This paper explores the temporal structures that shape Chicana subjectivity. The historical figure, La Malinche, is often imagined through acts of betrayal as "La Vendida" (literally the one who has been sold). I propose an alternative reading—that of "La Devuelta"—the one who is returned as an empowering Chicana figure. Drawing on and extending theories of queer temporality, I consider the way time passes and is recuperated by queer Chicanas who rewrite nationalist temporalities. Although nationalist projects structure La Vendida through heterosexual and capitalist imperatives, Chicana feminist treatments of imperial trauma and queer erotics provide alternate modes of belonging, healing, and embodiment.


The authors were subcontracted by Teamworks, a group of teaching schools based in Calderdale, to evaluate practitioners' experiences of participating in a project to develop young children's fine motor skills. Practitioners from ten PVI settings implemented a ten week programme of play dough activities to develop children's fine motor skills to support emergent writing. The report authors conducted three focus groups with the practitioners' to explore their experiences of the project.
The findings suggest that the project did improve the children's fine motor skills and in addition the practitioners gained confidence and knowledge of children's physical development. Significantly involvement in the project also had a positive impact on other practitioners within the settings, who were more confident in planning and implementing activities to support physical development.


OBJECTIVE
This study investigated the effects of a combinatorial treatment, consisting of a brief period of nerve electrical stimulation (ES) and systemic supraphysiologic testosterone, on functional recovery following a crush of the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN).

STUDY DESIGN
Prospective, controlled animal study.

METHODS
After a crush of the left RLN, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four treatment groups: 1) no treatment, 2) ES, 3) testosterone propionate (TP), and 4) ES + TP. Each group was subdivided into 1, 2, 3, or 4 weeks post-operative survival time points. Groups had an n of 4- 9. Recovery of vocal fold mobility (VFM) was assessed.

RESULTS
Brief ES of the proximal nerve alone or in combination with TP accelerated the initiation of functional recovery. TP administration by itself also produced increased VFM scores compared to controls, but there were no statistical differences between the ES-treated and TP-treated animals. Treatment with brief ES alone was sufficient to decrease the time required to recover complete VFM. Animals with complete VFM were seen in treatment groups as early as 1 week following injury; in the untreated group, this was not observed until at least 3 weeks post-injury, translating into a 66% decrease in time to complete recovery.

CONCLUSIONS
Brief ES, alone or in combination with TP, promise to be effective therapeutic interventions for promoting regeneration following RLN injury.


The thrust loading on a vertical blowdown stack during a natural gas blowdown was investigated using a combined experimental and modeling approach. A gravimetric vessel initially at 4000 kPa-g was blown down through two geometrically different stack assemblies. Thrust loads were measured using a dynamic weigh scale typically used for gravimetric calibration of gas flow meters. A one-dimensional (1D) compressible flow model, calibrated using the experimental data, revealed stagnation pressure losses at the entrance to the riser, resulting in lower thrust loads. A comparison between thrust loading obtained from the measurements and the 1D compressible flow model is presented. This work shows that the analytical flow model predicts the blowdown thrust loads within ±30%.


We demonstrate self-fabrication of void arrays in a fused silica transparent in the visible and a color-filter borosilicate glass strongly absorptive at 800 nm using tightly focused Ti-sapphire femtosecond laser pulses at 1 kHz without scanning. The period, the size, the number of voids, and the length of the aligned void structure were controlled by changing the laser pulse energy, and the position of the focal point inside two materials. The void arrays were observed by an optical microscope and also estimated by an optical diffraction experiment. The void size and period were smaller in the absorptive glass than in the transparent glass. The submicrometer-sized void was observed by a scanning electron microscope. The smaller and clearer void arrays were formed in the color filter than the fused silica glass. With increasing the laser focal depth, the void-array length increased in the fused silica and decreased in the color filter.


In recent years, recommender systems have become an important part of various applications, supporting both customers and providers in their decision-making processes. However, these systems still must overcome limitations that reduce their performance, like recommendations' overspecialization, cold start, and difficulties when items with unequal probability distribution appear or recommendations for sets of items are asked. A novel approach, addressing the above issues through a case-based recommendation methodology, is presented here. The scope of the presented approach is to generate meaningful recommendations based on items' co-occurring patterns and to provide more insight into customers' buying habits. In contrast to current recommendation techniques that recommend items based on users' ratings or history, and to most case-based item recommenders that evaluate items' similarities, the implemented recommender uses a hierarchical model for the items and searches for similar sets of items, in order to recommend those that are most likely to satisfy a user.


The 2008/2009 world economic crisis had significant impact on the oil and fuel markets. The crisis developed from the meltdown of American and European mortgage and financial markets and rapidly involved the global real economy. As each country reacted differently to the crisis, the changes in the fuel market also showed significant geographic variation. In our present research, the actions of the US, German and Hungarian fuel markets were analysed for the answer to the reasons for the differences in crisis reactions. We examined the tendency of fuel consumption, the changes of price elasticity for gasoline and diesel and the possible effects of the crisis on the regulatory system.


This thesis explores the meaningful character of traces of earlier occupation and burial locations visible in the late 8th century BC landscape of the Argolic Plain in the northeast Peloponnese, Greece. It will be argued that, where ruined former habitation remains and burials were observed in the contemporary landscape, these locations were regarded as meaningful places. In the past, scholarly interest has predominantly focussed on late 8th century BC votive activity and burial reuse in connection with Bronze Age chamber tombs and tholoi. However, this thesis will demonstrate that these activities should not be dislocated from the wider landscape but, rather, should be considered alongside contemporaneous interconnected behaviour. In support of this position, evidence of ritual performances among the ruins of abandoned former Bronze Age acropolis locations; placing of burials within the ruins of Bronze Age buildings; and establishment of shrines within areas of Bronze and Early Iron Age cemeteries will be considered along with data specific to late 8th century BC activities in connection with Bronze Age chamber tombs and tholoi. It will be established that these trends should be viewed collectively as a single phenomenon acknowledging locations where earlier occupation and burial remains were observed as places appropriate for the performance of rituals or burial of the dead in the late 8th century BC.

This thesis will implement a landscape archaeology approach along with contextual analysis of the data and will propose an interpretation of late 8th century BC interest in earlier constructions visible in the contemporary landscape. This interpretation will assert a potential ideological connection between the location of ritual performances in association with previous occupation or burial areas and the regenerative qualities of the earth.


AC railway traction systems are particularly susceptible to harmonic distortion. They are weak single-phase networks often loaded with severely distorting SCR-based locomotive drives which continually change their point of physical connection to the network. For a public distribution system the total harmonic distortion is a clear measure of supply quality. However, for a traction system the more important parameter is the voltage form factor, which is directly related to the maximum power a locomotive can deliver. To minimize this form factor, this paper proposes the use of a shunt active filter that minimizes the third, fifth, and seventh harmonic voltage components at the point of filter coupling. It is shown that the filter is effective in both compensating the pantograph voltage form factor, and providing reactive power to maintain the feeder voltage. The results are confirmed by detailed simulation using the EMTDC package.


Integrated Biomass Utilization System (IBUS) is a new process for converting lignocellulosic waste biomass to bioethanol. Inbicon A/S has developed the IBUS process in a large-scale process development unit. This plant features new continuous and energy-efficient technology developed for pretreatment and liquefaction of lignocellulosic biomass and has now been operated and optimized for four years with promising results. In the IBUS process, biomass is converted using steam and enzymes only. The process is energy efficient due to very high dry matter content in all process steps and by integration with a power plant. Cellulose is converted to bioethanol and lignin to a high-quality solid biofuel which supply the process energy as well as a surplus of heat and power. Hemicellulose is used as feed molasses but in the future it could also be used for additional ethanol production or other valuable products. Feasibility studies of the IBUS process show that the production price for lignocellulosic bioethanol is close to the world market price for fuel ethanol. There is still room for optimization – and lignocellulosic bioethanol is most likely a commercial alternative to fossil transport fuels before 2012.


Abstract Although established guidelines currently recommend the use of the CHA2DS2-VASc score for evaluating embolic risk in AF patients, few studies have evaluated the use of the CHA2DS2-VASc score for predicting cardiovascular outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The aim of this study was to determine whether CHA2DS2-VASc score is a predictor of a major adverse cardiocerebral vascular event (MACCE) in AMI patients. This study analyzed data in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database from January 2008 to December 2012. Cardiovascular outcomes were analyzed according to the baseline characteristics, presence of AF, and CHA2DS2-VASc score. Twenty nine thousand four hundred fifty-two patients with non-fatal AMI, 1171 patients (8.3%) were with AF. The Cox regress model showed with the exception of women sex and peripheral artery disease, all the baseline characteristics considered risks in CHA2DS2-VASc scores were independently associated with the increased incidence of MACCE within 1 year after AMI. A CHA2DS2-VASc score of <5 had negative predictive values of 93.37% for recurrent MI, 98.45% for stroke, 94.86% for HF admission, 98.83% for mortality, and 87.80% for MACCE. Regardless of the presence of AF, the CHA2DS2-VASc score was correlated with 1-year MACCE. The CHA2DS2-VASc score was correlated with 1-year MACCE in AMI patients who were discharge alive. The CHA2DS2-VASc score is useful predictor for 1 year MACCE in patients with AMI.


