A structure model for the Ge(111)-Au(3 A— 3) R30°surface reconstruction is proposed based on scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and photoelectron spectroscopy on the Ge 3d and Au 4f core lines. The basic unit is a Au3Ge molecule binding in one-third of the T1 substrate sites with a gold trimer pointing out of the surface. This leaves two-thirds of a monolayer of unoccupied T1 sites which make up a hexagonal honeycomb pattern. Two types of STM images have been obtained which are explained within this model, where either the trimers or the substrate Ge atoms are probed depending on the specific tip conditions in combination with the sample bias voltage. Furthermore, small insets of a metallic (1A—1) structure are found at low gold coverage together with a distorted (2A—2) surface structure. © 1994 The American Physical Society.


Abstract Purpose The sense of vision plays a dominant role in entering a romantic partnership. However, the romantic experiences of individuals with visual impairment have received scant research attention. The study aimed to describe the lived romantic experiences of young adults with visual impairment from various cultural backgrounds and to understand the implications of these experiences on their psychological wellbeing. Method The study was conducted in the Israeli multicultural society. We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 24 Jewish and Arab adults (aged 18-40 years) with visual impairment about their romantic experiences and the meanings they attribute to these experiences. We used an inductive thematic analysis. Results Singlehood seemed to be a distressing situation for the Muslim female participants compared to the Jewish participants. Having a romantic partner contributed to the participants' self-acceptance and psychological well-being, especially for Muslim individuals. Conclusions The findings demonstrate the intersection of lifelong disability, gender, and culture in the context of romantic relationships. The findings also highlight the need to support the romantic opportunities and experiences of young individuals with visual impairment, especially those from Arab society. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Young adults with visual impairment often face physical and social barriers in entering and maintaining a romantic relationship. Having a romantic partner contributes to the self-acceptance and psychological wellbeing of young adults with visual impairment. Rehabilitation practitioners should take into consideration personal and environmental factors, such as gender and cultural background, when providing support in a romantic and intimate relationship, for individuals with lifelong disabilities. Rehabilitation practitioners should also engage family members, especially from religious families, to support their relatives with visual impairment in developing a romantic relationship.


A private retreat, a place to welcome friends and neighbors, a showcase for our most treasured possessions and memories -- each person's home is as different and unique as they themselves are. We live in and through the space we call our home; it is a space that defines and expands our sense of self, of who we are and of the world around us. In the revolutionary home design manual Zona Home: Essential Designs for Living, world-renowned interior expert Louis Sagar, using his decades of experience as one of the most innovative and influential lifestyle retailers in the world, reveals the best ways to create the ideal living environment and provides a creative interpretation of how the natural and sensorial world can be brought into the home. Rather than viewing the home as just a place to hang your hat or to sleep off the stresses of the day, Zona Home offers suggestions for turning your abode into a vibrant, vital space that provides a comfortable haven from the trials of the outside world. Over 200 beautiful full-color photographs compliment a text woven from Sagar's reflections, anecdotes from Zona's history, and abundant practical information, providing a fantastic sense of the myriad possibilities for designing a home based on the inimitable style created by personal experience. The book is divided into four sections, which cover everything from conceptualizing your ideal home to fulfilling the real needs of your current living space. Feeling at Home: Key concepts of the basic Zona philosophy ("Creating a Sense of Welcome" and "Bringing the Garden Inside," for instance) and describes the principles of comfort that will determine the kind of home you want to make. Learing to See: How to develop personal style with the help of natural materials and a deeper understanding of your home's architectural environment. Hitting the Road: An introduction to new sources for collectibles, and a stirring evocation of travel's importance as an inspiration for your homes evolving decor. These sections are packed with honest, helpful features relating to all stages of home development, including "A Checklist to Plan for Your Ideal Home," "Making Visual Potpourri," "Decorating Your Walls," "Building Collections" and "At Home with Technology," that offer concrete solutions to hard-to-solve problems such as what to do with "too much stuff." Sagar shares many of his trade secrets, acquaints readers first-hand with the numerous domestic and international craftspeople that Zona works with to create its definitive aesthetic, and provides a core list of titles that no home should be without. Throughout his career Sagat has bucked short-lived trends and emphasized quality, hand-crafted pieces and natural materials and the importance of the natural, textural, sensorial in the creation of a successful living space. From buying at antique shows to using rock salt and peppercorns as decorative elements, Zona Home contains unique, useful information that everyone can use.


Turning a home into a seamlessly integrated, yet secure environment, without excessive cost, presents a number of challenges. This paper attempts to draw various solutions together. What must be done for security, can also be exploited in making configuration less tedious. The home environment is augmented by low-cost invisible computers that let everyday objects communicate and integrate. Embedded XML web services are used as a generic substrate for exchanging information between all classes of devices: simple light switches to complex personal computers. Solid cryptography and a touch based trust establishment protocol allow setting up a secure home completely independently. Finally the human interaction context history is used to heuristically determine how the different devices should interact.


This book, by the authors of the Neural Network Toolbox for MATLAB, provides a clear and detailed coverage of fundamental neural network architectures and learning rules. In it, the authors emphasize a coherent presentation of the principal neural networks, methods for training them and their applications to practical problems. Features Extensive coverage of training methods for both feedforward networks (including multilayer and radial basis networks) and recurrent networks. In addition to conjugate gradient and Levenberg-Marquardt variations of the backpropagation algorithm, the text also covers Bayesian regularization and early stopping, which ensure the generalization ability of trained networks. Associative and competitive networks, including feature maps and learning vector quantization, are explained with simple building blocks. A chapter of practical training tips for function approximation, pattern recognition, clustering and prediction, along with five chapters presenting detailed real-world case studies. Detailed examples and numerous solved problems. Slides and comprehensive demonstration software can be downloaded from hagan.okstate.edu/nnd.html.


The Boco prospect is a large, fault dismembered, pipelike, hydrothermally altered zone in the Mount Read Volcanics of western Tasmania. It is a synvolcanic alteration zone hosted by felsic volcanic rocks formed in a subaqueous proximal intracaldera setting. Previous detailed geochemical and geophysical surveys and extensive drill testing have indicated it contains no economic metals. The strong to intense, pervasively quartz + phyllosilicate + pyrite-altered northern segment of the prospect is semiconcentrically zoned. Short wavelength infrared (SWIR) spectral analysis has revealed that phyllosilicate assemblages grade from phengitic white mica in the least altered peripheries, through normal potassic white mica, to central zones containing kaolinite, slightly sodic white mica, and pyrophyllite. Mass balance calculations indicate average net mass losses in the altered facies were about 10 to 30 g/100 g, mainly owing to loss of SiO2, which implies very high hydrothermal water-rock ratios. Whole-rock oxygen isotope compositions of the enclosing least altered felsic rocks (δ18O values 8.2–11.7‰) are indistinguishable from those of altered facies (9.6–11.8‰). We attribute the former to low-temperature diagenetic isotopic exchange with 0 per mil δ18O seawater in the peripheral least-altered zones, and the latter to exchange with 3 to 6 per mil δ18O hydrothermal fluids at high water/rock ratios and temperatures generally greater than 220°C, and locally greater than 270°C, in the intensely altered facies. Pyrite sulfur isotope compositions in the Boco altered facies (δ34S values 1.2–7.2‰) are distinctly lower than most Tasmanian massive sulfide deposits (6–15‰), compatible with a dominantly magmatic source of sulfur. The alteration mineral assemblages, estimated mass changes, and isotopic data show that the Boco alteration system was formed by a large volume of focused acidic hydrothermal fluid which had an oxygen isotope composition of 3 to 6 per mil δ18O at and temperature greater than 270°C. The slightly 18O-enriched fluid isotope composition suggests derivation from either mixed magmatic fluid and seawater or isotopically evolved sea water. Its advanced argillic altered facies place Boco among a newly recognized class of southeast Australian Cambrian volcanic-hosted prospects and deposits. These include Chester, Basin Lake, Western Tharsis, and North Lyell in Tasmania, and Rhyolite Creek, Hill 800, and Mike's Bluff in eastern Victoria. SWIR spectral analyses with field-portable spectrometers allow early discrimination of this type of hydrothermally altered system, and can potentially assist subsequent exploration in mapping facies zonation.


Abstract The designation "thrombolite" was proposed by Aitken for "cryptalgal structures related to stromatolites, but lacking lamination and characterized by a macroscopic clotted fabric." In that same paper, he referred to the characteristic mesostructural elements as clots. Since publication of that paper, there have been several attempts at redefinition that have further complicated our understanding of, and communication about, thrombolites. A distinction must be made between the thrombolite column and the mesostructural clots (mesoclots) that comprise it. Poorly preserved thrombolite columns have only vague mesoclots recognizable, thus leading to confusion. This is particularly true if the columns, themselves, are complex and comprise larger thrombolite bioherms or biostromes. Mesoclots are generally polymorphic mm- to cm-sized objects whereas columns, which may also be polymorphic, are one to several orders of magnitude larger. In order for there to be clear communication among microbialite paleontologists and sedimentologists, a standard guideline for mega-, macro-, meso-, and microstructural studies of thrombolites should be followed.


Xanthogranulomas are the most common form of non-Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Both adult and childhood forms have been described. Adult cutaneous forms can present as solitary or multiple yellowish, orange-red or tan-hued papules. Herein, we present the case of a 28-year-old Chinese man with a skin-coloured nodule on his left nasal ala that persisted for several months. While initial impression was that of a fibrous papule of the nose, the results of an excision biopsy showed histological features corresponding to xanthogranuloma. This case demonstrates the condition's myriad of dermatological presentations, and adds to the differential diagnoses of a cutaneous lesion found in the head and neck region.


