Peritoneal carcinosis often occurs during the evolution of many neoplasias either abdominal or extra-abdominal. The free time survival of the patients affected by carcinosis is poor (about 6 months) as regards gastric and colorectal cancer. In the last ten-year period a combined surgical technique aiming at the total removal of parietal and visceral peritoneal lesions (peritonectomy) and at the perfusion of peritoneal cavity with chemo-drugs in hyper-thermia had developed. This method is based on the presence of the peritoneal-plasmatic barrier that holds back high molecular weight drugs, keeping from passing at the systemic circulation; in this way it is possible to use higher and more concentrate chemo-drug doses in a very limited area than in the systemic chemotherapy. The association between chemotherapy and hyperthermia produces a synergic effect: hyperthermia, infarct, makes chemo-drugs more effective and selective, improving their capability of penetration in tumoral masses; heat has furthermore an intrinsic anti-neoplastic action, being altered the reparation mechanisms of the tumoral cells. A WEB research on Medline site has been conducted choosing especially those articles referable at the 1999-2000 period. The selected articles have been briefly analysed in the "Clinical experience" section. Authors' experiences have been divided, as far as possible, on the basis of the tumors treatable with cytoreduction and HAPP: 1) Colon-rectal Cancer; 2) Pseudomyxoma peritonei/Appendicular Adenocarcinoma; 3) Gastric Cancer; 4) Ovarian Cancer; 5) Peritoneal Mesothelioma. The determinant variables in the analysis of the results are basically three: 1) Selection of the patients, 2) Characteristics of the surgical operation, 3) Characteristics of the HAPP. Colon-rectal carcinoma: the survival time of the recurrent disease, obtained by some authors like P.H. Sugarbaker, is surely remarkable (50% at 5 years in the patients where a complete cytoreduction was possible to perform), but the result obtained in patients affected by peritoneal carcinosis, subjected to this technique at the first clinical presentation (100% at 5 years) is much more interesting. For this type of neoplasia, it is important to underline that not all the authors report the same results, with a median survival time lower than that of the American author. Pseudomyxoma peritonei: about this rare neoplasia, the "golden standard" treatment consists on cytoreduction of all visceral and peritoneal macroscopical lesions, with a homogeneous distribution of the data obtained by most authors: median survival time included among 70% and 90% at 5 years. Gastric cancer: there is a considerable difference between the data of Japanese authors and others. In the treatment of peritoneal carcinosis the results are, on average, rather poor; better results have been obtained using this technique as an adjuvant presidium for the prevention of the onset of peritoneal carcinosis. Ovarian cancer: the results about the recurrent ovarian cancer are good; in the future, it will be useful to start a phase III study to render effective the use of this technique in the ovarian cancer at the beginning of its clinical story. Peritoneal mesothelioma: till now, a standardized alternative, approaching this neoplasia, does not exist; the results are encouraging, with good median and free time survival.


The effect of haemin on the biogenesis of delta-aminolaevulinate synthase (ALA synthase) was investigated in primary cultures of embryonic-chick liver. The activity of the enzyme and the amount of the enzyme detected by 'immune-blotting' were determined in hepatocytes incubated with the porphyrogenic agent allylisopropylacetamide. The results of these studies indicated that the loss in ALA synthase activity in cells incubated in the presence of haemin (10 microM) was roughly proportional to a loss in the immune-reactive mass of the enzyme. Haemin was as effective as cycloheximide in causing depletion of ALA synthase in hepatocytes. We had previously established that haemin blocked the maturation of the precursor of ALA synthase [Ades (1983) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 110, 42-47]. From results reported in the present paper on analyses of immune-precipitated ALA synthase after pulse-labelling with [35S]methionine in the presence and in the absence of haemin, we determined that the inhibition of processing of pre-ALA synthase in cells by haemin was concentration-dependent. A concentration of 2 microM in the culture medium blocked the processing of pre-ALA synthase by 50% in hepatocytes. We also determined that, after inhibition of its maturation by haemin, pre-ALA synthase turned-over with a half-time of 30 min; on the other hand, mature ALA synthase turned-over with a half-time of 120 min.


Elucidation of the chemical composition of biological samples is a main focus of systems biology and metabolomics. In order to comprehensively study these complex mixtures, reliable, efficient, and automatable methods are needed to identify and quantify the underlying metabolites and natural products. Because of its rich information content, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has a unique potential for this task. Here we present a generalization of the recently introduced homonuclear TOCSY-based DemixC method to heteronuclear HSQC-TOCSY NMR spectroscopy. The approach takes advantage of the high resolution afforded along the (13)C dimension due to the narrow (13)C line widths for the identification of spin systems and compounds. The method combines information from both 1D (13)C and (1)H traces by querying them against an NMR spectral database using our COLMAR query web server. The complementarity of (13)C and (1)H spectral information improves the robustness of compound identification. The method is demonstrated for a metabolic model mixture and is then applied to an extract from DU145 human prostate cancer cells.


The study was a descriptive analysis of the socio-demographic characteristics carried out at a paediatric surgical unit of Kasturba Hospital Manipal.
Objective: The objective of the study is to describe the socio-demographic characteristics of the mothers of children admitted for surgery in the paediatric surgery ward.
Methods: Participants of this study were 120 mothers selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected using a socio-demographic questionnaire and family support rating scale.
Result: Mother's age ranged from 19 to 42 years with mean of 27.23 years. The age of marriage for the girls is 18 years and by 35 years all women would have got married and has had one or two children. Most of the mothers had high family support were from lower socio economic status.
Conclusion: Understanding the socio-demographic characteristics will help in communication with the mothers when their children are admitted in the hospital.


In the twentieth century, avant-garde artists from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean created extraordinary and highly innovative paintings, sculptures, assemblages, mixed-media works, and installations. This innovative book presents more than 250 works by some seventy of these artists (including Gego, Joaquin Torres-Garcia, Xul Solar, and Jose Clemente Orozco) and artists' groups, along with interpretive essays by leading authorities and newly translated manifestoes and other theoretical documents written by the artists. Together the images and texts showcase the astonishing artistic achievements of the Latin American avant-garde. The book focuses on two decisive periods: the return from Europe in the 1920s of Latin American avant-garde pioneers; and the expansion of avant-garde activities throughout Latin America after World War II as artists expressed their independence from developments in Europe and the United States. As the authors explain, during these periods Latin American art was fueled by the belief that artistic creations could present a form of utopia - an inversion of the original premise that drove the European avant-garde - and serve as a model for a new society. As an insightful source for new ideas about the nature and function of modern art, Inverted Utopias is an essential book that will become a classic text in the field.


We consider the problem of distributed multi-task learning, where each machine learns a separate, but related, task. Specifically, each machine learns a linear predictor in high-dimensional space,where all tasks share the same small support. We present a communication-efficient estimator based on the debiased lasso and show that it is comparable with the optimal centralized method.


BACKGROUND
Prenatal alcohol use, a leading preventable cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities, remains a prevalent public health concern in the United States. This study aims to detect the proportion and correlates of prenatal alcohol use in the prenatal care settings in Alabama. Prenatal care settings were chosen because of their potential as stable locations to screen for and to reduce prenatal alcohol use within a community.

METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional study of 3,046 women in the 22 and 23 weeks of gestation who sought prenatal care in 8 community-based public clinics and participated in the Perinatal Emphasis Research Center project in Jefferson County, Alabama, from 1997 to 2001. Frequency and quantity of alcohol use in the past 3 months were assessed by research nurses during face-to-face interviews. We conducted logistic regression analyses to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of correlates of prenatal alcohol use.

RESULTS
Participants were predominantly young, African American, and unmarried, 86.5% on Medicaid. The proportion of alcohol use in the second trimester of pregnancy was 5.1%; 0.3% of women reported 4 or more drinks on a drinking day to research nurses. Older maternal age (OR = 1.11; 95% CI = 1.08 to 1.15), use of welfare (OR = 1.43; 95% CI = 1.02 to 2.02), and male partner-perpetrated violence (OR = 2.96; 95% CI = 1.92 to 4.56) were positively associated with elevated risk of prenatal alcohol use. Protective factors included higher levels of self-esteem (OR = 0.94; 95% CI = 0.89 to 0.98) and more years of education (OR = 0.88; 95% CI = 0.78 to 0.98).

CONCLUSIONS
Prenatal alcohol use remains a public health issue among low-income pregnant women in Jefferson County, Alabama. Research nurses detected it in the second trimester. Future studies need to encourage screening for prenatal alcohol use in the prenatal care settings by obstetrician-gynecologists, family physicians, nurses, and midwives. Combined interventions to educate and empower women and strengthen families are needed.


"Whitehead's Pancreativism: The Basics" has provided tools to understand Whitehead secundum Whitehead. We now seek to bring him in dialogue with James. It will be a pragmatic dialogue looking for two types of synergy: to establish the relevance of a Jamesian background to read Whitehead, and to adumbrate how Whitehead can help us understand the stakes of James' works. After one hundred years of scholarship, it appears that James' legacy has mainly been studied from the perspective of his own blend of pragmatism and that this blend has moreover chiefly been put into dialogue with Peirce and analytic philosophy at large. This double interpretational shift has allowed James to keep a fair amount of visibility on the academic scene but, over the years, it has significantly obliterated his vision. It is time to rediscover James from the perspective of his radical empiricism.


