Due to their performance and flexibility, FPGAs are an attractive platform for the execution of network functions. It has been a challenge for a long time though to make FPGA programming accessible to a large audience of developers. An appealing solution is to compile code from a general-purpose language to hardware using high-level synthesis. Unfortunately, current approaches to implement rich network functionality are insufficient because they lack: (i) libraries with abstractions for common network operations and data structures, (ii) bindings to the underlying "substrate" on the FPGA, and (iii) debugging and profiling support.

This paper describes Emu, a new standard library for an FPGA hardware compiler that enables developers to rapidly create and deploy network functionality. Emu allows for high-performance designs without being bound to particular packet processing paradigms. Furthermore, it supports running the same programs on CPUs, in Mininet, and on FPGAs, providing a better development environment that includes advanced debugging capabilities. We demonstrate that network functions implemented using Emu have only negligible resource and performance overheads compared with natively-written hardware versions.


The Chatree gold-silver epithermal deposit is located in the central part of the Loei Fold Belt (LFB), which forms an arcuate zone that extends from Laos in the north through central and eastern Thailand into Cambodia in the south. Epithermal gold-silver mineralisation is present as veinlets/veins and stockworks and minor breccia and is hosted in Late Permian volcaniclastic and volcanogenic sedimentary rocks. The current (2011) total resource at Chatree is 81 Mt. at 1.2 g/t Au and 10 g/t Ag. The Chatree volcanic complex has a well-defined volcanic stratigraphic sequence comprised of mafic to intermediate units at the base and felsic units at the top. The andesite dominants at the lower parts of the succession and includes plagioclase-hornblende-phyric andesite, plagioclse-hornblende-phyric basaltic andesite, monomictic breccia and overlying mafic-intermediate polymictic breccia facies, followed by fiamme breccia at the top of the succession.
Geochemically, the host volcanic rocks at Chatree comprise two volcanic suites: (a) Volcanic Suite 1 ranging in age from 258.6 to 250 Ma, characterised by low Ti, P, Mg, Zr, Ce and Y with very low LREE basalt to dacite; and (b) Volcanic Suite 2 ranging in age from 250 to 247 Ma, characterised by slightly higher Ti, Zr, Y, Ce, P and LREE andesite to dacite. This host sequence is intruded by two series of dykes: (a) high-Mg and moderate-Ti xenolithic dykes, and (b) high-Ti basaltic to andesitic dykes.
Gold-silver mineralisation is controlled by a geometric combination of structure (faults) and lithology. Lithologically, Au-Ag mineralisation is best developed in volcanic breccia such as mafic-intermediate polymictic breccia, and volcanogenic sedimentary rock and monomictic plagioclase-phyric andesite breccia. Minor mineralisation also is present in coherent rocks (e.g., plagioclase-phyric andesite) and fiamme breccia. Structurally, mineralisation is mainly present in two major structural orientations, namely: N-S to NNW-SSE and NE-SW trending faults. Based on cross-cutting paragenetic relations and mineralogy, the mineralisation at Chatree occurs in 7 stages which can be divided into pre Au-Au mineralisation (Stage 1, 2A, 2B and 3), main Au-Ag mineralisation (Stage 4A, 4B and 4C) and post Au-Ag mineralisation (Stages 5, 6 and 7) stages: Infill Stage 1 – microcrystalline quartz + pyrite; Infill Stage 2 – Quartz-chlorite-sericite-pyrite; (Stage 2A – Quartz-chlorite-sericite-pyrite; Stage 2B – Quartz-sericite ± chlorite-chalcopyrite-pyrite-sphalerite ± galena); Infill Stage 3 – Quartz - carbonate - (K-feldspar) ± carbonate ± sulphide; Infill Stage 4 – quartz + carbonate + chlorite + adularia + sulphide + electrum; (Stage 4A – Quartz-chlorite-adularia ± carbonate-sulphide-electrum; Stage 4B – Quartz ± carbonate-adularia-sulphide-electrum; Stage 4C – Carbonate ± quartz-adularia -sulphide- electrum- argentite - tetrahedrite); Infill Stage 5 – Quartz ± carbonate veins; Infill Stage 6 – quartz ± carbonate veins; and Infill Stage 7 – Quartz-zeolite-carbonate. Four alteration zones were identified, namely: (1) Silicic (quartz-illite-adularia-pyrite), (2) Argillic (Illite-quartz-adularia-chlorite-pyrite), (3) Propylitic (chlorite-calcite-pyrite-epidote), and (4) Clay (Kaolinite-montmorillonite-illite).
Adularia from the main Au-Ag mineralisation Stage 4 was dated by laser incremental-heating 40Ar/39Ar analysis, and yields an age of 250 ± 0.8 Ma (Late Permian). The 40Ar/39Ar analysis of muscovite from a Au-bearing vein from the nearby (~10 km from Chatree) Khao Phanom Pha gold deposit also yields a similar age of 250 Ma. The minimum age of epithermal mineralisation can be bracketed to be 245–250 Ma by the ages of post-mineralisation dykes which yield LA-ICPMS U-Pb zircon ages of 247–238 Ma. This is further supported by Re-Os dating of molybdenite from sub-economic porphyry-style mineralisation hosted in plagioclase-hornblende diorite porphyry (243 ± 5 Ma) at the 'N' Prospect (~1 km south of Chatree), which yields an age of 244 ± 1 Ma (Early Triassic), suggesting it is younger than the Chatree gold-silver epithermal deposit.
Mineral paragenetic studies combined with laser ICPMS analysis (spot analysis and imaging) indicate that at least two generations of pyrite are present in each mineralisation stages. These pyrite generally are characterised by different trace element patterns. Gold is present mostly as stoichiometric substitution in pyrite structure in pre Au-Ag mineralisation stages (Stages 2A, 2B and 3) and wall-rock pyrite. In contrast, Au occurs in the pyrite structure as well as inclusions for the main gold-silver stages (Stages 4A, 4B and 4C). In the pre Au-Ag mineralisation stages, trace element concentrations generally increase from early Stage 2A to late Stage 3, particularly elements such as Au, Ag, As, Sb, Se and Pb. This temporal trend reflects an increase in metal content of the ore fluid prior to the main gold deposition. Comparison of trace elements in pyrite from the ore zone and various alteration zones in this study indicates that significant trends exist for certain elements such as Tl, Sb and Ag decreasing outwards from the ore zone into the wall-rocks. In contrast, Co, Ba and La have values decreasing towards ore zone possibly due to dilution of these elements related to alteration. Other elements such as Pb, Se, K, Rb and Sr show less clear trends. Pyrite tend to have more pronounced trends in many elements particularly in chalcophide elements in comparison to the whole-rock. However, more work need to be done to confirm which of the technique works best at the chatree and more and analyses from regional pyrite distal from the deposit are required for full evolution. The element which has the best potential for use in pyrite chemistry vectoring is Tl and Co. The data from this study shows that this element could be used as a pathfinder for geochemical exploration for similar styles of mineralisation in and around the Chatree area.
The sulphur isotopic values of pyrite from the main gold-silver mineralisation stages (Stages 4A, 4B and 4C) mainly range from 1 to 7 ‰, compatible with a magmatic source. However, some contribution of sulphur derived from other sources such as a biogenic origin is possible, particularly for the data from Q and A lenses which include lighter values (–9 to –1‰). Oxygen isotope variation of quartz at Chatree shows that the lowest oxygen isotope values are spatially confined to the central parts of the major ore zones, in particular along H and D lenses. Variation in oxygen isotopic values likely is due to an isotopic exchange between the mineralised hydrothermal fluids and wall-rocks where heavy oxygen isotopes were leached out of the propylitic and argillic alteration zones in the wall rock and were deposited in the outer parts of the main vein system. The combined oxygen and hydrogen isotope data of Chatree plots between meteoric water and magmatic water, indicating a mixture between the magmatic and meteoric water. Lead isotope data indicate that the Pb isotopic model ages of the Chatree Au-Ag epithermal deposit plot around 400 Ma on the model Pb growth curve. As the age of mineralisation at Chatree is known to be Late Permian (ca. 250 Ma), this model Pb age is suggestive of unusually old Pb most likely from Paleozoic sediments.
The mineralisation at Chatree is part of an arc system that was emplaced within the LFB during the Late Permian to Early Triassic. Arc formation commenced with the extruding of basalt and andesite and was followed by rhyolite towards the end of the main phases of volcanic activity. This study suggests that the Chatree Volcanic Complex was emplaced in a shallow marine environment. The initial hydrothermal activity at Chatree appears to have been associated with movement along a NW-SE which caused the N-S to NNE-SSE and NE-SW dilational structures. Circulating ore fluid ascended along the dilational structures. Gold-silver mineralisation was initiated by ground preparation due to rapid cooling of silica-rich fluids that lead to precipitation of microcrystalline quartz early in Stage 1, which sealed in the fractures. Fluid pressure then increased from degassing ore boiling of CO2 and H2S in the fluids and brecciated the seals, allowing mineralising fluids to enter, leading to the precipitation of metals including gold and silver during the main Au-Ag mineralisation stages, particularly in Stages 4B and 4C. Fluid inclusions in quartz during this process contain high homogenisation temperatures ranging from 190 ° to 348 °C with salinities less than 5.6 wt. % NaCl equiv. The metal was probably derived from a fluid reservoir that was significantly enriched in Pb compared to U for a long period of time, as evidenced by the old Pb signature at Chatree. This suggests that Pb and possibly part of the Au were sourced from older basement rocks beneath the deposit as well as magmatic sources . A component of magmatic fluid was possibly involved during ascent of the ore fluids and mixing with circulating dilute meteoric water occurred as indicated by sulphur, oxygen, hydrogen isotope compositions and fluid inclusion data.
After formation, the Chatree deposit was cross-cut by basaltic to andesite dykes at the same time to the emplacement of plagioclase-hornblende diorite porphyry intrusion at N Prospect which has a weak porphyry-style mineralisation. The altered wall-rocks at Chatree deposit was eroded bringing the landscape to its current level represented by Khao Mo hill (A lens). Throughout the Chatree deposit, acidic fluids were produced by breakdown of pyrite in the oxidised zone leaching carbonate; this process also created significant permeability allowing oxidised ground water to react with the ores and form significant supergene gold enrichment.


