In this paper, we use the tensor product notation as the framework of a programming methodology for designing block recursive algorithms on various computer networks. In our previous works, we propose a programming methodology for designing block recursive algorithms on shared memory and distributed-memory multiprocessors without considering the interconnection of processors. We extend the work to consider the block recursive algorithms on direct networks and multistage interconnection networks. We use parallel prefix computation as an example to illustrate the methodology. First, we represent the prefix computation problem as a computational matrix which may not be suitable for deriving algorithms on specific computer networks. In this methodology, we add two steps to derive tensor product formulas of parallel prefix algorithms on computer networks: (1) decompose the computational matrix into two submatrices, and (2) construct an augmented matrix. The augmented matrix can be factorized so that each term is a tensor product formula and can fit into a specified network topology. With the augmented matrix, the input data is also extended. It means, in addition to the input data, an auxiliary vector as temporary storage is used The content Of temporary storage is relevant to the decomposition of the original computational matrix. We present the methodology to derive various parallel prefix algorithms on hypercube, omega, and baseline networks and verify correctness of the resulting tensor product formulas using induction.


Recently an effective block approach has been proposed to address the experimentally observed high growth rates of fatigue cracks at the critical locations on F/A-18 airframes. This approach treats a spectrum block as one equivalent constant amplitude cycle. Hence, the crack growth rate may be represented by a Paris-type equation, with the model parameters dependent on the load spectrum. This approach has been applied to the F/A-18 crack growth analysis, with good correlation to experimental data. In this paper, we summarise recent evaluation work of the approach using experimental data obtained under P-3C and F-111 spectra. An improved method for transferring the model parameters from a tested spectrum to an untested spectrum, suggested by the first author of the current paper, has been evaluated in comparison to the original procedure proposed. The soundness of relying on third-party tools based on constant amplitude model for the prediction of relative severity of spectra is also discussed. Finally, the advantages and limitations of the effective block approach are highlighted.


Efforts in the fight against COVID-19 are achieving success in many parts of the world, although progress remains slow in other regions. We believe that a syndemic approach needs to be adopted to address this pandemic given the strong apparent interplay between COVID-19, its related complications, and the socio-structural environment. We have assembled an international, multidisciplinary group of researchers and clinical practitioners to promote a novel syndemic approach to COVID-19: the CArdiometabolic Panel of International experts on Syndemic COvid-19 (CAPISCO). This geographically diverse group aims to facilitate collaborative-networking and scientific exchanges between researchers and clinicians facing a multitude of challenges on different continents during the pandemic. In the present article we present our "manifesto", with the intent to provide evidence-based guidance to the global medical and scientific community for better management of patients both during and after the current pandemic.


INTRODUCTION I first came across the intriguing pieces made of gold in a seminar run by Walter Burkert in the winter semester 1978/9. Ever since then the scenery evoked on these strange little burial offerings, with all its highly suggestive details, has cast a spell on me: the House of Hades, with two springs off to the right; next to one of them a radiant cypress, over the other (the one fed by the Lake of Memory) guardians posted; moreover the soul, perishing from thirst: its dialogue with the guardians; a sacred path on which mystes and Βάκχοι are treading (heading wherever they may), and so forth. The various fragments of pictures and thoughts certainly stimulate our imagination and may induce one to sense a higher concept. However, uninitiated as we are, it is already difficult for us to clear up the puzzling ambiguity of single utterances – let alone to bring together all these elements into a coherent unity, or, as semioticians would put it, to create 'monosemy'. Moreover, a comprehensive interpretation of these documents is hampered by the fact that even pure philological work in this case rather quickly seems to come to its limits. Already at a first glance, some of the leaves so far published display a closer relationship. This observation led Gunther Zuntz, in his fundamental edition and philological exegesis of 1971, to distinguish between groups A and B. (I will leave aside in this place the isolated and quite peculiar C leaf, which has provoked different interpretations: while some scholars believe it to contain a magical text, others would look at it as a mystical item, in which the initiated could recognize, in the middle of meaningless characters, names and epithets of gods of the initiation, as well as some mystic formulas.) Since Zuntz's work, the B group has been substantially augmented: for details I refer to Edmonds' introduction in this volume. In view of some extensive literal correspondences, we should expect that at least the leaves closely related to each other may be traced back to a common archetype according to the rules of textual criticism. If it is possible with any, this seems feasible to a certain degree with the two Pelinna leaves, with A 2-3 from Thurioi and with the very short leaves B 3-9 from Crete and Thessaly. But already in the case of the B group as a whole one has to face remarkable difficulties, which in the case of the A group turn out virtually insuperable, particularly if the Pelinna leaves are included. This rather unpleasant state may be due to various reasons. On the one hand, a considerable number of leaves seem to be composite units, made up of mainly two heterogeneous ingredients: (1) a hexametrical poem about the underworld, and (2) cultic acclamations evocative of ritual actions (needless to say that these two elements ought to be separated in any attempt at reconstruction). On the other hand, we have to reckon with a peculiar situation of transmission. There are strong indications that at least some of the engravers did not work from written models, but rather out of memory. Moreover, both the engravers and the authors of the texts in their present form seem not to have ranked among the most erudite contemporaries of Plato and Aristotle, or (in the case of the 'late arrival' A 5) of Plotinus, as is suggested by the numerous writing errors and violations of metric rules. Finally, one has to bear in mind, that we are dealing here with functional texts, which hardly were subject to any central control, but could easily be altered according to the requirements and external circumstances. We should therefore not be too much surprised if occasionally we encounter discrepancies which we are unable to explain. They may well just reflect different concepts held by different groups. Still, there are not insignificant reasons to consider all gold leaves in the end as a unity, regardless of all differences concerning their individual form, their geographical, chronological, and socio-cultural provenance. KLAPPENTEXT The 'Orphic' gold tablets, tiny scraps of gold foil found in graves throughout the ancient Greek world, are some of the most fascinating and baffling pieces of evidence for ancient Greek religion. This collection brings together a number of previously published and unpublished studies from scholars around the world, making accessible to a wider audience some of the new methodologies being applied to the study of these tablets. The volume also contains an updated edition of the tablet texts, reflecting the most recent discoveries and accompanied by English translations and critical apparatus. This survey of trends in the scholarship, with an up-to-date bibliography, not only provides an introduction to the serious study of the tablets, but also illuminates their place within scholarship on ancient Greek religion.