Summary Distinction of cutaneous adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) from adenoid basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is an occasional diagnostic dilemma in dermatopathology. We examined the immunohistochemical staining patterns with CD117 and CD43 in ACCs and BCCs, including BCCs with an adenoid growth pattern, to determine whether a combination of these markers can assist in the differential diagnosis. Fifteen cases each of ACC and BCC, including seven BCCs with a partial or entirely adenoid growth pattern were immunohistochemically stained for CD117 and CD43. The stains were interpreted semi-quantitatively. Staining for CD43 and CD117 was significantly more common in ACC than in BCC. Forty percent of ACCs showed staining for CD43, while no cases of BCC were positive. CD117 was positive in all cases of ACC, with 93% showing moderate or strong staining. BCC were less frequently positive, with only 20% of cases showing labelling of weak or moderate intensity. Immunohistochemical positivity for CD117 and CD43 are likely to be helpful adjuncts in the separation of cutaneous ACC from adenoid BCC.


Inspired by the collective behavior of slime molds and amoebas, we designed synthetic cell-like objects that move and self-organize in response to self-generated chemical gradients, thereby exhibiting autochemotaxis. Using computational modeling, we specifically focused on microcapsules that encompass a permeable shell and are localized on an adhesive surface in solution. Lacking any internal machinery, these spherical, fluid-filled shells might resemble the earliest protocells. Our microcapsules do, however, encase particles that can diffuse through the outer shell and into the surrounding fluid. The released particles play two important, physically realizable roles: (1) they affect the permeability of neighboring capsules and (2) they generate adhesion gradients on the underlying surface. Due to feedback mechanisms provided by the released particles, the self-generated adhesion gradients, and hydrodynamic interactions, the capsules undergo collective, self-sustained motion and even exhibit antlike tracking behavior. With the introduction of a chemically patterned stripe on the surface, a triad of capsules can be driven to pick up four-capsule cargo, transport this cargo, and drop off this payload at a designated site. We also modeled a system where the released particles give rise to a particular cycle of negative feedback loops (mimicking the "repressilator" network), which regulates the production of chemicals within the capsules and hence their release into the solution. By altering the system parameters, three capsules could be controllably driven to self-organize into a stable, close-packed triad that would either translate as a group or remain stationary. Moreover, the stationary triads could be made to switch off after assembly and thus produce minimal quantities of chemicals. Taken together, our models allow us to design a rich variety of self-propelled structures that achieve complex, cooperative behavior through fundamental physicochemical phenomena. The studies can also shed light on factors that enable individual protocells to communicate and self-assemble into larger communities.


Literary and the authors' own data concerning the application and mechanism of action of antibiotics in radiation sickness have been reported. The questions of the effect of antibiotics on the course and outcome of radiation sickness, development of dysbacteriosis following irradiation, effect of antibiotics on endogenic infection, development of resistance of autoflora microbes to antibiotics in an irradiated organism and various aspects of the mechanism of action of antibiotics in radiation sickness have been discussed.


Do doctors and other medical staff have an obligation to treat those who need their help? This paper assumes no legal or contractual obligations but attempts to discover whether there is any general moral obligation to treat those in need. In particular the questions of whether or not the obligation that falls on medical staff is different from that of others and of whether doctors are more blameworthy than others if they fail to treat patients are examined. Finally we look at the question of the burden of this obligation and at the responsibility of society to mitigate its hardships.


Two vital and dynamically changing issues are arising in the electric grid - an increase in electrical power demand, and subsequent reduction in power quality. Power electronics based solutions such as the Static Synchronous Compensator are increasingly deployed to mitigate power quality issues while High Voltage DC Transmission converters are currently installed to support the existing grid transmission capacity. Both applications require high power and high voltage power converters using switching devices with limited voltage ratings. The advent of Modular Multilevel Converters (MMC) is one of the recent responses to this need. These use half or full H-bridge circuits stacked up to form a chain, and hence can withstand high voltages using lower-rated switching devices.
This thesis introduces a new member into the MMC family, i.e the Modular Multi-level Flying Capacitor Converter (MMFCC). This uses a three-level flying capacitor full-bridge circuit as a sub-module and offers features of modularity, scalability and fault tolerance. The choice of FC topology in place of the simple H-bridge stems from the FC's ability to offer two extra voltage levels in the sub-module output and hence more degrees of freedom per module in controlling the voltage waveform. A three-level full-bridge FC sub-module uses three capacitors - an outer one for supporting the sub-module voltage, and two inner floating ones with half of the outer one's capacitance and voltage rating. This use of slightly more complex FC sub-modules gives the benefits of a modular structure but without using twice as many sub-modules with their associated capacitors for the same total voltage. The thesis presents the principles of this topology, switching states redundancies and a method for capacitor voltage balancing.
Also discussed are: the configuration of MMCC including the MMFCC in Single-Star Bridge-Cell (SSBC) or Single-Delta Bridge-Cell (SDBC) for FACTS and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) applications; and Double-Star Chopper-Cell (DSCC) or Double-Star Bridge-Cell (DSBC) for HVDC systems.
A novel overlapping hexagon pulse width modulation scheme is introduced and discussed for switching control of the MMFCC. This uses multiple hexagons all centred on one point, the same in number as the cascaded FC sub-modules, which are phase displaced relative to each other. The approach simplifies the modulation algorithm and brings flexibility in shaping the output voltage waveforms for different applications.
An MMFCC experimental rig was designed and built in-house to validate some of the simulation results obtained for the modulation of this new topology. Details of the rig as well as results captured are discussed.


Probably no other therapeutic procedure is as frequently and beneficially employed in the average rhinologist's office as is the irrigation of the antrum. Of all the paranasal sinuses the antrum is most often involved (according to some writers, in as many as 97 per cent of the cases of sinal disease). It is therefore worth while reemphasizing that better and more lasting results are obtained in the treatment of this sinus than in that of any of the others, either by conservative or by surgical means.1 In spite of the fact that the present trend is to penetrate the sinus through the natural ostium, it is nevertheless true that in many cases the older method of antral puncture is more desirable from the point of view of the physician and less irritating to the patient. Furthermore, the occasion frequently arises when the use of the puncture method is imperative. The


Four stages of medical rehabilitation of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer in Russia are described. Specific rehabilitation programs and methods are described for every stage. The pre-rehabilitation program includes psychological and nutritional support, exercise therapy, consultations by the surgeon and anesthesiologist, correction of concomitant disorders, prevention of thromboembolic complications and local hemodynamic abnormalities. At the rehabilitation stage in the ICU antibacterial therapy, patient positioning, percussion massage of the chest, passive mobilization, massage of the extremities are performed. The rehabilitation program at the specialized surgical department includes psychological rehabilitation, adequate pain management, exercise therapy, massage, nutritional support, prevention of thromboembolic complications, treatment of early postoperative complications. The in-hospital rehabilitation at medical facilities additionally includes treatment of delayed and late surgical complications, correction of radioiodine therapy consequences. The outpatient rehabilitation program also involves correction of hypothyroidism and minimization of adverse effects of suppressive hormone therapy, health resort treatment.


Abstract The role of women as mineworkers and as household workers has been erased. Here, we challenge the masculinity associated with the mines, taking a longer-term and a global labour history perspective. We foreground the importance of women as mineworkers in different parts of the world since the early modern period and analyse the changes introduced in coal mining in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the masculinization and mechanization, and the growing importance of women in contemporary artisanal and small-scale mining. The effect of protective laws and the exclusion of women from underground tasks was to restrict women's work more to the household, which played a pivotal role in mining communities but is insufficiently recognized. This process of "de-labourization" of women's work was closely connected with the distinction between productive and unproductive labour. This introductory article therefore centres on the important work carried out in the household by women and children. Finally, we present the three articles in this Special Theme and discuss how each of them is in dialogue with the topics addressed here. Many thanks also to Marie-José Spreeuwenberg for her invaluable engagement.


We classify messages posted to social media network Twitter based on the sentiment and topic of the messages. We use the results of the classification to sometimes generate responses that are sent to the original user and their network on Twitter using natural language processing. A network of users who post science related content is used as the sources of data. The classifications of the dataset show worse results than others have achieved for sentiment analysis of content on Twitter, possibly due to the data sets that were used.


Background Disease prevention and control is a signi�cant part during the ex-situ conservation of the red panda (Ailurus fulgens) with bacterial infection being one of the important threats to the health of the captive population. So far, there was no systematic and detailed publications about the red panda-related E. coli disease. This study was conducted for the purpose of determining the cause of death, etiology and pathogenesis on a red panda through clinical symptoms, complete blood count, biochemical analysis, pathological diagnosis, antimicrobial susceptibility test, mouse pathogenicity test, and bacterial whole genome sequencing. Results A bacterial strain con�rmed as Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) was isolated from one captive dead red panda, which is resistant to most of the β-lactam drugs and a small number of aminoglycoside medications. The mouse pathogenicity test results showed the strains isolated postmortem from mice were the same as from the dead red panda, and the pathological �ndings were similar to the red panda while they were not completely the same. These pathological differences between red panda and mice may be related to the routes of infection and perhaps species differences and tolerance. The whole genome sequencing results showed that the isolated strain contained P pili, type I pili and iron uptake system related factors, which were closely related to its nephrotoxicity. Conclusion The red panda died of bacterial infection which was identi�ed as Uropathogenic Escherichia coli. The pathogenic mechanisms of the strain are closely related to the expression of speci�c virulence genes.