In order to design a tsunami warning system in a region, there are three major issues in developing the data base or estimating tsunami risk: the first is the assumption of tsunami sources by selecting the potential and past earthquakes and others, the second is accuracy and stability on the numerical model with the computational regions for tsunami propagations, the third is output such as water level and velocities from the model to provide the warning and to estimate the risk. In this study, a numerical simulation of tsunamis in the Sabah coast is conducted. Two types of models are developed in this study: (1) a numerical model of the generation and trans-oceanic propagation of tsunamis using linear theory in spherical coordinate system and (2) a numerical model based on the nested grid system in Cartesian coordinate system using linear and non-linear theory with a two different spatial grid sizes. Six cases of fault ruptures are considered in the Manila trench for the earthquakes with magnitudes of 9.0, 8.5 and 8.0 which are corresponding to the earthquakes with the return periods of 667, 205 and 63 years, respectively. In the nested grid system model, the linear shallow water wave theory in spherical coordinate system is used for tsunami simulation in the large area covering Southeast Asia while the non-linear shallow water wave theory in Cartesian coordinate system is used for tsunami simulation in the Sabah coast region. It is found that the tsunamis arrives the Northern part of Sabah in approximately 2 hours after an earthquake occurred and the maximum tsunami height calculated is more than 1 m for the M w 9.0 earthquake. Finally, a few computational instability problems are introduced and discussed in this paper.


Recently, an increasing number of studies have indicated that long-non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can participate in various crucial biological processes and can also be used as the most promising biomarkers for the treatment of certain diseases such as coronary artery disease and various cancers. Due to costs and time complexity, the number of possible disease-related lncRNAs that can be verified by traditional biological experiments is very limited. Therefore, in recent years, it has been very popular to use computational models to predict potential disease-lncRNA associations. In this study, we constructed three kinds of association networks, namely the lncRNA-miRNA association network, the miRNA-disease association network, and the lncRNA-disease correlation network firstly. Then, through integrating these three newly constructed association networks, we constructed an lncRNA-disease weighted association network, which would be further updated by adopting the KNN algorithm based on the semantic similarity of diseases and the similarity of lncRNA functions. Thereafter, according to the updated lncRNA-disease weighted association network, a novel computational model called PMFILDA was proposed to infer potential lncRNA-disease associations based on the probability matrix decomposition. Finally, to evaluate the superiority of the new prediction model PMFILDA, we performed Leave One Out Cross-Validation (LOOCV) based on strongly validated data filtered from MNDR and the simulation results indicated that the performance of PMFILDA was better than some state-of-the-art methods. Moreover, case studies of breast cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer were implemented to further estimate the performance of PMFILDA, and simulation results illustrated that PMFILDA could achieve satisfying prediction performance as well.


Pathogenic mutations in 3-keto-dihydrosphingosine reductase (KDSR) gene are associated with keratinization disorders and impaired platelet function. However, no case with both homozygotic mutation of KDSR and hepatic hemangioendothelioma has ever been reported due to its low prevalence. Here we report a seven months old Chinese boy with a homozygotic missense mutation in KDSR and both of his parents carry a same heterozygous mutation. He was born with thick plate-like scales overlying erythrodermic skin, but the skin symptoms were resolved spontaneously over the first month of his birth. He was also diagnosed with hepatic hemangioendothelioma at birth and accepted a resection surgery at 2 months old. At birth, his platelet count was severely low (10-20×109/L) with recurrent skin and gingival bleeding. Meanwhile, he suffered a mild normocytic, normochromic anemia with normal iron and hematinic levels. The anemia spontaneously recovered over the first 6 months, while the platelet count keeped at a low level (4-20×109/L). Treatment with corticosteroids, immunoglobulin or thrombopoietin was all suboptimal.


Studying the life situations of trans persons reveals preceding and ongoing political, societal and cultural transformations. This ethnographic study concerns individuals in Andalusia, Southern Spain, who do not fit the sex and gender assigned to them at birth. Christoph Imhof thus investigates issues leading back to the repressive situation during the dictatorship of Franco and to contemporary endeavours and achievements regarding acceptance, citizenship and self-determination. He highlights the pioneering role that Andalusia has played within Spain regarding trans issues since the late 1990s and shows how trans persons in Southern Spain have experienced the growing social, medical and legal acceptance of their gender non-conformity.


Abstract Megaflutes are large, concave-up, erosional scours within turbidite successions and have been described from modern and ancient settings; they are interpreted to represent the passage of erosive, largely bypassing, turbidity currents. Here, two categories of megaflute are distinguished: (1) allogenic, corresponding to the case above, where erosion is associated with sediment bypass leading to deposition farther into the basin, e.g., the "classical" megaflutes of the Ross Formation; (2) autogenic, where the erosion occurs during aggradation of the host bed. Both types are illustrated with examples from the Carboniferous succession of northern England. The distinction is important because the formative processes are different, leading to distinct facies associations for each group. For example, allogenic flutes are interpreted to form in systems with large variations in flow magnitude and imply significant down-dip sediment accumulation, whereas autogenic megaflutes are thought to be formed by unsteady flows and imply less significant bypass. Autogenic megaflutes occur above inversely graded, poorly sorted sandstones, which improve in sorting and decrease in mud content upwards to the megaflute surface, which is overlain by a well-sorted mantle of the coarsest sediment found within the bed. Detailed grain-size profiles suggest that autogenic megaflutes develop in response to waxing of flows from a depositional to an erosional state, cannibalizing the already deposited sand bed. As the flow wanes, reverting to a depositional state, the coarsest-grained fraction of its remaining load is deposited first, forming the basal part of a variably well-developed, normally graded and overall finer-grained interval. Thus, it is interpreted that flow unsteadiness promotes the formation of these features, which has implications for the reconstruction of paleoenvironmental conditions, specifically the generation mechanisms, return periods, flow routing into the basin, and the resultant flow characteristics of turbidity currents.


Social login has become an increasingly popular alternative for traditional user registration. Although a single sign-on protocol is commonly considered to have the advantage of removing barriers at the registration stage, mismanagement of these technological features may lead to user turnover or abandonment. Thus, a better understanding of who may better accept social login for which type of service is essential for a business that decides to adopt social login protocols. This research in progress tested various user characteristics using a differential item functioning approach that aims to explore systematic differences from user groups (rather than individual differences from latent traits) for social login acceptance.


First-time and experienced mothers' prenatal expectations, postnatal experiences, and postnatal desires regarding the division of infant caregiving responsibilities with her partner were examined to explore whether postnatal desires may be a better indicator of mothers' postnatal adaptation (self-efficacy, satisfaction, stress, depressive symptoms, and state anxiety) than prenatal expectations and postnatal experiences. Mothers (N = 132) completed a prenatal questionnaire during their third trimester and a postnatal questionnaire at 8 weeks postpartum. Women's parental status (first-time vs. experienced) and their postnatal work status were associated with their expectations, experiences, and desires for the division of caregiving. Women whose partners were involved in the caregiving tasks reported more positive postnatal adaptation, whereas women, and particularly first-time mothers, who desired more partner involvement had poorer postnatal adaptation. The results suggest that mothers' postnatal desires concerning the division of caregiving is important to consider in examining mothers' postnatal adaptation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).


Several proteins of the mitochondrial intermembrane space are targeted by internal targeting signals. A class of such proteins with α-helical hairpin structure bridged by two intramolecular disulfides is trapped by a Mia40-dependent oxidative process. Here, we describe the oxidative folding mechanism underpinning this process by an exhaustive structural characterization of the protein in all stages and as a complex with Mia40. Two consecutive induced folding steps are at the basis of the protein-trapping process. In the first one, Mia40 functions as a molecular chaperone assisting α-helical folding of the internal targeting signal of the substrate. Subsequently, in a Mia40-independent manner, folding of the second substrate helix is induced by the folded targeting signal functioning as a folding scaffold. The Mia40-induced folding pathway provides a proof of principle for the general concept that internal targeting signals may operate as a folding nucleus upon compartment-specific activation.


Vegetation data in an early 20th century map from northern Tanzania are presented and discussed for its potential of expanding the analytical time-frame in studies of land-use and land-cover change. The starting point is that much research on land-use and land-cover change suffers from a time-frame bias, caused by limitations in remote sensing data. At the same time, the use of historical maps as a complementary data-set is rather insignificant. Can information in historical maps be used to extend the baseline in land-use and land-cover change studies? The historical context of the vegetation data is evaluated, and as an illustration of its potential for interdisciplinary research on land-cover and ecosystems change, a section of the map is juxtaposed with a recent pollen record specifically addressing the impact of a 'large infrequent disturbance' (LID) event at the end of the 19th century. It is concluded that the vegetation data in the map are not likely to be reflecting an extreme situation due to the LID event. Finally, the historical vegetation data were visually compared with a national 1995 land-cover data set, illustrating the possibility of using the map data as a baseline in land-cover change studies.