Research indicates that participating in or volunteering for sports related activities may increase overall well-being. Additionally, identifying with, or being a fan of a particular sports team may contribute to positive psychological outcomes. However, no study to date has examined whether participation in sports team message boarding is associated with positive psychological outcomes. As a result, the current study sought to determine if positive relationships exist among message board usage, team identification, and positive psychology variables. Three hundred and four members of an online sports message board completed self-report surveys examining message board usage, team identification, and positive psychological traits. Results were inconsistent with existing research suggesting that participation in such forums may not be directly related to well-being. However, one usage variable, lurking, predicted variance in team identification status, suggesting that some message board variables may increase fanhood. Methodological, theoretical, and practical implications are explored. INDEX WORDS: Message Boards, Sport Team Identification, Social Well-Being


Forest fires, considered as free and not programmed fire propagation, are perturbations that greatly alter ecosystems. During fires, variable quantities of charcoal particles are produced by the burning vegetation, which can be later deposited in lacustrine basins. The traditional charcoal size particle model associates the > 100 µm primary particles to local fire events, within the watershed, and the < 100 µm particles are linked to regional fire events, outside the watershed. Fires can be related with favorable climatic conditions, but in tectonically active areas like the basin of Mexico, volcanism can also be a factor producing fires and charcoal particles. We document the history, intensity and frequency of fires recorded in the lacustrine sediments of lake Chalco (core CHAVII-11), by performing a high-resolution charcoal particle analysis in sediments deposited before and after three main volcanic events.  The sources of these events had different distances to lake Chalco: Tláhuac tephra (TTH; 28690 years cal BP), probably produced by the Teuhtli volcano, was a local event; the Tutti Frutti Pumice (PTF; 17000 years cal BP) produced by the Popocatépetl volcano, was an extra-local event and the Upper Toluca Pumice (PTS; 12300 years cal BP) produced by the Nevado de Toluca volcano, was a regional event.  Charcoal accumulation rates (CHAR) and distribution of size particles indicate that paleoclimate was a direct factor defining the intensity and recurrence of fires before and after volcanic activity, as climate defines vegetation type and density, and therefore fuel availability.  Fires before and after the TTH were frequent, local and intense in comparison with fires reconstructed before or after the PTF and PTS events. CHAR values were lower during the more widespread PTF event, than for the local TTH event, although the highest CHAR values were recorded for the most distant, regional, and intense PTS event. These results show that charcoal accumulation rates during the volcanic events in central Mexico cannot be interpreted following traditional model of charcoal particle dispersion. This model have important restrictions in active volcanic regions such as central Mexico.


The work deals with obtaining hybrid cell lines producing monoclonal antibodies to Lassa arenavirus. To obtain preparations for the screening of hybridomas by indirect immunofluorescence techniques, the dynamics of the accumulation of Lassa virus antigen in cell cultures Vero and 4647 was studied. The maximum accumulation of the virus antigen in Vero cells was shown to occur on day 3 after inoculation with a dose of 1.0 PFU/ml. The influence of different doses of gamma radiation on the infectious and antigenic activity of the virus was studied. The expediency of using a dose of 20.0 kGy for the irradiation of the virus was shown. The optimum schedule for the immunization of BALB/c mice was worked out, which made it possible to obtain activated mouse spleen cells used for the construction of hybridomas. The capacity of hybrid cells, injected into syngeneic mice, for the generation of tumors was shown.


In this study an online monitor and control system was developed and tested based on virtual instrument environment for combine harvester automation. A data acquisition system and control elements were integrated into a self-propelled combine harvester. The following online information was recorded: performance parameters (threshing drum torque, engine speed, operation speed, etc), machine settings (reel speed, knife speed, drum speed, etc) and guidance information. The collected data were integrated into windows-based software for real-time processing. Image sensing information was used for swath detection and obtained results could be transmitted to the actuator for auto steering. The guidance error could be controlled in the range of 0.15 m during road surface test with centerline. The ground speed was adjusted by using the threshing power consumption data to improve work performance during field test. Experiments results indicated that it was possible to use virtual instrument environment based system to monitor operation data and conduct other real-time applications for field operation.


The influence of immunoglobulin for intravenous injection on the state of cell- and plasma-mediated elements of hemostasis in patients with HIV infection, treated with immunoglobulin (Ig) in connection with the presence of secondary diseases of bacterial nature and having thrombocytopenia, was analyzed. After two injections of 50.0 ml of Ig to patients with HIV infection and thrombocytopenia a rise in the count of blood platelets in 80% of cases; this rise reached its maximum on day 7-10 after the beginning of treatment and was retained 1-3 months later in most patients on the level of healthy persons. Under the influence of Ig the aggregation capacity of thrombocytes increased mainly in persons with the initially low function of blood platelets. The introduction of Ig did not perceptibly influence the capacity of thrombocytes for endo-exocytosis, the aggregation activity of red blood cells, as well as the plasma-mediated element of hemostasis.


Participatory approaches aim at achieving representation of a broad segment of local communities, including poor and marginalized groups in natural resource management. Focusing on the case of Joint Forest Management (JFM) in India, this paper analyzes three levels of participation (attendance of decisive meetings, membership in executive committees, and influence on decisions taken) and their determinants. A conceptual model of the different levels of participation and their linkages is presented and tested through econometric analysis of data from 660 households within 55 JFM communities in Andhra Pradesh. Results indicate that participatory approaches have been somewhat successful in achieving representation of marginalized groups in executive committees and their attendance of meetings. Actual decision-making processes continue, however, to be dominated by community elites as well as forest department officials.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate the changes of leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)) in induced sputum and plasma of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the effects of theophylline.

METHODS
The investigation was a prospective, randomized controlled trial. Forty stable COPD patients (group C) were randomized into a subgroup receiving oral theophylline 0.2 g twice a day for one month (group CA) and a subgroup receiving no theophylline (group CB). Fifteen age-matched healthy non-smokers (group H) were included as controls. The following measurements were performed at baseline for each group and one month later for group C: symptom and life quality scores, pulmonary function, cell counts and cell differentials in induced sputum, and concentrations of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and LTB(4) in both induced sputum and plasma by using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA).

RESULTS
Concentrations of LTB(4) in induced sputum [(794 +/- 305) pg/mg x pro] and plasma [(5,219 +/- 1,185) ng/L] in group C were significantly higher than those in group H [(347 +/- 169) pg/mg x pro, (2,283 +/- 489) ng/L, all P < 0.05]. The level of LTB(4) in induced sputum was positively correlated with the percentage of neutrophil (r = 0.453, P = 0.018) and IL-8 (r = 0.364, P = 0.047). The pre-and post-therapy concentrations of LTB(4) in induced sputum and plasma in group CA were (812 +/- 592), (657 +/- 459) pg/mg x pro and (5,422 +/- 935), (4,589 +/- 1,057) ng/L, respectively; while in group CB the concentrations were (776 +/- 227), (860 +/- 194) pg/mg x pro and (5,074 +/- 1,850), (6,063 +/- 2,450) ng/L, respectively. There were no significant changes either in the level of LTB(4) in induced sputum or in plasma in both groups (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that LTB(4) is involved in airway inflammation in COPD. Theophylline is not effective in decreasing the levels of LTB(4) in both induced sputum and plasma of COPD patients.


Enteroviruses, particularly Coxsackie virus B4 (CVB4), are considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes. We wanted to compare the characteristics of T-cell immune response to CVB4 in children with type 1 diabetes and healthy children with and without HLA risk-associated haplotypes (HLA-DR3-DQ2 or HLA-DR4-DQ8) for type 1 diabetes. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated and cultured with CVB4 and analyzed for cytokine and chemokine receptors by flow cytometry and for expression of transcription factors Tbet and GATA-3 by RT-PCR and Western blot. Culture supernatants were analyzed for secretion of γ-interferon (IFN-γ). In children with type 1 diabetes, a decreased percentage of T-cells expressed CCR2, CXCR6, interleukin (IL)-18R, and IL-12Rβ2-chain after in vitro stimulation with CVB4 in comparison with healthy children with or without HLA risk genotype. Moreover, we found that children with type 1 diabetes had decreased IFN-γ secretion and expression of Tbet, both on mRNA and protein level, in CVB4-stimulated PBMCs. Accordingly, children with type 1 diabetes show an impaired type 1 immune response against CVB4 compared with healthy children. This may lead to a delayed clearance of the virus and, at least partly, explain why children with type 1 diabetes may be more prone to CVB4 infections and related complications, such as β-cell damage.


This paper observes the conditions of reception and understanding of music using the theoretical concepts of learning (Chevallard 1985; Brousseau 1998) adapted to the teaching of these various musics (Terrien 2006). We verify, in the light of an epistemological questioning, the nature of electroacoustic music, and if the didactic transposition (Verret 1975; Chevallard 1985) applied to Yan Maresz's Metallics allows us to understand the phenomena of music (listening, intention-reception: issues of perception and interpretation), and identify issues of language. Our contribution is a tool for reflection on a teaching approach that relies on new teaching methods in the teaching of this music.


This study develops a regional econometric model to extend and complement standard local economic impact analysis for Washington counties. Based on a static macroeconomic model, we derive labor supply equations and fiscal equations. The resulting empirical model is based on a cross- sectional econometric analysis of all Washington counties. The use of the estimated econometric model is illustrated with 5 percent job growth scenario that is simulated for each Washington county. For some counties, growth scenario actually results in an increase in the number of unemployed. This occurs because most of the new jobs are taken by either in-commuters or new residents who bring with them additional entrants into the local labor market some of whom become unemployed.


A series of novel polyethylene glycol derivates was synthesized by esterification of chloroacetic acid with polyethylene glycol.The PEG-5-FU conjugates were characterized by FT-IR, 1H-NMR and UV spectroscopy. The result showed that 5-FU was successfully connected to the ends of PEG ester. Drug content of PEG2000-5-FU conjugate achieved 17.4%. As the molecular weight of PEG increased, the water solubility of prodrugs improved. When the molecular weight of PEG reached 2000, the conjugate had the best water solubility and the highest drug release rate.