The appearance of homeschooling, the new phenomenon in education's world, an informal education becomes the ones of the educcation's way in Indonesia now. Some of the teenagers choose this way than a regular's way. But of course, they need time for the adjustment against this changes which is suitable with their own (self concept-konsep diri). The changes from one condition to another different condition will cause the changes of their individual becomes not comfortable, so for teenagers who are choosing this education's way that is homeschooling must
attempt for adaption not only personal but also social. Because, the adjustment (penyesuaian diri) which is the teenagers do not only in education's environment but also in the familys, and social environment. The formation of their (self concept-konsep diri) which is go through the
transition's time have an important's role when they are adaption their self wherever they are.
Because, this thing will determine(menentukan) the success or not the teenagers adjustment. So this research is aims to reveal whether there is a correlation between the (self concept) with the teenagers (adjustment) who are do homeschooling. (Self concept) is an individual assessment about theirs condition, abot what and who are they which is combined from the physical perception, psychology, social, ant their attitude which are formed in their mind and their feeling through their experiences which are obtained from the individual interaction with their environment. While the adjustment is an individual ability to balanca the demands which are comes from the deep inside of theirself and from the outside theirself and environment, so they are obtain the suitability between theirself and environment.
This research project is non eksperimental design and using kuantitatif research method which is the subject is BERKEMAS Homeschooling Community that have 30 people in it. The instrument of research using (self concept) scale and the (adjustment) scale. That measured with Likert scale. The data analysis techniques using product moment correlation.
The result was obtained the correlation coefficient (r=0,923; p=0,000; sign <0,01). It shows there are a positive correlation and very significant between the (self concept) with the teenagers adjustment which are did homeschooling. And (self concept) give an effective contribution (r2=85,2%) against the adjustment, while the rest (14,8%) is influenced by the others factors.


Abstract. Over the last decade, harnessing the commercial potential of smart mobile devices in indoor environments has spurred interest in indoor mapping and navigation. Users experience indoor environments differently. For this reason navigational models have to be designed to adapt to a user's personality, and to reflect as many cognitive maps as possible. This paper presents an extension of a previously proposed framework. In this extension the notion of placement is accounted for, thereby enabling one aspect of the 'personalised indoor experience'. In the paper, firstly referential expressions are used as a tool to discuss the different ways of thinking of placement within indoor spaces. Next, placement is expressed in terms of the concept of Position, Location, Place and Area. Finally, the previously proposed framework is extended to include these concepts of placement. An example is provided of the use of the extended framework. Notable characteristics of the framework are: (1) Sub-spaces, resources and agents can simultaneously possess different types of placement, e.g., a person in a room can have an xyz position and a location defined by the room number. While these entities can simultaneously have different forms of placement, only one is dominant. (2) Sub-spaces, resources and agents are capable of possessing modifiers that alter their access and usage. (3) Sub-spaces inherit the modifiers of the resources or agents contained in them. (4) Unlike conventional navigational models which treat resources and obstacles as different types of entities, in the proposed framework there are only resources and whether a resource is an obstacle is determined by a modifier that determines whether a user can access the resource. The power of the framework is that it blends the geometry and topology of space, the influence of human activity within sub-spaces together with the different notions of placement in a way that is simple and yet very flexible.


Abstract. Tracer-aided hydrological models are becoming increasingly popular tools as they assist with process understanding and source separation, which facilitates model calibration and diagnosis of model uncertainty (Tetzlaff et al., 2015; Klaus and McDonnell, 2013). Data availability in high-latitude regions, however, proves to be a major challenge associated with this type of application (Tetzlaff et al., 2015). Models require a time series of isotopes in precipitation (δ18Oppt) to drive simulations, and throughout much of the world – particularly in sparsely populated high-latitude regions – these data are not widely available. Here we investigate the impact that choice of precipitation isotope product (δ18Oppt) has on simulations of streamflow, δ18O in streamflow (δ18OSF), resulting hydrograph separations, and model parameters. In a high-latitude, data-sparse, seasonal basin (Fort Simpson, NWT, Canada), we assess three precipitation isotope products of different spatial and temporal resolutions (i.e. semi-annual static, seasonal KPN43, and daily bias-corrected REMOiso), and apply them to force the isoWATFLOOD tracer-aided hydrologic model. Total simulated streamflow is not significantly impacted by choice of δ18Oppt product; however, simulated isotopes in streamflow (δ18OSF) and the internal apportionment of water (driven by model parameterization) are impacted. The highest-resolution product (REMOiso) was distinct from the two lower-resolution products (KPN43 and static), but could not be verified as correct due to a lack of daily δ18Oppt observations. The resolution of δ18Oppt impacts model parameterization and seasonal hydrograph separations, producing notable differences among simulations following large snowmelt and rainfall events when event compositions differ significantly from δ18OSF. Capturing and preserving the spatial variability in δ18Oppt using distributed tracer-aided models is important because this variability impacts model parameterization. We achieve an understanding of tracer-aided modelling and its application in high-latitude regions with limited δ18Oppt observations, and the value such models have in defining modelling uncertainty. In this study, application of a tracer-aided model is able to identify simulations with improved internal process representation, reinforcing the fact that tracer-aided modelling approaches assist with resolving hydrograph component contributions and work towards diagnosing equifinality.


The present article examines the question, whether the recent eruption of what may be comprehended as an expression of religious fundamentalism, albeit in the guise of "terrorism", can be situated in a broader historical and theoretical context, which would impart greater comprehensibity to it, than the predominantly "hysterical" reaction to violent "terrorist" attacks enables one to do. With this aim in mind, the nature of "fumdamentalism" is scrutinised, in the light of the "terrorist" attack by Al Qaeda against Charlie Hebdo in Paris (January 2015), by ISIS in Paris (November 2015), and again in Brussels (March 2016). The causal nexus underpinning these attacks is examined by means of the concept of fundamentalism as it is employed by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, specifically regarding their well-known concept of "Empire" (their name for the current "sovereign" world order), and the question, whether the historical events and conditions referred to earlier are symptomatic of a "return" to the premodern, or rather of a postmodern rejection of modernisation and what accompanies it. Subsequently, the question of the culture-historical status of current religious Islamic fundamentalism is approached within the framework of Samuel Huntington's thesis of the "clash of civilizations" which enables one to construe it as a manifestation of this conflict. Manuel Castells's investigation of the nature and grounds of religious Islamic fundamentalism is also thematised within the context of his thesis concerning the "network society", to be able to provide a nuanced answer to the central question of this article. In conclusion, the "grounds" of fundamentalism (of any kind) are discussed insofar as these are connected with dogma and truth. This is done by way of a philosophical discussion of Umberto Eco's treatment of the (according to him paradoxical) concept of "truth" (and by implication dogma), and it is argued that a dogmatic conception of "truth" underpins Islamic fundamentalism.


: A group of 514 males between the ages of 35 and 44, whose occupation involved strained mental work, were examined. Ischemic heart disease was diagnosed in 56 of them (10.7%); 191 formed a group with doubtful signs of ischemic heart disease, and 267 composed a group of practically healthy persons. Hypertensive disease was revealed in 18.4% and hyperlipoproteinemia in 20% of persons examined. There was a statistically significant difference between the group of healthy individuals and that of patients with ischemic heart disease in the frequency of hypertensive disease and hyperlipoproteinemia. Smoking, adiposity, low physical activity, and aggravated heredity were encountered at a practically equal rate in both groups. In half of the patients with ischemic heart disease hypertensive disease and hyperlipoproteinemia were not found, while other risk factors of ischemic heart disease were encountered no more frequently than in the group of healthy persons. Thus, just like most other epidemiologic studies, our investigation showed hypertensive disease and hyperlipoproteinemia to be of highest significance as ischemic heart disease risk factor.


In this paper, we consider the provision of primary frequency control by using battery energy storage systems (BESSs). In particular, we use a standard droop-based frequency control for a BESS where the control action (i.e. the BESS power output) consists in the contribution of two additive terms: the regulating power, proportional to the frequency deviations, and an offset term computed to manage the BESS State-of-Energy (SOE). In the context of such a control scheme, we propose a method to forecast the BESS energy for regulation needs and we show that the inclusion of such a forecast can increase the regulating power provision. Finally, we demonstrate the performance of the proposed approach by means of a real-scale experimental setup composed by a grid-connected 720 kVA/560 kWh BESS installed at the EPFL campus in Lausanne, Switzerland.


'The sweet daily bread of language. Smell it rising in its given warmth taste it through the stink of tears and yesterdays and eat it anywhere with any angel in sight.' Janet Frame used to keep geese, using the base of an old garden fountain as their bath. In later years the geese went but the bath was brought indoors as a receptacle into which Janet piled her poems and jottings as she reworked and developed them. Over time the goose bath overflowed with paper, including hundreds of unpublished poems. By the time Janet died she had named her hoped-for but elusive new selection 'The Goose Bath'. From this treasure trove, Pamela Gordon, Denis Harold and Bill Manhire selected over a hundred poems that illustrated the shape of her life: her childhood and the subsequent difficult years in mental hospitals; her travels around the world; her life as a writer and return to New Zealand; and growing older and facing illness and death. The poems reveal her love for words, for cats, for the changing seasons, the arts and for this country. There are love poems, meditations on mortality, flashes of humour and startling imagery. And always she celebrates the power of the human imagination. Since first publication, this book has become a Premier New Zealand Bestseller and many of its poems have been anthologised and even set to music. The book went on to win the Poetry Section of the 2007 Montana New Zealand Book Awards. It is also being released internationally, in countries as wide-ranging as the UK, Australia and Spain. It is a beautiful and thought-provoking work, a lasting legacy from one of this country's most acclaimed writers. 'Janet Frame's The Goose Bath is essential reading. This is a volume that alters the landscape of New Zealand poetry.' - New Zealand Listener


In mobile networks, one of the hard tasks is to determine the best partitioning in the Location Area problem, but it is also an important strategy to try to reduce all the involved management costs. In this paper we present a new approach to solve the location management problem based on the Location Area partitioning, as a cost optimization problem. We use a Differential Evolution based algorithm to find the best configuration to the Location Areas in a mobile network. We try to find the best values for the Differential Evolution parameters as well as define the scheme that enables us to obtain better results, when compared to classical strategies and to other authors' results. To obtain the best solution we develop four distinct experiments, each one applied to one Differential Evolution parameter. This is a new approach to this problem that has given us good results.