Exposure is the most important component of therapy for anxiety disorders and obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) in children and adolescents. Unfortunately, few clinicians offer this treatment, making it very difficult for youth and their families to seek effective care. In this installment of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy's Series on Implementation of Clinical Approaches, Whiteside, Ollendick, and Biggs deliver a succinct yet comprehensive guide to the use of exposure therapy with youth suffering from anxiety and OCD. Within the heart of this book, clinicians will discover a clear step-by-step model, illustrated with sample dialogue, for engaging their young patients in this most effective treatment. Detailed case examples bring to life the application of all forms of exposure (in vivo, imaginal, and interoceptive) to a wide range of anxiety and OCD presentations. Beyond teaching the mechanics for implementing exposure, the authors present a clinical model for understanding how exposure works, synthesizing the key issues from current competing theories. This model can enhance the ability of clinicians to apply exposure to new and more challenging presentations. In addition, the authors review common challenges to implementing exposure in real-world settings to assist clinicians in overcoming frequently encountered barriers. Clinicians can feel confident in the validity of the approach as the authors concisely review the foundation of history and research supporting exposure. Within this compact book, clinicians will find a comprehensive guide to build their expertise in the delivery of exposure therapy for children and adolescents suffering from anxiety disorders or OCD.


Many different research-extension linkage arrangements have been practiced in Ethiopia. In this paper, the authors review the history and evolution of different linkage mechanisms and show their relative efficacy in developing collaborative learning and action among agricultural development stakeholders. The paper finds that organizational and institutional challenges characterized the history of research-extension linkages in Ethiopia. In recent times, however, informed by many years of experience and new development approaches, linkage mechanisms in Ethiopia have begun to shift from a traditional, technology-oriented research-extension linkage system to a more dynamic, multi-stakeholder innovation platform. Driven by research for development projects, innovation platforms emerged as inclusive and equitable multi-stakeholder forums aimed at developing innovation capacity of a range of development actors in a more market-oriented development system. The paper concludes that linkage facilitation appears to be a key function of extension services in Ethiopia and that extension agents need to have a set of skills to facilitate interactions and learning among farmers, service providers, and processing and marketing actors.


Purpose of review Primary systemic vasculitides (PSV) encompass a subset of autoimmune diseases, characterized by inflammation of blood vessels. Atheromatosis and arteriosclerosis may be accelerated in several PSV and account for the increased rate of cardiovascular morbidity that some exhibit. We aimed to summarize recent studies reporting on the acceleration of atheromatosis and/or arteriosclerosis in each type of PSV, using state-of-the-art noninvasive vascular biomarkers with clinical value as end points. Recent findings Limited number of PSV patients and methodology limitations reduce the value of many published studies. Accelerated atheromatosis, as measured by the use of carotid ultrasonagraphy (plaques and intimal–medial thickening) and increased arterial stiffening, as measured by the use of applanation tonometry (carotid to femoral pulse wave velocity), are currenly well established in Takayasu arteritis, Kawasaki disease and Behcet's disease. The association of atheromatosis and arteriosclerosis with polyarteritis nodosa and small vessel vasculitides remains less established and studied, so far. Summary Accelerated atheromatosis and arteriosclerosis or arteriosclerosis are established in some PSV. The potential clinical value of easy-to-measure and clinically useful noninvasive vascular biomarkes prompts the need for large prospective cohorts in order to provide useful future guidance regarding the prognosis and treatment of PSV patients.


As one of the essential infrastructures needed for water resources, dam construction project requires comprehensive planning and effective standardization to accommodate the needs during the construction process. Also, the construction plan should be developed to minimize failures that can cause work accidents or other safety issues. Therefore, the development of WBS (Work Breakdown Structure) is a vital component in the planning process. In supporting these, a WBS dictionary and checklist are also needed to support the planning and control process of the project. Studies have found that these documents provide the details of deliverable, activity, and schedule information of each WBS components of the project. Also, these can be used for safety planning due to the hierarchy structure of each work package, hence making it easier for safety planning in each activities. This study was conducted by expert validation method through a semi-open questionnaire and analyzed using a descriptive statistical analysis method. The results of the study are the WBS dictionary and checklist for dam construction project, that can be the guideline for its safety planning. The study had also found the details of the construction method and resources for every work package in the dam construction project.


We propose an automatic analysis and test case derivation method for LOTOS expressions with data values. We introduce the class of P-LOTOS expressions where the data types are restricted to Presburger arithmetic. That is, only the integer and Boolean types are used, and the operators of the integers are restricted to addition, subtraction, and comparison. For this class, we give an algorithm for deriving a set of test cases (a test suite). The algorithm is carried out by using a decision procedure for integer linear programming problems. We also give solutions for the deadlock detection problem, the detection of nonexecutable branches, and the detection of nondeterministic behaviors. We have implemented a tool for the analysis and test selection based on our techniques. The derivation of a test suite for a simplified Session protocol is described as an example. >


Meteoroids smaller than a microgram constantly bombard the Earth, depositing material in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Meteoroid ablation, the explosive evaporation of meteoroids due to erosive impacts of atmospheric particles, consists of sputtering and thermal ablation. This paper presents the first atomic‐scale modeling of sputtering, the initial stage of ablation where hypersonic collisions between the meteoroid and atmospheric particles cause the direct ejection of atoms from the meteoroid surface. Because meteoroids gain thermal energy from these particle impacts, these interactions are important for thermal ablation as well. In this study, a molecular dynamics simulator calculates the energy distribution of the sputtered particles as a function of the species, velocity, and angle of the incoming atmospheric particles. The sputtering yield generally agrees with semi‐empirical equations at normal incidence but disagrees with the generally accepted angular dependence. Λ, the fraction of energy from a single atmospheric particle impact incorporated into the meteoroid, was found to be less than 1 and dependent on the velocity, angle, atmospheric species, and meteoroid material. Applying this new Λ to an ablation model results in a slower meteoroid temperature increase and mass loss rate as a function of altitude. This alteration results in changes in the expected electron line densities and visual magnitudes of meteoroids. Notably, this analysis leads to the prediction that meteoroids will generally ablate 1–4 km lower than previously predicted. This affects analysis of radar and visual measurements, as well as determination of meteoroid mass.


Reliable evaluation of adversarial defenses is a challenging task, currently limited to an expert who manually crafts attacks that exploit the defense's inner workings or approaches based on an ensemble of fixed attacks, none of which may be effective for the specific defense at hand. Our key observation is that adaptive attacks are composed of reusable building blocks that can be formalized in a search space and used to automatically discover attacks for unknown defenses. We evaluated our approach on 24 adversarial defenses and show that it outperforms AutoAttack, the current state-of-the-art tool for reliable evaluation of adversarial defenses: our tool discovered significantly stronger attacks by producing 3.0\%-50.8\% additional adversarial examples for 10 models, while obtaining attacks with slightly stronger or similar strength for the remaining models.


Aside from natural disasters, when tragedy strikes - taking its toll in fatalities and serious injuries - we ordinarily look to the tort system for redress. Tort is not the exclusive form of redress, of course, in this era of private insurance and government disability programs. But still, it remains our most highly visible mechanism for assigning responsibility and providing compensation. So, we ordinarily look to tort. But there was nothing "ordinary" about September 11, 2001. And that includes how our legal system responded to the plight of injury victims of that horrific day. Within less than two weeks of September 11, Congress took action, funding a special compensation scheme for the victims and survivors of the terrorist acts, entitled the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001, which provides "no-fault" benefits; that is, compensation for physical harm without the necessity of establishing wrongful conduct as a basis for recovery. In this paper, I begin by describing the approach to compensation taken in the Victim Compensation Fund. I then discuss the implementing regulations promulgated by the Special Master appointed under the Fund. Next, I offer a preliminary assessment of the significance of the Fund for the survivors of those who perished, as well as the seriously injured. And finally, I speculate more broadly about the significance of the Fund for how we address the continuing problem of compensating victims of unexpected harm.


Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in Western countries, accounting for 20–30% of general population and reaching a prevalence of 55% in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Insulin resistance plays a key role in pathogenic mechanisms of NAFLD. Many drugs have been tested but no medications have yet been approved. Antidiabetic drugs could have a role in the progression reduction of the disease. The aim of this review is to summarize evidence on efficacy and safety of antidiabetic drugs in patients with NAFLD. Metformin, a biguanide, is the most frequently used drug in the treatment of T2DM. To date 15 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and four meta-analysis on the use of metformin in NAFLD are available. No significant improvement in histological liver fibrosis was shown, but it can be useful in the treatment of co-factors of NAFLD, like body weight, transaminase or cholesterol levels, and HbA1c levels. A possible protective role in various types of cancer has been reported for Metformin. Thiazolidinediones modulate insulin sensitivity by the activation of PPAR-γ. The RCTs and the meta-analysis available about the role of these drugs in NAFLD show an improvement in ballooning, lobular inflammation, and perhaps fibrosis, but some side effects, in particular cardiovascular, were showed. GLP-1 analogues stimulate insulin secretion by pancreatic beta cell and inhibit glucagon release; Liraglutide is the most used drug in this class and significantly improves steatosis, hepatocyte ballooning and transaminase levels. Scanty data about the role of DPP-4 and SGLT inhibitors were published. No data about insulin effects on NAFLD are available but it was showed a possible association between insulin use and the development of solid neoplasms, in particular HCC. In conclusion, antidiabetic drugs seem to be promising drugs, because they are able to treat both NAFLD manifestations and diabetes, preventing worsening of hepatic damage, but data are still conflicting. All antidiabetic drugs can be safely used in patients with compensated cirrhosis, while insulin is the preferred drug in decompensated Child C cirrhosis.