Fiscal indicators for resource-rich and resource-poor low- and middle-income countries are compared using annual data from 1996 to 2012. Resource richness is defined by export composition: fuel greater than a 25 percent share and/or ores and metals greater than a 10 percent share. Fuel exporters have a significantly better general government fiscal balance than the rest of the sample, and higher revenues and expenditures, which are approximately evenly split between extra consumption expenditure and extra capital expenditure. Only about a quarter of their extra revenue goes into extra consumption expenditure, and this proportion has been lower since 2005. Fuel exporters' expenditure reacts with a lag to oil price fluctuations. There are no significant differences between ores and metals exporters and resource-poor countries, or between new and old resource exporters, in aggregate expenditures and revenues. Ores and metals exporters spend more on investment and less on government consumption. Some individual country cases are briefly discussed.


We conduct, to our knowledge, the first cost-benefit analysis of the universal service obligation (USO) in the postal sector. Three alternatives are analysed that reduce delivery frequency and/or delivery speed, with particular emphasis on quantifying the potential loss of consumer benefits. Social cost savings are analysed for the service provider, for the environment and for the government through lower levels of distortionary taxes. Although there are challenges involved in measuring the net welfare change, especially loss in consumer benefits, our results suggest that only the largest reduction in the USO may be justified on social efficiency grounds.


Chip-level multi-processing, where more than one CPU "core" share the same die with significant parts of the memory hierarchy, is appearing with increasing frequency as standard design practice. This paper takes a broader look at how such mixed logic/memory dies may evolve in the future by walking through the latest CMOS roadmap projections, and casting them in terms of the key chip-level system level building blocks. Given the increasing importance of memory density in such systems, especially as we move to single chip-type designs, we pay particular attention to the potential use of not SRAM but leading edge DRAM for many memory structures. The roles of other factors, such as interconnect and power, is also considered.


Artificial neural networks have weaknesses as models of cognition. A conventional neural network has limitations of computational power. The localist representation is at least equal to its competition. We contend that locally connected neural networks are perfectly capable of storing and retrieving the individual features, but the process of reconstruction must be otherwise explained. We support the localist position but propose a "hybrid" model that can begin to explain cognition in anatomically plausible terms.


COMPARISON OF ANTERIOR DENTURE TEETH ARRANGEMENT MADE WITH THE TOOTH MOLD TEMPLATE AND DEFINITIVE COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN & COMPUTER-AIDED MANUFACTURING COMPLETE REMOVABLE DENTAL PROSTHESES Jose A. Sierra D.D.S Marquette University, 2017 Introduction: There is a dearth of information in the refereed literature regarding esthetics of CAD/CAM complete removable dental prostheses (CRDPs). The purpose of this study was to investigate and compare the anterior denture teeth arrangement made with the medium-size anterior tooth mold template to CAD/CAM complete removable dental prostheses fabricated with bonded denture teeth and milled teeth. Material and methods: Poly-vinyl siloxane impression were made of an edentulous maxillary model and selected for use as the patient template. The edentulous model was mounted on a semi-adjustable articulator. Definitive impressions and jaw relation records were made according to the manufacturer's protocol. Digital mock-ups of the denture tooth arrangement were received by the manufacturer and confirmed prior to processing. Ten CRDPs were generated; subgroups of 5 units were made and divided into 2 groups. One-half of the CRDPs were made by bonding manufactured denture teeth onto denture base milled from pre-polymerized PMMA pucks, while the other half were made by milling denture teeth directly. For comparison, a Canon 70D camera mounted on a tripod was used for photographic documentation. All photos were taken during the same day. Reference markers placed on the edentulous model were used to orient and measure photos using Photoshop CS4. Data was collected in the X-plane and the Y-plane and compared with the tooth mold template. Data were statistically analyzed by Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests (α=.05) Results: No statistical difference was found when CAD/CAM CRDPs milled and bonded were compared. The tooth mold template represented the position of the central incisors on the milled teeth and bonded teeth CRDPs. The inter-canine distance was found to be 5 mm narrower on the CRDPs than the tooth mold template. The canines on the CRDPs were 1 to 2 mm incisal when compared to the tooth mold template. Conclusions: Tooth arrangements in bonded and milled CAD/CAM CRDPs did not accurately reproduce the tooth mold template's measurements in terms of intercanine distance and position. There was no significant difference between tooth position on the milled and bonded CAD/CAM CRDPs


Construction companies suffer huge losses due to labor fatalities and injuries. Since more than 70% of all accidents are related to human activities, detecting and mitigating human-related risks holds the key to improve the safety condition of construction industry. Many research reveals the psychological and emotional conditions of workers could contribute to the fatalities and injuries. More recent observations in the area of neural science and psychology suggest inattentional blindness is one major cause of unexpected human related accidents. Due to the limitation of human mental workload, labors are vulnerable to unexpected hazards while they are focusing on complicated construction tasks. Therefore, detecting the mental conditions of workers could indicate the hazards level of unexpected injuries. However, there is no available measurement can monitor construction workers' mental condition and related hazards. This proposed research aims at proposing a measurement framework to evaluate such hazards through a neural time-frequency analysis approach. At the same time, the researchers also developed a prototype wearable Electroencephalography (EEG) safety helmet to enable the neural information collection.