The authors present Pool2, a generic system for cognitive map development and decision analysis that is based on negative-positive-neutral (NPN) logics and NPN relations. NPN logics and relations are extensions of two-valued crisp logic, crisp (binary) relations, and fuzzy relations, NPN logics and relations assume logic values in the NPN interval (-1, 1) instead of values in (0, 1). A theorem is presented that provides conditions for the existence and uniqueness of heuristic transitive closures of an NPN relation. It is shown that NPN logic and NPN relations can be used directly to model a target world with a combination of NPN relationships of attributes and/or concepts for the purposes of cognitive map understanding, and decision analysis. Two algorithms are presented for heuristic transitive closure computation and for heuristic path searching, respectively. Basic ideas are illustrated by example. A comparison is made between this approach and others. >


With an aging population who wish to remain living in the community, this article explores the experiences and benefits of receiving volunteer services from a home support program established to assist people with increasing needs to remain living independently. Face to face interviews explored how the services of informal carers (volunteers) provided through the program made a difference to the daily lives of 16 recipients. Improved life satisfaction was identified through the themes of being helped with daily activities, positive human contact, and fear of a poorer quality of life. It was found that addressing recipients' social, emotional, and mobility needs supported them to remain living at home.


During the last 40 years, researchers have studied the relationship between psychological development and religion (see Worthington, 1989 for an extensive review of the literature regarding psychological and religious development). For example, studies have investigated religious practice from the perspective of Piaget's theory of cognitive development both in children (Elkind, 1964; Long, Elkind, & Spilka, 1967) and in adolescents (Allport, Gillespie, & Young, 1948; Goldman, 1964; Pealting, 1974). Other studies have examined the relationship between religion and moral development (Bull, 1969; Clouse, 1978), Erikson's theory of psychosocial development in children (Steele, 1986) and in adults (Whitehead & Whitehead, 1979), and transition theory (Hall, 1986; Spero, 1987). Although these authors have not concluded that religious development is a necessary part of psychological development, research over the years has established a connection between these two dimensions for those who profess religious belief. More recently, attention has been given to the ways in which race and culture influence the development of beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and values. In particular, Helms (1984, 1990c, 1990d, 1995) has proposed models of racial identity development for people of color and for Whites that seek to describe the psychological experience of race for each and to anticipate how differing racial identity statuses will affect individuals' cognitions and behaviors in a variety of settings, for instance, in counseling dyads (Carter, 1995; Helms, 1984, 1990a), in organizations (Kirkland & Regan, 1997), and in families (Gushue & Sciarra, 1995). Racial identity theory has become a significant and influential framework for understanding an individual's psychological development in a society that is becoming increasingly aware of its racial diversity. Another recent development has been a keen interest in issues of spirituality and religion as part of the counseling process (Holt, Houg, & Romano, 1999; Kelly, 1995; Worthington, Kurusu, McCullough, & Sandage, 1996; Zinnbauer & Pargament, 2000). Some see this appreciation as an aspect of multicultural awareness (Pate & Bondi, 1992). The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), in the latest 2001 standards, requires counselor education programs to show how their curricula deal with religious and spiritual development. Burke et al. (1999) have suggested ways in which spiritual and religious issues can be integrated throughout the CACREP core curriculum. Within the common core area of Human Growth and Development, these authors have suggested an examination of the "connections between the major domains of human development (e.g., cognitive, psychosocial, moral) and the development of spiritual/religious belief and practice" (Burke et al., 1999, p. 252). These authors have further proposed that one of the ways to understand this connection is through research that focuses on spiritual and religious development, while Zinnbauer and Pargament (2000) have called for research examining various approaches to religion and spirituality. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, the distinction between spirituality and religion is an important one. Richards and Bergin (1997) defined spirituality as "experiences, beliefs, and phenomena that pertain to the transcendent and existential aspects of life" (p. 13), in contrast to religion, which they describe as "theistic beliefs, practices, and feelings that are often, but not always, expressed institutionally and denominationally as well as personally" (p. 13). These definitions express the strong interrelationship between spirituality and religion, whereby the latter can be seen as a subset of the former. This study, in agreement with Burke et al. (1999), uses both terms according to the definitions just cited (Richards & Bergin, 1997). …


There are different techniques for improving I/O performance of Object oriented database Management Systems (OODBMS). Over 15 years of research into OODBMS design, performance remains as one of the major problems. I/O reduction has proven to be one of the most effective ways enhancing performance. The two main techniques of improving I/O performance of Object Oriented Database Management Systems (OODBMS) are clustering and buffer replacement. Clustering is the placement of objects accessed near to each other in time into the same page. Buffer replacement involves the selection of a page to be evicted, when the buffer is full. The page evicted ideally should be the page needed least in the future. These two techniques both influence the likelihood of a requested object being memory resident. We believe an effective way of reducing disk I/O is to take advantage of the synergy that exists between clustering, and buffer replacement. Hence, we design a framework, whereby clustering algorithms incorporating buffer replacement cache behaviour can be conveniently employed for enhancing the I/O performance of OODBMS. We call this new type of clustering algorithm, Cache Conversant Clustering (C3). In this paper, we present the C3 framework, and a C3 algorithm that we have developed, namely C3-GGP Greedy Graph Partioning. We have tested C3-GGP against three well known clustering algorithms. The results show that C3-GGP out performs them by up to 42% when using popular buffer replacement algorithms such as LRU,FCFS and CLOCK. C3-GGP offers the same performance as the best existing clustering algorithm when the buffer size compared to the database size is very small.


Enforcement ofthe ASEAN Economic Communityin 2015 had an impactonthe existence of Small and Medium Enterprises.Dian Convectionis one of the small and medium enterprise sengaged in the manufacture of jeans clothes. Dian Convectionhas been running his business for two years and is currently Dian Convection has a staff of about 10 people. The purpose of this study was to measure the effect of compensation to the employee's competency in Dian Convection. Associative method used in this study to find out how much influence the compensation of employee competence in Dian Convection. Types of research objectives used is Causal Research, this target is used to test hypotheses about causal relationships. The population in this study were employees at Dian Convection, amounting to 10 people while sampling techniques performed by Isaac & Michael (1981: 192) in Sukardi (2004: 55) determined that with a population of 10 people, the sample to be taken is 10 people. Types of statistics used are parametric statistical regression analysis simple Based on the calculation results obtained statistically significant level of 0.013 <0.05, meaning that there is a significant influence between the compensation of the employee's competency in Dian Convection with massive influence was 74.5%. Based on this it can be concluded that the compensation that has been done by Dian Convection is going well and gives a very significant effect. Keywords : Compensation, Competence


Based on the previous studies, the hypothesis of this research is that the higher the level of gender equality in a state, the higher level of its peacefulness. It is a quantitative study using linear regression analysis with three variables, namely Global Peace Index (GPI) as a dependent variable, Gender Inequality Index (GII) as an independent variable and Human Development Index (HDI) as a control variable. The data of 139 states from year 2013 were submitted into Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The result shows a significant and positive linear relationship between gender inequality and a high level of conflict, which confirms the hypothesis. However, HDI shows to be less reliable as a control variable due to issues with multicollinearity (heavily related independent variables). Further studies should replace the HDI with another control variable.


Despite the growing discriminative capabilities of modern deep learning methods for recognition tasks, the inner workings of the state-of-art models still remain mostly black-boxes. In this paper, we propose a systematic interpretation of model parameters and hidden representations of Residual Temporal Convolutional Networks (Res-TCN) for action recognition in time-series data. We also propose a Feature Map Decoder as part of the interpretation analysis, which outputs a representation of model's hidden variables in the same domain as the input. Such analysis empowers us to expose model's characteristic learning patterns in an interpretable way. For example, through the diagnosis analysis, we discovered that our model has learned to achieve view-point invariance by implicitly learning to perform rotational normalization of the input to a more discriminative view. Based on the findings from the model interpretation analysis, we propose a targeted refinement technique, which can generalize to various other recognition models. The proposed work introduces a three-stage paradigm for model learning: training, interpretable diagnosis and targeted refinement. We validate our approach on skeleton based 3D human action recognition benchmark of NTU RGB+D. We show that the proposed workflow is an effective model learning strategy and the resulting Multi-stream Residual Temporal Convolutional Network (MS-Res-TCN) achieves the state-of-the-art performance on NTU RGB+D.


Two years after the trenchant criticism of Ashworth Hospital by a committee of inquiry chaired by Sir Louis Blom-Cooper, QC,1,2 the Department of Health has published its review of high security and related psychiatric provision. Dr John Reed, senior principal medical officer, and his committee recommend sweeping changes in the way treatment under special security is provided for patients in England and Wales.3,4

High security provision is a new term which should encourage us to think of services rather than institutions. The report accepts that such provision will always have a place in the range of psychiatric services but that a service based on the three existing special hospitals (Ashworth in Merseyside, Broadmoor in Berkshire, and Rampton in Nottinghamshire) administered from a special health authority in London cannot continue. What is needed is something "generally more attuned to the wider delivery of mental health care on the eve of the twenty first century."