The application of polymeric composite membranes can be very interesting in the field of gas separation. The two main parameters which determine the applicability of membranes are the selectivity and the permeability. Good selectivities can be achieved by developing proper materials, high permeation rates can be obtained by minimizing the thickness of the separation layer. Special attention is paid so far for glassy polymers which generally show higher selectivities than rubbery polymers. However, caused by the often rigid structure of the glassy polymers, defects in the these layers can occur which have a dramatic influence on the selectivity. The objective of this thesis is to investigate, which parameters may influence the preparation of composite membranes. The membranes were coated by the dipcoating method. Polycarbonate (Makrolon 3200) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) were used as coating polymers. Three commercial polyacrylonitrile ultrafiltration membranes (GFT, Stork 3010, Stork 5010) were used as support materials.


Premiere of Shadow Sites II, a single channel digit film made with the support of the Abraaj Capital Art Prize. The prize was established in 2009 and is open to artists from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Uniquely rewarding proposals rather than completed works-of-art, winners are announced each October and go on to produce artworks which are unveiled the following March. Each year five selected artists work with one international curator, culminating in an exhibition at Art Dubai and a printed catalogue. The artworks go on to join the Abraaj Capital Art Collection.


The purpose of this dissertation is to identify guiding principles for adaptation to climate change examining the linkages between technological and institutional change, energy, rural development and food security. Agro-Food Systems are both the most basic and vulnerable systems we rely upon, thus a chief priority in climate change adaptation. Climate change is expected to bring about conflicts over shrinking resources but also conflicts over the policies to face it (Foster, 2008). Scientific evidence is therefore of paramount importance, despite a long standing experience in dealing with climate variability, climate change is exacerbating rainfall polarization and intensity and many regions are at risk from institutional failures as well as climatic vagaries (FAO, OECD, 2009). Adaptive and maladaptive technologies and institutions are thus explored through case studies. The rural poor are the most exposed to climatic adversities and often the main food producers and suppliers in least developed countries (LDC). Precarious livelihoods in rural areas can translate into precarious food security in the urban settings. Presently about 2 billion farmers, most of them smallholders, feed the rest, including 1.3 billions, on the increase, urban poor (HLTF, 2008). Migration to urban marginal areas of rural population is accelerated from certain climate mitigation policies such as large scale biofuels production. Different approaches converge on a consensus about the need to fund rural development in order to keep poor farmers and indigenous people on their land. Poverty should thus be reduced via mitigating and adapting to a changing climate (World Bank, 2008b, WRI, 2008; RRI, 2008c). Newly urbanized population is more exposed to market shocks because completely dependent upon markets for food supplies (FAO, 2008b; UNDP, 2008). Food supply chains are at risk of disruption due to climate shocks. There is a complex web of causal connections between technological change, agriculture, climate change, vulnerability and food security in urban and rural settings. Some of these connections are explored in detail as well as basic concepts such as social and ecological resilience. The second half of the dissertation focuses on the analysis of a fossil agricultural landscape in the Bolivian Amazon (Beni Department) and ho the ancient dwellers of the region, today one of the most vulnerable to climate change country-wise, successfully adapted to dramatic changes in the paleo-climate by domesticating the ecosystem. The transformation of the savannah ecosystem into agricultural landscape though gradual accretion of landesque capital increased the land carrying capacity for both humans and wildlife. Deep ecological literacy inherent in the management of water and nutrients at landscape level allowed the flourishing of a civilization with a population of millions who thrived for thousands years on a land that today supports less than half million. Once explored the main elements of the landscape capital the analysis focuses on food security and constraints and opportunities for rural development in the department. Oxfam has funded four projects with raised cultivation fields that recover this ancient technology and these are evaluated through a survey where all beneficiaries are interviewed and data analyzed with SPSS. The dissertation ends with recommendations on how to move on with the recovery and update of the agro-archeological engineering of the landscape in response to current and expected food security and local development scenarios. The final results feed into local development processes being included by the Departmental Government into their five years planning (2011-2015).


Individual differences were examined for 49 listeners in a simultaneous-masking task with random-frequency, multicomponent maskers and a 1000-Hz signal. Across conditions, the maskers were broadband noise or complexes of 2-100 sinusoids whose frequencies were randomly chosen with each presentation. Maskers were equal rms waveforms, presented at 60 dB SPL. Thresholds for the multicomponent maskers spanned a range of up to 59 dB across listeners within conditions without distinct groupings. When divided into quartiles, mean thresholds for listeners in the lowest quartile increased monotonically with the number of masker components and peaked below values produced by broadband noise. Listeners in the upper quartile had nonmonotonic functions with a broad peak around 10-20 components, with values above those produced by broadband noise. Quiet thresholds and masked thresholds for the broadband-noise masker did not distinguish "high-" from "low-threshold" groups. Lowering masker uncertainty (frequencies randomized between but not within trials) or introducing temporal differences by shortening the signal both improved performance by as much as 40 dB, dependent on the masking produced with maximum uncertainty. Training effects within experiment (excluding an initial training period) were examined for all listeners and for five listeners across two consecutive experiments. Eleven of forty-nine listeners (22%) showed systematic improvement averaging 12 dB within experiment, independent of high or low original thresholds. For the five tested longer, four improved by 5 dB or more in at least one condition, but the change in performance occurred primarily during initial training for the second experiment. The large individual differences documented present a challenge to the development of models for masking produced by masker-frequency uncertainty.


The authors use a novel 32-year return series to study the risk, return, and predictability of a strategy that sells one-month S&P 500 variance swaps with fixed ex-ante tail risk. They find that unconditional short exposure in their sample is characterized primarily by two features: (1) a very high Sharpe ratio exceeding 1.2 and (2) a severe but infrequent crash risk. From a forecasting perspective, the authors find a generally lower premium following market sell-offs and crashes. However, they fail to find significant evidence linking returns to the level of either implied or realized volatility.


The Miskitu, a group indigenous to the Caribbean Coast of Central America, have long been recognized for their racial diversity. In the mid-seventeenth century, a ship of African slaves wrecked on the Mosquito Coast and subsequently intermarried with the Miskitu population. Since then, there have been two groups of Miskitu: the "pure" indios and the racially mixed sambos. This article argues against this neat divide. Race during the colonial period was not fixed and could be influenced by a number of factors that included not only one's ancestry but also their behavior. When Spanish writers assigned a racial category to the Miskitu, the context of the encounter often shaped perceived racial origin. When Miskitu-Spanish relations were hostile, Spaniards more often chose the racial label sambo. During times of peace, indio was more common, and mestizo was sometimes used to refer to Miskitu rulers. By focusing on the complexity and malleability of colonial racial rhetoric, this article argues that Spanish officials strategically selected racial labels for the Miskitu depending on the colonial policy they were trying to promote.


The Biological Carbon Pump includes all those processes in the ocean that cause photosynthetically formed organic carbon (primary production) by phytoplankton in the sunlit surface layer (the euphotic zone) to be removed from contact with the atmosphere. It is a mechanism that sequesters carbon dioxide (CO2) from contact with the atmosphere for weeks to hundreds or even millions of years (geological time-scales). Together with the physical carbon pump, the biological carbon pump constitutes the ocean's CO2 sink. Combined, these two major processes in the global carbon cycle have removed about 2–2.5 Pg Carbon per year (last decade average). This e-Lecture introduces the biology and biogeochemistry of the Biological Carbon Pump by paying close attention to relevant timescales (from today's carbon cycle to processes on geological time-scales) and to the global carbon cycle. Topics include an introduction to the different carbon pumps (biological, carbonate, and physical), followed by a detailed process-oriented introduction to the biological carbon pumps. This also includes the organismal aspects, such as an introduction to phytoplankton, primary production, distribution of primary producers in the global ocean, and the role of zooplankton in particle formation, transformation, removal, and active transport. We cover specific aspects of the lecture as modules ("Excursions") that give the reader/lecturer the chance to explore some topics in greater detail. These "Excursions" are entitled "Instrumentation: Quantifying Particle Flux," "Particle Sinking and Degradation," and "The Biological Carbon Pump on Geological Timescales."


Real-time gas mixture analysis has been demonstrated using various linear variable filter (LVF)-enabled mid-infrared (mid-IR) visualizations. Due to the characteristic absorptions of different gases, the algorithm-enabled sensing method has the ability to detect multi-component gas mixtures noninvasively. The proposed system consisted of a broadband light source, a gas mixing and delivery chamber made by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a LVF, and a real-time monitoring mid-IR camera. The system performance was evaluated by detecting CH4 and C2H2 at their characteristic C-H absorptions from λ = 3.0 to 3.5 µm. A fast and accurate identification of gas samples was achieved. Therefore, our real-time and non-destructive gas analysis system enables a new visualization technology for environmental monitoring and industrial measurement.


Three patients with the diagnosis of acute calcific prevertebral tendinitis underwent CT or a combination of CT and MR imaging, which showed previously described findings of calcifications within the tendons of the longus colli muscles. In addition, however, we detected a retropharyngeal effusion in all three patients. The importance of this finding lies in the need to differentiate this effusion from retropharyngeal infection.


A simple, specific, accurate and precise HPTLC method for simultaneous estimation of paracetamol, lornoxicam and chlorzoxazone as the bulk drug and in tablet dosage form. Chromatographic separation of the drugs was performed on aluminum plates precoated with silica gel 60 F254 as the stationary phase and the solvent system consisted of chloroform: toluene: methanol: glacial acetic acid 6: 3: 1: 0.04 (v/v/v/v). Densitometric evaluation of the separated zones was performed at 275 nm. The three drugs were satisfactorily resolved with RF values 0.26 ± 0.02, 0.45 ± 0.03 and 0.53 ± 0.01 for paracetamol, lornoxicam and chlorzoxazone respectively. The method can be used for estimation of combination of these drugs in tablets. The method was validated as per ICH guidelines. The linearity of developed method was achieved in the range of 10 – 50 ng/spot for each of paracetamol, lornoxicam and chlorzoxazone and recoveries from tablets were between 99.27 ± 0.70, 99.37 ± 0.06 and 99.10 ± 0.30 %. Due to these attributes, the proposed method could be used for routine quality control analysis of these drugs in combined dosage forms.