We have used crosscorrelation, semblance, and eigenstructure algorithms to estimate coherency. The first two algorithms calculate coherency over a multiplicity of trial time lags or dips, with the dip having the highest coherency corresponding to the local dip of the reflector. Partially because of its greater computational cost, our original eigenstructure algorithm calculated coherency along an implicitly flat horizon. Although generalizing the eigenstructure algorithm to search over a range of test dips allowed us to image coherency in the presence of steeply dipping structures, we were somewhat surprised that this generalization concomitantly degenerated the quality of the fault images in flatter dip areas. Because it is a local estimation of reflector dip (including as few as five traces), the multidip coherency estimate provides an algorithmically correct, but interpretationally undesirable, estimate of the best apparent dip that explained the offset reflectors across a fault. We ameliorate this problem using two methods, both of which require the smoothing of a locally inaccurate estimate of regional dip. We then calculate our eigenstructure estimate of coherency only along the dip of the reflector, thereby providing maximum lateral resolution of reflector discontinuities. We are thus both better able to explain the superior results obtained by our earliest eigenstructure analysis along interpreted horizon slices, yet able to extend this resolution to steeply dipping reflectors on uninterpreted cubes of seismic data.


PURPOSE
To prospectively determine the effect of a commercially available computer-aided detection (CAD) system on interpretations of screening mammograms.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Institutional review board approval was granted; informed consent and HIPAA compliance were waived. A total of 21 349 screening mammograms obtained in 18 096 women were interpreted first without and then with review of CAD images to determine the effect of CAD analysis on the screening breast cancer detection rate, recall rate, and positive predictive value (PPV) for biopsy. The percentage of total cancers detected by the radiologists independent of CAD and the percentage correctly marked by the CAD system were determined.

RESULTS
On the basis of pre-CAD interpretations, 2101 patients were recalled for diagnostic evaluation, 256 biopsies were performed, and 105 breast cancers were diagnosed. The breast cancer detection rate per 1000 screening mammograms was 4.92 (105 of 21 349 mammograms), the recall rate was 9.84% (2101 of 21 349 mammograms), and the PPV for biopsy was 41.0% (105 of 256 biopsies). After CAD image review, 199 additional patients were recalled, 21 additional biopsies were performed, and eight additional cancers were detected. The effect was a 7.62% (eight of 105) increase in the number of breast cancers detected, an increase in the recall rate to 10.77% (2300 of 21 349 mammograms), and a slight decrease in the PPV to 40.8% (113 of 277 biopsies). Radiologists detected 92.9% (105 of 113 cancers) of the total cancers, and CAD correctly marked 76.1% (86 of 113 cancers).

CONCLUSION
The use of CAD improved the detection of breast cancer, with an acceptable increase in the recall rate and a minimal increase in the number of biopsies with benign results.


The Yale Law Journal Online has just published Liquid Assets: Groundwater in Texas, an essay by Gerald Torres that addresses the piecemeal management of groundwater resources in the American West. A recent Texas Supreme Court case, Edwards Aquifer Authority v. Day, 369 S.W.3d 814 (Tex. 2012), has significantly transformed the groundwater regime in Texas, and its changes are expected to inform discussion throughout the region, where water is scarce and valuable. Torres argues that Day has "sown confusion about the capacity of the state to regulate natural resources, while ignoring the science that ought to drive policy decisions." He begins his critique with an analysis of the Texas groundwater-management regulatory system that existed prior to Day. He then examines the concept of ownership rights for groundwater in place. Finally, in light of Day, he considers alternative approaches to allocating the value and utility of groundwater.


H$_2$O masers associated with the massive star formation region W49N were observed in frames of the Space-VLBI project RadioAstron. Ultra-compact structures in the masers were detected on space-ground baselines up to 9.6 Earth diameters. The flux density of ultra-compact features does not exceed a percent of the single dish flux density. Some results of the data processing for three observing sessions performed in 2014-2015 are presented. The lower limit of minimal brightness temperatures and estimates of angular sizes of the brightest features corresponding to the ultra-compact maser spots of the W49N complex are obtained.


The author challenges theories of political science that define politics as "a struggle for competitive advantage." Political Elasticity (PE) theory is introduced as a way of seeing political power more in terms of a relationship between leaders and the public - as a form of social energy instead of a resource to be pursued for personal gain. Case studies are presented in this light to show why More Developed Countries (MDCs) tend to be more dynamic than Less Developed Countries (LDCs). Keywords: Politics defined; Social Energy; Political power manifestations; More Developed Countries; Less Developed Countries; Political Elasticity theory; Solid Waste Management; Tokyo and Lagos; Agricultural Productivity; The Netherlands and Ghana. Introduction On the American Political Science Association Web site, it is recognized that there is more than one definition of politics. Yet the only definition provided, presumably derived from Harold Lasswell's 1936 book, is "who get what, when, and how." This is explained as follows: "Almost always the political process involves competition for scarce resources." However, I regard this unidimensional definition of politics, emphasizing partisanship rather than statesmanship or governance, to be inadequate and counterproductive. Above all, it distorts our understanding of such concepts as democracy, corruption and decentralization of power, and prevents us from linking political science to public administration. Ask a political scientist what he or she means by "politics." The reaction is likely to be a mixture of irritation and confusion. Introductory political science textbooks frequently use such definitions of politics as "the authoritative allocation of values" and "the pursuit of power" without indicating the relationship between these concepts (Norquist 1998). Yet values cannot simply be imposed (behavior, yes; values, no) and power cannot be pursued within an empty framework. The process of inculcating values requires a strong relationship between leaders and followers. Such a relationship cannot develop unless the struggle for power is carried out within an acceptable framework. Imagine watching the Olympics and seeing it only as the competitive struggle for victory. How many gold, silver, and bronze medals an individual or nation wins then becomes most important. However, if there is no consensus on every aspect of the competitive process (rules, officiating, equipment, facilities, etc.), the competition is meaningless. How to build consensus to maximize the competitive process is, of course, the responsibility of leadership. This is where we need my suggested overall definition of politics: the relationship of leadership to followership for the purpose of governance, presented in the next section, introducing political elasticity (PE) theory (see Werlin 1998; Werlin 2000). I believe that behaviorally-oriented political scientists tend to see politics as simply "a struggle for competitive advantage" because political power then is seen as similar to money and, as such, is easier to measure that way. Consequently, they often end up distorting or trivializing political situations and phenomena. Above all, they fail to solve the so-called "mysteries of development" that have been presented in Werlin (1998): (1) why is it that autocratic governments are sometimes more effective (though usually not) in promoting development than their more democratic counterparts?; (2) why is it that More Developed Countries (MDCs) tend to be both more centralized and more decentralized than Less Developed Countries (LDCs)?; (3) why is corruption more devastating for poor countries than rich countries; (4) what explains the capacity of certain countries (such as Singapore) to do "cultural engineering?" and (5) why is it that economic globalization has had a more positive impact on some countries than on others? For this reason, we have to introduce an "elastic" concept of political power, recognizing that we cannot altogether escape the "tautological trap" (seeing what we want to see) in doing so. …


Although tourist maps are useful resources for people to visit scenic areas, they are also commonly distorted and omit details according to the purposes and functions of a map. In this paper, we present iTour, a semi-automatic system that turns tourist maps into digital maps. By involving users in matching the road network of a tourist map and the paired standard map, our system computes road network correspondence between the two maps. By doing so, users can navigate on such GPS-enabled tourist maps using mobile devices. This transformation creates the possibility of augmenting a large number of tourist maps with digital map features. To evaluate the performance of matching road networks, we compared the presented semi-automatic interface to a manual interface. The results showed that the semi-automatic interface saved participants significant effort in generating correspondence and was perceived to require significantly less time by the participants. In addition, we conducted a field study of the iTour in comparison to using a tourist map and Google Maps together. Our results showed that iTour helped participants find their way during travel. The participants provided positive feedback on the combination of tourist maps and GPS location because of its highlights of important landmarks, showing users' locations relative to those landmarks, and saving the effort of switching tourist maps and Google Maps.


Canopy temperature has been proposed in field crop and horticulture industries as an indicator of plant water stress, using absolute and/or relative indices. Infrared thermographers are now available at relatively low cost but integrate exposed and shaded leaves in their fields of view. Shaded leaves have a different temperature distribution than exposed leaves. Separation of the exposed and shaded fractions in thermal datasets is critical for subsequent analysis, particularly when canopies display a spherical leaf angle distribution. Various classification and warping algorithms available in the image analysis software ENVI 4.2 were assessed to separate the exposed and shaded fraction of field grown grapevines canopies (Vitis vinifera L. cv Cabernet Sauvignon). The Parallelepiped algorithm with User Defined mix of standard deviation and the polynomial (1 degree) warping algorithm are recommended for the classification and warping of visible images respectively. The mean temperature of the various fractions was significantly different from each other as well as from the combined regions' mean. The Regions of Interests (ROI) defined to classify the images displayed good separability, suggesting the possible automation of the process. An analysis of Red, Green and Blue (RGB) bands and Hue, Saturation and Value (HSV) transformed bands of the visible images showed that HSV images were less sensitive than RGB images to the factors affecting the capture of data by the camera, and should therefore be preferred. These results did not however support the suggestion that spectral libraries or endmember collections may be used to automate the classification procedure. A calibration methodology involving points of known RGB and/or HSV is proposed to reduce the effect of the various factors is discussed for future automated procedures.