The PromptPR patient record originates from the research and development project DILEMMA (1992-94) and has been undertaken in the context of the research project PROMPT (4th Framework Health Telematics). Here we present the work undertaken with the doctors of the project RISA (Reseau d'Information de Santi en Aquitaine) in order to adapt the patient record to their various practical medical conditions. Effectively, there are implications for general practitioners, the private sector and hospital personnel. The richness of the workgroup and the adoption of a participative methodology, guided by the demands of the end-users allowed the creation of an electronic patient record (EPR) sufficiently simple and generic as to serve as a common base for both general practitioners and hospital medical staff. Independent of this system, the multimedia interface presented is based on frames, which enables visualization of the EPR either vertically or horizontally, with access to both the multimedia and external documentation of the patient. This web interface is the result of a consensus of opinion within the group.


Longitudinal librations are periodic changes in the rotation angle of a planet or satellite. Their observation and subsequent interpretation have profoundly increased our understanding of the interior structure of Mercury. Likewise, libration is thought to provide important constraints on the interior structure of icy satellites. Here we study the libration of Mercury and large icy satellites rotating synchronously with their orbital motion and explain how it depends on the interior structure.


Two network construction algorithms are analyzed and compared theoretically as well as empirically. The first algorithm is the cascade correlation learning architecture proposed by S. E. Fahlman (1990), while the other algorithm is a small but striking modification of the former. Fahlman's algorithm builds multilayer feedforward networks with as many layers as the number of added hidden units, while the other algorithm operates with just one layer of hidden units. This implies that their computational capabilities and the representation of the generalizations they deal with are quite diverse, and it is demonstrated how the generalization ability of the networks generated by Fahlman's algorithm is outperformed by the networks built by the new algorithm.<<ETX>>


In the current times of change, deconstruction and ever-growing relativisation, pastoral praxis finds itself in methodological limbo . Pastoral practitioners currently face the challenge of effectively reaching postmodern people through the pastoral process. This challenge is intensified by the innate tension between revelation and experience in pastoral theology as well as the philosophical migration from modernism to postmodernism, which necessitates an on-going rethinking of pastoral praxis. This research investigates a collaborative approach between pastoral care, narrative therapy and positive psychology as a possible method for dispensing pastoral care. A broad outline of these approaches as well as their underlying philosophical frameworks is contemplated in order to evaluate their suitability for a pastoral collaboration. Markers for a collaborative model are suggested where the narrative and positive psychology are employed as strategies in a so-called three- musketeering approach to pastoral care.


Design of a Direct-Modulation Transmitter with Self-Optimizing Feedback and a Highly Linear, Highly Reconfigurable, Continuously-Tunable Active-RC Baseband Filter for Multiple Standards (December 2009) Hesam Amir Aslanzadeh Mamaghani Chair of Advisory Committee: Edgar Sanchez-Sinencio This work consists of two main parts: i) Design and implementation of a compact current-reusing 2.4GHz direct-modulation transmitter with on-chip automatic tuning; ii) Design and implementation of a novel highly-reconfigurable, continuously tunable, power-adjustable Active-RC filter for multiple standards. The design, analysis, and experimental verification of a proposed self-calibrating, current reused 2.4GHz, direct-modulation transmitter are introduced. A stacked arrangement of the power amplifier/voltage-controlled oscillator is presented along with a novel LC-tank-tuning algorithm with a simple, low-cost, on-chip implementation. To transmit maximum power, the tuning loop ensures the PA's resonant tank is centered around the operating frequency, and the loop requires no ADC, DSP, or external signal generator. This work also details the proposed tuning-loop algorithm and examines the frequency-dependent nonlinear power-detector. The system was implemented in TSMC 0.18[mu]m CMOS, occupies 0.7 mm2 (TX) + 0.1 mm2 (self tuning), and was measured in a QFN48 package on FR4 PCB. Automatically adjusting the tank-tuning bits within their tuning range results in >4dB increase in output power. With the self-tuning circuit active, the transmitter delivers a measured output power of > 0dBm to a 100-[omega] differential load, and the system consumes 22.9 mA from a 2.2-V supply. A biquad design methodology and a baseband lowpass filter is presented for wireless and wireline applications with reconfigurable frequency response, selectable order (1st/3rd/5th), continuously tunable cutoff frequency (1MHz-20MHz) and adjustable power consumption (3mW-7.5mW). A discrete capacitor array coarsely tunes the low-pass filter, and a novel Continuous Impedance Multiplier (CIM) then finely tunes the filter. Resistive/capacitive networks select between the Chebyshev and Inverse Chebyshev approximation types. Also, a new stability metric for biquads, Minimum Acceptable Phase Margin (MAPM), is presented and discussed in the context of filter compensation and passband ripple considerations. Experimental results yield an IIP3 of 31.3dBm, a THD of -40dB at 447mV[subscript pk, diff] input signal amplitude, and a DR of 71.4dB. The filters tunable range covers frequencies from 1MHz to 20MHz. In Inverse Chebyshev mode, the filter achieves a passband group delay variation less than ±2:5%. The design is fabricated in 0.13[mu]m CMOS, occupies 1.53mm2, and operates from a 1-V supply.


Fluticasone propionate aqueous nasal spray (FPANS) is a topically active glucocorticoid which has been successfully used for the treatment of seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR). Topical levocabastine is a highly selective H1 antagonist which has been proposed as an alternative treatment of SAR. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical efficacy of two topical nasal treatments, FPANS and levocabastine, in the treatment of SAR. Additionally, the effect of treatments on nasal inflammation was examined during natural pollen exposure. A group of 288 adolescent and adult patients with at least a 2‐year history of SAR to seasonal pollens participated in a multicenter, double‐blind, double‐dummy, and placebo‐controlled study. Patients were treated with either FPANS 200 μg, once daily (n=97), or topical levocabastine, 200 μg, given twice daily (n=96), or matched placebo (n=95) for a period of 6 weeks, starting from the expected beginning of the pollen season. Clinically relevant pollens included Parietaria, olive, and grass. Assessment of efficacy was based on scores of daily nasal symptoms and on nasal cytology of nasal lavage. Nasal lavage was performed immediately before, during, and at the end of treatment in 39 patients. FPANS significantly increased the percentage of symptom‐free days for nasal obstruction on waking and during the day, rhinorrhea, sneezing, and itching. FPANS provided a better control for night and day nasal obstruction (P<0.02 and P<0.01) and rhinorrhea (P<0.01) than levocabastine. In addition, fewer patients treated with FPANS used rescue medication (P<0.025). The percentage of eosinophils in nasal lavage was reduced only during treatment with FPANS. The results of this study indicate that FPANS 200 μg, once daily, provides a better clinical effect than levocabastine 200 μg, twice daily, in patients with SAR. Unlike levocabastine, FPANS significantly attenuates nasal eosinophilia during pollen exposure, a feature which may explain its therapeutic efficacy.