Abstract Enhanced parenting programs aim to meet broader family needs. Past research shows mixed effects for standard programs across differing family characteristics. We evaluate pre- to post-intervention improvements for fathers (n = 115) and mothers (n = 223) of children aged 3 to 12 years with externalizing behaviors who participated in an 8-week mindfulness- and imagery-enhanced behavioral parenting group program. Parents reported high acceptability and significant pre- to post-intervention improvements, with large effect sizes, in parent well-being, parenting approach, mindful parenting, and child behavior. Fathers attended the same number of sessions as mothers and demonstrated similar improvements. Blending imagery and mindfulness with behavioral skills appears helpful, including for fathers.


Abstract α -Crystallin, a member of small heat shock protein (sHsp) family, is comprised of α A and α B subunits and acts as a molecular chaperone by interacting with unfolding proteins to prevent their aggregation. The α Acrystallin homopolymer consists of 30-40 subunits that are undergoing dynamic exchange. α -Crystallin and α A-crystallin are poorer chaperones in the presence of the crowding agent, dextran. Using fluorescence resonance energy transfer, it is shown that the α Acrystallin subunit exchange rate strongly increased with temperature. Binding of reduced ovotransferrin to α A-crystallin markedly decreases the rate of subunit exchange, as does the presence of dextran. In addition, in the presence of dextran the effect of reduced ovotransferrin on decreasing the rate of subunit exchange of α A-crystallin is stronger than in the absence of dextran. Under the conditions of molecular crowding, the α A-crystallin subunit exchange rate is not temperature-dependent. The exchange rate of α A-crystallin subunits correlates with its chaperone efficiency i.e. the variation in chaperone ability of α A-crystallin increases with temperature. However, in the presence of dextran the temperature dependence of the chaperone action of α A-crystallin is eliminated. Abstract: α -Crystallin, a member of small heat shock protein (sHsp) family, is comprised of α A and α B subunits and acts as a molecular chaperone by interacting with unfolding proteins to prevent their aggregation. The α A-crystallin homopolymer consists of 30-40 subunits that are undergoing dynamic exchange. α -Crystallin and α A-crystallin are poorer chaperones in the presence of the crowding agent, dextran. Using fluorescence resonance energy transfer, it is shown that the α Acrystallin subunit exchange rate strongly increased with temperature. Binding of reduced ovotransferrin to α A-crystallin markedly decreases the rate of subunit exchange, as does the presence of dextran. In addition, in the presence of dextran the effect of reduced ovotransferrin on decreasing the rate of subunit exchange of α A-crystallin is stronger than in the absence of dextran. Under the conditions of molecular crowding, the α A-crystallin subunit exchange rate is not temperature-dependent. The exchange rate of α A-crystallin subunits correlates with its chaperone efficiency i.e. the variation in chaperone ability of α A-crystallin increases with temperature. However, in the presence of dextran the temperature dependence of the chaperone action of α A-crystallin is eliminated.


This study aims at analyzing how far the discrepancy happened between the ideal implementation of authentic assessment based on Curriculum 2013 and the real implementation at SMA in Bali. This study used mix-methods approach. The subjects in this study were English teachers of SMA in Bali while the objects were the discrepancy of authentic assessments' implementation in Curriculum 2013. The data in this study was collected by implementing some methods such as observation and administering questionnaires by using instruments such as observation sheet and questionnaires. Then, the data was analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The results show that in general, the discrepancy happened at moderate and high category at the implementation of self assessments, performance assessments, project assessments, and portfolio assessments in class X, XI, and XII at English subject matter. It can be concluded that discrepancy of authentic assessments' implementation happened during English subject matter in the implementation of K-13.


In this paper, we propose E-STAR for establishing stable and reliable routes in heterogeneous multihop wireless networks. E-STAR combines payment and trust systems with a trust-based and energy-aware routing protocol. The payment system rewards the nodes that relay others' packets and charges those that send packets. The trust system evaluates the nodes' competence and reliability in relaying packets in terms of multi-dimensional trust values. The trust values are attached to the nodes' public-key certificates to be used in making routing decisions. We develop two routing protocols to direct traffic through those highly-trusted nodes having sufficient energy to minimize the probability of breaking the route. By this way, E-STAR can stimulate the nodes not only to relay packets, but also to maintain route stability and report correct battery energy capability. This is because any loss of trust will result in loss of future earnings. Moreover, for the efficient implementation of the trust system, the trust values are computed by processing the payment receipts. Analytical results demonstrate that E-STAR can secure the payment and trust calculation without false accusations. Simulation results demonstrate that our routing protocols can improve the packet delivery ratio and route stability.


Foundational RBV work suggests that firms possess capabilities that represent strengths and others that represent weaknesses. In contrast, contemporary research has examined capability strengths while largely ignoring weaknesses. Addressing this oversight, we examine the direct and integrated effects of sets of capability strengths and capability weaknesses on competitive advantage and its empirical correlate — relative performance. Additionally, we explore how environmental and firm-specific factors influence change in these drivers of competitive advantage over time. Results suggest that weakness sets have a negative effect on relative performance, while strength sets have an increasingly positive effect. The integrative effects of strength and weakness sets affect relative performance in a complex manner. For example, while high strength/low weakness firms perform at high levels, firms integrating high strength with high weakness per- form well, but experience considerably more variance in their realized outcomes. Lastly, we find that the strength and weakness sets change significantly over time in markets where competition is more intense, thereby undermining the durability of competitive advantage. Our theory and results indicate that achieving temporary advantage is more difficult than previously thought and that the erosion of advantage occurs routinely as a result of dynamic and interactive rivalry.


The cavity magnetron was invented in Birmingham University and developed by the GEC for centimetric radar in World War II. Its existence was kept secret, and its deployment was delayed, in the belief that as soon as it was used the enemy would be able to adopt the technique both in radar and in countermeasures. The H2S radar using the cavity magnetron was first used in January 1943, and a Stirling bomber with H2S crashed a few nights later near Rotterdam. The radar equipment was recovered almost intact by Telefunken engineers. The author of a German report on the equipment, Otto Hachenberg, subsequently became a colleague of the present author in radio astronomy. He died in 2001 and his report of May 1943 was discovered among his papers. It reveals that the principle of the cavity magnetron was already well known in Germany, based on work published in Leningrad in 1936. The most serious effect of the delay in deployment of the magnetron in centimetric radar was in the anti–U–boat campaign, in which the new centimetric radar became the main contributor to the successful end of the Battle of the Atlantic.


Using admission lotteries and registry data linking labor market outcomes, we study the effect of a vocational training program focused on disadvantaged individuals in Brazil. The intensive program is an 18-month classroom training coupled with a 6-month on-the-job training provided by government-sponsored training centers. When assessing the impacts on 15,000 winners and 200,000 nonwinners who graduated in different business cycle moments, we show that female students fare better than their male counterparts. Results are driven by courses in services and those located in faster-growing local labor markets. Investigating outcomes beyond employment and earnings, we do not find an impact on entrepreneurship or university admission.


A Reed-Solomon coded type-1 hybrid ARQ scheme based on a selective-repeat (SR) ARQ with multicopy retransmission is proposed for mobile/personal satellite communication systems of a transmitter and a receiver both with finite buffer. The performance of the proposed scheme on fading channels is analyzed. The basic idea of the strategy is the use of two modes; the SR mode and the multicopy mode. In the latter mode, erroneous blocks stored in the /spl nu/N block transmitter buffer are alternatively retransmitted multiple times when /spl nu/ consecutive retransmissions in the SR mode are received in error, where N denotes round-trip-delay in blocks. Numerical and simulation results for /spl nu/=1 show that the proposed scheme presents better performance than the conventional SR+ST scheme 2 of the 2N block buffer by Miller and Lin (1981).


BACKGROUND
This is an updated version of the Cochrane Review published in the Cochrane Library 2011, Issue 12.The majority of people with epilepsy have a good prognosis, but up to 30% of people continue to have seizures despite several regimens of antiepileptic drugs. In this review, we summarized the current evidence regarding eslicarbazepine acetate (ESL) when used as an add-on treatment for drug-resistant partial epilepsy.

OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of ESL when used as an add-on treatment for people with drug-resistant partial epilepsy.

SEARCH METHODS
The searches for the original review were run in November 2011. Subsequently, we searched the Cochrane Epilepsy Group Specialized Register (6 December 2016), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL 2016, Issue 11) and MEDLINE (1946 to 6 December 2016). There were no language restrictions. We reviewed the reference lists of retrieved studies to search for additional reports of relevant studies. We also contacted the manufacturers of ESL and experts in the field for information about any unpublished or ongoing studies.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomized placebo controlled double-blind add-on trials of ESL in people with drug-resistant partial epilepsy.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two review authors independently selected trials for inclusion and extracted data. Outcomes investigated included 50% or greater reduction in seizure frequency, seizure freedom, treatment withdrawal, adverse effects, and drug interactions. Primary analyses were by intention to treat (ITT). The dose-response relationship was evaluated in regression models.