The main aim of this research is to develop a conceptual model that describes the way managers make decisions about internationalizing. It also tries to explain under what conditions managers will be risk-seekers and under what conditions they will be risk-averse, and as a result which groups of strategies and tools they will choose to use when internationalizing. This investigation focuses on the field of behavioural economics in opposition to leading paradigms in the IB field that concentrate on the neoclassical economic theory. This research uses an interdisciplinary approach that combines the behavioural economics approach and theories drawn from the field of entrepreneurship, IB, market relations, industrial organization, RBV and institutional theory, in order to develop a comprehensive theoretical framework that can explain from the senior manager?s perspective when and why s/he chooses certain variables and not others. The findings link the manager's perception of his position vis-�-vis his industry reference point (IRP are defined as any variable that highlights a particular objective, seems capable of establishing a reference point, and as a result, creates a framework for organizational/individual decision making) and his decision making in the area of risk management, learning, and product adaption and development. The findings indicate that managers below their IRP display innovation when developing new marketing/ distribution channels, and share their knowledge with partners. Nevertheless, they demonstrate low awareness of risk management. In contrast, managers above their IRP focus on the organization's existing technology and marketing and distribution channels and avoid adjusting their products to the market needs and sharing knowledge with distributors. On the other hand, they adopt an active risk management strategy.Additionally we link between the manager's perceptions of his position vis-�-vis his IRP and his choice of entry mode strategy. The findings indicate that a number of differences exist between managers below their IRP and managers above their IRP. Managers below their IRP use positioning strategies but use TCA or institutional strategies very little. In contrast, managers above their IRP use TCA or institutional strategies but will hardly use positioning strategies at all. The two types of managers use network strategy and RBV, but each group uses different factors within the theories. The research makes a number of important contributions to study of the IB sphere, particularly to the fields of research relating to the internationalization of BG companies, which is a relatively new field of knowledge. Today there is no comprehensive theoretical framework explaining the way BG companies internationalize and the reasons they choose one strategy or tool over another when entering foreign markets. The present research attempts to establish a conceptual model that describes the way managers make internationalization decisions. It does so by importing a new discipline from the field of behavioural economics into the IB field, which is deeply wedded to the tradition of neo-classical economics and integrates it with existing strategies in the field to create a conceptual model that mediates between traditional IB research and the BG research stream.


The suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentration in the high turbidity zones of the southern North Sea is inversely correlated with chlorophyll (Chl) concentration. During winter, SPM concentration is high and Chl concentration is low and vice versa during summer. This seasonality has often been associated with the seasonal pattern in wind forcing. However, the decrease in SPM concentration corresponds well with the spring algal bloom. Does the decrease of SPM concentration caused by changing wind conditions cause the start of algae bloom, or does the algae bloom decrease SPM concentrations through enhanced flocculation and deposition? To answer the question, measurements from 2011 of particle size distribution (PSD), SPM, and Chl concentrations from the southern North Sea have been analyzed. The results indicate that the frequency of occurrence of macroflocs has a seasonal signal, while seasonality has little impact upon floc size. The data from a highly turbid coastal zone suggest that the maximum size of the macroflocs is controlled by turbulence and the available flocculation time during a tidal cycle, but the strength of the macroflocs is controlled by the availability of sticky organic substances associated with enhanced primary production during spring and summer. The results highlight the shift from mainly microflocs and flocculi in winter toward more muddy marine snow with larger amounts of macroflocs in spring and summer. The macroflocs will reduce the SPM concentrations in the turbidity maximum area as they settle faster. Consequently, the SPM concentration decreases and the light condition increases in the surface layer enhancing algae growth further.


LEDs made of InxGa1-xN and (AlxGa1-x)1-yInyP suffer from significantly reduced quantum efficiency and luminous efficiency in the green/yellow spectral ranges. To address these problems, we present the design, growth, fabrication, hybridization, and characterization of proof-of-concept green/yellow hybrid LEDs that utilize radiative and nonradiative [Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET)] energy transfers in their colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) integrated on near-UV LEDs. In our first NC-LED, we realize a color-converted LED that incorporate green-emitting CdSe/ZnS core/shell NCs (lambdaPL = 548 nm) on near-UV InGaN/GaN LEDs (lambdaEL = 379 nm). In our second NC-LED, we implement a color-converted FRET-enhanced LED. For that, we hybridize a custom-design assembly of cyan- and green-emitting CdSe/ZnS core/shell NCs (lambdaPL = 490 and 548 nm) on near-UV LEDs. Using a proper mixture of differently sized NCs, we obtain a quantum efficiency enhancement of 9% by recycling trapped excitons via FRET. With FRET-NC-LEDs, we show that it is possible to obtain a luminous efficacy of 425 lm/W opt and a luminous efficiency of 94 lm/W, using near-UV LEDs with a 40% external quantum efficiency. Finally, we investigate FRET-converted light-emitting structures that use nonradiative energy transfer directly from epitaxial quantum wells to colloidal NCs. These proof-of-concept demonstrations show that FRET-based NC-LEDs hold promise for efficient solid-state lighting in green/yellow.


Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis) is a very rare species in the North Sea. The remains of four whales identified as sei whales, originating from the Netherlands, are preserved in the zoological collection of Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, the Netherlands. A single bone in the Naturalis collection, found on the Dogger Bank just outside Dutch waters, was also identified as sei whale. Because there were doubts about identification of several specimens, three of them were genotyped, using partial 16S, COI, ND4L, CytB and D-loop sequences, which are standard DNA barcoding markers. The holotype of Sibbaldius schlegelii (Flower, 1864) [= B. b. schlegelii] from Pekalongan, Indonesia, and a fin whale (B. physalus) from the Netherlands were included for comparison. Three of the six specimens turned out to be incorrectly identified. The results underscore the added value of molecular identification of skeletons, and of museum collections. On the basis of our results, we cannot distinguish between the southern hemisphere subspecies of sei whale, B. b. schlegelii and B. b. borealis.


Lactobacillus iners is prominent in the human vagina and is able to persist despite development of bacterial vaginosis and treatment with antibiotics. A probable factor in its persistent survival is its ability to be retained in the vaginal epithelia. Genome sequencing of the strain showed an organism deplete of many metabolic pathways, yet equipped with fibronectin (Fn)-binding adhesins. The objective of the present study was to assess the ability of L iners AB-1 to bind immobilized Fn. Results showed that the organism superiorly bound the protein compared to other species of Lactobacillus and known binders such as Staphylococcus aureus. Treatment of L iners cells by protease rendered its binding abilities to Fn nonfunctional. The findings indicate a mechanism of vaginal persistence for a Lactobacillus species, with implications for reproductive health.


This study examined the frequency and appropriateness of educational methods used and subject-matter areas covered by extension officers in Imo State of Nigeria. The data showed that Nigerian extension officers use pedagogical methods with agricultural clientele which provided opportunities for farmers to participate in planning programmes and activities. These methods were characterized by high contact, greater client involvement, and less reliance on technology. The findings indicated that the extension officers frequently used methods they perceived to be more appropriate for assisting their clients. The study also revealed that the respondents covered mostly subject-matter programme areas that they perceived to be most important to their target audience.


The risk assessment is based on a Triad model that holds that the response of a plant to ozone is the result of the interaction of the plant, the level of exposure and the exposure environment. While interactions among the three variables determine the response, the state of any one of them can serve to accentuate or preclude the production of foliar injury. The response is greatest when all three variables and their interactions are optimized relative to the conditions that foster injury. The optimized states are: the species of plants are highly sensitive to ozone, the exposure levels of ozone significantly exceed the thresholds for foliar injury, and the environmental conditions foster gas exchange and the uptake of ozone by plants.


Elkhorn Slough, a small estuary in central California, receives nutrient inputs from agri- cultural and other non-point source runoff. To evaluate the effect of nutrient loading on ecosystem processes, rates of sediment oxygen consumption, benthic nutrient fluxes, pore water ammonium (NH4 + ), dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIP) and sulfide (S 2- ) concentrations were measured at 5 sites several times each year between 1998 and 1999. Two sites near the head of the slough receive direct runoff from agricultural fields, while the sites in the middle reaches and mouth receive direct runoff from grasslands and woodlands. Sites receiving agricultural runoff usually had high water column concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen and chlorophyll a (50 µM and 30 µg l -1 , respectively). High precipitation in the winter of 1998 caused low salinities in the slough at that time. In general, salinity and nutrient concentrations were inversely correlated. Sites receiving agricultural runoff had high pore water NH4 + , DIP and dissolved S 2- concentrations, particularly in the summer. Oxygen pen- etration into sediments was the greatest at the sites adjacent to grasslands and woodlands, and least at the sites receiving high nutrient runoff. Sediment oxygen consumption was 4 times greater at sites near agricultural fields than the site near the mouth, while NH4 + flux out of sediments was between 4 and 20 times greater at agricultural sites than at non-agricultural sites. This study suggests that high nutrient runoff has primarily a local rather than estuary-wide effect on sediment biogeochemical pro- cesses in Elkhorn Slough, perhaps due to longer water residence time at the head of the slough com- pared to the mouth.


Definition of programming languages consists of the formal definition of syntax and semantics. One of the most popular semantic methods used in various stages of software engineering is structural operational semantics. It describes program behavior in the form of state changes after execution of elementary steps of program. This feature makes structural operational semantics useful for implementation of programming languages and also for verification purposes. In our paper we present a new approach to structural operational semantics. We model behavior of programs in category of states, where objects are states, an abstraction of computer memory and morphisms model state changes, execution of a program in elementary steps. The advantage of using categorical model is its exact mathematical structure with many useful proved properties and its graphical illustration of program behavior as a path, i.e. a composition of morphisms. Our approach is able to accentuate dynamics of structural operational semantics. For simplicity, we assume that data are intuitively typed. Visualization and facility of our model is  not only  a  new model of structural operational semantics of imperative programming languages but it can also serve for education purposes.