At present there are about 1700 patients in the special hospitals, two thirds of whom are subject to the authority …


Targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs) can serve as an effective approach toward limiting resistance to therapies and the development of metastases in many forms of cancer. While basal breast cancers encompass cells with CSC features, rational therapies remain poorly established. Here, we show that receptor tyrosine kinase Met signalling promotes the activity of the Hippo component YAP in basal breast cancer. Further analysis revealed enhanced YAP activity within the CSC population. Using both genetic and pharmaceutical approaches, we show that interfering with YAP activity delays basal cancer formation, prevents luminal to basal trans-differentiation and reduces CSC survival. Gene expression analysis of YAP knock-out mammary glands revealed a strong decrease in β-catenin target genes in basal breast cancer, suggesting that YAP is required for nuclear β-catenin activity. Mechanistically, we find that nuclear YAP interacts and overlaps with β-catenin and TEAD4 at common gene regulatory elements. Analysis of proteomic data from primary breast cancer patients identified a significant upregulation of the YAP activity signature in basal compared to other breast cancers, suggesting that YAP activity is limited to basal types. Our findings demonstrate that in basal breast cancers, β-catenin activity is dependent on YAP signalling and controls the CSC program. These findings suggest that targeting the YAP/TEAD4/β-catenin complex offers a potential therapeutic strategy for eradicating CSCs in basal (triple-negative) breast cancers.


Mast cells (MCs) are recognized to play an important role in bacterial host defense in the murine system. In this study, we studied the interaction of human MCs, isolated from the intestine and purified to homogeneity, with different Escherichia coli and Shigella flexneri strains. We show that α-hemolysin (Hly)-producing E. coli strains induce the release of histamine, leukotrienes, and proinflammatory cytokines in intestinal MCs. In contrast, MCs were virtually unresponsive to S. flexneri and several Hly-negative E. coli strains, including the isogenic Hly-deficient mutants of Hly+ strains. Hly+ E. coli but not Hly− E. coli caused an increase in intracellular Ca2+ levels. Blocking of extracellular Ca2+ and of the calmodulin/calcineurin pathway by cyclosporin A inhibited the response to Hly+ E. coli. Furthermore, inhibition of MAPKs p38 and ERK reduces activation of MCs by Hly+ E. coli. In addition, using an ex vivo system, we directly record the histamine release by MCs located in the lamina propria after infection with Hly+ E. coli. Our data indicate that human intestinal mast cells interact with selected Gram-negative bacteria, establish E. coli Hly as a factor regulating MC effector functions, and argue further for a role of human MCs in innate immunity.


5-S-Cysteinyldopamine, a new metabolite of dopamine, was determined in urine by high-performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection. The catechol was detected in 14 of 21 melanoma patients and 7 of 21 normal subjects; the highest values were 657 /~g/day for melanoma patients and 44 /lg/day for normal subjects. These results suggest that the cysteine conjugate may arise from autoxidation of dopamine but tyrosinase may also participate in the oxidation.


Among 580 consecutive nonselected necropsies there were 145 cases of secondary hyperparathyroidism. In 74 instances blood concentrations of Ca2+, PO4(3-), urea, creatinine, total protein, albumin and alkaline phosphatase were available for comparison with the histomorpholgical degree of parathyroid hyperplasia matched with a control group of 32 patients with normal parathyroids. Analysis of variance revealed a significant difference in the levels of PO4 (3-) and creatinine between the normal group and that with minimal hyperplasia. Minimal and moderate diffuse parathyroid hyperplasia was associated with significant difference in calcium, phosphate, urea, creatinine, and total protein concentrations.


ABSTRACT Since 2012 Myanmar has experienced recurrent waves of religiously imbued violence. Violence has been both physical and symbolic. Symbolic violence has included the popularisation of the belief that Muslim men are the primary threat to Buddhist women, and by extension, the body politic of Myanmar. This article draws on ethnographic research and theory on rumours and nationalism to show how colonial era social and legal processes have been drawn on to establish Muslim men as the scapegoats for deeply held social grievances amongst the Buddhist majority. Rumours of the rape and forced religious conversion of Buddhist women make the political personal and justify demands for male and state protection. We argue that in Myanmar the figure of the wealthy Muslim perpetrator has been popularised both as a scapegoat for decades of brutal authoritarianism and as a threat to the contemporary social reproduction of the national Buddhist polity.


Focusing on the theme of "slowness," this article demonstrates that an individualized approach to access in university life worsens inequity rather than alleviating it. It introduces the concept of the "accommodations loop," through which slow systems and processes impede access through a relentless focus on individual accommodation and biocertification. The accommodations loop shows that time, often thought of as a desirable commodity, can also be used to harm disabled people in the name of inclusion. In closing, this article argues that we should work toward equity through systems of collective accountability, rather than individual accommodation.


This study examined the quality of E85 fuel around the country in each of the three volatility classes identified in ASTM D5798-10. Samples were collected from pumps in 21 states between July 2010 and May 2011, with almost 40 samples collected in each class. Parameters tested to assess fuel quality were volatility, ethanol content, water content, acidity, pHe, inorganic chloride and sulfate, and total sulfate. Class 1 samples more often met the volatility specification than samples from other classes, with 67% of the samples collected in this study meeting the specification. Samples in Classes 2 and 3 met the applicable volatility specifications on 43% and 30% of the time, respectively. Compliance with the ethanol specification was almost 90% in all three volatility classes, a significant improvement over previous surveys. Several samples that would have been off-specification for ethanol content under previous versions of the specification now met the specification with the reduction in ethanol content for all classes. A few samples were off-specification for pHe, acidity, water, and inorganic chloride. Few samples were off-specification for more than one property, and samples that were off-specification in one volatility class were not necessarily off-specification in the other two classes.


Genocide is a complicated social, political and psychological phenomenon. Findings by a number of scholars show that all types of genocides are interdependent and cannot appear in pure types alone. This paper argues that the loser psychology is one major factor for developing a genocidal intent in society. Society, facing harsh realities, feels defeated and abandoned by international community and begins to look for ways out of psychological morass. Extremist passions and movements become prevalent in such societies which finally take people to insane beliefs which are based on the need to take revenge on others, to prove their superiority, to the illusion that they have found the solution for their problems: to kill others, to eliminate them from society. The paper also shows that the ultimate end of such a genocidal intent is the achievement of happiness. The capacity of society to provide its members with their wants (security, food, psychological recovery, etc) will make them happy, the failure to do so will spread gloomy environment over society. People's desire to recover from major loses and immediately achieve happiness confuses them and leads them to false calculations, which, unfortunately, easily nest in the minds of members of society, sparking an "us-them" split the in society, which would take them to genocidal intentions.


Abstract STUDY QUESTION What is the dynamics of expression of P-element induced wimpy testis-like (PIWIL) proteins in the germline during human fetal development and spermatogenesis? SUMMARY ANSWER PIWIL1, PIWIL2, PIWIL3 and PIWIL4 were expressed in a sex-specific fashion in human germ cells (GC) during development and adulthood. PIWILs showed a mutually exclusive pattern of subcellular localization. PIWILs were present in the intermitochondrial cement and a single large granule in meiotic GC and their expression was different from that observed in mice, highlighting species-differences. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY In mice, PIWIL proteins play prominent roles in male infertility. PIWIL mouse mutants show either post-meiotic arrest at the round spermatid stage (PIWIL1) or arrest at the zygotene-pachytene stage of meiosis I (PIWIL2 and PIWIL4) in males, while females remain fertile. Recent studies have reported a robust piRNA pool in human fetal ovary. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION This is a qualitative analysis of PIWILs expression in paraffin-embedded fetal human male (N = 8), female gonads (N = 6) and adult testes (N = 5), and bioinformatics analysis of online available single-cell transcriptomics data of human fetal germ cells (n = 242). PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS Human fetal gonads from elective abortion without medical indication and adult testes biopsies were donated for research with informed consent. Samples were fixed, paraffin-embedded and analyzed by immunofluorescence to study the temporal and cellular localization of PIWIL1, PIWIL2, PIWIL3 and PIWIL4. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE PIWIL1, PIWIL2 and PIWIL4 showed a mutually exclusive pattern of subcellular localization, particularly in female oocytes. To our surprise, PIWIL1 immunostaining revealed the presence of a single dense paranuclear body, resembling the chromatoid body of haploid spermatocytes, in meiotic oocytes. Moreover, in contrast to mice, PIWIL4, but not PIWIL2, localized to the intermitochondrial cement. PIWIL3 was not expressed in GC during development. The upregulation of PIWIL transcripts correlated with the transcription of markers associated with piRNAs biogenesis like the TDRDs and HENMT1 in fetal GC. LARGE SCALE DATA Non-applicable. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION This study is limited by the restricted number of samples and consequently stages analyzed. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS In the germline, PIWILs ensure the integrity of the human genome protecting it from 'parasitic sequences'. This study offers novel insights on the expression dynamics of PIWILs during the window of epigenetic remodeling and meiosis, and highlights important differences between humans and mice, which may prove particularly important to understand causes of infertility and improve both diagnosis and treatment in humans. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) M.G.F. was funded by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT) [SFRH/BD/78689/2011]; N.H. by China Scholarship Council (CSC) [No. 201307040026] and F.W. by Medical Personnel Training Abroad Project of Henan Province [No. 2015022] and S.M.C.d.S.L. by the Netherlands Organization of Scientific Research (NWO) [ASPASIA 015.007.037] and the Interuniversity Attraction Poles-Phase VII [IUAP/PAI P7/14]. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.