MAIN RESULTS
We included five trials (1799 participants) rated at low risk of bias; all studies were funded by BIAL. The overall risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for 50% or greater reduction in seizure frequency was 1.71 (95% CI 1.42 to 2.05). Dose regression analysis showed evidence that ESL reduced seizure frequency with an increase in efficacy with increasing doses of ESL. ESL was significantly associated with seizure freedom (RR 2.90, 95% CI 1.49 to 5.68). Participants were more likely to have ESL withdrawn for adverse effects (RR 2.66, 95% CI 1.42 to 4.96) but not for any reason (RR 1.19, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.64). The following adverse effects were significantly associated with ESL: dizziness (RR 2.81, 99% CI 1.86 to 4.27); nausea (RR 2.61, 99% CI 1.36 to 5.01); diplopia (RR 4.14, 99% CI 1.74 to 9.84); somnolence (RR 1.71, 99% CI 1.11 to 2.63) and vomiting (RR 3.30, 99% CI 1.34 to 8.13). Overall the quality of the evidence was rated as moderate to high.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
ESL reduces seizure frequency when used as an add-on treatment for people with drug-resistant partial epilepsy. The trials included in this review were of short-term duration and focused on adults. One new trial has been included in this update, but the conclusions are unchanged.


The purpose of this study was to analyse the clinical characteristics of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) PCR re-positivity after recovering from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Patients ( n = 1391) from Guangzhou, China, who had recovered from COVID-19 were recruited between 7 September 2021 and 11 March 2022. Data on epidemiology, symptoms, laboratory test results and treatment were ana-lysed. In this study, 42.7% of recovered patients had re-positive result. Most re-positive patients were asymptomatic, did not have severe comorbidities, and were not contagious. The re-positivity rate was 39%, 46%, 11% and 25% in patients who had received inactivated, mRNA, adenovirus vector and recombinant subunit vaccines, respectively. Seven independent risk factors for testing re-positive were identified, and a predictive model was constructed using these variables. The predictors of re-positivity were COVID-19 vaccination status, previous SARs-CoV-12 infection prior to the most recent episode, renal function, SARS-CoV-2 IgG and IgM antibody levels and white blood cell count. The predictive model could benefit the control of the spread of COVID-19.


Twenty-three pregnant subjects have been studied by means of the oral glucose tolerance test to compare the effect of hydrocortisone and prednisolone on blood glucose levels. In four patients an additional GTT, using twice the standard dose of prednisolone before the glucose load, was compared with the previous tests. In another two patients, the effect on glucose excretion was compared when hydrocortisone or prednisolone was administered. The results suggest a potentiation in the biologic effect of hydrocortisone during pregnancy, but not with prednisolone as has been reported in nonpregnant subjects receiving estrogens. It appeared that to duplicate the glucocorticoid effect of hydrocortisone, a ratio of potency of prednisolone to hydrocortisone in pregnancy may be 2:1 rather than the 4:1 ratio observed during the nonpregnant state. Prednisolone instead of hydrocortisone, as the provocative agent for the detection of subclinical diabetes in pregnancy, may be useful, or perhaps a smaller dose of hydrocortisone should be employed than is required for the nonpregnant subjects.


Since 2000, there has been a 72% increase in the number of international students attending US institutions of higher education. The increase, specifically of international graduate students, has brought to light the writing challenges experienced by this population of students. This study explored specific writing challenges experienced by international graduate students and determined strategies to alleviate these challenges. Interviews were conducted with 15 international graduate students representing a variety of geographic backgrounds and disciplines. Responses revealed that writing challenges faced related to grammar and vocabulary, organization and flow of ideas, critical thinking, and plagiarism. Participants offered specific suggestions on how subject-matter faculty, friends, and peer mentors could assist in improving English-language writing skills. Implications for higher education institutions are discussed.


The objectives of this work were to determine chemical composition and evaluate the radical scavenging activity (RSA) of P. jaubertii volatile oil from outskirts of Sana'a city (PjSO), as well as RSA of P. jaubertii volatile oil from Hajja Province (PjHP), Yemen. The composition of PjSO volatile oil was described by infra-red (IR) spectroscopy and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). RSA of investigated oils were estimated, using spectrophotometric DPPH (2.2`-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) method. A total of sixteen components, which represent 99.98% of the total composition of PjSO oil, were identified. GC/MS analysis showed that the dominant component of PjOS oil is carvotanacetone (98.34%). The carbonyl group of carvotanacetone was identified from the IR spectrum by the appearance of absorption band at ~1700 cm-1. The obtained analytical data showed that the PjSO essential oil possess 1.3% (v/w) oil content. This indicated that the PjSO essential oil has a commercial potential for production of carvotanacetone. Furthermore, RSA results indicated that PjSO essential oil has a higher RSA in comparison with that of PjHP oil and slightly higher than that of ascorbic acid at higher concentrations. Our finding reveals that PjSO oil could serve as safe natural alternative for synthetic antioxidants in food and pharmaceutical industries.


ABSTRACT Crypto assets and their legal qualification hold an important place in the international legal arena. There are many public and private law aspects of crypto assets that require clarification. The first difficulty lies in defining what a crypto asset is. There are many different taxonomies of crypto assets, and these vary globally. Another challenging area which demands attention is whether crypto assets bear the features of objects of 'property' in private law. The answer to this question is important because it affects various areas of law, such as tax law, securities law, insolvency law, contract law, even conflict of laws. This paper focuses on whether and how property law rules should be applied to crypto assets and how the legal nature of crypto assets is embarked upon and handled differently in Common Law and Civil Law Countries.


Research and development (R&D) indicators are increasingly used not only to facilitate international comparisons, but also as targets for policies stimulating research. An example of such an indicator is R&D intensity. The decomposition method of R&D intensity was conceived with the aim of evaluating aggregate R&D intensity and explaining the differences in R&D intensity between countries. For policy purposes, it is particularly important to determine whether the differences are intrinsic (e.g. due to firms' underinvestment in R&D) or structural (e.g. due to differences in the sectors that make up an economy). Despite its importance for analytical purposes, the theoretical and methodological framework enabling decomposition of corporate R&D intensity has been elaborated only recently, and it is still not commonly used in the literature. Moreover, examination of the R&D intensity of firms in different industries and at different layers of aggregation leads to mixed results, the reasons for which are not fully understood. This paper aims to review the theoretical and methodological frameworks of corporate R&D intensity decomposition and how it is applied in the literature in order to determine the policy implications of empirical results that at first sight may seem to be contradictory. More specifically, this paper surveys the literature to determine (i) the theoretical framework of determinants of corporate R&D intensity, (ii) the methodologies that have been put in place to decompose corporate R&D intensity and the empirical results reached and (iii) the likely reasons for the contrasting results. Finally, the paper points out the possible policy implications and suggests some potential avenues for future research in this area.


Dicyclooctatetraenylmethane (1) and dicyclooctatetraenyldimethylsilane (2) in THF-d(8) at 272 K exist as mixtures of diastereomers in ratios of 1:0.8 and 1:1, respectively. Nine energy minima (four meso and five racemic conformers) were located for each compound by geometry optimization at the HF/6-31G level of theory. The effects of torsional strain, steric interactions and dynamic electron correlation were analyzed. The diastereomeric ratios for 1 and 2 were reproduced reasonably well from the total energy calculated for each conformer corrected for its conformational enthalpy and entropy contributions. The ratio of rate constants for bond shift (BS) (k(BS)(1)/k(BS)(2)) is three times greater than the corresponding ratio for ring inversion. This suggests that additional substituent effects, such as pi interactions, are operative in the transition state for BS.


The chemical and morphological changes in heartwood specimens of Liquidambar orientalis Mill. caused by the white-rot fungus Trametes versicolor and the brown-rot fungi Tyromyces palustris and Gloeophyllum trabeum were studied by wet chemistry, FT-IR, GC-MS analyses, and photo-microscopy. According to GC-MS results, 26 extracts identified in the ethanol/toluene extraction and 17 in the ethanol extraction were found. Heartwood specimens of L. orientalis were highly susceptible to the fungi tested. While 1% NaOH solubility increased 35% in the specimen decayed by T. palustris, only an 8% increase was seen in the specimen exposed to T. versicolor when compared to the control specimen. Decayed wood by T. palustris showed a 5.5% increase in the Klason lignin content when compared to control specimens; however, the Klason lignin content decreased after a T. versicolor attack for 12 weeks. A T. versicolor attack in the cell walls was seen both from the lumina and from the cell corners, and the attack from the cell corners was mainly clear in ray parenchyma cells. An excessive destruction was detected in the wood structure attacked by T. palustris. The cell collapse was caused by a distortion in the plane of the wood cells. This extensive degradation was seen in all types of cell walls. Cracks in the cell walls were also detected in the specimens.


Abstract The introduction of mammal predators to islands often results in rapid declines in the number and range of seabirds. On Ascension Island the introduction of cats in 1815 resulted in extirpation of large seabird colonies from the main island, with relict populations of most species persisting only in cat-inaccessible locations. We describe the eradication of feral cats from this large and populated island. The campaign had to minimize risk to humans and maintain domestic animals in a state that prevented them re-establishing a feral population. Feral cat numbers declined rapidly in response to the strategic deployment of poisoning and live trapping, and cats were eradicated from the island within 2 years. During the project 38% of domestic cats were killed accidentally, which caused public consternation; we make recommendations for reducing such problems in future eradications. Since the completion of the eradication campaign cat predation of adult seabirds has ceased and five seabird species have recolonized the mainland in small but increasing numbers. Breeding success of seabirds at Ascension was low compared to that of conspecifics elsewhere, and the roles of food availability, inexperience of parent birds and black rat predation in causing this warrant further investigation. It is likely that the low breeding success will result in the rate of increase in seabird populations being slow.