Author(s): Frankenberger, William | Abstract: [Note: See PDF for correct symbols.] Perchlorate (ClO4-) is an important energetic component of solid rocket fuel. The major source of ClO4- pollution is the military, space program and supporting industries. ClO4- is recalcitrant in the environment and is potentially toxic. The California Department of Health Services adopted an action level of 4 ppb for perchlorate in potable water. Microorganisms that reduce ClO4- to chloride and molecular oxygen have been isolated. For designing an efficient biological-based ground water ClO4- remediation strategy, the biochemical and molecular data on the enzymatic reduction of ClO4- are needed. The ClO4- respiring organism, perc1ace when grown using either ClO4- or NO3- as a terminal electron acceptor produced ClO4- reductase to a significant extent. The ClO4- reductase activity appeared to be within the periplasmic space, with activities as high as 14, 000 nmol-1 min-1 mg protein-1, indicating that it is a soluble enzyme. A ClO4- reductase from cell-free extracts of perc1ace was purified 10-fold by ion-exchange and molecular exclusion fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC). The ClO4- reductase catalyzed the reduction of ClO4- at a Vmax and Km of 4.8 Units mg protein-1 and 34.5 M, respectively. Maximal activity was recorded at 25-30oC and pH 7.5 – 8.0. Perc1ace ClO4- reductase is a dimer with molecular masses of 35.07 kDa and 75.1 kDa determined by SDS-PAGE. Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight/Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/MS) analysis of the 35 kDa protein revealed several tryptic peptides. To study the genetic determinants of ClO4- reductase, the amino terminal sequences of 22 tryptic peptides of the approximately 35 kDa ClO4- reductase subunit were obtained by electrospray mass spectrometry. GenBank Blast analysis of the amino acid sequences revealed similarity to reductases, dehydrogenases and heme proteins. In batch studies of in vitro reduction of perchlorate, perc1ace ClO4- reductase reduced perchlorate in water with either NADH or methyl viologen as an electron donor. Less enzyme activity was observed with methanol and ethanol. Experiments showed that ClO4- reductase immobilized to Ca alginate reduced ClO4-. Additional studies are focusing on optimization of reaction conditions for perchlorate reduction by immobilized perchlorate reductases, molecular characterization of the overall genetic determinants of ClO4- bioreduction by perc1ace by cloning the genes using degenerate primers designed from the amino acid sequences of ClO4- reductase tryptic peptides and over-expression of recombinant ClO4- reductase. Such a recombinant enzyme available in large quantities can be immobilized and safely used for the treatment of perchlorate contaminated ground water on site. Treatment systems designed to employ cell-free enzymes catalyze the ClO4- reduction reaction without the production of biomass wastes. Moreover, the spent enzymes can be regenerated and reused, substantially reducing cost.


AIM To investigate whether p53 expression and apoptosis play a role in the pathogenesis of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE) and whether they are associated with a hyperproliferative state in the epidermis of DLE lesions and epidermal atrophy. METHODS A total of 70 skin biopsy specimens, 35 DLE and 35 normal, were used. Expression of protein p53 and Ki-67 was examined immunohistochemically. Apoptotic cells were identified by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL). Histopathological examination of hematoxylin-eosin-stained sections of DLE included analysis and scoring of epidermal atrophy and other histopathological parameters. RESULTS p53 expression was greater in DLE than in normal skin (14.5 vs 0.6%, P<0.001). Ki-67 expression was also greater in DLE than in normal skin (8.0 vs 3.1%, P<0.001). A significant positive correlation between p53 and Ki-67 expression was found in both groups (normal skin, r=0.46, P<0.009; DLE, r=0.72, P<0.001). A significant negative correlation (r=-0.75, P<0.001) between Ki-67 expression and the intensity of epidermal atrophy was found. The degree of apoptosis in the epidermis of DLE lesions with higher Ki-67 and p-53 expression was higher than when the expression of these molecules was low (3.0+/-1.8 vs 1.6+/-1.5 on a scale from 0-5; P=0.048). CONCLUSION Aberrant p53 expression occurs in the keratinocytes of DLE and is associated with keratinocyte hyperproliferation and epidermal atrophy. Accumulation of p53 protein, together with an extensive apoptosis, suggests that the activation of a p53-induced apoptotic pathway may play a role in the pathogenesis of skin lesions in DLE.


This paper describes a service-oriented self-configurable middleware architecture to support autonomous sensor networks. Scheduling and load balancing that is integrated in our proposed service-oriented middleware achieve self-configuration. If an error occurred in a self-configurable network it is able to overcome it by different services, that makes the network more reliable and stable. In the case a node fails all the tasks running on this node are mapped automatically to other nodes inside the sensor network. To enable the self-configuration and load balancing it is important to identify the requirements of all nodes within the sensor network and their tasks.


The evolution of life on Earth is marked by catastrophic extinction events, one of which occurred ca. 200 Ma at the transition from the Triassic Period to the Jurassic Period (Tr-J boundary), apparently contemporaneous with the eruption of the world's largest known continental igneous province, the Central Atlantic magmatic province. The temporal relationship of the Tr-J boundary and the province's volcanism is clarified by new multidisciplinary (stratigraphic, palynologic, geochronologic, paleomagnetic, geochemical) data that demonstrate that development of the Central Atlantic magmatic province straddled the Tr-J boundary and thus may have had a causal relationship with the climatic crisis and biotic turnover demarcating the boundary.


In this paper the analytical solution to the Riemann problem for the Antman–Szymczak model of longitudinal motion in an elastic-plastic bar is constructed. The model involves two surfaces corresponding to plastic yield in tension and compression, and exhibits the appropriate limiting behavior for total compressions. The solution of the Riemann problem involves discontinuous changes in characteristic speeds due to transitions from elastic to plastic response. Illustrations are presented, in both state-space and self-similar coordinates, of the variety of possible solutions to the Riemann problem for possible use with numerical algorithms.


The antiserum (B6 X A-Tlab) anti-A (Tlaa) defines several TL antigens expressed exclusively on thymocytes. When reacted with peripheral lymphocytes, the same antiserum defines another antigenic system, provisionally termed Qa-1. The genotypic disparity distinguishing the recipients and donors in this immunization comprises a section of chromosome 17 extending from a crossover point between H-2D and Tla to a presently unmarked point beyond Tla. Therefore although Qa-1 may constitute a single cell surface component, it is equally probable that the Qa-1 system defines two or more cell surface components determined by genes in this region, each of which may be expressed on a different cell set. Cytotoxicity assays indicate that Qa-1 antigen is expressed on Lyt-1 cells and Lyt-123 cells, and may serve to subclassify these two cell sets; it is not known whether Qa-1+ cells may occur within the small Lyt-23 set. There may be also be a cell set with the phenotype Thy-1--:Qa-1+. Another distinctive feature of the Qa-1 system is the characteristic profile of responses to mitogens exhibited by spleen cell populations from which Qa-1+ cells have been eliminated; in conventional assay of [3H]thymidine incorporation the response to lipopolysaccharide was essentially unchanged, the response to phytohemagglutinin M (PHA-M) was virtually abolished, and the response to concanavalin A (Con A) was reduced by 40%. The third distinctive feature of the Qa-1 system is the characteristic profile of changes which elimination of Qa-1+ cells produces in tests of immune function in vitro: (a) proliferation, measured by [3H]thymidine incorporation, in mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) with major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-incompatible stimulator cells, was not affected. (b) in tests of cell-mediated cytotoxicity (CMC) of MHC-incompatible target cells, neither the generation nor the effector functions of cytotoxic lymphocytes was affected, implying that Lyt-23 prekiller and killer cells are Qa-1--. (c) primary and secondary responses to SRBC were considerably augmented, suggesting that Qa-1+ cells may be responsible for suppression in this test system. (d) accordingly the suppression of the anti-sheep erythrocyte (SRBC) response normally engendered in spleen cells by culture with SRBC was profoundly reduced by elimination of Qa-1+ cells, either before or after culture. (e) the suppression of the anti-SRBC response normally engendered in spleen cells cultured with Con A was reduced by removal of Qa-1+ cells before but not after culture with Con A. Although analysis is as yet far from complete, the Qa-1 system should already be of considerable value because it distinguishes a population of lymphocytes that is not defined by any other antigenic system, according to three criteria: (a) representation of Qa-1 cells among T-cell sets defined by Lyt phenotypes, (b) the profile of responses to mitogens exhibited by lymphocyte populations depleted of Qa-1+ cells, and (c) the profile of immune responses of lymphocyte populations depleted of Qa-1+ cells.


Numerical and experimental approaches are mutually conducted to investigate the temperature rise in steel machining at high cutting speed. The process is modeled using a fully coupled thermo-mechanical finite element scheme. Cutting tests were carried out at 38 m/s on a ballistic orthogonal cutting set-up equipped with an intensified CCD camera. Analysis of experimental results leads to determine the variables which control heat transfer between the tool and chip. A discussion about the most important parameters controlling the temperature rise at the tool-chip interface is then proposed. The results also show that the temperature-dependence of the frictional stress modeling can improve the accuracy of the numerical simulations.


The term "globalisation" has survived its first significant sell-by date in modern times. Rightly, it continues to attract policy attention and debate at the very highest levels. Together with just a handful of others—economic growth and inequality, financial crisis, climate change—with all of which it remains inextricably intertwined, only globalisation among economic phenomena has both effects and causes observable from outer space. Its impact on the welfare of humanity is therefore singular. This is even before one considers the sweeping changes in culture and politics that ever greater global integration both requires and engenders. This article cannot hope to cover the massive body of modern thinking that surrounds globalisation. Instead, what it seeks to do is two-fold: first, flag, with the benefit of hindsight, some of the key background points that any continuing discussion of globalisation needs to keep in mind; and second, offer conjecture where the most likely contentious issues in the near future might be. To keep within space constraints, careful and exhaustive discussion of empirical evidence is omitted. Instead, just the largest salient facts are provided where needed.