In this edited interview, Vron Ware talks honestly about the political inspiration and personal engagement that flows through her entire body of work. From Beyond the Pale (1992) which introduced a new and challenging approach to the intersecting discussions on feminism and anti-racism, to Out of Whiteness (2001) which was written with sociologist Les Back and critiqued what the field of critical whiteness studies had become, to Ware's latest work on Britishness (Who Cares about Britishness? 2007) and the British military (forthcoming). Ware's political, feminist and anti-racist engagement not only keeps her alert and attuned to the undercurrent of racist attitudes in multicultural Britain, but also informs her methodology and her approach to doing research and to thinking through conversations with colleagues all over the world.


Compiled from papers delivered at the third annual Kent State University Symposium on Democracy, Democracy and Religion: Free Exercise and Diverse Visions explores the interrelations of politics and religion. The work is divided into four main sections: the constitutional debate regarding the establishment and free exercise of religion clause, the themes of violence and nonviolence as they relate to religion, the free exercise of religion and the rise of fundamentalism, and the challenges to the free exercise of diverse religious practices in a democratic society. Each of the main categories is subsequently broken down and examined in-depth by an expert in the field. Discussions include an explanation of the complexities of religion and state in the United States, including separation, integration, and accomodation as well as past and present religious literacy and civil liberties, as well as an examination of violence and nonviolence and extremism and moderation in Islam. This compilation of essays will fascinate those with an interest in the complex relationship between religion and politics.


The inducible S3 secondary alkylsulphohydrolase of the soil bacterium Pseudomonas C 12B was purified to homogeneity (683-fold from cell-free extracts by a combination of column chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, Sephadex G-100 and Blue Sepharose CL-6B. The enzyme has a molecular weight in the region of 40000-46 000, and is active over a broad range of pH from 5 to 9, with maximum activity at pH 8.2. The preferred substrates of the enzyme are the symmetrical secondary alkylsulphate esters such as heptan-4-yl sulphate and nonan-5-yl sulphate and the asymmetric secondary octyl and nonyl sulphate esters with the sulphate group attached to C-3 or C-4. However, for each asymmetric ester, the L-isomer is much more readily hydrolysed than the D-isomer. This specificity is interpreted in terms of a three-point attachment of the substrate to the enzyme's active site. The alkyl chains on either side of the esterified carbon atom are bound in two separate sites, one of which can only accommodate alkyl chains of limited size. The third site binds the sulphate group. Enzymic hydrolysis of this group is accompanied by complete inversion of configuration at the asymmetric carbon atom. The implied cleavage of the C-O bond of the C-O-S ester linkage was confirmed by 180-incorporation studies.


Biologists have long thought that the DNA of the cellular organelles called mitochondria passes intact from mother to child with no paternal influence. On page
 2524, however, researchers find signs of mixing between maternal and paternal mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in humans and chimpanzees. Because biologists have used mtDNA as a tool to trace human ancestry and relationships, the finding has implications for everything from the identification of bodies to the existence of a "mitochondrial Eve" 200,000 years ago.


ABSTRACT The fermentation of dietary fibre (DF) leads to the production of bioactive metabolites, the most volatile ones being excreted in the breath. The aim of this study was to analyze the profile of exhaled breath volatile metabolites (BVM) and gastrointestinal symptoms in healthy volunteers after a single ingestion of maltodextrin (placebo) versus chitin-glucan (CG), an insoluble DF previously shown to be fermented into short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) by the human microbiota in vitro. Maltodextrin (4.5 g at day 0) or CG (4.5 g at day 2) were added to a standardized breakfast in fasting healthy volunteers (n = 15). BVM were measured using selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) throughout the day. A single ingestion of 4.5 g CG did not induce significant gastrointestinal discomfort. Untargeted metabolomics analysis of breath highlighted that 13 MS-fragments (among 408 obtained from ionizations of breath) discriminated CG versus maltodextrin acute intake in the posprandial state. The targeted analysis revealed that CG increased exhaled butyrate and 5 other BVM – including the microbial metabolites 2,3-butanedione and 3-hydroxybutanone – with a peak observed 6 h after CG intake. Correlation analyses with fecal microbiota (Illumina 16S rRNA sequencing) spotlighted Mitsuokella as a potential genus responsible for the presence of butyric acid, triethylamine and 3-hydroxybutanone in the breath. In conclusion, measuring BMV in the breath reveals the microbial signature of the fermentation of DF after a single ingestion. This protocol allows to analyze the time-course of released bioactive metabolites that could be proposed as new biomarkers of DF fermentation, potentially linked to their biological properties. Trial registration: Clinical Trials NCT03494491. Registered 11 April 2018 – Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03494491


Diel and spatial variability in the concentration of virus-like particles (VLP) was determined in a transect from the coast to offshore in the western Mediterranean (? stations and 6 depths per station). VLP abundance in coastal waters was on average 1.6 X 107 VLP ml-l, in offshore stations this value was 1.2 X 107 VLP ml-l. At the coastal station there was no varaibility in VLP abundance, bacterial abundance or chlorophyll a concentration through the water column, while offshore VLP decreased with depth. No clear diel pattern was found in 3 representative stations where diel cycles were studied. Viral impact on the bacterial assemblage was estimated at 2 depths (surface and deep chlorophyll a maximum) of the latter 3 stations using 2 approaches: the percentage of visibly infected bacteria and viral decay rates in cyanide amended cultures. Visibly infected bacteria could not be detected in any sample after counting 300 cells per sample, implying that the percentage of visibly infected bacteria was lower than 0.3 %. Using the maximal conversion factor to convert this value to bacterial mortality we found that viruses could be responsible at most for 21.5 % of the whole bacterial mortality. We calculated a hypothetical viral decay rate if the maximal possible impact of viruses (21.5 %) were true. This value corresponded to 0.02 h-'. However, using the cyanide method to measure viral decay rate, no significant decrease could be detected in a total of 8 viral decay experiments. In conclusion, the percent of total bacterial mortality due to viral lysis in the oligotrophic northwestern Mediterranean was low, certainly much lower than 20%.