The domestication of cattle in Europe and North Africa dates back at least 8000 years. The Middle East was an early site of domestication but there is evidence of domesticated cattle in other parts of Europe at about this time. Subsequent movements of peoples and the development of cultural exchange affected the livestock populations. The understanding of the relationship between european breeds and types of cattle can be increased by a multi-disciplinary approach including ethnological, archaeological and sociohistorical data, in conjunction with morphological characterisation and biochemical studies of livestock breeds and populations. Four european groups of cattle have been identified, namely the podolic of asian origin, the shorthorn of northern european origin, the central european group containing types of mixed origin, and the longhorn group in the western fringes of Europe, which may be remnants of cattle of the earliest civilisation.


The aim of the "Lovotics" (Love + Robotics) research is to accomplish an amicable relationship between humans and robots to create a sentimental robotic system that is engaged in a reciprocal affective interaction with humans. This article will outline the part of the project focus which is to develop an affective audio system for Lovotics which will act as an active participant in a bidirectional nonverbal communication process with humans. This interactive audio system is capable of synthesizing real-time audio output based on eight parameters, namely, pitch, number of harmonics, amplitude, tempo, sound envelope, chronemics, proximity, and synchrony. In addition to the first five common parameters, we focused on comprehensive research and user testing on the chronemics, proximity, and synchrony (C.P.S. effect) and aimed to find out how these three factors enhance positive feelings in the human-robot interaction. These factors were determined through our study and were found to have a positive effect on the emotional interaction between humans and robots. Thus, an interactive feedback audio system is implemented which allows sentimental interaction between humans and robots. The aim of such a system is to offer new possibilities for exploring the concept and possibilities of human-robot love.


With the Debau Company's plans to introduce a new currency, the town of Lesko is brimming with hopes and dreams. And with Holo by his side, Lawrence has decided to open a shop. But just before he can, he is confronted by two men who bring him Col's traveling bag. A rift within the Debau Company separates Holo and Lawrence, who find themselves pulled apart yet again. What will become of the merchant and the wolf? The finale of their tale is at hand!


Abstract This study was an experimental laboratory. The aim of study was to know the site-specific retention rate and possibility of fluoride retention in saliva after tooth brushing program in primary school children. The subjects were 7 students aged 6-7 year-old, who were in the first and second year class, and had free caries. They were intervented with tooth brushing campaign with sodium monofluorophosphat paste. Subsequently they received 3 time treatments, 1); brushing teeth by following rinsing as usual as they did, 2); brushing teeth by following single rinsing, and 3) brushing teeth without rinsing. The difference of fluoride retention in saliva was analyzed with Kruskal Wallis and post-hoc Mann Whitney. The results showed that the mean concentration of fluoride retention in saliva after 10 minutes tooth-brushing with single rinsing was higher than that of concentration fluoride retention in saliva as usual ( p <0.05), while the concentration of fluoride retention increased significantly from 0.282 to 0.386 ppm ( p <0.05) after 10 minutes tooth brushing with single rinsing. Unfortunately, there was no significant difference between tooth brushing with single rinsing and tooth brushing without rinsing. As conclusion, the highest concentration of fluoride retention in saliva was after tooth brushing followed with single rinsing could be recommended for dental prevention program through school health service programs in primary school children. Key words: tooth brushing campaign, fluoride retention, saliva


Migration is the oldest action against poverty. Thus, temporary labour migration from rural to urban areas is a common phenomenon in the developing world. Since 1977, with more open economic policies, there has been a huge trend of young people migrating from rural to urban for industrial employment in Sri Lanka. Export Processing Zones (EPZ) are the main attraction for this temporary labour migration. The sample survey was conducted in Sri Lanka from February to April 2011, covering 377 respondents who have temporarily migrated from rural farm households in 20 urban factories. The paper employs Probit, Tobit analysis in an effort to examine the determinants of remittances and usage of remittances in sending communities. Results demonstrated the remittance accounts for one fifth of household income in the place of origin. The decision to remit regularly depends positively on the monthly income, number of students of the household, and negatively depends on the amount of farmland owned by the household.


As the world automotive crash safety regulations are different, it's very important to design the energy absorbing structures that satisfy different collision boundary conditions. A large number of vehicle energy absorption beams dimensions were measured and then a common thin-walled rail was chosen. Considering the complexity of automobile collision boundary, finite element analysis and experimental design, interval uncertain algorithms, Kriging approximate model, NSGA - II genetic algorithm were combined to optimize the structure of the thin-walled rail with different impact velocity and different impact angle. Then the Pareto optimal solution was obtained. Thin walled beam after optimization has good energy absorption characteristics under different collision boundary conditions. Research results provide a method for the designing of a car that meets various crash regulations at the same time.


Robin Edward Horan Analytic Cohomology on Blown-Up Twistor Space A flat twistor space is a complex 3 manifold having the property that every point of the manifold has a neighbourhood which is biholomorphic to a neighbourhood of a complex projective line in complex projective 3 space. The Penrose transform provides an isomorphism between holomorphic structures on twistor spaces and certain field equations on (Riemannian or Lorentzian) space times. The initial examples studied by Penrose were solutions to zero rest mass equations and, amongst these, the elementary states were of particular interest. These were elements of a sheaf cohomology group having a singularity on a particular complex projective line, with a codimension-2 structure similar, in some sense, to a Laurent series with a pole of finite order. In this work we extend this idea to the notion of codimension-2 poles for analytic cohomology classes on a punctured flat twistor space, by which we mean a general, compact, flat, twistor space with a finite number of non-intersecting complex, projective lines removed. We define a holomorphic line bundle on the blow-up of the compact flat twistor space along these lines and show that elements of the first cohomology group with coefficients in the line bundle, when restricted to the punctured twistor space, are cohomology classes with singularities on the removed lines which have precisely the kind of codimension 2 structure which we define as codimension-2 poles. The dimension of this cohomology group on the blown-up manifold is then calculated for the twistor space of a compact, Riemannian, hyperbolic 4-manifold. The calculation uses the Hirzebruch Riemann Roch theorem to find the holomorphic Euler characteristic of the line bundle, (in chapter 3) together with vanishing theorems. In chapter 4 we show that it is sufficient to find vanishing theorems for the compact flat twistor space. In chapter 5 we prove a number of vanishing theorems to be used. The technique uses the Penrose transform to convert the theorem to a vanishing theorem for spinor fields. These are then proved by using Penrose's Spinor calculus.


Over-expression of the c-MYC oncogene and Trp53 gene mutations are among the most common genetic alterations in human cancer and, when combined, result in highly aggressive malignant disease. Trp53 gene mutations produce over-expressed mutant TRP53 proteins that drive cancer growth through both loss of wild-type Trp53 tumor suppressor function and gain-of-function oncogenic properties. The Eμ-Myc mouse model provides a setting to study the functional interplay between c- Myc over-expression and mutant TRP53 proteins. Eμ-Myc transgenic mice carry a c-Myc transgene under the control of the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene enhancer ( Eμ ), recapitulating the chromosomal translocation underlying human Burkitt Lymphoma, and develop aggressive pre-B/B cell lymphoma with a high (~20%) spontaneous rate of Trp53 mutation.

The effect of five mouse mutant TRP53 proteins (V170M, I192S, G280, R246Q, R270H) was initially examined in three settings ( Trp53 -/-, Trp53 +/- and Trp53 +/+; Eμ-Myc) using a hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) reconstitution model. Each mutant TRP53 protein studied corresponds to a commonly re-occurring Tp53 mutation in human cancer. Retroviral over-expression enabled the comparison of mutant-specific and genotype-specific features for each mutant TRP53 protein. Mutant TRP53 expression did not accelerate lymphoma development in mice receiving Trp53 -/- or Trp53 +/- HSPCs. However, mice reconstituted with Trp53 +/- HSPCs expressing the TRP53 mutants displayed an altered tumor spectrum compared to mice reconstituted with control Trp53 +/- HSPCs. In contrast, mutant TRP53 markedly accelerated lymphoma development in mice receiving Trp53 +/+; Eμ-Myc HSPCs, highlighting a synergy between c-Myc over-expression and Trp53 mutations in neoplastic transformation. Furthermore, inducible mutant TRP53 expression demonstrated a dependency on sustained expression of mutant TRP53 in established MYC-driven lymphomas. Notably, none of the c-MYC plus mutant TRP53 driven lymphomas exhibited spontaneous endogenous Trp53 mutations.

Despite the enhanced tumorigenesis, most established lymphomas from this model displayed sensitivity to TRP53-activating drugs consistent with a weak dominant negative effect over wild-type Trp53 -induced apoptosis. Consistent with this finding, pre-malignant Trp53 +/+; Eμ-Myc primary B-cells expressing mutant TRP53 were not protected against Trp53 -induced apoptosis. Pre-malignant B-cells displayed a small increase in cell cycling and an expansion of the tumor-initiating pre/pro-B cell population. Most significantly, functional assessment of DNA damage in pre-malignant cells, using single cell gel electrophoresis (comet assay) and γ-H2AX staining, revealed increased DNA damage, suggesting an important role for defects in DNA repair during mutant TRP53-driven lymphoma development.