Lesch-Nyhan syndrome involves disorders of both purine and dopamine metabolism. Neonatal lesioning of dopaminergic neurons with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) has been proposed as a rodent model of the dopamine deficiency in this childhood disorder. In the present studies, the functional interaction between purines and dopamine was examined in adult rats which received 6-OHDA lesions either as neonates or as adults. Even though dopamine levels were decreased by at least 92%, both neonatal- and adult-6-OHDA-lesioned rats had normal hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase function and purine nucleotide levels (adenosine, ADP, ATP and AMP), indicating that hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase is not localized only to dopaminergic neurons in striatum. However, the 6-OHDA-lesioned animals were supersensitive to the locomotor activating effects of the adenosine antagonist, theophylline, with the response being greater in adult-6-OHDA-lesioned rats. This effect was presynaptic to dopaminergic neurons as indicated by alpha-methyltyrosine blockade of the theophylline response and its reinstatement by L-dopa. The presynaptic nature of this action of theophylline was supported further by a lack of interaction between theophylline and the direct acting D1- and D2-dopamine agonists, SKF-38393 and LY-171555, respectively. After systemic administration of SKF-38393 or L-dopa, central microinjection of the adenosine agonists, 2-chloroadenosine or 5'-N-ethylcarboxamide adenosine, were effective in preventing self mutilation induced by these dopamine agonists in neonatally lesioned rats. Relative potencies of the adenosine agonists for A1 and A2-adenosine receptors suggested involvement of an A2-adenosine receptor in this action.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


This workshop on Gravity and the Cell was modeled on a 1968 conference on Gravity and the Organism. Each conference tried to identify the most salient scientific questions about how gravity is important to living systems. In the roughly two decades between the conferences there have been impressive advances in experimental methods, but the major scientific questions that have driven their applications to problems of gravitational biology, i.e., our broad research goals, remain much the same. In the case of plant research, improvements and extensions of biochemical techniques for investigating the ways organisms use environmental (g-force) information in salubrious ways has kept pace with progress in plant biochemistry. We now know much more about the roles of organic and inorganic substances that plants employ for information transfer and growth regulation and about the avenues and mechanisms for transport of those key substances within organisms. We have seen the acceptance of a "local control" concept that regulation of g-responses depends critically on plasmodesmata and gap junctions which allow plants and animals to throttle the transport of growth regulators across tissue boundaries often, especially in the case of plants, far removed from the morphological regions of concentration of statocytes that were once thought to be the exclusive bioaccelerometers used by plants. NASA's sponsorship of ground-based research in gravitational biology has served as important underpinning for orbital flight programs in space biology. The currently most noteworthy research area of ignorance is the mechanism by which the physical event of g-force susception becomes the biological process of g-force perception. Only rarely has it been possible to perform a definitive test of a theory of mechanism of gravity perception. Therefore, experimental research efforts in gravitational physiology still are essentially dependent on exploratory studies for which stimulus/response experiments require experimental manipulation of test subjects' g-force environment. Many research efforts have focused narrowly on contrasting the responses of test subjects to only two gravitational environments, 1 g versus real or simulated zero g. Much less effort has been devoted to studies at other g levels. For experiments in gravitational physiology three rotating machines have made, and no doubt will continue to make, important contributions: the centrifuge, the clinostat, and, most of all, the orbiting space vehicle. Some research trends, viewpoints, and shifts of emphasis are discussed.


BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Characterizing relationships of kidney function to healthcare costs in polycystic kidney disease has applications for economic evaluations of standard and emerging therapies.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS
The administrative records (2003 to 2006) of a private health insurer were examined to identify polycystic kidney disease patients (n = 1913) from ICD9 diagnosis codes on billing claims. The first available diagnostic claim was assumed as an index date, and baseline estimated GFR (eGFR) was computed using closest serum creatinine value. The associations of eGFR with annualized charges were modeled by nonlinear and linear regression.

RESULTS
Medical, pharmacy, and total healthcare costs varied significantly by baseline kidney function, such that mean total annualized charges (unadjusted) were approximately 5-fold higher in patients with eGFR < 15 ml/min compared with those with eGFR >or= 90 ml/min. After adjustment for age and gender, total charges did not differ significantly among patients with eGFR > 30 ml/min, and but rose precipitously with eGFR < 30 ml/min. Each ml/min decline <30 ml/min predicted approximately $5435 higher adjusted annual charges. Results were similar after adjustment for baseline diabetes and cardiovascular disease as identified in claims, while significantly higher adjusted charges were detected with eGFR = 31 to 60 ml/min versus >or=90 ml/min in a subgroup free of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

CONCLUSIONS
Healthcare charges are associated with advanced renal dysfunction in polycystic kidney disease patients. Strategies that prevent loss of renal function below 30 ml/min have the potential to generate substantial reductions in medical charges.


The presence of optimized distributed generation (DG) with suitable distribution network reconfiguration (DNR) in the electrical distribution network has an advantage for voltage support, power losses reduction, deferment of new transmission line and distribution structure and system stability improvement. However, installation of a DG unit at non-optimal size with non-optimal DNR may lead to higher power losses, power quality problem, voltage instability and incremental of operational cost. Thus, an appropriate DG and DNR planning are essential and are considered as an objective of this research. An effective heuristic optimization technique named as improved evolutionary particle swarm optimization (IEPSO) is proposed in this research. The objective function is formulated to minimize the total power losses (TPL) and to improve the voltage stability index (VSI). The voltage stability index is determined for three load demand levels namely light load, nominal load, and heavy load with proper optimal DNR and DG sizing. The performance of the proposed technique is compared with other optimization techniques, namely particle swarm optimization (PSO) and iteration particle swarm optimization (IPSO). Four case studies on IEEE 33-bus and IEEE 69-bus distribution systems have been conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed IEPSO. The optimization results show that, the best achievement is done by IEPSO technique with power losses reduction up to 79.26%, and 58.41% improvement in the voltage stability index. Moreover, IEPSO has the fastest computational time for all load conditions as compared to other algorithms.


Tension-tension fatigue tests were performed to examine the influence of post drawing heat treatment on the fatigue properties of drawn specific steel tube (STB340) for small-sized single pass boiler. The untreated, as-drawn and post drawing heat treated series were prepared for fatigue tests. The hardness, grain size and residual stress were measured for each series. As a result, the change of grain size and residual stress was small after post heat treatment. The drawn series was softened by post heat treatment but the hardness was still higher than untreated samples. The fatigue strength of the as-drawn and the post drawing heat treated series was higher than that of untreated series. In addition, the difference of endurance limit was small between as-drawn and post drawing heat treated series.


We demonstrate tailored thermal radiation in the mid-infrared wavelength range with intriguing capabilities of high emissivity, narrowband spectra, and sharp angular response. The proposed thermal emitter consists of stacking a two-dimensional metallic grating on top of a one-dimensional dielectric Bragg grating (BG). It is interesting to find that the light interaction between the metallic grating and the BG gives rise to impedance matching at wavelengths located in the photonic bandgap of the BG, and allows enhanced polarization-dependent emissivity, selective resonance response, and high radiation directivity. We investigate the plasmonic resonance by exploring various properties and functions including tuning spectral selectivity and tailoring bandwidth at different light polarization and angle of incidence. The developed plasmonic stacked gratings could pave the way towards novel integrated infrared source platforms for various applications such as thermal analysis, imaging, security, biosensing, and medical diagnosis. © 2021 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement


The Mixed Member Proportional voting system (MMP) was introduced in New Zealand as a remedy for four particular problems that characterised New Zealand's unicameral Parliament. These problems were (1) lack of effective representation, (2) inadequate public deliberation, (3) lack of executive government accountability and (4) rushed legislation. Prior to the introduction of MMP, New Zealand's unicameral Westminster system meant that between 1951 and 1993 a single party was usually able to dominate control of the government benches, often with about –– or less than –– 40 per cent of the popular vote. As a result governments were able to conduct their business and enact their legislative agendas without substantial parliamentary scrutiny.This paper evaluates the capacity of MMP to remedy these problems. The paper concludes that while MMP has substantially improved the descriptive representativeness of Parliament, and has helped to improve the quality of public debate and legislative deliberation, it has led to little –– if any –– significant improvement in the level of government accountability to Parliament. While MMP creates strong incentives for minor parties to maintain their distinctiveness from the two major parties in matters of policy, when minor parties cooperate with one of the major parties to form a government, those minor parties have no real incentive to scrutinise the exercise of executive power by the government, as they themselves share in its spoils. Only if executive and legislative power are more effectively separated can the Parliament function as an effective check on executive power. This separation can only be achieved effectively in Westminster systems through a second house of Parliament over which the governing party (or coalition of parties) does not have majority control.


Metabolism studies of drug molecules play a crucial role in drug discovery and development since the early detection of possibly toxic drug metabolites can save time and money. During the metabolic biotransformation process, oxidation of a drug molecule is catalyzed by specific enzymes which can lead to activation or inactivation of the molecule. Phase I metabolism includes primary oxidation reactions including heteroatom dealkylation/oxidation and aromatic hydroxylation reactions which are mainly catalyzed by the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzyme family and to a lesser extent by the flavin-containing monooxygenase (FMO) enzyme family. The use of in vivo and in vitro experimental models, such as whole animal models, liver microsomes and isolated enzymes provides information of drug metabolism in terms of CYP450 and FMO-mediated oxidation reactions; however, they are often not sufficient for preparative scale synthesis. Although organic synthesis methods can overcome this challenge, in most cases severe reaction conditions, hazardous chemicals and multiple reaction steps are required. In this respect, electrochemistry (EC) is an interesting alternative that may be suitable for cleaner and simpler preparative scale synthesis of drug metabolites. In addition, electrochemistry in combination with mass spectrometry (MS) is an emerging instrumental technique to study oxidative drug metabolism in detail. The thesis of Turan Gul aims to expand the toolbox of electrochemical and enzymatic methods for the selective synthesis of Phase I oxidative metabolites of drug molecules catalyzed by CYP450 and FMO enzymes to produce them in sufficient quantities for the further characterization and toxicity screens. Characterization and identification of drug metabolites was performed using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to Tandem Mass Spectrometry.