Many television advertisements include textual disclaimers that are displayed very quickly. This Article presents empirical research showing that these words often fail to communicate their meanings to viewers. It suggests that when 1) a commercial's message would be deceptive without additional information and 2) a disclaimer with that information is shown too quickly to be comprehended, the advertisement should be treated as deceptive by the Federal Trade Commission and by courts in the context of private false advertising lawsuits. Also, the Article suggests that continued use of video "fine print" may propagate the mistaken idea that incomprehensible words have legal significance in consumer transactions. Reinforcing that idea may deter consumers from asserting rights and may reinforce people's notions that the law treats symbolic compliance with legal requirements as equivalent to actual compliance.


The output of a plain transfer-field machine would be much less than that of a conventional machine of comparable size and dimensions. The use of short-circuited rotor windings, it is shown, would lead, under certain circumstances, to considerable improvement in its performance. The rotor windings not only give rise to an increase in the induced emf but also augment output by effectively lowering the synchronous reactance of the output winding. The rotor circuit current can be increased by connecting it to a synchronous condenser load, and thereby further increase both the emf and the synchronous reactance thus leading to a higher output and greater synchronous stability. The same effects have their parallel for the asynchronous mode of operation.


Ran is a small RAS-related GTPase and is overexpressed in breast carcinoma to induce malignant transformation and metastatic growth. A novel series of antiRan-GTPase peptide (CK-10), which inhibits Ran hydrolysis and activation, have suboptimal activity in vitro due to low bioavailability and poor delivery. To overcome these disadvantages, we delivered the CK-10 peptide by encapsulating it in PLGA-based nanoparticles (NP). The successful delivery of CK-10 can prevent Ran activation by blocking a regulator of chromosome condensation 1 (RCC1) following peptide release directly in the cytoplasm after endocytosis of the novel NP(s). A novel hydrodynamic flow technique is designed to avoid the drawbacks with a double emulsion solvent evaporation technique. Loading efficiency and in vitro release were measured by modified Lowry assay, size was characterized by dynamic light scattering, tuneable pore resistive sensing and laser obscuration time, zeta potential was measured by laser anemometry, morphology was scanned by electron microscopes and laser obscuration time. Water absorption and its associated changes in the physicochemical properties were measured by various color indicator and potentiometric titration techniques tounderstand the fundamental biodegradation process. PLGA/β-cyclodextrin nanoparticles showed the highest peptide loading (53.92%m/m) for the novel microfluidic technique with the highest cumulative release of 91.38%.


Online platforms continue to grapple with the spread of false information about the COVID-19 pandemic, especially about the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine. Some users who disseminate vaccine misinformation report that they were bullied by other users in response to their anti-vaccine messages. When they arise, these reports pit a platform's prerogative to reduce the spread of misinformation against its obligation to protect users from online harassment. To resolve this tension, we present a framework that evaluates user interactions based on three criteria: intensity, specificity, and persistence. This approach can help content moderators determine when criticism of anti-vaccine messages by other users turns to harassment. After exploring the framework and its theoretical under-pinnings, we report the results from an experimental survey (n=21) we ran comparing moderation decisions made according to a new policy framework for our social media platform, Patio, against those made solely according to our existing community guidelines. The framework yields a statistically significant improvement in the overall accuracy and precision of moderation decisions involving potential harassment of users spreading COVID-19 vaccination misinformation. We conclude by considering the limitations of our analysis and avenues for further research.


From health to education, income impacts a huge range of life choices. Earlier research has leveraged data from online social networks to study precisely this impact. In this paper, we ask the opposite question: do different levels of income result in different online behaviors? We demonstrate it does. We present the first large-scale study of Nextdoor, a popular location-based social network. We collect 2.6 Million posts from 64,283 neighborhoods in the United States and 3,325 neighborhoods in the United Kingdom, to examine whether online discourse reflects the income and income inequality of a neighborhood. We show that posts from neighborhoods with different incomes indeed differ, e.g. richer neighborhoods have a more positive sentiment and discuss crimes more, even though their actual crime rates are much lower. We then show that user-generated content can predict both income and inequality. We train multiple machine learning models and predict both income (R2=0.841) and inequality (R2=0.77).


This paper presents the design and implementation of a consistent checkpointing scheme for distributed shared memory (DSM) systems. Our approach relies on the integration of checkpoints within synchronization barriers already existing in applications; this avoids the need to introduce an additional synchronization mechanism. The main advantage of our checkpointing mechanism is that performance degradation arises only when a checkpoint is being taken; hence, the programmer can adjust the trade-off between the cost of checkpointing and the cost of longer rollbacks by adjusting the time between two successive checkpoints. The paper compares several implementations of the proposed consistent checkpointing mechanism (incremental, non-blocking, and pre-flushing) on the Intel Paragon multicomputer for several parallel scientific applications. Performance measures show that a careful optimization of the checkpointing protocol can reduce the time overhead of checkpointing from 8% to 0.04% of the application duration for a 6 mn checkpointing interval.