In this paper a combined controller is proposed for nonlinear dynamical systems. The controller is constructed by a fuzzy wavelet network and nonlinear model predictive control. Chaotic optimization, which is fast and robust, is applied to generate optimized controlled input in nonlinear model predictive control. The ability of the fuzzy wavelet neural network and the proposed controller is shown by simulation. It is illustrated that the proposed method is able to increase the speed of tracking in addition to having very little steady state error. Using chaotic optimization makes the controller robust in the presence of noise.


Most of professional ethics is grounded on the assumption that we can speak meaningfully about particular, insulated professions with aims and goals, that conceptually there exists a clear "inside and outside" to any given profession. Professional ethics has also inherited the two-part assumption from mainstream moral philosophy that we can speak meaningfully about agent-relative versus agent-neutral moral perspectives, and further, that it is only from the agent-neutral perspective that we can truly evaluate our professional moral aims, rules, and practices. Several important changes that have occurred, or are currently taking place, in the structure of the health care professions, challenge those assumptions and signal the need for teachers of professional ethics to rethink the content of what we teach as well as our teaching methods. The changes include: influences and critique from other professions and from those who are served by the health professions, and influences and critique from professionals themselves, including increased activism and dissent from within the professions. The discussion focuses on changes that have occurred in the health-related fields, but insofar as similar changes are occurring in other professions such as law and business, these arguments will have broader conceptual implications for the way we ought to think about professional ethics more generally.


With most chronic diseases, monitoring of one or more physiological variables (vital signs) can inform the management of the patient. In active monitoring, the patient adjusts medication dosage according to the value of the measured variable. Passive monitoring is associated with the more advanced stages of chronic diseases and requires the use of wearable sensors. 'Digital plasters' which exploit recent advances in semiconductor technology can now provide continuous monitoring and wireless transmission of patients' vital signs for several days. The ideal digital plaster, or adhesive patch, for long-term passive monitoring would incorporate both electrical and optical measurements. Other promising technologies for the future include implantable sensors and non-contact vital sign imaging.


We have assessed during B cell development, the regulation and function of bcl-x, a member of the bcl-2 family of apoptosis regulatory genes. Here we show that Bcl-xL, a product of bcl-x, is expressed in pre-B cells but downregulated at the immature and mature stages of B cell development. Bcl-xL but not Bcl-2 is rapidly induced in peripheral B cells upon surface immunoglobulin M (IgM) cross-linking, CD40 signaling, or LPS stimulation. Transgenic mice that overexpressed Bcl- xL within the B cell lineage exhibited marked accumulation of peripheral B cells in lymphoid organs and enhanced survival of developing and mature B cells. B cell survival was further increased by simultaneous expression of bcl-xL and bcl-2 transgenes. These studies demonstrate that Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL are regulated differentially during B cell development and activation of mature B cells. Induction of Bcl-xL after signaling through surface IgM and CD40 appears to provide mature B cells with an additional protective mechanism against apoptotic signals associated with antigen-induced activation and proliferation.


An ultrastructural study of late stages of the replicative cycle of human cytomegalovirus (CMV) in human embryo fibroblasts cell cultures has been performed. Nucleocapsids are observed only inside the intranuclear inclusion. They mature apparently by taking the envelope from the structural components of microvescicular systems reaching from the nuclear membrane the periphery of the nuclear inclusion. However, some capsids reach "naked" the cytoplasm and then take the envelope from cytoplasmic membranes. In the cytoplasm homogeneous "dense material" and "dense microbodies" are present; in extracellular space enveloped "dense microbodies" are scattered among virions. The peculiar envelopment of CMV capsids, not yet described in the literature, is discussed and the typical ultrastructural cytopathology of CMV infected cells is indicated as an useful tool in diagnostic virology.


Fifty-five years after it was first published, Samuel Huntington's The soldier and the state remains an essential starting point for serious discussions of American civil–military relations. In part this is due to the boldness and ambition of the author. Huntington brought theory to a research area that had suffered from too little theorizing and then went on to formulate concepts that scholars and practitioners of civil–military relations still find useful. These include: the conceptualization of the military as a profession; the articulation of the two central forces shaping the nature of military institutions as the functional and the societal imperatives; and the formulation of subjective and objective control as the two main patterns of civilian control. This review article briefly revisits these concepts and argues that they retain utility in illuminating important issues in American civil–military relations today. It also argues, however, that Huntington's contributions were productive but not perfect. Some of his specific definitions, such as the content of military expertise, are debatable. Some of his central concerns, such as whether the United States could sustain a strong military over an extended period of time, are no longer central today. Finally, in some places the literature has moved beyond what Huntington offered. The best example is the ongoing debate over how the country's political leaders and its most senior military officers should interact. It is precisely on this point that Huntington's objective control is the weakest. While The soldier and the state certainly does not deserve uncritical acceptance, it does continue to merit a fair hearing. Current discussions of American civil–military relations are likely to be more reasonable and productive if Huntington is given a voice.


"Don't Stop Believing: The State & Future Of UK Occupational Pensions" is the second Finance Short on pension written by Con Keating, which considers in detail the position of UK private occupational pensions. It discusses the reasons for the decline in funded defined benefit (DB) provision in the UK and, as collective DB is shown to be an efficient institutional design, proposes remedies that may resuscitate this ailing sector.


Since the mid-1960s when the forms of curved shell finite elements were originated, including those pioneered by Professor Gallagher, the published literature on the subject has grown extensively. The first two present authors and Liaw presented a survey of such literature in 1990 in this journal. Professor Gallagher maintained an active interest in this subject during his entire academic career, publishing milestone research works and providing periodic reviews of the literature. In this paper, we endeavor to summarize the important literature on shell finite elements over the past 15 years. It is hoped that this will be a befitting tribute to the pioneering achievements and sustained legacy of our beloved Professor Gallagher in the area of shell finite elements. This survey includes: the degenerated shell approach; stress-resultant-based formulations and Cosserat surface approach; reduced integration with stabilization; incompatible modes approach; enhanced strain formulations; 3-D elasticity elements; drilling d.o.f. elements; co-rotational approach; and higher-order theories for composites. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


This paper documents new and empirically important interactions between cash-balance and leverage dynamics. Cash ratios typically vary widely over extended horizons, with dynamics remarkably similar to (and complementary with) those of capital structure. Leverage and cash dynamics interact approximately as predicted by the internal-versus-external funding regimes in Myers and Majluf (1984). Leverage is quite volatile when cash ratios are stable and vice-versa, while net-debt ratios are almost always volatile. Most firms increase leverage sharply as cash balances (internal funds) become scarce. Capital structure models that extend Hennessy and Whited (2005) to include cash-balance dynamics explain some, but not all, aspects of the observed relation between cash squeezes and leverage increases.


: Arthritic and histologically normal joints from swine in which arthritis had been produced by the intravenous inoculation of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae were used as a source of fluids for lysosomal enzyme determinations. Mean lysozyme activities in synovias from arthritic and histologically normal joints were 16.60 and 5.79 mug/ml, respectively. Acid phosphatase (ACP) was increased more than 8 times the activity in histologically normal joints, but there was no relationship between lysozyme and ACP, indicating the probability that 1 of these enzymes came from another source. The cytoplasmic enzyme, lactic dehydrogenase (LDH), was increased in proportion to ACP, indicating that cell death and not selective extrusion of lysosomal enzymes during phagocytosis was an important mechanism of enzyme release in arthritic joints. Lysozyme activities in synovias from histologically normal joints were often increased above companion serum concentrations, indicating the enzyme has a special role in the joint. Also, the ratio of activities of lysozyme to ACP in pig buffy coat lysates was different from the ratio of the 2 enzymes in synovias from arthritic joints.


In this study we examined the effectiveness of self-regulated learning (SRL) and externally-regulated learning (ERL) on adolescents' learning about the circulatory system with hypermedia. A total of 128 middle-school and high school students with little knowledge of the topic were randomly assigned either to the SRL or ERL condition. Learners in the SRL condition regulated their own learning, while learners in the ERL condition had access to a human tutor who facilitated their self-regulated learning. We converged product (pretest-posttest shifts in students' mental models) with process (think-aloud) data to examine the effectiveness of self-and externally-regulated learning about a science topic during a 40-minute session. Findings revealed that the ERL condition facilitated the shift in learners' mental models significantly more than did the SRL condition. Verbal protocol data indicated that learners in the ERL condition regulated their learning by activating prior knowledge, engaging in several monitoring activities, deploying several effective strategies, and engaging in adaptive help-seeking. By contrast, learners in the SRL condition regulated their learning by using fewer monitoring activities, and using several ineffective strategies. We present design principles for adaptive hypermedia learning environments designed to foster students' self-regulated learning of complex and challenging science topics.


Rules regulating access to knowledge are no longer the exclusive province of lawyers and policymakers and instead command the attention of anthropologists, economists, literary theorists, political scientists, artists, historians, and cultural critics. This burgeoning interdisciplinary interest in 'intellectual property' has also expanded beyond the conventional categories of patent, copyright, and trademark to encompass a diverse array of topics ranging from traditional knowledge to international trade. Though recognition of the central role played by 'knowledge economies' has increased, there is a special urgency associated with present-day inquiries into where rights to information come from, how they are justified, and the ways in which they are deployed. "Making and Unmaking Intellectual Property" presents a range of diverse - and even conflicting - contemporary perspectives on intellectual property rights and the contested sources of authority associated with them. Examining fundamental concepts and challenging conventional narratives - including those centered around authorship, invention, and the public domain - this book provides a rich introduction to an important intersection of law, culture, and material production.