To investigate the nature of the dominant negative effect, mutant TRP53 protein was exogenously expressed in mouse Eµ-Myc Trp53 +/+ lymphoma cell lines. The impact of mutant TRP53 on the transcriptional function of the endogenous wild-type TRP53 protein was then studied using the TRP53-activating compound, nutlin-3a. Surprisingly, in established lymphoma cell lines, mutant TRP53 impaired nutlin-3a-induced apoptosis despite substantial induction of the critical pro-apoptotic effector, PUMA. To explore this finding further, we globally characterized the dominant negative effect, and assessed for mutant TRP53-specific transcriptional targets, by performing whole transcriptome sequence (RNAseq) analysis after treatment with nutlin-3a. Analysis of known wild-type Trp53 target genes (n=283) demonstrated that the induction of these genes as a group was repressed in the presence of the mutant TRP53 protein (ROAST test, p=6.7e-04). Remarkably, however, mutant TRP53 significantly repressed only 57% of the nutlin-3a-induced Trp53 target genes. Analysis of these strongly repressed genes highlighted the importance of several pathways, including metabolism, DNA damage repair and negative feedback loops in TRP53 signaling. This suggests a previously unrecognized selectivity of the dominant-negative-effect for certain p53 pathways that may be important in cancer initiation. Additional mutant TRP53-specific transcriptional targets were also identified and are under further investigation.

Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Abstract The Catskill Delta Complex of western New York State contains fractured Upper Devonian black shales throughout a 300 km-transect from the more distal, somewhat shallower, deposits of the western region of the state eastward to more proximal and more deeply buried deposits. Each black shale unit grades upward into organically lean grey shale and abruptly overlies another grey shale unit. Within each black shale-grey shale sequence, ENE-trending vertical joints, interpreted to be hydraulic fractures, are best developed (i.e. more closely and uniformly spaced) in the organic-rich shale. Moreover, the density of ENE joints diminishes up-section through each black shale unit, as does the total organic carbon (TOC) content. While ENE joints are less well developed outside the black shale intervals, joints that formed during the Alleghanian orogeny (NW-trending) are found throughout the Upper Devonian shale sequence. Both sets are best developed in black shales in the distal delta sequence, whereas in more proximal deposits the Alleghanian joint sets are best developed in grey shales. Moreover, the density of ENE joints within each stratigraphic level of the black shale exceeds that of Alleghanian joints at the same level, except in the deepest black shale where Alleghanian joints are locally best developed at the top of the black shale interval. The preferential jointing of black shale units in the Appalachian Plateau reflects an extended hydrocarbon generation history. In the distal delta, hydrocarbon generation began when black shale was close to or at maximum burial depth (c. 2.3 km) during the Alleghanian orogeny with the propagation of a NW joint set and continued through post-Alleghanian uplift of the Appalachian Plateau when the ENE joints propagated. In the proximal delta deposits ENE joints propagated before the onset of Alleghanian deformation suggesting that the base of the Upper Devonian section was buried to thermal maturity by progradation of the Catskill Delta Complex before the advent of Alleghanian sedimentation.


Objective: We applied self-determination theory to examine a model whereby perceived parental autonomy support directly and indirectly affects nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) through difficulties in emotion regulation. Method: 639 participants (53% female) with a mean age of 13.38 years (SD = 0.51) completed the How I Deal with Stress Questionnaire as a screener for NSSI, the Perceptions of Parents Scale, and the Difficulties in emotion Regulation Scale. Participants who indicated having ever hurt themselves on purpose without the intent to die (n = 116, 66% female) were classified in the NSSI lifetime group. Results: A mediation analysis with bootstrapping procedure revealed that adolescents who reported their parents as being less supportive of their need for autonomy were more likely to have engaged in NSSI. Further, this relationship was partially mediated by emotion regulation. Conclusion: Adolescents who do not perceive autonomy support from their parents, have more difficulties regulating their emotions, and may turn to NSSI as a means to cope. Clinical implications of the findings suggest involving the family, and specifically, targeting parental autonomy support may be beneficial when working with young adolescents who self-injure.


Differences in in vivo growth rates of Bacillus anthracis in the bodies of infected rats and guinea pigs showed the effect of innate species resistance. The effect of two levels of immunity imposed on these hosts demonstrated that, as the degree of immunity increased, the growth rate of organisms decreased and was accompanied by a decrease in terminal population. It was shown that growth rates in the blood best reflected the population growth in the entire host. Data obtained from the naturally resistant rat that had been immunized with both the Belton-Strange protective antigen and live vaccine demonstrated the role of "toxins" in terminal anthrax. The in vivo morphological changes in anthrax bacilli pointed out errors regarding estimates of true terminal population of organisms when samples for counting were taken postmortem rather than at the time of death.


Abstract:Numerous firms experience rapid changes in information needs in today's dynamic business environments. Many of the traditional systems development life-cycle (sdlc) approaches to systems design do not provide for incorporating changes to proposed designs during development of the information system. The sequential approach taken with these traditional life-cycle methodologies can lead to the failure of the information system in a volatile situation. This paper examines past sdlc approaches, proposes an approach which incorporates flexibility into the design process and provides an example illustrating the application of the proposed methodology.


There are numerous sociological and psychosocial studies, both classic and current, that have analysed the images and representations of older people and aging. If gender, intersectional and land perspectives are added, the literature consulted is only a few years old, particularly in Spanish. In addition, research based on fieldwork from virtual image banks is still scarce and recent. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the images from some free access image banks (like Freepik, Canva, Pixabay, or Storyblocks) of older people from a gender, intersectional and socio-spatial and land perspective. Methods: 150 images have been analysed following different selected criteria: 22 variables related to gender, activity, socio-spatial environment, natural space and land, among others, briefly describe the main methods or treatments applied. The key results show a stereotyped and barely diverse image of old age and aging around positive representations, with a notable absence of images related to loneliness as opposed to the presence of social relationships. A feminization has also been observed in the representations, with an imbalance in the activities that are carried out (care in the case of women and leisure in the case of men) and in the visible space (indoor among women and outdoor among men). Older people are still identified with a rural, traditional, and more defined territory and not with more diverse and ecological spaces, which are more frequently attributed to younger profiles. This evaluation contributes to linking this necessary connection of current issues and challenges to ageism, sexism and other exclusions derived from territory and socio-spatial aspects. However, more research is still needed, and, in fact, a second phase of the fieldwork is underway to broaden the sample and to expand further evaluations of images.


This research describes the electrical power generation in Malaysia by the measurement of wind velocity acting on the wind turbine technology. The primary purpose of the measurement over the 1/3 scaled prototype vertical axis wind turbine for the wind velocity is to predict the performance of full scaled H-type vertical axis wind turbine. The electrical power produced by the wind turbine is influenced by its two major part, wind power and belt power transmission system. The blade and the drag area system are used to determine the powers of the wind that can be converted into electric power as well as the belt power transmission system. In this study both wind power and belt power transmission system has been considered. A set of blade and drag devices have been designed for the 1/3 scaled wind turbine at the Thermal Laboratory of Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Industri Selangor (UNISEL). Test has been carried out on the wind turbine with the different wind velocities of 5.89m/s, 6.08m/s and 7.02m/s. From the experiment, the wind power has been calculated as 132.19 W, 145.40 W and 223.80 W. The maximum wind power is considered in the present study.


This paper asks the simple question of what matters to individuals when they buy and sell stocks. To answer this question, we surveyed all finance professors at accredited, four-year universities and colleges in the US to assess our profession's collective opinion on the matter. Our sample of 642 useable responses indicates that over two-thirds of the sample are passive investors, and not because they don't have the time to invest. The responses for all investors indicates that the traditional valuation techniques (specifically, the dividend-based valuation models) and the traditional asset-pricing models (namely the CAPM, APT, and Fama and French and Carhart models) are all unimportant in the decision of whether to buy or sell a specific stock. Instead, finance professors, particularly finance professors who trade stocks at least monthly and who admit they are trying to "beat the market" with their investment dollars, believe that firm characteristics (especially, a firm's PE ratio and market capitalization), along with momentum related information (a firm's returns over the past six months and year and a firms' 52-week low and high) are most important when considering a stock sale and purchase. We also show that finance professors have less investing experience than one might expect, especially in the areas of margin trading, short selling, and derivatives.


The reproductive capacity of coral communities in the Mexican Pacific is still poorly documented. One of the most abundant coral communities in this region is found in Banderas Bay, yet the reproductive patterns of the coral species have not been analyzed. In order to document the annual reproductive cycle of the three most common species of corals in the bay, samples of Pocillopora damicornis, Porites panamensis, and Pavona gigantea were collected monthly from Redonda Island from December 2001 to November 2002. Colony fragments were processed by histological techniques and analyzed under a microscope. The three species showed the presence of gametes, which was associated with an increase in sea surface temperature. Gametogenesis was first observed in P. damicornis, classified as hermaphrodite. In P. panamensis, reproductive cells were observed in May 2002, and embryos and planulae in September 2002; this species was classified as gonochoric, showing internal fertilization and a distinct reproductive behavior compared with that reported for other areas of the eastern tropical Pacific. In P. gigantea, gametogenesis started later and occurred over a short period of time; this species was classified as gonochoric and no mature gametes were evident. All three species showed reproductive potential during the summer, confirming the reproductive capacity documented for these species in adjoining areas of the Mexican Pacific. The intensity and duration of the reproductive cycle in Banderas Bay are likely regulated by periodic events like El Nino and microscale climate oscillations that modulate temperature and light patterns in the area.