We construct a cofibrantly generated model structure on the category of flows such that any flow is fibrant and such that two cofibrant flows are homotopy equivalent for this model structure if and only if they are S-homotopy equivalent. This result provides an interpretation of the notion of S-homotopy equivalence in the framework of model categories.


It is a hotspot problem in robotics research that determine the related pose between two space objects and realize their cooperate. 3D visual method is the main method for measures the space object pose. Because the rigidity demand during pose computes, the 3D vision at this condition ins model based. That is to say the model of the marks must be used as a strict restriction during the computing. This paper will give the method of computing 3D pose at first and discuss the model restriction problem emphatically, include model- based monocular vision method and model-based binocular stereo. The compare analysis between the two methods and the experiment result will be given at last.


In this work, a novel technique to describe the propagation of piezoelectrically induced ultrasonic elastic guided waves is provided. The development of a numerical simulation environment to model the wave propagation in structures is presented. A hybrid analytical-numerical method based on spectral analysis, spectral elements and Fourier integrals in frequency domain is developed to accurately simulate the effects of high-frequency wave propagation in structures of different material properties and complex geometries. The research is mainly focusing on the Lamb wave excitation by piezoelectric transducers. The numerical accuracy of the obtained results is verified by comparison against the result of other numerical methods and experimental measurements doi: 10.12783/SHM2015/108


This study is inspired by two phenomena: first, the interest among certain translation studies scholars in sociological theories to account for the social implications of translation and translational activities; and secondly, the transformation of Iranian society along with its systematic and systemic integration into the globalized society. It attempts to analyze the role of translation –products and processes– in how modernity and Islam have been introduced to Iranian society of the 19 century and that of the 1990s, respectively. Theoretical frameworks to define translation, describe society, and study the socio-political impact of translation are derived from Niklas Luhmann's theories of communication, society and politics. His theory of communication is used to define translation as a communication medium that makes communication across linguistic, semiotic and historical borders more probable. As a medium, translation can lend itself to two distinct levels of understandings. While the first focuses on actual translation products at textual level, i.e. inter-lingual translation products, the second addresses translation processes at macro-level, which enable professional role players in a social system such as the system of religion to draw communicatively the attention of other systems such as the system of politics. His theory of society serves to describe the semantics and structure of Iranian society during the 19 century. In the latter period Iran is caught in the avalanche of modern world politics and economy. It begins to use translation, among others, as an efficient mean to learn and derive information about the modern Europe. The new information raises communicative complexity in the society, the efficient handling of which gives birth to modern structures. Luhmann's political theory is used to analyze Iran's post-revolutionary political system and its interaction with the system of religion. Iranian theocracy is considered undemocratic less due to the unification of religion and politics than due to its faulty differentiation into the subsystems of administration, politics and public. The way the system understands Islam is crucial in shaping political institutions and organizations as well as in evolving political structures (defining which politically relevant issues are taken into consideration as themes for decision making). The sociopolitical relevance of translation processes is then demonstrated based on how religious intellectuals take the task of 'translation proviso' seriously by translating modern political thinking into a religious communication, and in so doing, draw the attention of theocracy. Four translations of the Quranic verse 4:34 as well as an analysis of religiously informed political theories formulated in the intellectual journal of Kiyān will serve to demonstrate how religious intellectuals' reformist re-translation of Islam produces new communicative themes in the public opinion and hence draws the attention of theocracy. The findings, of interest for translation studies, sociology of religion, political science and Iranian studies, show that translations, by disseminating information and raising complexity in society, are basic social operations with consequences for different spheres of society.


Various deviations from classical 9 2 flagellar structure are found in sperm of insect species. In mature spermatozoa of a psocid, Psocus, the outer flagellar tubules are not straight, but are disposed in a long-pitched helix such that they form an angle of about 8 ° with a single dense rod located in the position usually occupied by the central pair. In young spermatids of Psocus the outer tubules are straight; thus, spiraling of the flagellar tubules occurs during the course of spermiogenesis. Spiraling of flagella also occurs in the cat flea Ctenocephalidesfelis. Variations in the number and morphology of the central element or elements occur in other insect species besides Psocus. Among the observed deviations from a central pair of tubules are a 9 + 0 tubule pattern in the sperm of three species of mayflies, a 9 + I tubule pattern in the sperm of two species of mosquitoes, and 9 + 7 tubules in sperm of two species of caddis flies. Spermatozoa of treehoppers vary in yet another respect from the typical 9 + 9 + 2 insect flagellum. These sperm tails branch into four long tails, three of which each contain two doublet and two singlet tubules while the fourth branch contains three doublet and three singlet tubules. The wide distribution of insects with aberrant flagella suggests that the variant forms have evolved independently.


Tracer diffusion coefficients of Ca, Sr, Ba, and Co in molten olivine tholeiite basalt have, been determined between 1260° and 1440°C at 1 atm. The diffusion coefficients range from 10−7 to 10−6 cm2 s−1, and the activation energies range from 39 to 44 kcal mol−1. The diffusion coefficients decrease with increasing ionic radius, but the observed relationship does not conform to the Stokes-Einstein relation. The results of our experiments suggest that the characteristic diffusion distances, estimated by the expression (Dt)1/2, exceed 1 km only for very long times of 109 years or more. Consequently, chemical diffusion does not contribute significantly to large-scale differentiation and mixing processes in a partially molten mantle. A layer of 1-km half width that has been depleted in incompatible trace elements (e.g., by extraction of melt) can be replenished by diffusion from the adjacent material to one-half its original concentration in 3×108 years (or 0.9 in 8×109 years). Diffusive transport is efficient in small-scale processes (<1 km). Diffusion in a partially molten asthenosphere greatly increases the rate of local equilibration, and it contributes significantly to small-scale mixing and contamination processes in magma chambers and conduits.


Experimental research on grinding characteristics of nano-composites ceramics were carried out using diamond wheel in two-dimensional ultrasonic vibration grinding (TDUVG) and the topography of the scratched grooves were observed with Transmission Electron Microscope. The surface crack, plastic deformation and brittle-ductile transition during chip formation were analyzed. Subsequently, the grinding model of nano-composites ceramics machining in TDUVG was established based on fracture theory of micro-indentation in fracture region and plastic information mechanism of hard-brittle materials. The metamorphic layer can be divided into three regions: brittle-fracture, non-elastic deformation and residual damage region. Ultrasonic grinding process can be divided into three phase: elastic friction and extrusion, crack growth and crack propagation and chip formation.


INTRODUCTION
Data about the genotypes of circulating Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates (MTB) in Lebanon are scarce. This study was undertaken to reveal the spoligotypes of MTB isolates recovered from patients in Lebanon.

METHODOLOGY
MTB isolates from 49 patients living in Lebanon were recovered and identified. The samples were heat killed and subjected to DNA extraction. Spoligotyping was performed using microbeads from TB-SPOL Kit and the fluorescence intensity was measured using Luminex 200®. Generated patterns were assigned to families using the SITVIT2 international database of the Pasteur Institute of Guadeloupe and compared.

RESULTS
The spoligotyping of the 49 MTB isolates revealed that 31 isolates belonged to Lineage 4 (Euro-American, 63.3%), 12 to Lineage 3 (East- African Indian, 24.5%), 3 to Lineage 2 (East Asian, 6%) and 2 were unknown. Over half of the genotypes (16 of 30) harbored SIT127 supposed to belong to the L4.5 sublineage. One isolate belonging to the rare Manu-Ancestor SIT523 was recovered for the first time in Lebanon, being associated with highly virulent extensively drug-resistant (XDR) MTB phenotype.

CONCLUSION
The application of the Spoligotyping Multiplex Luminex® method is an efficient, discriminatory and rapid method to use for first-lane genotyping of MTB isolates. Though humble numbers were tested, this study is one of the first to describe the genomic diversity and epidemiology of MTB isolates of Lebanon, and suggests an increasing prevalence of SIT127 in the country.


ABSTRACT West Antarctic climate and surface mass balance (SMB) records are sparse. To fill this gap, regional atmospheric climate modelling is useful, providing that such models are employed at sufficiently high horizontal resolution and coupled with a snow model. Here we present the results of a high-resolution (5.5 km) regional atmospheric climate model (RACMO2) simulation of coastal West Antarctica for the period 1979–2015. We evaluate the results with available in situ weather observations, remote-sensing estimates of surface melt, and SMB estimates derived from radar and firn cores. Moreover, results are compared with those from a lower-resolution version, to assess the added value of the resolution. The high-resolution model resolves small-scale climate variability invoked by topography, such as the relatively warm conditions over ice-shelf grounding zones, and local wind speed accelerations. Surface melt and SMB are well reproduced by RACMO2. This dataset will prove useful for picking ice core locations, converting elevation changes to mass changes, for driving ocean, ice-sheet and coupled models, and for attributing changes in the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and shelves to changes in atmospheric forcing.