Every year, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) hosts the prestigious "Green Talents – International Forum for High Potentials in Sustainable Development" to promote the international exchange of innovative green ideas. The award, under the patronage of Minister Anja Karliczek, honours young researchers each year. The winners come from numerous countries and scientific disciplines and are recognised for their outstanding achievements in making our societies more sustainable. Selected by a jury of German experts, the award winners are granted unique access to the country's research community


Background: Observational studies of older adults showed higher mortality for first-generation antipsychotics than their second- generation counterparts, which led to US Food and Drug Administration warnings, but the actual mechanisms involved remain unclear. Methods: A cohort of 9,060 initiators of first-generation antipsychotics and 17,137 of second-generation antipsychotics enrolled in New Jersey and Pennsylvania Medicare were followed for 180 days. Medical events were assessed using diagnostic and procedure codes on inpatient billing claims. For the individual and joint set of medical events (mediators), we estimated the total, direct, and indirect effects of antipsychotic type (first versus second generation) on mortality on the risk ratio scale and the proportion mediated on the risk difference scale, obtaining 95% confidence intervals through bootstrapping. We performed bias analyses for false-negative mediator misclassification in claims data, with sensitivity ranging from 0.25 to 0.75. Results: There were 3,199 deaths (outcomes), 862 cardiovascular events, 675 infectious events, and 491 hip fractures (potential mediators). Mortality was higher for first- than second-generation antipsychotic initiators (adjusted risk ratio: 1.14; 95% confidence interval: 1.06, 1.22). In naïve analyses, that ignored potential misclassification, less than 4% of this difference was explained by any particular medical event. In bias analyses, the proportion mediated ranged from 6% to 16% for stroke, 3% to 9% for ventricular arrhythmia, 3% to 11% for myocardial infarction, 0% venous thromboembolism, 3% to 9% for pneumonia, 0% to 1% for other bacterial infection, and 1% to 3% for hip fracture. Conclusions: Acute cardiovascular events and pneumonia may explain part of the mortality difference between first- and second-generation antipsychotic initiators in this analysis.


Rietveld analysis is a powerful technique for obtaining quantitative data on the relative amounts of phases in a mixture of phases, such as cement. However, a good knowledge of crystallography and the development of a refinement strategy with synthetic phase mixtures are essential to obtain reliable results. This paper describes the use of Rietveld analysis for a range of calcium aluminate cements. The series of cements studied illustrates well how complexity of analysis and the level of accuracy attainable depends on the complexity of the cement. In cements of high Al2O3 content, with very low concentrations of minor elements, the analysis is relatively straightforward and high levels of accuracy can be obtained. In cements of intermediate Al2O3 content the analysis is complicated by the formation of solid solutions, but good results are still achievable after development and testing of the refinement strategy with phase mixtures. In cement of lower Al2O3 content the mineralogy is complex due to the presence of significant amounts of iron. Nevertheless, the phases which have most impact on the reactivity of the cement can still be determined with a good level of precision.


The amusement expression is both visual and audible in speech. After recording comparable spontaneous, acted, mechanical, reiterated and seduction stimuli, five perceptual experiments were held, mainly based on the hypothesis of prosodically controlled effects of amusement on speech. Results show that audio is partially independant from video, which is as performant as audio-video. Spontaneous speech (unvolontary controlled) can be identified in front of acted speech (volontary controlled). Amusement speech can be distinguished from seduction speech.


Abstract To check the possible existence of long-term pulmonary functional sequelae in patients with pneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae, 17 patients who showed evident spirometric disorders during the recovery from the acute phase of a pneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae were studied. In the acute phase of the disease, 7 patients showed a ventilatory restriction, 6 of them had an obstructive pattern while in four patients a mixed pattern was observed. After a latency period, which mean length was 39 months, it was seen that there was a return to normal values of the spirometric conventional parameters initially altered in all cases. However 5 patients (33%) who did not smoke, showed a significant decrease on the maximum flows at low volume. These results suggest that in a high percentage of adult patients, as has been previously described in children, pneumonia due to M. pneumoniae could leave as a sequelae the persistent affectation of small airway.


Abstract : Conventional wisdom holds that defense industry consolidation resulted from decreased defense spending. However, we maintain that understanding dynamic changes in key defense institutions helps provide a more complete explanation for observed consolidation. Specifically, we examine the interaction of evolving technology and changing institutions. Institutions reviewed include procurement policies, the weapons requirements process, and procurement organizations. We take an initial look at the industry, and highlight how these changes influenced transaction costs in the defense industry, more fully explain the forces driving consolidation, and provide greater insight to policy makers seeking to improve the performance of the defense industry. Further research is needed to build a robust institutional framework of the defense industry and the related government agencies to allow better policy prescriptions.


This Essay draws on Jack Balkin's The Cycles of Constitutional Time to evaluate the prospect of constitutional renewal through judicial review. It begins by questioning Balkin's conclusion that historical change operates cyclically. It then addresses his assumption that courts have served as a source of constitutional renewal during some periods, including the mid-twentieth century. It argues that the Carolene Products regime that Balkin describes should be understood not as a solution to economic inequality and republican rot in a period of declining political polarization, but rather as a precipitating cause. Indeed, the New Deal settlement may have staved off durable change and thereby produced the seemingly cyclical pattern Balkin observes.


DksA and ppGpp are the central players in the Escherichia coli stringent response and mediate a complete reprogramming of the transcriptome from one optimized for rapid growth to one adapted for survival during nutrient limitation. A major component of the response is a reduction in ribosome synthesis, which is accomplished by the synergistic action of DksA and ppGpp bound to RNA polymerase (RNAP) inhibiting transcription of rRNAs. Here, we report the X-ray crystal structures of E. coli RNAP holoenzyme in complex with DksA alone and with ppGpp. The structures show that DksA accesses the template strand at the active site and the downstream DNA binding site of RNAP simultaneously and reveal that binding of the allosteric effector ppGpp reshapes the RNAP–DksA complex. The structural data support a model for transcriptional inhibition in which ppGpp potentiates the destabilization of open complexes on rRNA promoters by DksA. We also determined the structure of RNAP–TraR complex, which reveals the mechanism of ppGpp-independent transcription inhibition by TraR. This work establishes new ground for understanding the pleiotropic effects of DksA and ppGpp on transcriptional regulation in proteobacteria. Highlights DksA has two modes of binding to RNA polymerase DksA is capable of inhibiting the catalysis and influences the DNA binding of RNAP ppGpp acts as an allosteric effector of DksA function ppGpp stabilizes DksA in a more functionally important binding mode


Pregnancy decision making was examined among pregnant and nonpregnant women seeking pregnancy testing. The majority of women had decided upon and were certain of a decision to either abort or carry a possible pregnancy before learning the pregnancy-test results. Adjustment to pregnancy decision making was examined longitudinally among the women who tested positive for pregnancy. Pregnant participants were interviewed about their decisions to carry or abort their pregnancies at three times—immediately prior to pregnancy testing, a day after receiving positive test results, and 4 weeks later. Nearly all maintained their original decision over the course of the study. Adjustment was related primarily to which outcome was chosen and, to a lesser degree, to whether a woman was initially decided or not upon the outcome. The time surrounding pregnancy testing was stressful for women who decided to abort their pregnancies. However, negative feelings at the time of pregnancy testing among those who later aborted their pregnancies subsided by the end of the study and did not differ from those who carried their pregnancies.


Multiuse alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars have been developed to meet the need for high-quality and productive forages. A continuum of residual tissue quantities can occur in a stand because of management factors or livestock selectivity, depending on the production system. We conducted a field study to determine the influence of residual herbage height on the productivity and persistence of alfalfa under natural rainfall on a shallow, acidic soil (Lily series; fine-loamy, siliceous, mesic Typic Hapludults) typical of those found throughout the Appalachian Plateau. Three replicates of 'Alfagraze', 'Apollo', and 'Cimarron' alfalfa in each block of a randomized complete block design were clipped to residue heights of <2, 5, or 10 cm. Averaged over the experiment, Apollo yield was greatest, at 8.7 Mg ha -1 ; Alfagraze (8.0) and Cimarron (7.9) yields were about 10% less than Apollo. Clipping to 10 cm produced yields that were as much as 38% less than with shorter heights. Crown density decreased from about 400 to about 80 crowns m -2 during the experiment. Clipping to <2 cm caused the greatest variation in crown density among cultivars, with Alfagraze having the most and Cimarron the fewest crowns. With a 10-cm residue, weed competition increased and plant size and shoot number were depressed, especially in Alfagraze. Plants with large crowns produced more stems, which compensated for the gradual decline in plant population. The loss of larger-crowned plants during 1994 to 1995 was reflected in fewer shoots and reduced yield, and created a situation where increased productivity per plant could no longer compensate for plant losses. Reestablishment recommendations based on shoot numbers should be determined after the first clip in the growing season, and not in spring (when shoot numbers are changing rapidly). Our findings suggest that acceptable alfalfa yields can be obtained on a shallow acidic soil with surface liming, fertilizer input, and close clipping. The range of residue heights likely to occur in a stand of alfalfa influence productivity and persistence. Allowing a 10-cm residue to remain would probably accelerate plant loss and yield reduction from the stand.