Visual capabilities recovery for some kind of illness is possible through subretinal implantable device stimulation. Two possible approaches for retinal pixel are proposed, fabricated in 0.35/spl mu/m CMOS, tested and compared including electronic response on a human tissue like interface. In these solutions, power consumption has been proved to he dominated by electrode stimulation and, in normal condition, typical consumption is below 1 mW. The proposed pixel architectures, with 120 /spl mu/m (LICOS) and 100 /spl mu/m (WATCH) inter-pixel step, provide the smallest, standalone, highly integrated, subretinal implantable chip ever reported.


Environmental law has expanded drastically since its origins in the 1950s. Initially, it was the ratification of international treaties and conventions that provided environmental protections. However, in the 1970s, increased political and public concern spurred the European Community and the United States to create additional environmental protections by means of regulations, directives and statutes. Since that time, environmental law and policy-making has continued to grow into the impressive body of law it is today. This volume contains a comprehensive compilation of the most important international, European Community and US environmental law treaties and statutes. To promote comparative analysis and better law-making, the treaties and statutes are arranged thematically based on the ten most relevant points of action in the environmental policyof the 21st century: the general principles; environmental information, participation and justice; environmental and safety reports and classified installations; prevention and management of waste; atmospheric pollution; water pollution; noise pollution; nature conservation; environment and trade; and environmental liability, labels and management systems.


At the end phase of the Global Programme to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis, antibody testing may have a role in decision-making for bancroftian filariasis-endemic areas. This study evaluated the diagnostic performance of BLF Rapid™, a prototype immunochromatographic IgG4-based test using BmSXP recombinant protein, for detection of bancroftian filariasis. The test was evaluated using 258 serum samples, comprising 96 samples tested at Universiti Sains Malaysia (in-house) and 162 samples tested independently at three international laboratories in the USA and India, and two laboratories in Malaysia. The independent testing involved 99 samples from Wuchereria bancrofti microfilaria or antigen positive individuals and 63 samples from people who were healthy or had other infections. The in-house evaluation showed 100% diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. The independent evaluations showed a diagnostic sensitivity of 84-100% and 100% specificity (excluding non-lymphatic filarial infections). BLF Rapid has potential as a surveillance diagnostic tool to make "Transmission Assessment Survey"-stopping decisions and conduct post-elimination surveillance.


Supernumerary breasts and nipples are not uncommon and have familial and syndrome associations. Although usually of only cosmetic concern, hormonal changes and inflammatory or neoplastic conditions that affect primary breast tissue also may occur in areas of ectopic breast tissue. We describe cases of familial functional axillary breasts and primary carcinoma of the breast arising in ectopic axillary breast tissue.


Lexical system is an essential component of any natural language. Frequency word lists are a convenient representation of words functional activity in language as a whole or in some particular text. The parameters and properties of frequency word lists are in the center of attention of NLP experts, since they are used in numerous practical applications related to attribution of authorship, text automatic clustering and classification. The article explores frequency word lists of Russian fiction in the period of 1900-1930, which was marked by a series of dramatic historical events and presents unique statistical data on the most frequent words, parts of speech and keywords, and their dynamics. Special attention is paid to the issues of statistical consistency of frequency word list parameters, which becomes especially relevant when studying big text data. The study was carried out on the basis of fiction texts, which by the variety of topics, lexical and stylistic diversity reflects the variability of linguistic forms better than the other written text genres. In terms of the text corpus size and character, the research of this kind is being carried out for the first time.


In order to obtain the effect of fibers on fractural property of mass concrete, it had investigated physical performance, elastic modulus and bending toughness of mass concrete with the presence of steel fiber and polypropylene fiber(PPF). Results showed that the inclusion of PPF caused a slight decrease in initial cracking strength, flexural strength and elastic modulus, yet resulted in small increase in equivalent flexural strength, capacity-carrying loading variation coefficient and toughness.The presence of steel fiber was of significance to increase initial-cracking strength, flexural strength and equivalent flexural strength, and produced a slight increase in elastic modulus and significant improvement in capacity-carrying variation coeffecient and flexural toughness. Overall, the inclusion of steel fiber is rated better than PPF in improving ductility and crack resistance of concrete.


&NA; Ocean acidification may impact the fitness of marine fish, however, studies reporting neutral to moderate effects have mostly performed short‐term exposures to elevated CO2, whereas longer‐term studies across life stages are still scarce. We performed a CO2 exposure experiment, in which a large number (n > 2200) of Atlantic silverside Menidia menidia offspring from wild spawners were reared for 135 days through their embryonic, larval, and juvenile stages under control (500 &mgr;atm) and high CO2 conditions (2300 &mgr;atm). Although survival was high across treatments, subtle but significant differences in length, weight, condition factor and fatty acid (FA) composition were observed. On average, fish from the acidified treatment were 4% shorter and weighed 6% less, but expressed a higher condition factor than control juveniles. In addition, the metrics of length and weight distributions differed significantly, with juveniles from the high CO2 treatment occupying more extreme size classes and the length distribution shifting to a positive kurtosis. Six of twenty‐seven FAs differed significantly between treatments. Our results suggest that high CO2 conditions alter long‐term growth in M. menidia, particularly in the absence of excess food. It remains to be shown whether and how these differences will impact fish populations in the wild facing size‐selective predation and seasonally varying prey abundance.


Abstract Mastering the pragmatic norms of another language is a great challenge to non-native speakers. One aspect of the pragmatic norms of a language is the appropriate use of general extenders. These are items such as and stuff and or something like that, which have been ascribed a number of important textual and interactive functions in discourse. This paper explores the uses of the English extender or so by native speakers of New Zealand English and by German non-native speakers of English (GNNSE) plus the use of its German word-for-word equivalent oder so in German in a corpus of 18.5 hours of dyadic conversations between non-familiars. The quantitative and qualitative investigations reveal non-standard uses by the non-native speakers with regard to frequency and functions of use. The analysis shows that GNNSE use or so for functions other than numerical approximation, and suggests that its high frequency use is related to a preference for German oder so, which has a wider semantic scope in German.


Developed a novel smart optoelectromechanical structure, fabricated using a multilayer, metal-dielectric photonic band gap (PBG) structure. We discuss innovative devices with electrically controllable optical properties that can be used as sensors with optical output signals for applications in harsh or hostile environments (pressure sensors, micro gravimeter, or micro accelerometer) or as optical modulators and optical limiters. Theoretical models of these novel devices together with experimental prototypes have been developed, and characterization of the devices has been performed. Moreover, microelectromechanical devices have been studied for application to this field and are presented. In particular, the problem of realizing highly sensitive accelerometers has been addressed, and it will be shown that the proposed approach allows detecting displacements of a few nanometers.


Different conceptions of "the good life", as well as the "the good death", animate the longstanding and contentious debate surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide. In Carter v Canada (Attorney General), the Supreme Court of Canada struck down Canada's blanket prohibition on medical aid in dying (MAID), but suspended its declaration of invalidity. Parliament responded by amending the Criminal Code to permit MAID in some circumstances. However, Parliament's amendment is arguably more restrictive than the vision set out in Carter, and has already been the subject of a constitutional challenge.

In this context, this article examines Carter, the legislative response to Carter, and the debates surrounding the new MAID law, including the challenge to the new law in Lamb v Canada (Attorney General). The author aims to advance understanding of the ways in which interpretations and theories of Canadian constitutional law relate to arguments over the role law can, or should, play in governing MAID. The author distinguishes three major points of disagreement arising from the debate surrounding the new MAID law's constitutionality: the interpretation of the Court's decision in Carter; competing accounts of interpretative authority in constitutional theory; and the role that criminal law should play in governing medical assistance in dying. Examining their relationship, the author seeks to identify broader lessons that can be used when framing debates in Canadian constitutional interpretation. Specifically, the author argues that the debate over Carter raises questions not just about how the normative filter function of Canadian constitutional law operates, but also the question of who gets to operate it. While Carter may showcase the agency of the courts, equally at issue in the debate over the constitutionality of the new MAID legislation is the role and authority of Parliament.


Abstract : The 18th Army Science Conference was held at the Hyatt Hotel, Orlando, Florida, 22-25 June 1992. The conference presented a cross section of the many significant scientific and engineering programs carried out by the Department of the Army (DA). Additionally, it provided an opportunity for DA civilian and military scientists and engineers to present the results of their research and development efforts before a distinguished and critical audience.


Abstract XLAYER, an expert/knowledge-based microcomputer program, was designed and developed to diagnose layer management problems and recommend expert remedial management advice. The program also provokes management action by calculating the economic loss attributed to major management problems. It analyzes data generated by a commercially marketed layer performance financial microcomputer program and has demonstrated the ability to emulate poultry management experts in the diagnoses of 80 individual layer management problems. The program provides scarce expert poultry management advice to poultry layer managers regardless of size and scale of operation.


Intrusion of late-stage granitoids into Archean granite-greenstone terranes may be spatially and temporally related to late-orogenic upper-crustal extensional collapse and formation of metamorphic core complexes. The late- to postkinematic granitoid magmas are derived through partial melting of upper mantle and lower crustal sources, and are locally associated with late-stage extensional structures. Thick roots of depleted lithospheric mantle of Archean age (tectosphere) beneath Archean cratons makes melting of the upper mantle difficult. It is proposed that the Archean tectosphere is made of imbricated slabs of buoyant Archean oceanic crust and lithosphere, together with trapped wedges of "fertile" mantle; this would explain several seemingly contradictory phenomena. Decompression from upper crustal extension generates significant amounts of basaltic melts from the trapped wedges of fertile mantle. These basaltic magmas intrude and partially melt the lower crust; becoming more silicic in composition, they migrate upward to solidify in the middle and upper crust, forming the late- to postkinematic granitoid suite. The tectosphere in this model is less dense and colder than surrounding asthenosphere and is consistent with eclogitic xenoliths from subducted oceanic lithosphere found entrained in kimberlites. The direction and magnitude of shear-wave anisotropy in the upper mantle is also explained in this model through the orientation of olivine crystals in the underplated slabs of oceanic lithosphere.