A reflectometric approach is proposed for interrogation of multiple fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors recorded in a single fiber optic line, based on the differential registration FBGs' response to a short probing laser pulse using conventional OTDR. A special optical layout has been developed allowing transformation of FBG's spectrally modulated signals into intensity modulated signals and at the same time eliminating the susceptibility of the system to light power fluctuations. Threshold sensitivity of the method amounted to ~50 μstrain within the measurement range of ~4000 μstrain. The maximum number of FBGs interrogated by the proposed technique is estimated at several hundred, which by far surpasses the requirements of most practical applications. Due to its simplicity, efficiency and usage of conventional OTDR equipment the proposed FBG interrogation technique can find a wide range of applications, in particular in structural health monitoring.


Abstract The Ghent Alterpiece organizes twelve panels in horizontal registers in its closed, and 14 in its open state. This interpretation takes up three topics: the ordering of the individual panels in their horizontal and vertical display, the formal treatment of the two principal orders of Christian art – thematic (e.g., the Deesis) and narrative (e.g., the Annunciation) –, and the rise of new genres such as portrait, landscape, still life, and interior within the structure of the multipanel altarpiece. What can be identified as the driving force is the realistic mode. In a unique way it unites the whole – namely through acknowledging one single exterior source of light for every item – yet divides it at the same time by honoring the intrinsic qualities of particular objects and situations. This is the beginning of what Yirmiyahu Yovel has called "the adventure of immanence."


Blister beetles (Coleoptera: Meloidae) are the main natural source of cantharidin, but the compound titre is depended on several factors including, age, sex and mating status of the insects. In order to eliminate such uncertainty factors in physiological and chemical studies deuterium labelled cantharidin (D2C) with no natural abundance is normally introduced into the beetles' body to use it as a model for studying the cantharidin behaviour in vivo. Experiments were achieved on Mylabris quadripunctata (Col.: Meloidae) from Southern France and the beetles were exposed to an artificial diet containing a defined amount of D2C. On the other hand, because of the high similarity between the two compounds they cannot be well quantified by gas chromatography. In order to remove the burden, MRM technique was used for the first time which could successfully create well-defined cantharidin and D2C peaks and hence a precise measurement. MRM technique was examined using a GC-MS Varian Saturn which collected MS/MS data of more than one compound in the same time window of the chromatogram. It is especially useful when coeluting compounds have different parent ions, i.e. m/z 84 for D2C (coeluting isotopically-labelled compound) and m/z 82 for cantharidin (beetle-originated compound). Using the routine GC-MS runs, measurement accuracy may be significantly reduced because the D2C peak is covered by the cantharidin huge peak while MRM could reveal the two coincided peaks of cantharidin and D2C. Therefore MRM is hereby introduced as the method of choice to separate cantharidin from D2C with high sensitivity and thus provide a precise base of quantitation.


A preliminary meta-analysis using the p-curve method (Simonsohn, Nelson, & Simmons, 2014) was performed on a subset of the learned categorical perception literature to explore the robustness of the phenomenon. Only studies using novel visual categories and behavioral measures were included. The results strongly suggest that the phenomenon is robust but that the studies are somewhat underpowered. We argue that this is problematic because it renders both statistically significant and nonsignificant results very difficult to interpret, which impedes progress in understanding the learned CP phenomenon, for example, why expansion vs. compression is observed, or boundary vs. dimensional effects. Fortunately, there is a clear solution: conduct studies with greater statistical power.


We studied the prevalence of chronic non-communicable diseases (CND) in elderly and senile patients in conjunction with the syndrome of senile asthenia, the prevalence of sarcopenia depending on gender characteristics and the frequency of occurrence of the falls syndrome in patients with sarcopenia of older age groups. The features of drug therapy in outpatient practice were analyzed. The method of complex geriatric assessment was used in 528 patients divided into 3 age groups (65-74 years, 75-84 years, 85 years or more). It turned out that in the structure of CND in geriatric patients dominated: arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, and their complications - chronic heart failure and atrial fibrillation their incidence has a pronounced age dependence and increases in patients with senile asthenia. Patients of older age groups of both sexes are characterized by an increase in the incidence of sarcopenia and the associated increased risk of falls syndrome, which must be taken into account when planning treatment and rehabilitation measures both in the hospital and when providing primary medical and social care.


This paper reviews evidence for the rare condition of porcine syndactyly. It describes eight archaeological examples from Britain, Northern Ireland and France. Syndactyly refers to the partial or complete fusion of two or more adjacent phalanges on the medio-lateral border. The degree and character of fusion are variable, but phalanges frequently unite to create a single skeletal element. This condition has been identified by veterinarians, zoologists and naturalists in individuals and populations in a range of species, but in spite of substantial research on the condition in humans and to a lesser extent cattle, it remains relatively poorly understood in other mammals. Syndactyly is generally agreed to be primarily congenital in origin, although factors affecting its incidence remain far from fully understood. In light of the general paucity of discussion of specific conditions of animal palaeopathology, this paper presents an analysis of these newly discovered syndactyle pig specimens, offers a review of research with particular reference to pigs and discusses the etiology of the condition.


We present a novel bidirectional motion estimation technique, which determines the motion vectors more accurately in situations when there are variations in the inter-frame characteristics due to the changes in the brightness values of the corresponding pixels from frame to frame. The proposed bidirectional motion estimation technique is applied specifically to the fixed-size block, variable-size block and region-wise motion compensation schemes. The proposed method is applied to a number of benchmark video sequences and the results are compared with those obtained by applying the existing methods. These results show that the proposed method can improve the rate-distortion performance. In particular, in situations when there are large variations in the brightness of the corresponding regions from frame to frame, the proposed method improves significantly the rate-distortion performance.


Abstract We study the determinants of agricultural market reforms in developing countries. What prompted the governments in these countries to abruptly begin deregulating their agricultural markets in the late 1980's? We answer this question by constructing a completely new dataset based on agricultural market regulations in 88 developing countries from 1960 to 2003. Our results suggest that the sudden and strong decline in the international price of agricultural commodities played a crucial role in destabilizing the financial equilibrium of marketing boards. In addition, changes in the rural representation in the political arena and government ideology also played significant roles in breaking up the status quo.


Industrial training or internship is an important part of a study program for an engineering student in all universities in Malaysia. This research explores the students' perception of their experience in industrial training, which includes the management of the industrial training at the universities, selfchange, future career development and readiness to be an engineer. A questionnaire was given to 88 third-year engineering undergraduates from one public university and one private university, who had just undergone industrial training. The data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results show that the engineering students had moderate levels of perception on all the categories, except future career, which showed a low level of perception. This meant that they believed that industrial training had not given them the confidence that they will be able to obtain the future career they want in engineering. Another interesting finding of the research, through a correlational analysis (p , .05), shows that the longer the duration of industrial training, the higher the readiness and future career development among the engineering undergraduates. This may indicate that there is a need to lengthen the duration of industrial training during the study where the popular duration currently in most of the public universities is 10-12 weeks.


IT'S TIME TO EXPLORE! 50 camping missions that dare you to (re)discover our world. Anyone can just sleep in a tent, but if you want to become an extreme camper and guerrilla explorer under the canvas ... read on. Each illustrated mission will challenge you in daring new ways. Draw, rub, smear, write, colour, and print your findings and achievements as you complete each mission.


Abstract:This article uses the history and development of the sitar and its music 1) to argue for the neglected importance to historical studies of music as a central aspect of human culture; 2) to provide a case study of cultural exchange across what is known as the "Silk Road" over time and geography; and 3) to demonstrate the qualitative equivalence of phenomena we associate with "the Silk Road" and with "globalization." Lutes appear in Indian iconography from the first centuries CE, probably inspired by Buddhist art from North India and Central Asia. They then disappear, replaced in the same contexts by tube zithers. Lutes were reintroduced from the thirteenth century or before by regimes with Persian and Central Asian cultural background. The rawabs and tamburs thus imported developed in India and borrowed features and performance techniques from Indian zither-type instruments. The further elaboration of Indian lutes, including the sitar (as well as sarod, surbahar, bīn and others), paralleled the development of various forms of North Indian music, especially under the patronage of Mughal emperors and regional monarchs, including Wajid 'Ali Shah of Awadh. The process was conscious and driven by individual musicians and lutiers but likewise strongly influenced by sociopolitical vicissitudes, including the decline of Mughal central power, British colonial encroachment and annexation of Awadh, and the rise of Calcutta as a global, commercial city. The sitar reflects this lineage of historical and personal interventions in its technical features, playing technique, musical style, and accompanying lore and literature.


A simple analytic model of hydrodynamic escape is applied to atmospheric loss from Earth under conditions that are unproven but could plausibly have existed following deposition of thermal energy by a giant Moon-forming impact. Primordial xenon in the primary (pre-impact) atmosphere is readily fractionated to its contemporary nonradiogenic isotopic composition by appropriate selection of parameters in the equations governing the escape process. Subsequent mixing of the fractionated residuals of lighter primordial noble gases surviving in the post-escape atmosphere with solar-composition gases outgassed from the deep planetary interior yields close matches to the present-day abundances and isotopic compositions of atmospheric krypton and argon. Replication of present-day neon composition requires an additional later episode of hydrodynamic H2escape, now powered by extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) solar radiation just intense enough for entrainment and loss of Ne but not of heavier species. Requirements for EUV flux intensity and planetary water inventory are substantially reduced compared to an earlier model of EUV-driven Xe loss from Earth. A noteworthy result of this approach is the close agreement of the noble gas elemental composition characterizing the pre-impact terrestrial atmosphere with that derived for Venus's primary atmosphere from a parallel evolutionary model involving only solar EUV radiation as an energy source. No claim is made that the modeling parameters used here adequately describe the complex and rapidly evolving physical nature of the post-impact terrestrial atmosphere, or that these solutions are unique. But they do suggest a basic unity in primordial noble gas distributions on the two planets, and point to separate mechanisms that could account for divergent evolution to their presently radically different compositional states.