Various synthetic fragments of the amino terminal sequence of human growth hormone (HGH) have been studied with respect to their in vitro action on glucose uptake and in vivo insulin potentiating effects. The results show that the biologic activities so far investigated are confined to sequences containing the octapeptide, Leu-Ser-Arg- Leu-Phe-Asp- Asn-Ala. There is also a correlation between the in vitro reversal of somantin induced inhibition of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehy-drogenase by the active peptides and their insulin potentiating effect in vivo. The GAPD system provides a convenient and rapid means for monitoring such peptides, but its physiologic significance is at present in doubt. Large doses (10 mg./kg. body weight) of the active peptide HGH 1-15 do not increase the degree of lowering of blood glucose, but prolong the effect of the peptide and depress plasma immunoreac-tive insulin (IRI) in rabbits. The mechanism of action of the active sequence has not been established at present, and the physiological significance is not yet known.


The oil production at the Norne field has peaked and is now declining. To evaluate the potential to increase the oil production, an EOR screening of the Norne E-segment was performed,and surfactant flooding was chosen as a good candidate. Surfactant flooding is a promising EOR method, which is of modest experience on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. By injecting surfactant after water flooding the residual oil saturation can be reduced. The surfactant will mobilize the capillary trapped oil by reducing the interfacial tension between oil and water. A surfactant model was applied to the Norne reservoir simulation model by the usage of Eclipse 100. The surfactant was injected with different well patterns, mainly with the use of the injection well F-3H and production well E-2H which was evaluated as the most promising wells for a surfactant flooding. Based on the simulations results an economical evaluation was performed and the feasibility of surfactant flooding was discussed. The recovery was observed to increase with 2 % in the target area, and some positive Net Present Values was achieved. Due to the lowNet Present Values and problems regarding a surfactant flooding, a surfactant project is not economically attractive for the Norne E-segment with the use of the injection well F-3H at the moment.


The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of progesterone supplementation through an intravaginal device on plasma progesterone and estradiol-17(3 profiles in lactating dairy cows. Eight lactating Friesian cows, between 3 and 5 years, in the luteal phase of a normal estrous cycle were used In the treated group A (n = 4), a CIDR intravaginal implant contains 1.9 gram progesterone, was inserted into the vagina of each cow at day 8 of the study and removed 9 days later. In the group B (n = 4), a CIDR combined with a 10 mg estradiol benzoate capsule was inserted into the vagina as in the group A Blood samples were taken daily for progesterone and estradiol-17(5 assays. Plasma concentrations of progesterone increased rapidly following the CIDR insertion, reached maximum at day 9 of insertion (6.28 ± 0.26 ng/ml and 5.62 + 0.16 ng/ml, respectively, P < 005), and then dropped abruptly after CIDR removal. Two days after the CIDR insertion, the plasma progesterone increased more rapidly in the group A than in the group B, and were significantly higher between days 11 and 17 of the study, but lower between days 20 (estrus) and 22 of the study (P < 0.05). The progesterone levels reached to basal levels within 3 days following the CIDR removal (0.64 + 0.12 ng/ml and 029 + 0.16 ng/ml, respectively, P < 0.05), when the cows were showing estrous behavior. The declines in the mean plasma concentrations of progesterone after the CIDR removal in the both treated groups were linear (R2 = 0.814 and 0 798, the rate of decline were 1.36 ng/ml/day and 1.29 ng/ml/day, respectively). Thereafter, the mean progesterone concentrations elevated steadily after the induced estrus. The plasma concentrations of estradiol-17(3 in the both treated groups also showed relatively the same pattern. They declined regularly in the luteal phase, increased slowly by the follicular phase, and reached maximum levels at estrus, 3.08 + 0.12 and 338 ±0.16 pg/ml (P < 0.05), respectively. The concentrations of estradiol-17(3 between days 6 and 9, days 20 (estrus) and 21 of the study in the group A were significantly lower than those in the group B (P < 0.05). The insertion of estradiol benzoate capsule significantly increased the plasma concentrations of estradiol-17(3. At the same time, the increase of plasma estradiol-17£ concentrations was followed by the decline of plasma progesterone levels. In conclusion, CIDR is a useful agent for continuous delivery of progesterone to enable estrus synchronization in lactating dairy cows. Its combination with estradiol benzoate resulted in a more marked decline in the plasma concentration of progesterone and more synchronous estrus following its removal than that of CIDR alone.


This report describes a U.S. Bureau of Mines study on the hazards of large-scale conveyor belt fires in underground coal mines, as a function of both air velocity and distance from belt surface to gallery roof. The fire hazards considered were smoke obscuration, toxic effects of carbon monoxide (CO), and elevated air temperatures downstream of the fire. All of these hazards scale with the ratio of fire intensity to ventilation airflow. These hazards were all found to be greater at the lower belt-to-roof distance, owing to the greater fire intensities that resulted. The hazards of smoke obscuration and
elevated CO levels were greater at lower air velocities. Smoke obscuration was found to be the earliest hazard, reaching critical levels before the stage of belt flame spread. Critical levels of CO and downstream air temperatures were not reached until the later stages of flame spread. Fire growth rates during rapid flame spread were much greater than rates measured during the early stages of belt burning. Data were analyzed to determine the early-warning capability of fire sensors. Smoke sensors provided the earliest warning, followed closely by CO sensors. Thermal sensors did not exhibit any early warning
capability.


To find a single constant state feedback control law that conserves both concepts of stability and performance robustness is the purpose of the paper. The uncertain linear systems considered are described by state equations which depend on parameters subject to large variations. The developed procedure results in designing a regulator having optimal performance for each of several operating modes of the system, as well as determining the largest set of parameter variations. The algorithm for designing such a regulator is illustrated and applied to two examples, showing the efficiency of the proposed technique.


The effects of treadmill exercise on hepatic cholesterogenesis and fecal steroid excretion were studied using male Wistar rats fed a commercial pellet ration. Exercise, in comparison with ad libitum or pair-feeding sedentary groups, caused the following significant changes: (i) a reduction in the concentration of plasma triglyceride, phospholipid and cholesterol; (ii) a reduction in liver weight; (iii) increases in hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase activity and incorporation of mevalonate into digitonin precipitable sterol; (iv) increases in excretion of neutral and acidic steroids into the feces; (v) the increase in lipoprotein lipase activity in the cardiac muscle, and (vi) the decrease in the concentration of carcass triglyceride but not of cholesterol. These data suggest that the mechanism responsible for the plasma cholesterol-lowering effect of exercise is attributable to an increase in exretion of fecal neutral and acidic steroids accompanied by an acceleration of cholesterol turnover in the body.


Local anesthesia can be very useful in the first stage of labour when a general anesthetic cannot be given during this stage, and it is associated with reduced respiratory depression in the fetus. Paracervical block anesthesia is one such method of local anesthesia. Its successful use depends upon a proper technique, knowledge of the indications and contraindications, appropriate equipment and use of a long-acting anesthetic agent of low toxicity. A series of 90 cases of paracervical block are described in which the success rate was 90 to 95%.


Public dialogue about social mobility in many countries has recently been dominated by the myth of meritocracy and uses a neo-liberal vocabulary of aspiration, ambition, and choice, considering mobility as an individual project of self-advancement involving moving up in the social hierarchy (Lawler & Payne, 2018; Friedman & Laurison, 2020). Meritocracy suggests that whatever your social position at birth, society ought to offer enough opportunity and mobility for 'talent', when combined with 'effort', to 'rise to the top'. This idea is one of the most prevalent social and cultural tropes of our time (Littler, 2017). In this discourse, social mobility is the new panacea for wider historic and social ills, and the answer to the increase in classed and racialised inequalities. This special issue aims to challenge this widespread public and political discourse by deploying the sociological perspectives of social mobility and asking how (upward but also downward) mobility works, how fluid our contemporary societies are, what mobility means for those experiencing it, and what the social implications are of 'individual […] success at the cost of collective failure' (Reay, 2018). As an educational sociologist and academic with a working-class background, Diane Reay (2013) argues that '[a]t the collective level, social mobility is no solution to either educational inequalities or wider social and economic injustices. But at the individual level it is also an inadequate solution, particularly for those of us whose social mobility was driven by a desire to "put things right" and "make things better" for the communities we came from and the people we left behind.' (Reay, 2013, p. 674). The papers in this issue are testimony to the theoretical stance that upward social mobility cannot be seen as an individual project but needs to be understood and analysed in the wider context of social inequalities (among others, Lawler & Payne, 2018; Friedman & Laurison, 2020; Bukodi & Goldthorpe, 2019). The authors tackle the topic of social mobility from two perspectives. The first group of the research papers measure and analyse social mobility processes using the conventional occupation and education indexes and the not-so-conventional 'soft' variables of the intergenerational transmission of parental capital(s) on mobility outcomes. Beyond these mainstream mobility studies, the second group of articles consists of 'marginal research' (Lawler & Payne, 2018), or small-scale investigations that provide readers with insights into how upwardly and downwardly mobile people experience mobility when they have to travel through social spaces, leaving behind one class and adjusting to life in another.


Almost half of the world's countries, including cities, have strategically adopted the territorial brand. This essay proposes an interdisciplinary reflection on the relationship between territorial brands and territorial and regional development theories. It discusses how the brand relates to the territory, making it a social actor mediated by a distinctive signal, the territorial brand. The intersection between the concepts of territory and brand reveals the legitimation strategies of social actors in producing a collective space delimited by power relations. Beyond the economic and tourist spheres, this context brings new debates to politics, theory, and social sciences in interdisciplinary regional development.