The metabolism of a number of compounds by the cytochrome P-450 subfamily CYP3A does not exhibit classic Michaelis-Menten kinetics but displays a sigmoidal rate-substrate concentration relationship. Intrinsic clearance (CLint) cannot be calculated for these drugs due to the lack of a first order region in their kinetic profiles, and a suitable parameter has yet to be identified to allow such data to be scaled to predict in vivo clearance. As sigmoidal kinetics have only been observed with microsomal systems, we have investigated whether this behavior is demonstrable in freshly isolated hepatocytes. We have also evaluated the term maximum clearance (CLmax), which refers to the in vitro clearance when the enzyme is fully activated, to predict in vivo clearance. To these ends we have studied the metabolism of dextromethorphan to methoxymorphinan and dextrorphan; methoxymorphinan production is best described by sigmoidal kinetics in both hepatocytes and microsomes, dextrorphan production is best described by a two site Michaelis-Menten model in microsomes but is sigmoidal in hepatocytes. Total clearance, estimated from the CLmax and CLint terms, was scaled to give mean predictions of 127 to 319 ml/min/standard rat weight of 250 g. In vivo CLint, determined after infusion via the hepatic portal vein to steady state and correcting for plasma protein binding and blood-to-plasma concentration ratio, was 259 +/- 59.2 ml/min/standard rat weight of 250 g. These investigations show that sigmoidal kinetics is not unique to microsomes and that CLmax is a useful parameter for scaling to the in vivo situation.


The quality of air is determined by the extent of atmospheric pollution. The USEPA identifies six criteria pollutants namely particulate matter (PM), ground level ozone, carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and lead exposure as toxic and injurious to human health. Thus, there is a need to examine ambient air quality and incidence of selected diseases in Lagos, Nigeria. The data for the study include a five-year sampling on criteria pollutants and data on selected airborne diseases that were collected for the same period of time. Data analysis adopted the use of multiple regression for examining the relationship between ambient criteria pollutants and the occurrence of diseases. GIS procedure was also employed to produce a map showing the spatial pattern of criteria pollutants. The findings reveal an R2 of 19.8, 13.9, 8.9, 8.4 and 16.8 percent respectively for asthma, bronchitis, heart failure, lung cancer and tuberculosis. The results show a low level of association and this was attributed to other causal factors responsible for the occurrence of the selected diseases. However, this study provides evidence of an association between outdoor air pollution and increased risk from these diseases. Therefore, the study recommends that governments, and other stakeholders in health sectors should harmonize efforts, resources and ideas towards effective planning, monitoring, policy implementation and provision of facilities that could control and ameliorate the presence of pollutants to which urban residents are exposed thereby reducing the health effects from such exposures.


An important debate in current research and policy focuses on the role of urban residential segregation on the social mobility of immigrants. Much focus has been on 'neighbourhood effects' and on how spatial variations within the city affect individual careers. This paper adds the analysis of variations of labour market incorporation between cities. The labour market careers of one migrant cohort to Sweden are analysed, where the analysis of 'neighbourhood effects' and 'city effects' are studied jointly, using a longitudinal database and discrete-time event history analysis. The results show that labour market participation increases slowly over time and there are large variations due to migrant origin, gender and education. Both 'neighbourhood effects' and 'city effects' were significant, but whereas the former decreased over time, the 'city effect' was robust. Accordingly, contextual aspects of the individual city need to be included in the analysis of neighbourhood effects.


Advance directives (ads) provide people with the opportunity to express their wishes about treatment preferences prior to becoming incapacitated. While the normative logic behind ads remain straightforward, as instruments of law they are not always effective because of questions about their validity and applicability. It is on this basis that this article attempts to resolve the legal intricacies on ads refusing treatment prior to becoming incapacitated. The author advances a thesis in support of a modification of an approach known as supported decision-making to facilitate people in making ads. This approach pre-empts most of the doubts about an ad's validity. The argument is founded on the presumption that an ad made using the supported decision-making approach provides a higher degree of assurance about the circumstances surrounding the making of ads, rendering it more likely to be binding on healthcare professionals.


The problems of modeling of the phenomena concerning the polymers flow in processing tools channels have been examined from the point of view of possibility of modeling results reference to the actual subjects i.e. theoryof probability requirements keeping. Special attention has been paid to rheological and thermal processes and to criteria numbers used to their similarity defining. Among these numbers the following have been characterized: Reynolds's, Weber's, Grashoff's, Fourier's, Peclet's, Prandtl's, Nusselt's, Graetz's, Brinkman's and Biot's ones. It seems to be useful to attempt to determine the values of criteria numbers in relation to polymers processing. This way the proper planning and carrying out the model experiments can be easier.


Abstract Since self-heating effect may significantly intensify structural degradation, it is essential to investigate its criticality, i.e. the temperature value at which fatigue fracture is initiated. In this paper, a new and sensitive criticality indicator based on evaluation of evolution of surface temperature distribution was proposed and experimentally validated. It was shown that comparing to other measurement techniques the presented approach allows for precise evaluation of the critical value of the self-heating temperature. The properly determined critical value may be helpful both during design and operation of elements made of polymers and polymeric composite.


This paper reports the findings of three studies within a program of research designed to better understand the factors contributing to the academic achievement of students in online courses and the contributions of interaction to online learning. The first study compared the academic achievement of students in the online and face-to-face (F2F) sections of multiple courses. In the second study, an online survey was used to obtain student perceptions of course satisfaction, learning, and communication. These factors were then related, using binary logistic regression analysis, to the amount of interaction that occurred in the students' respective online courses; information from the myCourses course management system was used to quantify the amount of interaction that occurred in online courses. In the final study, both datasets were used to examine the academic achievement of students in online courses based upon the amount of interaction that had actually occurred. Whenever possible, a subgroup of deaf and hard-of-hearing students was included in the study to increase our understanding of the role that communication plays in the teaching-learning process. Our findings indicate that students enrolled in online courses, especially those designed with high levels of online interaction, receive higher grades and report greater learning than students in comparable F2F courses. In addition, online courses appear to provide deaf and hard-of-hearing students with special benefits in terms of academic achievement through online discussion. Overall, the studies illuminate how the quantity of interaction in online discussions relates to important success factors. Students in online courses with more interaction outperformed students in online courses with less interaction.


Hot weather causes heat stress in dairy humans. Although effects are more severe in hot climates, dairy cattle in areas with relatively moderate climates also are exposed to periods of heat stress. The objective of the study was to determine the thermal comfort or discomfort of people to the prevailing environmental conditions particularly temperature and relative humidity during the various seasons of the year at Djibouti in terms of thermal discomfort index (DI). The DI was calculated from Thom's formula.
The area of study is Djibouti, a small and hot country in the east of Africa. The data for the calculation have been taken from the readings of airt emperature and relative humidity throughout a period of 29 years (1985-2014) in the Djibouti Aerodrome station, Randa, Obock and Ali-Sabieh. A mass curve method was used for consistency and homogeneity of the data and for missing data, arithmetic methods was used.
The main objective in this study is to make assessment on stress caused by temperature and humidity in order to establish the withal of Djibouti's comfort levels during the various seasons of the year which can be useful in evaluating human discomfort and apply the index on a national level to determine which months possess the most extreme values. Thom's Table of DI Ranges was used to determine the percentage of the population of Djibouti suffering from discomfort or otherwise. Times series analysis was done to determine the daily and seasonal discomfort level of the population.
This study found that less than 50% of the population experienced the sense of discomfort during January February March April October November and December in the morning time and more than 50% of in the afternoon. But more than 50% of the population suffered from discomfort during May June July August and September in the morning time and almost all the population in the afternoon. The discomfort indices greater than 30 or 32 (indicating 100% of the population feeling discomfort or the condition of medical emergency, respectively) were not attained in Djibouti.


This work is conceived inside an economic and political framework. In particular this study examines the impact of interventions promoted by some international organizations, representatives of the European Union, like the EIB the main international financial institution in the Western Balkans regarding the volume of activity, that today is of about 6 billion Euros in a country, as Albania, that have all the required characteristics to be recognized thanks to the many social and political transformations that lasted for about two decades as a civilized and democratic country. The starting point of this analysis is quite different if not opposite to the most common ideas concerning the non-admission of Albania in the European Union. In fact we will face the determinants that hamper the entry in the EU. Our question is: Why the "Land of the Eagles" is not yet a member of the EU 27 despite the existence of a number of programs and proposed funding already allocated and in favor of it? The answer could lies in the lack of development of a civil society: although these issues concerning the Western Balkans could be date back to the '90s now, these have assumed a new dimension. Inside the Enlargement Strategy of the 2007, the European Commission has in fact identified the development of a civil society as one of the key reform priorities for the future access of these countries. From this background the objective of this work is to show, following an assessment of the trends of poverty proposed by the Living Standards Measurement Living (LSML) in Albania for the period 20022008, the absence of a link between exclusion from the EU and the economic situation of a country that, among others, has made in recent years significant progress towards certain requirements crucial to proceed in the path of European integration.


Previous studies have indicated that brain angiotensin II (ANG II) in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) may play an important role in the maintenance of hypertension. Preventing the synthesis of ANG II leads to a reduction in blood pressure and, therefore, brain ANG II levels in the SHR should be higher or have increased turnover than in the Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rat. To investigate this issue we have dissected discrete areas of the brain from SHR and WKY and extracted, purified and quantified brain ANG II. Significantly higher levels were found in the hypothalamus, striatum, cortex and cerebellum in SHR compared to WKY. The new converting enzyme inhibitor, ramiprilat, injected centrally lowered blood pressure by synthesis inhibition but measurements of brain ANG II after ramiprilat did not indicate increased turnover. Further analysis of the peptide fragments needs to be done before turnover rates can be fully understood.


The 2013 Special Issue of International Journal of Production Research discusses the research work on concurrent planning and scheduling. The aim of distributed scheduling is to enhance system reliability and utilization of resources through effective allocation of processes and collaboration between jobs in a supply chain. Lim and Tan in their paper introduce the use of a multi-agent system to achieve this operational efficiency through optimizing resource utilization within multi-site production facilities. Zhou and co-researchers study the benefit of original equipment manufacturers (OEM) from the decentralized control mode under which they ignore the internal cannibalization rather than the re-manufacturing option. Wang, Cheng, and Lin discuss the challenges of a decentralized manufacturing system such as how to achieve global optimization in decentralization systems, how to specify the dynamic behavior of autonomous agents, and how to embrace learning and self-adaptive capabilities, etc.