Chemically engineered small molecules targeting specific genomic sequences play an important role in drug development research. Pyrrole-imidazole polyamides (PIPs) are a group of molecules that can bind to the DNA minor-groove and can be engineered to target specific sequences. Their biological effects rely primarily on their selective DNA binding. However, the binding mechanism of PIPs at the chromatinized genome level is poorly understood. Herein, we report a method using high-throughput sequencing to identify the DNA-alkylating sites of PIP-indoleseco-CBI conjugates. High-throughput sequencing analysis of conjugate 2 showed highly similar DNAalkylating sites on synthetic oligos (histone-free DNA) and on human genomes (chromatinized DNA context). To our knowledge, this is the first report identifying alkylation sites across genomic DNA by alkylating PIP conjugates using high-throughput se-


This paper shows the stability of cable-stayed bridge under floating system. A large-span prestressed concrete cable-stayed bridge in Chongqing is analyzed by using nonlinear finite element program ANSYS. The buckling mode and linear and nonlinear stability safety factor of the bridge under two unfavourable live loads are gained and compared by numerical simulations. The results show: 1) only in-plane instability is induced regardless of the loads;2) Under the floating structure system, nonlinear stability safety factors of the bridge under two unfavourable live loads do not meet the specification requirement four, but they are actually bearing capacity stability factors, and should be said adequate safe when they can reach about three. Limit value on nonlinear stability safety factor of the bridge does not provide at present, but we believe that in general about three should be able to meet the requirement through the practice of some of the previous bridge


Unlike earlier work in medical economics, which has focused on medical care, these ten papers stress the production and consequences of health itself. They reveal a serious concern with real-world health problems in their investigation of such subjects as infant mortality, life expectancy, morbidity, and disability. These papers are unusual, as well, in bringing to bear on these problems new and powerful theoretical and statistical tools. They draw on, and in some cases are, original sources for new bodies of data. As such, Economic Aspects of Health comprises a useful blend of relevance and rigor.


The side-jump effect is a manifestation of the spin orbit interaction in electron scattering from an atom/ion/impurity. The effect has a broad interest because of its conceptual importance for generic spin-orbital physics, in particular the effect is widely discussed in spintronics. We reexamine the effect accounting for the exact nonperturbative electron wave function inside the atomic core. We find that value of the effect is much smaller than estimates accepted in literature. The reduction factor is 1/Z^2, where Z is the nucleus charge of the atom/impurity. This implies that the side-jump effect is practically irrelevant for spintronics, the skew scattering and/or the intrinsic mechanism always dominate the anomalous Hall and spin Hall effects.


Long-term maintenance of code will often lead to the introduction of duplicated or 'cloned' code. Legacy systems riddled with these clones have large amounts of redundant code and are more difficult to understand and maintain. One option available to improve maintainability and to increase software reuse, is to re-engineer code clones into reusable components. However, before this can be achieved detection and removal of this redundant code is necessary. There are several established clone detection tools for software maintenance and this thesis aims to investigate the similarities between their output. It also looks at how maintainers may best use them to reduce the amount of redundant code in a software system. This will be achieved by running clone detection tools on several different case studies. Included in these case studies will be a novel tool called Covet inspired by research of Mayrand [May96b] which attempted to identify cloned routines through a comparison of software metrics generated from each routine. It was found that none of the clone detection tools achieved either 100% precision or 100% recall. Each tool identified very different sets of clones. Overall MOSS achieved the greatest precision and CCFinder the greatest recall. Also observed was that the use of automatically generated code increased the proportion of clones found in a software system.


Interception loss plays an important role in controlling the water balance of a watershed, especially where urban development has taken place. The aim of this study was to illustrate the importance of urban trees as a form of 'green infrastructure' where they reduce stormwater runoff and rainwater intensity. In addition, trees cause a delay in precipitation reaching the ground. Interception loss was studied in the North Shore of British Columbia. We applied a unique methodology for measuring throughfall under six different urban trees using a system of long polyvinyl chloride pipes hung beneath the canopy capturing the throughfall and draining it to a rain gauge attached to a data logger. Different tree species (Douglas-fi r [Pseudotsuga menziesii] and western red cedar [Thuja plicata]) in variable landscape sites (streets, parks, and natural forested areas) and elevations were selected to ensure that the system adequately captured the throughfall variability. Interception and throughfall were monitored over a one year cycle for which the results of seven discrete storm events for coniferous trees from the District of North Vancouver during 2007 to 2008 are presented. Cumulative gross precipitation for seven selected events was 377 mm. Average canopy interception during these events for Douglas-fi r and western red cedar were 49.1 and 60.9%, where it corresponded to average net loss of 20.4 and 32.3 mm, respectively. The interception loss varied depending on canopy structure, climatic conditions, and rainfall characteristics.


Global estimates of the land carbon sink are often based on simulations by terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs). The use of a large number of models that differ in their underlying hypotheses, structure and parameters is one way to assess the uncertainty in the historical land carbon sink. Here we show that the atmospheric forcing datasets used to drive these TBMs represent a significant source of uncertainty that is currently not systematically accounted for in land carbon cycle evaluations. We present results from three TBMs each forced with three different historical atmospheric forcing reconstructions over the period 1850–2015. We perform an analysis of variance to quantify the relative uncertainty in carbon fluxes arising from the models themselves, atmospheric forcing, and model-forcing interactions. We find that atmospheric forcing in this set of simulations plays a dominant role on uncertainties in global gross primary productivity (GPP) (75% of variability) and autotrophic respiration (90%), and a significant but reduced role on net primary productivity and heterotrophic respiration (30%). Atmospheric forcing is the dominant driver (52%) of variability for the net ecosystem exchange flux, defined as the difference between GPP and respiration (both autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration). In contrast, for wildfire-driven carbon emissions model uncertainties dominate and, as a result, model uncertainties dominate for net ecosystem productivity. At regional scales, the contribution of atmospheric forcing to uncertainty shows a very heterogeneous pattern and is smaller on average than at the global scale. We find that this difference in the relative importance of forcing uncertainty between global and regional scales is related to large differences in regional model flux estimates, which partially offset each other when integrated globally, while the flux differences driven by forcing are mainly consistent across the world and therefore add up to a larger fractional contribution to global uncertainty.