We propose an approach based on neural networks and the AC power flow equations to identify single- and double- line outages in a power grid using the information from phasor measurement unit sensors (PMUs). Rather than inferring the outage from the sensor data by inverting the physical model, our approach uses the AC model to simulate sensor responses to all outages of interest under multiple demand and seasonal conditions, and uses the resulting data to train a neural network classifier to recognize and discriminate between different outage events directly from sensor data. After training, real-time deployment of the classifier requires just a few matrix-vector products and simple vector operations. These operations can be executed much more rapidly than inversion of a model based on AC power flow, which consists of nonlinear equations and possibly integer / binary variables representing line outages, as well as the variables representing voltages and power flows. We are motivated to use neural network by its successful application to such areas as computer vision and natural language processing. Neural networks automatically find nonlinear transformations of the raw data that highlight useful features that make the classification task easier. We further consider the problem of classifying outages from sensors placed at only a subset of the buses, describing a principled way to choose sensor locations and showing that highly accurate classification can be achieved from a restricted set of measurements.


Methods for the specific conjugation of both polyclonal antibodies and monoclonal antibodies via their carbohydrate moieties are described. Mild oxidation of the immunoglobulin with sodium periodate produces reactive aldehydes on the carbohydrate moieties. Subsequent reaction with hydrazide derivatives of biotin, fluorescent dyes, or enzymes produces stable antibody conjugates which retain full immunological activity. In addition, immunoaffinity supports can be prepared in the same manner using solid supports containing a hydrazide function.


Gouda and Camembert cheeses at different stages of ripening were subjected to treatment with pressure up to 1000 MPa in order to determine the influence of high pressure on microorganisms killing and on proteolysis in cheese. Independent of the ripeness of cheeses, a significant decrease in the number of microorganisms in cheeses was observed at pressures above 400 MPa. The extent to which the microorganisms were killed was dependent more on applied pressure than on its duration. Use of pulsating pressure additionally increased the killing of microorganisms as compared to the constant pressure. No significant influence of the applied high pressure was found on protein degradation in Gouda cheese. On the other hand, in Camembert cheese, the most intense proteolysis was observed in cheese treated with a pressure of 50 MPa compared to the control. This was confirmed by analysis of pH and the proteolytic activity of enzymes in Camembert cheese. Higher level of proteolysis in Camembert resulting from applied high pressure did not adversely influenced its quality.


Abstract The origin of the organisation of the genetic code reflects both the biosynthetic relationships between amino acids and the physicochemical interactions between these and anticodons; moreover, these two forces do not act independently. It must therefore be explained why it is simultaneously true that the anticodons of product amino acids were assigned prior to their biosynthetic appearance and that physicochemical correlations must exist between anticodons and amino acids. This gives rise to difficulties of interpretation, even of a more general nature, in the theories that have been proposed to explain the origin of the genetic code; a hypothesis is thus presented in this manuscript. In particular, the hypothesis suggests that RNA hairpin structures, the ancestors of tRNAs, housing anticodon-like nucleotides in the stem were charged with precursor amino acids. As the precursor amino acids gradually developed into product amino acids, a coevolution came into being between the development of amino acids and that of anticodons, with a concomitant formation of the complete tRNA molecule through direct duplication of the hairpin structures. All this led to the definition of the genetic code organisation. Furthermore, this made it possible for the evolving anticodons to select the emerging product amino acids, which the hypothesis therefore considers to be unspecified in the initial phase of genetic code evolution but which were selected also because of their ability to interact with anticodons. In this way the main obstacle to interpretation is removed. Fossils of these events can now be observed in some amino acid-modified nucleosides specifically located in the tRNA anticodon loops. This is all presented in the framework of a general discussion of the ideas and data in favour of a late origin of the genetic code, as opposed to an early origin in the context of the theories proposed to explain the origin of the genetic code organisation.


An unusual feature of the lipid A from the plant endosymbionts Rhizobium etli and Rhizobium leguminosarum is the presence of a proximal sugar unit consisting of a 2-amino-2-deoxy-gluconate moiety in place of glucosamine. An outer membrane oxidase that generates the 2-amino-2-deoxy-gluconate unit from a glucosamine-containing precursor is present in membranes of R. leguminosarum and R. etli but not in S. meliloti or Escherichia coli. We now report the identification of a hybrid cosmid that directs the overexpression of this activity by screening 1800 lysates of individual colonies of a R. leguminosarum 3841 genomic DNA library in the host strain R. etli CE3. Two cosmids (p1S11D and p1U12G) were identified in this manner and transferred into S. meliloti, in which they also directed the expression of oxidase activity in the absence of any chromosomal background. Subcloning and sequencing of the oxidase gene on a 6.5-kb fragment derived from the approximately 20-kb insert in p1S11D revealed that the enzyme is encoded by a gene (lpxQ) that specifies a protein of 224 amino acid residues with a putative signal sequence cleavage site at position 28. Heterologous expression of lpxQ using the T7lac promoter system in E. coli resulted in the production of catalytically active oxidase that was localized in the outer membrane. A new outer membrane protein of the size expected for LpxQ was present in this construct and was subjected to microsequencing to confirm its identity and the site of signal peptide cleavage. LpxQ expressed in E. coli generates the same products as seen in R. leguminosarum membranes. LpxQ is dependent on O(2) for activity, as demonstrated by inhibition of the reaction under strictly anaerobic conditions. An ortholog of LpxQ is present in the genome of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, as shown by heterologous expression of oxidase activity in E. coli.


The Colombian rural life is energized by its unique forms of production, peculiar traditions, cultural forms and its special knowledge. Consequently, rural education acquires a complexity because of these and other categories, which is why the teaching-learning process transcends the traditional school structure. This paper presents the models which have transformed this process and which are based on curriculum contents formulated from the reality of diverse rural communities. Mainly, it presents some thoughts about the aforementioned situation of communication education, a field that tends to the training of critical and participatory subjects; to this end, it appeals, among other things, to alternative mass media. Finally, it proposes to link these media with the educational rural process in a planned way.


This research guide will help you find information about topics dealing with the environmental sciences and provides links to the HACC library catalog, licensed databases and internet resources.


The impact of the four predominant (010), (110), (001), and (121) exposed facets obtained experimentally for monoclinic BiVO4 on its photocatalytic performance for water splitting reactions is investigated on the basis of the hybrid density functional theory including the spin–orbit coupling. Although their electronic structure is similar, their transport and redox properties reveal anisotropic characters based on the crystal orientation and termination. The particular role of each facet in proton reduction was correlated with the surface Bi coordination number and their geometrical distribution. Our work predicts the (001) facet as the only good candidate for both HER and OER, while the (010) facet is a fitting candidate for OER only. The (110) and (121) surfaces are acceptable candidates only for OER but less potential than (001) and (010). These outcomes will efficiently conduct experimentalists for an attentive design of facet-oriented BiVO4 samples toward improving water oxidation and proton reduction.


In this study, a series of GC calibration experiments were conducted to examine the feasibility of the thermal desorption approach for the quantification of five carbonyl compounds (acetaldehyde, propionaldehyde, butyraldehyde, isovaleraldehyde, and valeraldehyde) in conjunction with two internal standard compounds. The gaseous working standards of carbonyls were calibrated with the aid of thermal desorption as a function of standard concentration and of loading volume. The detection properties were then compared against two types of external calibration data sets derived by fixed standard volume and fixed standard concentration approach. According to this comparison, the fixed standard volume-based calibration of carbonyls should be more sensitive and reliable than its fixed standard concentration counterpart. Moreover, the use of internal standard can improve the analytical reliability of aromatics and some carbonyls to a considerable extent. Our preliminary test on real samples, however, indicates that the performance of internal calibration, when tested using samples of varying dilution ranges, can be moderately different from that derivable from standard gases. It thus suggests that the reliability of calibration approaches should be examined carefully with the considerations on the interactive relationships between the compound-specific properties and the operation conditions of the instrumental setups.


Two missense mutations (Ala-30 → Pro and Ala-53 → Thr) in the gene encoding α-synuclein are associated with rare autosomal dominant forms of familial Parkinson's disease. In addition, α-synuclein is an abundant component of Lewy bodies in sporadic Parkinson's disease and diffuse Lewy body disease. However, the normal conformation of α-synuclein, its cellular localization in neurons, and the effects of the mutations remain to be determined. In the present study, we examine these questions using sensitive fluorescence resonance energy transfer techniques. Transient transfection of α-synuclein expression constructs into primary cortical neurons and counterstaining with the lipophilic fluorescent marker, DiI, demonstrates a close association between α-synuclein and cellular membranes. Both the N- and C-terminal regions of α-synuclein are tightly associated with membranes. A weak interaction also occurs between the N and C termini themselves. The Parkinson's disease-associated mutations have no effect on membrane interaction; however, the Ala-30 → Pro mutation alters the three-dimensional conformation of α-synuclein, as measured by significantly increased fluorescence resonance energy transfer between the N and C termini.