The spatial distribution of hydromorphic soils across the landscape affects soil survey, broad-scale wetland identification, and ecological studies. The change from upland to wetland is frequently difficult to delineate because it often occurs along a gradual continuum. We have developed a color index, the Profile Darkness Index (PDI), to assist in making these delineations. The PDI is well correlated with the duration of saturated and reducing conditions in specific Mollisol catenas in humid regions of the north-central USA. The objective of this research was to use soil-landscape modeling techniques to relate the variation of PDI to terrain attributes that describe the flow and accumulation of water on hillslopes. Regression models that quantify the relationships between terrain attributes and PDI on a hillslope in west-central Minnesota indicate that variability in slope gradient, profile curvature, and elevation above local depression explained up to 65% of the variability in PDI. These models may be used to estimate the areal extent of hydromorphic soils using terrain attributes derived from a high-resolution (10-m resolution) digital elevation model and to quantify relationships between spatial variability of terrain attributes and of PDI. Knowledge of the terrain attributes that are statistically important according to these models, and their relative effects on PDI (e.g., as slope gradient decreases, PDI increases) may be applied to field-scale delineations of hydric soils.


Arthroplasty surgery has become one of the most efficient procedures to restore joint function. However, implant failure due to bone loss is a major complication of joint replacement, with severe consequences both for the individual patient and for health-care systems. Peri-prosthetic loosening without concurrent infection or trauma is called aseptic loosening. It is estimated that up to 20% of all prosthetic implants will induce aseptic osteolysis, generally leading to implant loosening and surgical revision (1).


Summary

Cultivars of several cool-season grasses used in forage and turf applications are developed to contain low (E−) or high (E+) seed fungal endophyte presence, and these characteristics may influence their competitive ability and effects on communities.
We established a long-term field experiment to test the predictions that Schedonorus arundinaceus (SA) tall fescue forage cultivars differ in their effects on communities from turf cultivars and that E+ cultivars differ in their effects on communities from E− cultivars. Two of the three E+ turf cultivars were low endophyte, and turf cultivars were therefore defined as 'E+ history' and 'E− history'.
Forage (E−) plots contained more SA than turf (E− history) plots and differed in community structure and function from turf (E− history) plots. Cultivar identity also influenced community structure and function in pairwise comparisons between forage (E−) and turf (E− history) plots.
Within the forage cultivars, E+ plots contained more SA and were marginally less dominated by other grasses than E− plots, but these differences were not consistent in comparisons between specific E+ and E− forage cultivars. Moreover, E+ and E− forage plots were similar in other aspects of community structure and function, indicating that a cultivar's endophyte status does not consistently determine its effects.
Despite low endophyte presence in two of three cultivars, E+ history turf plots differed in measures of composition, structure and nutrient cycling from E− history turf plots, indicating that there are genetic differences between E+ and E− cultivars which can influence their effects on communities.
Synthesis and applications. Schedonorus arundinaceus cultivars vary in their competitive ability and effects on communities, and this variation may be explained by the application for which the cultivars were developed, their endophyte status and genetic differences among cultivars within application categories. We recommend preferentially selecting cultivars developed for turf applications and cultivars with low seed endophyte presence to minimize negative effects of seeding a non-native grass on communities. However, final selections should be based on common trial performances because genetic differences between cultivars will affect their performance independently of their application category and endophyte status.


Abstract Profitability of using alternative protein sources in broiler feed is investigated through the development of a two-stage mathematical program that optimizes broiler production. A case study of peanut meal vs. soybean meal is examined. Value of marginal product concepts incorporated in this model permit analysis of demand adjustments before decisions on the production process occur. Given reported input and output prices, results indicate that soybean meal is generally more profitable than peanut meal. Peanut meal can be more profitable at higher dietary protein levels fed to broilers processed into whole carcass or at relatively higher prices for soybean meal.


The concept of building a network of relationships between entities, a knowledge graph, is one of the most effective methods to understand the relations between data. By organizing data, we facilitate the discovery of complex patterns not otherwise evident in the raw data.
 Each datum at the nodes of a knowledge graph needs a persistent identifier (PID) to reference it unambiguously. In the biodiversity knowledge graph, people are key elements (Page 2016). They collect and identify specimens, they publish, observe, work with each other and they name organisms. Yet biodiversity informatics has been slow to adopt PIDs for people and people are currently represented in collection management systems as text strings in various formats. These text strings often do not separate individuals within a collecting team and little biographical information is collected to disambiguate collectors.
 In March 2019 we organised an international workshop to find solutions to the problem of PIDs for people in collections with the aim of identifying people unambiguously across the world's natural history collections in all of their various roles. Stakeholders were represented from 11 countries, representing libraries, collections, publishers, developers and name registers.
 We want to identify people for many reasons. Cross-validation of information about a specimen with biographical information on the specimen can be used to clean data. Mapping specimens from individual collectors across multiple herbaria can geolocate specimens accurately. By linking literature to specimens through their authors and collectors we can create collaboration networks leading to a much better understanding of the scientific contribution of collectors and their institutions. For taxonomists, it will be easier to identify nomenclatural type and syntype material, essential for reliable typification. Overall, it will mean that geographically dispersed specimens can be treated much more like a single distributed infrastructure of specimens as is envisaged in the European Distributed Systems of Scientific Collections Infrastructure (DiSSCo).
 There are several person identifier systems in use. For example, the Virtual International Authority File (VIAF) is a widely used system for published authors. The International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI), has broader scope and incorporates VIAF. The ORCID identifier system provides self-registration of living researchers. Also, Wikidata has identifiers of people, which have the advantage of being easy to add to and correct. There are also national systems, such as the French and German authority files, and considerable sharing of identifiers, particularly on Wikidata. This creates an integrated network of identifiers that could act as a brokerage system. Attendees agreed that no one identifier system should be recommended, however, some are more appropriate for particular circumstances.
 Some difficulties have still to be resolved to use those identifier schemes for biodiversity : 1) duplicate entries in the same identifier system; 2) handling collector teams and preserving the order of collectors; 3) how we integrate identifiers with standards such as Darwin Core, ABCD and in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility; and 4) many living and dead collectors are only known from their specimens and so they may not pass notability standards required by many authority systems.
 The participants of the workshop are now working on a number of fronts to make progress on the adoption of PIDs for people in collections. This includes extending pilots that have already been trialed, working with identifier systems to make them more suitable for specimen collectors and talking to service providers to encourage them to use ORCID iDs to identify their users. It was concluded that resolving the problem of person identifiers for collections is largely not a lack of a solution, but a need to implement solutions that already exist.


Purpose - – This research paper aims to examine how organized criminals rescript their identities to engage with entrepreneurship discourse when authoring their biographies. From a sociological perspective, stereotypes and social constructs of the entrepreneur and the criminal are subjects of recurring interest. Yet, despite the prevalence of the stereotype of the entrepreneur as a hero-figure in the entrepreneurship literature and the conflation of the entrepreneur with the stereotype of the businessman, notions of entrepreneurial identity are not fixed with constructions of the entrepreneur as a rascal, rogue or villain being accepted as alternative social constructs. Design/methodology/approach - – The qualitative approaches of "biographical analysis" and "close reading" adopted help us draw out discursive strategies. Findings - – The main finding is that a particular genre of criminal biographies can be re-read as entrepreneur stories. The theme of nuanced entrepreneurial identities and in particular gangster discourse is under researched. In this study, by conducting a close reading of contemporary biographies of British criminals, the paper encounters self-representations of criminals who seek to author an alternative and more appealing social identity as entrepreneurs. That this re-scripting of personal biographies to make gangster stories conform to the genre of entrepreneur stories is of particular interest. Research limitations/implications - – This study points to similarities and differences between criminal and entrepreneurial biographies. It also presents sociological insights into an alternative version of entrepreneurial identity and sociological constructions of the criminal as entrepreneur. Practical implications - – This research provides an insight into how criminals seek to legitimise their life-stories. Originality/value - – This research paper is of value in that it is the first to consider contemporary biographies of British criminals as entrepreneurship discourse. Understanding how criminal biographies and entrepreneur stories share similar socially constructed themes, storylines and epistemologies contribute to the development of entrepreneurship and sociological research by examining entrepreneurship in an unusual social setting.


This paper presents Checklist, a system for private blocklist lookups. In Checklist, a client can determine whether a particular string appears on a server-held blocklist of strings, without leaking its string to the server. Checklist is the first blocklist-lookup system that (1) leaks no information about the client's string to the server, (2) does not require the client to store the blocklist in its entirety, and (3) allows the server to respond to the client's query in time sublinear in the blocklist size. To make this possible, we construct a new two-server private-information-retrieval protocol that is both asymptotically and concretely faster, in terms of server-side time, than those of prior work. We evaluate Checklist in the context of Google's "Safe Browsing" blocklist, which all major browsers use to prevent web clients from visiting malware-hosting URLs. Today, lookups to this blocklist leak partial hashes of a subset of clients' visited URLs to Google's servers. We have modified Firefox to perform Safe-Browsing blocklist lookups via Checklist servers, which eliminates the leakage of partial URL hashes from the Firefox client to the blocklist servers. This privacy gain comes at the cost of increasing communication by a factor of 3.3×, and the server-side compute costs by 9.8×. Checklist reduces end-to-end server-side costs by 6.7×, compared to what would be possible with prior state-of-the-art two-server private information retrieval.