwave frequencies become important, for instance in polar snow parameters / SWE (snow water equivalent) mapping. However, the interaction between snow and microwave radiation is a complex process and still not fully understood. RT (radiative transfer) models to simulate snow-microwave interaction are available, but they require a number of input parameters such as microstructure and density, which are partly ill-constrained. The layering of snow and firn introduces an additional degree of complexity, as all snow parameters show a strong variability with depth. Many studies on RT modeling of polar firn deal with layer variability by using statistical properties derived from previous measurements, such as the standard deviations of density and microstructure, to configure model input. Here, the variability of microstructure parameters, such as density and particle size, are usually assumed to be independent of each other. However, in the case of the firn pack of the polar ice sheets, we observe that microstructure evolution depends on environmental parameters, such as temperature and snow deposition.
Accordingly, density and microstructure evolve together within the snow and firn. Based on CT (computer tomography) microstructure measurements of antarctic firn, we can show that: first, the variability of density and effective grain size are linked and can thus be implemented in the RT models as a coupled set of parameters. Second, the magnitude of layering is captured by the measured standard deviation. Based on high-resolution density measurements of an Antarctic firn core, we study the effect of firn layering at different microwave wavelengths. By means of a sensitivity study we explore both the linked microstructure-density relation and the layer configuration in the RT model and its impact on model results.


To investigate the ability of FcγRIII(PMN), the GPI-anchored isoform of FcγRIII (CD16) in polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), to mediate transmembrane signaling events, we measured changes in membrane potential with DiOC(5) and in intracellular calcium with indo-1. FcγR were ligated by anti-FcγRIII mAb 3G8 (IgG and Fab), anti-FcγRII mAb IV.3 (IgG and Fab), and human IgG aggregates. Cell bound mAbs were also crosslinked by goat F(ab')(2) anti-mouse IgG. 3G8 IgG elicited a rapid change in [Ca(2+)](i), which was unaffected by EGTA, Vibrio cholerae toxin (CT), or Bordetella pertussis toxin (PT), and was abolished by BAPTA . Univalent receptor binding with 3G8 Fab gave no response but crosslinking with F(aV)2 GAM gave a rapid [Ca2,](i) response. Neither IV.3 Fab, IV.3 IgG, nor crosslinking of IV.3 Fab elicited a calcium signal. PI-PLC-treated PMN with the density of FcγRIII(PMN) reduced to that of FcγRII showed an unattenuated change in [Ca(2+)](i), with a 3G8 stimulus. The effects of IgG aggregates paralleled those of 3G8 mAb. These data indicate that multivalent ligation of FcγRIII(PMN) initiates an increase in [Ca(2+)];, derived from intracellular stores, that is distinct from both the FMLP- and FcγRII-induced responses. Ligand-dependent interaction with FcγRII is not required. Since FcγRIII(PMN) can internalize the FcγRIII-specific probe Con A-opsonized E and lyse anti-FcγRIII heteroantibody-opsonized chick E, this GPI-anchored molecule mediates both signal transduction and integrated cell responses.


This short note continues a theme initiated by Oschadleus (2012), who reviewed the deaths of weavers entangled with the threads of discarded fabric woven into nests, and continued by Robinson et al (2012) who reported on the death of a Bank Cormorant Phalacrocorax neglectus chick entangled by nylon fishing line which its parents had incorporated into its nest on Robben Island. The incident reported here took place on Dyer Island, Western Cape, South Africa ? this island is one of South Africa's breeding platforms for seabirds. It is a CapeNature reserve and was selected as an Important Bird Area (Barnes 1999).


Using firm level data on 70,000 enterprises in 107 countries, this paper finds important effects of access to finance, business regulations, corruption, and to a lesser extent, infrastructure bottlenecks in explaining patterns of job creation at the firm level. The paper focuses on how the impact of the investment climate varies across sizes of firms. The results suggest strong composition effects: A weak business environment shifts downward the size distribution of firms. In the case of finance and business regulations this occurs by reducing the employment growth of all firms, particularly micro and small firms. On the other hand, corruption and poor access to infrastructure reduce employment growth by affecting the growth of medium size and large firms. With significant differences between firms with less than 10 employees and SMEs, these results indicate significant reforms are needed to spur micro firms to grow into the ranks of the SMEs.