In recent years, several studies postulate a significant increase in the transport of warm Atlantic water masses towards Svalbard driven by climate change. A consequence of this Arctic "Atlantification" seems to be a higher abundance of Gadus morhua (Atlantic cod) in these areas. Similar increases in cod stocks were reported between the 1920s and 1960s, a period known as Early Arctic Warming. As a major competitor for food and habitat resources, an increase in the overall abundance of G. morhua in the Arctic will have considerable consequences for the ecosystem. The native cod stock of Boreogadus saida (polar cod) is most susceptible to these changes in the area. In this study, we hypothesis that G. morhua has established a local "non-migratory" spawning stock at Svalbard, similar to a local coastal cod stock in Norway. We specifically focus on two questions:

1) Is there a correlation between the overall abundance and distribution patterns of Atlantic cod stocks at the coast of Svalbard with longer-term temperature patterns? Is there an increase in the overall abundance of Gadus morhua during periods when warmer water surround Svalbard?

2) Is the Atlantic cod stock on the west coast of Svalbard genetically / morphologically distinguishable from that of the Norwegian coast, where the migratory origin of Gadus morhua is assumed? And if so, can this stock establish as a local spawning stock?

In the framework of a cooperative sampling programme from 2018 to 2020, together with Norwegian and AWI colleagues, genetic analysis at individual and population level will be conducted. Together with catch data modelling approaches, we aim to improve our knowledge on possible future distribution patterns of Atlantic cod migrating towards Arctic waters and their effects on the local Arctic community.


Taking account of the situation of many old-fashioned imported machine tools, this paper proposes some favourable methods of rebuilding equipment. In theory and practice, with full digital electric system of modern automation technology, rebuilt equipments are easy to operate and reduce energy consumption, raise production efficiency. It realizes the aim of Environment-friendly and resource-economical. In this paper, it also gives three typical examples of rebuilding equipment, table planning machine made in Germany, D2300 lathe and 745A slotter made in Russia. Some pragmatic issues have been discussed, e.g. design optimization for speed regulation of main drive, position finding of cutter frame and synchro control between lathe tools feeding and lathe chuck turning. Finally, it gives the results of the operational curves of rebuilding equipment and relevant data.


Barrett's esophagus (BE) is a premalignant condition of the esophagus and characterized by the metaplastic replacement of esophageal squamous epithelium by specialized intestinal-type columnar epithelium. A BE diagnosis is based on endoscopy and histological examination of biopsies taken during endoscopy. Patients with BE have an increased risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), they are therefore advised to participate in a surveillance program, in order to detect progression towards EAC at an early and hopefully curable stage. In this thesis we determined the effect of patient and tumor characteristics on diagnosis, treatment and survival of esophageal cancer (EC) and performed an exploratory study to find a non-invasive test to diagnose BE and EAC.
In the first part of this thesis, we found that EC incidence increased between 1993 and 2009, with a higher increase in EAC compared to esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In addition, we found that patients with a low socio-economic status (SES) were diagnosed with EAC or ESCC at an older age, with a more advanced tumor stage and they had more comorbidities compared to high SES patients. After adjustment for comorbidities, tumor stage and age, patients with a high SES were more likely to undergo a curative treatment. It can be concluded that SES is an important factor in the treatment choice of EC. This is a remarkable finding since healthcare is equally accessible to the Dutch population. Furthermore, we determined that short-term survival was inversely associated with an unknown T-stage, a positive lymph node status, chemoradiation therapy and presence of one or more comorbidities. In contrast the histological subtype EAC was associated with positive effect on short-term survival. Medium- and long-term survival were inversely affected by positive lymph nodes and chemoradiation therapy, while female gender and neoadjuvant therapy were positive prognostic factors.
Acid and bile salts are suggested to play a predominant role during BE development. An in vitro model in which this process can be studied would therefore be useful. In the second part of this thesis, we summarized the available studies on this topic and we concluded that due to the high variability in reported methods (cell lines, types and concentrations of bile salts, pH, incubation periods and outcome parameters), it is difficult to find the most effective in vitro set-up.
Several miRNAs, for example miRNA-143, -145, -192 and -194, have been reported to be highly expressed in BE tissue, however how this is regulated is largely unknown. We showed that, in addition to factors known to be highly expressed in BE tissue, miRNA-143, -145, -192 and -194 are upregulated in a squamous epithelium cell line upon incubation with an acidic bile mixture. In addition, inhibition of the NF-κB pathway resulted in significantly decreased miRNA-143, -192, -194 expression. Taken together, these results suggest that upregulation of BE-specific miRNAs by acidic bile may be an early event in the transition of SQ epithelium to BE and that their expression is partly regulated by the NF-κB pathway.

In the last part of this thesis, we determined the expression of circulating miRNAs in healthy controls, BE patients and EAC patients. Six miRNAs were selected for further validation in a larger group of patients and healthy controls. Our results suggest that the analysis of circulating miRNAs may be useful for the diagnosis of BE and EAC. Therefore, miRNA-95, -133a, -136, -194, -382 and -451 can potentially function as non-invasive molecular markers for BE and EAC screening.


The present search analyzes the juridical tools of the urbanistic and environmental retraining in relationship with the government of the territory in a double perspective: both as one of the more remarkable objective circles of the subject "government of the territory", that what archetype of a new formality of his exercise, through that that she has been defined "governance of the territory", expression with which that juridical institutes can be identified that they seek more the integration and the coordination procedures, functions and competences, among public and private subjects, that are interested in the management of the territory to different level, for the realization of an unitary result.


ABSTRACT Bai, Y. and Hu, Y., 2018. Overlying strata movement of below protective seam. In: Liu, Z.L. and Mi, C. (eds.), Advances in Sustainable Port and Ocean Engineering. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 83, pp. 193–198. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The characteristic and intensity of the overlying strata movement during the below protective seam mining play an important role to relieve the effect of the protected coal seam. Taking Wangjialing No. 2 mine as the experimental mine, with the method of deep base point, the settlement regularity of the immediate roof, basic roof and hard rock stratum are studied. At the same time, the mechanical model of basic roof.is analyzed. Results show that: The immediate roof is falling down layer by layer, lower part of immediate roof is the first to cave, and its upper caving lags behind the lower caving. The immediate roof will fall behind the working face; The settlement pattern of main key stratum is similar to that of the basic roof, but its amount and severity are less than that of the lower rock. With no abscission layer and no fracture for key layer delamination, the form is overall coordination of settlement; The movement of basic roof can be divided into three stages, and the settlement value increases as the measuring point become further to the coal face; the further the distance of the face to roof, the smaller the severity will be.


In this paper, lateral effect position-sensitive detectors based on the MOS principle have been fabricated in lengths of 15 mm, 45 mm and 60 mm. The gate contact covering the active area consists of indium tin oxide which is a degenerate semiconductor transparent in the visible spectral range. Characterization and analysis have both been performed especially with particular focus on the nonlinearity believed to be caused by stray stress induced in the inversion channel originating in the indium tin oxide gate contact. Stress in the channel will change the resistance in a non-uniform manner because of the piezoresistance effect, thus causing a nonlinearity in the position determination. It has been shown that the heat treatment greatly influences the linearity of the position-sensitive detectors. A heat treatment performed correctly results in 60 mm and 15 mm detectors with nonlinearity within ±0.1% and 45 mm detectors with nonlinearity within ±0.15% over 60% of the active length. This is an improvement over the previous results with this type of MOS position-sensitive detector. By performing a correctly timed heat treatment this PSD type has the potential to be used in common position-sensing applications.


A strain-balanced, AlInAs/InGaAs/InP quantum cascade laser structure, designed for light emission near 9μm, was grown by molecular beam epitaxy. Laser devices were processed in buried heterostructure geometry. Maximum pulsed and continuous wave room temperature optical power of 4.5 and 2W and wallplug efficiency of 16% and 10%, respectively, were demonstrated for a 3mm by 10μm laser mounted epi-side down on an AlN/SiC composite submount. Pulsed laser characteristics were shown to be self-consistently described by a simple model based on rate equations using measured 70% injection efficiency for the upper laser level.