This article explores the changing narratives of volunteering in development and the interplay of volunteering with global and local theories of how change happens. Firstly, we analyse the links between the evolution of mainstream development trends and changes in volunteering approaches and programmes. Secondly, we look at how changing conceptions of volunteering have repositioned international volunteering in relation to national and local contexts. Thirdly, we present the implications of shifts in understandings of knowledge creation, which happens from the ground up, on volunteering research and programming. This discussion is situated within pressure for 'results' within contemporary development discourse and practice. The article concludes that the volunteering sector is at a crossroads; organisations working in meaningful partnerships with volunteers from local to global levels must remain at the forefront – questioning mainstream trends and advocating people‐centred development. This article draws on a literature review undertaken to inform the Valuing Volunteering project.


Summary
Small concentrations of actinomycin D increased the yields of both virulent and attenuated strains of measles virus in cultures of the stable simian BSC-1 cell line by as much as five- to tenfold. The edmonston virulent strain of measles virus did not induce detectable levels of interferon in these cells but interferon was induced by the schwarz vaccine (attenuated) strain of virus over a wide range of virus input. Actinomycin D suppressed the induction of interferon in BSC-1 cells. Interferon produced in BSC-1 cells by the attenuated virus was able to protect both these cells and Vero (another stable line of green monkey kidney) cells against vesicular stomatitis virus.
Plaques produced by the virulent and attenuated virus in Vero cells were approximately the same size, in contrast to variations observed in BSC-1 cells. This was correlated with the failure of the Vero cells to produce interferon when inoculated with either the virulent or attenuated strain of virus and the failure of actinomycin D to affect yields of infectious virus. The results suggest that the effect of actinomycin D on virus yields and on plaque size in BSC-1 cells is a result of inhibition of induction of interferon.


The first use of likelihood ratios for the evaluation of forensic voice comparison evidence in a real trial in Australia is documented. Important steps in the process of estimating the strength of evidence – from acoustic-phonetic features in the utterances 'yes' and 'not too bad' – are described and explained. These comprise the nature and currency of likelihood ratios, choice of features, graphical demonstration of similarity and typicality of suspect and offender speech samples, and their multivariate likelihood ratio evaluation against a reference sample. Improvements in likelihood ratio estimation since the case are exemplified; in particular how to demonstrate that the approach actually works. The reception of the likelihood ratio-based evidence during the trial is used to highlight some problems in its rational evaluation by a court.


Infants in low‐resource settings are at heightened risk for compromised cognitive development due to a multitude of environmental insults in their surroundings. However, the onset of adverse outcomes and trajectory of cognitive development in these settings is not well understood. The aims of the present study were to adapt the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) for use with infants in a rural area of The Gambia, to examine cognitive development in the first 24‐months of life and to as‐ sess the association between cognitive performance and physical growth. In Phase 1 of this study, the adapted MSEL was tested on 52 infants aged 9‐ to 24‐months (some of whom were tested longitudinally at two time points). Further optimization and training were undertaken and Phase 2 of the study was conducted, where the origi‐ nal measures were administered to 119 newly recruited infants aged 5‐ to 24‐months. Infant length, weight and head circumference were measured concurrently in both phases. Participants from both phases were split into age categories of 5–9 m ( N = 32), 10–14 m ( N = 92), 15–19 m ( N = 53) and 20–24 m ( N = 43) and performance was com‐ pared across age groups. From the ages of 10–14 m, Gambian infants obtained lower MSEL scores than US norms. Performance decreased with age and was lowest in the 20–24 m old group. Differential onsets of reduced performance were observed in the individual MSEL domains, with declines in visual perception and motor performance detected as early as at 10–14 months, while reduced language scores became evident after 15–19 months of age. Performance on the MSEL was significantly associated with measures of growth.


A simple superlens formed by a one-dimensional dielectric photonic crystal is introduced. Off-axis subwavelength focusing is achieved and studied with the equifrequency contour analysis and finite-difference time-domain simulation. Besides its advantage of simplicity, the present superlens can give a spot size much smaller than that achieved by a slab of some high-dimensional photonic crystal of negative refraction. The properties of an on-axis image achieved by the combination of two slabs of the one-dimensional photonic crystal are also studied.


WHY DO ALL ANIMALS POSSESS SENSE PERCEPTION while plants don't? Should the difference in quality of life between human beings and wolves be explained by supposing that wolves have degenerated souls? This paper argues that for Aristotle differences in quality of life among living beings are based on differences in the quality of their soul-principle together with the body that receives the soul. A new interpretation is proposed of On the Soul 2.4.415b18: "For all the natural bodies are instruments of the soul," against all current interpretations. Aristotle there means that each of the four sublunary elements can be a part of the instrumental body of a soul. The paper continues with discussing the way in which Aristotle connects the several sublunar elements with different levels of life activity, and the troublesome passage in Generation of Animals 3.11.761b22, where Aristotle speaks about a fourth category of living creatures related to the fourth sublunary element, Fire, and the region of the Moon. I The Soul Principle as the Basis for Difference in Quality of Life. How does Aristotle explain differences in level and quality of life? The answer seems obvious. Aristotle divides the realm of (sublunary) living creatures into three subrealms, plants, animals, and human beings. To each subrealm he assigns a different soul-principle. Plants have a vegetative or nutritive soul; animals have a sensitive soul; human beings have a rational soul. (1) For Aristotle there is a difference in "value and lack of value" between these levels of life. For plants produce nothing but seed, for the continuation of their own kind. Animals, however, all have a certain level of "knowledge," though for some kinds this is restricted to the lowest level of perception. This worthiness of only a form of perception may seem minimal in comparison with the human mind, but compared with the condition of a plant or a stone it is something astonishing. (2) On this view, the soul-principle is the basis for difference in level of life. But this signally fails to do justice to the great variation within each of the subrealms. It also falls to explain why a sensitive soul never manifests itself in a plant or tree. Another question to be decided is whether perhaps a monkey or a wolf or fish possesses a human soul which has degenerated. (3) II "The Body that Receives the Soul" as the Basis for Difference in Quality of Life. There is also another side to the problem. The soul as "the first entelechy of a natural body that potentially possesses life" (4) is never "without soma," says Aristotle. (5) So it is relevant to pay attention to "the body that receives the soul," for "a craft must use its instruments, and a soul its body." (6) A carpenter does not hammer in a nail with a flute. A flautist has no use for a hammer. It thus seems as if the body with which the soul is connected imposes restrictions on the soul and that the quality of the body that receives the soul determines the quality of life (just as the menstrual fluid can only be fertilized by semen of a male partner of the same species). Note, too, that it is not the structure of a visible animal body which can impose restrictions on a soul-principle. (7) For this visible body is itself the product of an animal soul-principle. And the same applies to the structure of a visible plant body and a visible human body. Aristotle was aware that it is necessary to speak about the specific quality of "the body that receives the soul," and that it is unsound, as the Pythagoreans did, to put all souls in the same category (8) and not explain why the various kinds of animals and humans (and plants, Aristotle would add) are so different. III The Soul in Combination with "the Body that Receives the Soul" is the Basis for Difference in Quality of Life. However, a famous passage in his great work Generation of Animals (2. …


We propose a novel algorithm to detect disfluency in speech by reformulating the problem as phrase-level statistical machine translation using weighted finite state transducers. We approach the task as translation of noisy speech to clean speech. We simplify our translation framework such that it does not require fertility and alignment models. We tested our model on the Switchboard disfluency-annotated corpus. Using an optimized decoder that is developed for phrase-based translation at IBM, we are able to detect repeats, repairs and filled pauses for more than a thousand sentences in less than a second with encouraging results.


Skilled foreign-born workers are critical to firms. Yet political or cultural factors can lead governments to restrict skilled immigration. To what extent, and how, does lobbying help firms overcome immigration barriers? This study explores these questions by focusing on the case of US firms and an exogenous increase in H-1B high-skilled visa denial rates following the election of Trump in 2016. I construct an original firm-level data set that combines the universe of US temporary high-skilled visa petitions through 2017 with firms' immigration lobbying reports and financial information. Leveraging the data and text analysis, I document key stylized facts about US immigration lobbying behavior: who, how, and what firms lobby. Using a difference-in-differences design, I find that firms' bureaucratic lobbying under the Trump administration reduced denial rates on their visa petitions by at least 4.5 percentage points. These findings bridge existing research on immigration policy making and lobbying effectiveness.


Globalization has been challenging the theory and practice of Public Administration at an unprecedented level. Major policy issues cross national boundaries cannot be solved without international collaboration—even domestic issues will be better understood and addressed with a global perspective. To advance Public Administration theory building, we need to examine issues across national and ethnodemographic divisions in order to better understand and explain context-specific phenomena. To ensure Public Administration's relevance to practice, we must reach out to the global public administration community in academic exchanges, global innovation and diffusion of best practices, and collaborative education. In the Minnowbrook spirit, we advocate moving toward ''Public Administration with a Global Perspective'' (PAGP) to render our teaching, research, and engagement more relevant to the changing reality of globalization. PAGP emphasizes serving a global community by building theories that offer greater explanatory power, have higher acceptability, and are more responsive to the demands in diverse and specific contexts.


Orthodontics has been developing for 282 years. We can distinguish an initial period when practitioners limited themselves to ''straightening'' teeth that were out of position. Then, under the influence of Edward Hartley Angle, they devoted their efforts to correcting ''malocclusions.'' Now, during its third period, orthodontics has divided itself into two branches. The American school believes the shape and size of basal bone is genetically determined and that treatment should be limited to the dentition, which must be positioned in conformity to precisely defined standards. But the European school is persuaded that basal bone can be modeled by the play of functional forces, which treatment can change and thereby adjust growth and development. What will be the guiding principle of the orthodontics of tomorrow?