Single molecule spectroscopy is considered among the most important spectroscopic and microscopic analytical tools especially that follow the biological reactions. The usage of wide field microscope in single molecule spectroscopy is not something new but what we introduce is a simultaneous dual color imaging wide field microscope setup. The setup alignments tested, and all the species we used to prepare the sample were tested free from unwanted fluorescence. A real single molecule experiment was done using streptavidin stained with Atto655.The system is proved to be able to detect single molecules in two channels exited with different colors at the same time, and it is ready for the experiments.


Several samples of polymeric micelles, formed by amphiphilic derivatives of PHEA, obtained by grafting into polymeric backbone of PEGs and/or hexadecylamine groups (PHEA-PEG-C(16) and PHEA-C(16)) and containing different amount of Tamoxifen, were prepared. All Tamoxifen-loaded polymeric micelles showed to increase drug water solubility. TEM studies provided evidence of the formation of supramolecular core/shell architectures containing drug, in the nanoscopic range and with spherical shape. Samples with different amount of encapsulated Tamoxifen were subjected to in vitro cytotoxic studies in order to evaluate the effect of Tamoxifen micellization on cell growth inhibition. All samples of Tamoxifen-loaded polymeric micelles showed a significantly higher antiproliferative activity in comparison with free drug, probably attributable to fluidification of cellular membranes, caused by amphiphilic copolymers, that allows a higher penetration of the drug into tumoral cells. To gain preliminary information about the potential use of prepared micelles as Tamoxifen drug delivery systems, studies evaluating drug release ability of micelle systems in media mimicking biological fluids (buffer solutions at pH 7.4 and 5.5) and in human plasma were carried out. These studies, performed evaluating the amount of Tamoxifen that remains in solution as a function of time, showed that at pH 7.4, as well as in plasma, PHEA-C(16) polymeric micelles were able to release lower drug amounts than PHEA-PEG(5000)-C(16) ones, while at pH 5.5, the behavior difference between two kind of micelles was less pronounced.


Adjuvants are substances that enhance immune responses and thus improve the efficacy of vaccination. Few adjuvants are available for use in humans, and the one that is most commonly used (alum) often induces suboptimal immunity for protection against many pathogens. There is thus an obvious need to develop new and improved adjuvants. We have therefore taken an approach to adjuvant discovery that uses in silico modeling and structure-based drug-design. As proof-of-principle we chose to target the interaction of the chemokines CCL22 and CCL17 with their receptor CCR4. CCR4 was posited as an adjuvant target based on its expression on CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs), which negatively regulate immune responses induced by dendritic cells (DC), whereas CCL17 and CCL22 are chemotactic agents produced by DC, which are crucial in promoting contact between DC and CCR4+ T cells. Molecules identified by virtual screening and molecular docking as CCR4 antagonists were able to block CCL22- and CCL17-mediated recruitment of human Tregs and Th2 cells. Furthermore, CCR4 antagonists enhanced DC-mediated human CD4+ T cell proliferation in an in vitro immune response model and amplified cellular and humoral immune responses in vivo in experimental models when injected in combination with either Modified Vaccinia Ankara expressing Ag85A from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MVA85A) or recombinant hepatitis B virus surface antigen (rHBsAg) vaccines. The significant adjuvant activity observed provides good evidence supporting our hypothesis that CCR4 is a viable target for rational adjuvant design.


We present a national-scale effort to use technology to promote political participation in an emerging democracy, South Africa. Analysis exploits randomization of incentives and messaging on a multi-channel digital platform to encourage voting, conduct opinion polling, and enable citizen monitoring of polling places during the 2014 presidential election. Different channels have starkly distinct demographic profiles, participation drops quickly as citizens are invited to more costly forms of engagement, and extrinsic incentives are found to be complementary to the intrinsic political motivation of participants. Our results illustrate how low-cost communications technology can ethically be used to promote political participation. JEL Codes: D72, C93, O30.


ABSTRACT Background: Utilization of the telemedicine application is an alternative option for paediatric health services without a direct visit to hospitals, especially in pandemic or disease outbreak conditions. The important telemedicine services, especially for paediatric patients, need to be tackled by stakeholders and hospital management teams. This study aimed to investigate the acceptance and barrier in using telemedicine health services of hospitals among paediatric outpatients. Subjects and Method: A systematic review was conducted by searching from ScienceDirect and Scopus databases. The keywords were "telemedicine OR patient paediatric". The inclusion criteria were open accessed and English-language articles published between 2019 to 2020. The data were reported by PRISMA flow chart. Results: Nine articles met the inclusion criteria. Feasibility and the easiness to use of the application, cost-effectiveness, less travel time, easy access to medicine, and effective health services were the optimal services received by paediatric outpatients in using telemedicine. The limitations of telemedicine services were lack of physical and diagnostic examinations, information for socio-demographic and socioeconomic status, patient insurance coverage, direct care services, and privacy and confidentiality of patients. Conclusion: Not all the conditions of paediatric outpatients receive optimal health services through telemedicine. An innovative approach is needed to improve telemedicine's available health services, especially for paediatric outpatients who need direct health care without visiting the hospitals. Keywords: telemedicine, paediatric outpatients, health services Correspondence: Sarah Geltri Harahap. Master Program of Policy and Health Administration, Faculty of Public Health, University of Indonesia. Email: email@example.com. Mobile: +6281375985375. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26911/the7thicph.04.31


Endophytes are microorganisms that reside asymptomatically in the tissues of higher plants and are relatively unstudied and a promising source of novel organic natural metabolites exhibiting a variety of biological activities. As a part of our systematic search for new bioactive lead structures from endophytic, the endophytic fungus Fusarium sp. isolated from the leaves of Brotowali (Tinaspora crispa), was cultured for isolation of metabolite. The endophytic fungus was cultivated on 6 L of Potatos Dextose Broth (PDB) medium at room temperature (no shaking) for 8 weeks. The cultures were then extracted with ethyl acetate to afford 9.4 g of residue after removal of the solvent under reduced pressure. The extract was separated into the fractions by column chromatography (CC) on silica gel. The fractions were further separated by silica gel column chromatography to give one compound. The molecular structure was established on the basis of spectroscopic analysis including UV, IR, 1 H-NMR, 13 C-NMR, HMQC, HMBC, COSY, and MS. The compound was determined as a new pyran.