INTRODUCTION Over the past years electronic mail has become one of the dominant forms of communication in the workplace, and replaced to a great extent other forms of written communication such as paper correspondence and fax. E-mail was designed as a simple messaging platform and is widely used as such, but has in addition become the number one collaborative application for knowledge workers, and used as a platform for other areas of work such as personal archiving and task management (Whittaker & Sidner, 1996). In many places of work, users have to manage large amounts of e-mail, and there are indications that experienced users receive between 100 and 200 e-mail messages a day (Schuff, Turetken, & D'Arcy, 2006). It is thus evident that many users face a problem of information overload in an environment designed to facilitate communication. E-mail overload is particularly a problem for high-level employees, for knowledge workers and in enterprises where large amounts of important information are exchanged. Human Interaction Management (HIM) is a relatively new concept emphasizing human interactions such as communication, teamwork, planning and knowledge sharing. According to one of its proponents, Harrison-Broninski (2008), traditional Business Process Management fails to support dynamic human-driven processes based on humans collaborating and inventing, and explicitly mentions high-level work, knowledge work and sectors where human activity is critical. He proposes a practical framework and notation where processes are arranged by their users as work goes on, and past knowledge and experience is actively used to improve these dynamic processes. HIM can be applied using Human Interaction Management Systems (HIMSs). Although HumanEdj, a well-known HIMS, has a built-in e-mail client to support interaction management features it only addresses e-mail overload in a limited way. From the above there is a motivation to try to combine already existing scientific research on email overload with the HIM principles that apply to it, to discover new means of addressing the problem of e-mail overload. Consequently, our research question is: * How can HIM principles contribute to dealing with e-mail overload? To address this question, a conceptual model will be constructed based on strategies from existing literature on e-mail overload combined with HIM principles. The model can be seen as a contribution both to knowledge about HIM and the research field of information overload. To validate the model, its key elements will be implemented as features in a plug-in for Microsoft Outlook, a widely used e-mail client. The model can also be seen as a vision for one of the possible directions of the future development of e-mail clients. The rest of the paper first outlines the literature on which we base our problem statement and proposed model. The construction of the model is then explained in detail. The features of the above mentioned plug-in are explained and rationalized with regard to the model, and screenshots from a non-working prototype are shown. Finally, suggestions for further development of the application are made, its deployment to support empirical research on the model is discussed, and other suggestions on how to validate the model are laid down. E-MAIL OVERLOAD Information overload is not new. Bawden, Holtham, and Courtney (1999) summarize that information overload "occurs when information received becomes a hindrance rather than help when the information is potentially useful." (p 249) The causes of this can largely be attributed to the increasing amounts of available information, effect of new technologies, more emphasis on collaborative work and the fact that end-users increasingly search for information themselves instead of using an intermediary. One of these technologies, electronic mail, was introduced to some offices in the 1980s to facilitate internal communication about business matters. …


Thirty-six patients with recurrent carcinoma of the head and neck and no prior exposure to chemotherapy were treated with Ifosfamide. This drug was administered, concomitantly with Mesna, as a 24-hr infusion at a dose of 5-6.25 g/m2 every 3 weeks. Objective activity in 32 evaluable patients was 28% (9/32, 95% C.I. 17%-39%); 40% of patients had leukocyte values less than 2000 mm3 and 6% platelets less than 50,000 mm3. Nonhematologic toxicity consisted mainly of nausea/vomiting (66% greater than or equal to grade 2) and alopecia (80% greater than or equal to grade 2). The activity encountered warrants further studies with this drug in head and neck cancer.


Heating of milk is an essential step in the processing of various dairy products, like for example yoghurt. A major consequence of the heat treatment is the denaturation of whey proteins, which either associate with the casein micelle or form soluble whey protein aggregates. By combination of enzymatic fractionation and capillary electrophoresis we were able to quantitatively determine the distribution of denatured whey proteins after heat treatment. This thesis describes the relation between these quantitative studies and the acid-induced gelation properties and textural gel properties of milk derived products.
In chapter 3 it was demonstrated that more severe heat treatment caused more denaturation and that the whey proteins both associate with the casein micelle and form whey protein aggregates. The formation of these aggregates was visualised and the size was estimated. We clearly demonstrated that at the natural pH of milk the ratio of denatured whey proteins associated with the casein micelle and present in aggregates remained constant and that the observed shift in gelation pH of heated milk is linearly correlated with the two fractions of denatured whey proteins. The shift in gelation pH was more thoroughly studied in chapter 6 and was directly related to whey protein denaturation. It was shown that b-lactoglobulin was principally responsible for the shift in gelation pH. a-lactalbumin caused neither alone nor in combination with b-lactoglobulin an effect on the gelation pH.
Chapter 4 reports the effect of pH-adjustment of milk (pH range 6.9 to 6.35) prior to heat-treatment (10 min at 80?C) on the distribution of denatured whey proteins and on the homogeneity of the whey proteins coating of the casein micelles. After heat treatment at pH 6.9 most whey proteins are present in soluble whey protein aggregates while heating at pH 6.55 and lower causes association of all whey proteins with the casein micelle. Heating of milk at pH 6.35 causes a clearly more inhomogeneous coating than heating at pH 6.55. This pH-dependent whey protein denaturation is schematically depicted in a model and related to acid and rennet-induced gelation properties.
In Chapter 7 we studied the formation of disulfide linked protein structures during the acidification step at ambient temperature. The time dependent formation of these structures attributed significantly to the mechanical properties of acid milk gels, resulting in gels with an increased storage modulus and hardness. The mechanical properties are shown to be the result of the contribution of denatured whey proteins to the protein network as such and the additional formation of disulfide bonds. Surprisingly, the formation of these disulfide bonds take place at ambient temperature and under acidic conditions. Therefore, the disulfide cross-linking is highly relevant also for textural properties of acid-milk products, like yogurt.
In conclusion this work showed that seemingly minor variations in milk treatment may lead to considerable changes in the properties of the end product. Quantitative description will allow better control and tuning of the final gel properties.


An increased emphasis on global regulation is, in part, a response to the recognition of economic, social and cultural interdependence between the world's nations and peoples. Policy problems as diverse as reckless behaviour by financial institutions, exploitation of sweat‐shop labour in emerging economies, and the threat of climate change, present collective action problems which cannot be resolved through the deployment of the state's authority, capacity and legitimacy alone. Global regulation might refer to diffusion of regulatory governance round the globe or centralised governance organised around a supranational regulatory agency overseeing compliance with global rules. I argue in this paper that the fragmented character of many global regimes involves both a variety of organisations in exercising the requirements of a viable regulatory regime and a diffuse range of instruments or mechanisms through which the norms of the regime are created and made effective. Global regulation, in this third sense, elides two significant trends which deviate significantly from classical conceptions of state regulation. First, there is a trend towards supranational regulatory governance, and in particular the setting of rules and standards by intergovernmental organisations. Second there is a trend towards the establishment of regulatory regimes by non‐governmental actors, which has been particularly marked at the supranational level – engaging both NGOs and firms. Much discussion on the evolution of global regulation focuses on the distinction between regulatory regimes which are fundamentally governmental in character, established by states or more typically associations of states or intergovernmental organisations, on the one hand, and regimes which are predominantly non‐state in their origins and character, involving NGOs and firms or associations of firms. The bifurcation of inter‐governmental and non‐governmental regulatory regimes underpins a widespread assumption, particularly within policy circles, that governmental regulation may both be more effective and more legitimate. I suggest in this paper that this distinction between intergovernmental and non‐governmental regulation is increasingly unimportant, for three reasons. First, concerns about lack of coherence in global regulation are of equal and perhaps more relevance to governmental than non‐governmental regimes. Second concern that weaknesses in instruments and in particular their lack of bindingness may undermine the claims to normative effectiveness of non‐governmental regimes are over-stated. Addressing the third concern relating to the diminished legitimacy of non‐governmental activity I suggest that broader engagement in private and hybrid regimes may enhance their legitimacy vis-a-vis supranational governmental regimes which appear remote from national elected politicians. These debates are of particular importance during a period of tensions surrounding regulatory objectives and effects because of a reaction to a financial crisis which tends to blame, and seek to reduce, the role of self‐regulation and other non‐governmental regimes, whilst playing up and perhaps over‐stating the potential for effectiveness of governmental and inter‐governmental activity.


During picture naming, the ease with which humans generate words is dependent upon the context in which they are named. For instances, naming previously presented items results in facilitation. Instead, naming a picture semantically related to previous items displays persistent interference effects (i.e., cumulative semantic interference, CSI). The neural correlates of CSI are still unclear and it is a matter of debate whether semantic control, or cognitive control more in general, is necessary for the resolution of CSI. We carried out an event‐related fMRI experiment to assess the neural underpinnings of the CSI effect and the involvement and nature of semantic control. Both left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) and the left caudate nucleus (LCN) showed a linear increase of BOLD response positively associated with the consecutive number of presentations of semantically related pictures independently of task‐load. The generalized psychophysiological interaction analysis showed that LIFG demonstrated a quantitative neural connectivity difference with the left supramarginal and angular gyri for increases of task‐load and with the fusiform gyri for linear CSI increases. Furthermore, seed‐to‐voxel functional connectivity showed that LIFG activity coupled with different regions involved in cognitive control and lexicosemantic processing when semantic interference was elicited to a minimum or maximum degree. Our results are consistent with the lexical‐competitive nature of the CSI effect, and we provide novel evidence that semantic control lies upon a more general cognitive control network (i.e., LIFG and LCN) responsible for resolving interference between competing semantically related items through connectivity with different brain areas in order to guarantee the correct response. Hum Brain Mapp 37:4179–4196, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.


The G1 phase of the cell cycle is marked by the rapid turnover of phospholipids. This turnover is regulated by CTP:phosphocholine-cytidylyltransferase (CCT) and group VIA Ca2+-independent-phospholipase A2 (iPLA2). We previously reported that inhibition of iPLA2 arrests cells in G1 phase of the cell cycle by activating the p53-p21 checkpoint. Here we further characterize the mechanism of p53 activation. We show that specific inhibition of iPLA2 induces a time dependent phosphorylation of Ser15 in p53 in the absence of DNA damage. This phosphorylation requires the kinase ataxia-telangiectasia and Rad-3-related (ATR) but not the ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) kinase. Moreover, we identify in cell membranes a significant increase of phosphatidylcholines (PCs) containing chains of polyunsaturated fatty acids and a decrease of PCs containing saturated fatty acids in response to inhibition of iPLA2. The time course of phosphorylation of Ser15 in p53 correlates with increasing levels of PCs containing polyunsaturated fatty acids. We further demonstrate that the PCs with linoleic acid in their sn-2 position (18:2n6) induce phosphorylation of Ser15 in p53 in an ATR-dependent manner. Our findings establish that cells can regulate the levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids in phospholipids through iPLA2-mediated deacylation of PCs. Disruption of this regulation increases the proportions of PCs containing polyunsaturated fatty acids and activates the ATR-p53 signalling pathway.