The advent of trusts within the NHS brought a new dimension to the role of nurses in management, in that each trust must appoint an executive nurse director to sit on the trust board. The function and potential function of this role is, I believe, pivotal to the development of clinical services within the NHS.


We give a backward jeu de taquin slide analogue on semistandard reverse composition tableaux. These tableaux were first studied by Haglund , Luoto , Mason and van Willigenburg when defining quasisymmetric Schur functions. Our algorithm for performing backward jeu de taquin slides on semistandard reverse composition tableaux results in a natural operator on compositions that we call the jdt operator. This operator in turn gives rise to a new poset structure on compositions whose maximal chains we enumerate. As an application, we also give a noncommutative Pieri rule for noncommutative Schur functions that uses the jdt operators.


It has been recently emphasized that, if individuals have heterogeneous dynamics, estimates of shock persistence based on aggregate data are significatively higher than those derived from its disaggregate counterpart. However, a careful examination of the implications of this statement on the various tools routinely employed to measure persistence is missing in the literature. This paper formally examines this issue. We consider a disaggregate linear model with heterogeneous dynamics and compare the values of several measures of persistence across aggregation levels. Interestingly, we show that the average persistence of aggregate shocks, as measured by the impulse response function (IRF) of the aggregate model or by the average of the individual IRFs, is identical on all horizons. This result remains true even in situations where the units are (short-memory) stationary but the aggregate process is long-memory or even nonstationary. In contrast, other popular persistence measures, such as the sum of the autoregressive coefficients or the largest autoregressive root, tend to be higher the higher the aggregation level. We argue, however, that this should be seen more as an undesirable property of these measures than as evidence of different average persistence across aggregation levels. The results are illustrated in an application using U.S. inflation data.


The World is facing numerous, overlapping crises with the war in Ukraine exacerbating a global cost-of-living crisis, coupled with the lingering effects of Covid-19 and ongoing climate change impacts. After nearly three years of dealing with Covid-19, the world economy has been left in a fragile state and the ability of countries and people to deal with multiple, compounding issues has therefore also been eroding (UN, 2022, p. 2). Those that are most marginalised and least able to cope will likely be hit the hardest by these crises. This rapid review does not provide an in-depth discussion of these issues or the proposed solutions needed, but looks to learnings from managing the Covid-19 pandemic, especially where the pandemic overlapped with other crises, as well as the wider disaster risk and crisis management literature to gather insights into how these turbulent times and future crises can be navigated.


Abstract The Sarvak Formation (Cenomanian–Turonian) forms one of the main reservoir rocks in many oilfields in southern Iran. Extensive lateral and vertical facies variations as well as effects caused mainly by the subaerial exposure associated with the regional Turonian unconformity have resulted in variable porosity and permeability. Dissolution affected the entire upper part of the Sarvak Formation and is the most important process related to subaerial exposure. Brecciation, development of palaeosol and formation of bauxite deposits are also limited to the upper few metres of the top of the Sarvak Formation and indicate warm and humid climatic conditions. Subaerial exposure had varying effects on the diagenesis depending on its duration, palaeotopography and the availability of meteoric water. The δ18O and δ13C values obtained from calcitic matrix, various generations of calcite cements and calcitic rudist shells in the Upper Sarvak overlap to a large extent, indicating their equilibration with fluids of similar isotopic composition. Negative δ18O values (i.e. −6.6‰ to −1.7‰) suggest a significant meteoric component. More 18O-depleted values (e.g. −12.3‰) obtained from late calcite cements indicate their precipitatation from warm fluids. Positive δ13C values (i.e. 0.00‰ to 3.4‰) in the various carbonate phases reflect values of seawater coeval with an Oceanic Anoxic Event and later modified by meteoric waters.


As a result of Solvency II, academics and practitioners anticipate further consolidation in the insurance industry as the new regulatory framework rewards well-diversified insurers with lower capital requirements and challenges smaller insurers to meet the (operational) regulatory requirements. Therefore, this study examines the implications of 478 M&A between 1984 and 2015 on acquiring insurers' default risk. By employing Merton's distance to default, we show that mergers increase risk on average. This effect is particularly pronounced for pre-merger low-risk insurers and reinsurers. As Solvency II generally aims to enhance the soundness of the insurance sector and its firms, policymakers should be aware of this merger-related contrary risk effect. By contrast, the analysis also documents that mergers announced during the recent financial crisis were risk reducing. Consolidation can thus have a stabilizing effect on the insurance sector during market turmoil. Finally, the study reveals that merger-related default risk changes are mostly driven by acquirer characteristics and to a limited extent by deal characteristics. In this regard, we find that diversifying M&A strategies provide default risk-reducing diversification benefits. However, most identified determinants differ significantly for life and non-life insurers.


In the last 25 years, eight outsider candidates won presidential elections in Latin America. Outsiders are candidates with little political experience running with new parties. This reality presents a dual puzzle, which is the focus of this dissertation. First, what explains the sudden rise and election of political outsiders in presidential elections? Second, what are the consequences of the election of outsiders for democratic governability and institutional performance? I address these questions through a combination of quantitative analyses and an in-depth qualitative analysis of the case of Alberto Fujimori (outsider president of Peru who governed between 1990 and 2000).

Against the conventional wisdom, the first part of my dissertation shows that the rise of outsiders is not a "peril of presidentialism." When other important economic and political factors are controlled for, the political system (presidential vs. parliamentary) is not a good predictor of outsider success. The rise of outsiders in Latin America is associated with a combination of supply and demand factors. A series of institutional design characteristics (compulsory voting, reelection provisions, and non-concurrent elections) make it easier for outsiders to run. Once viable outsiders are in the race, their success is facilitated in contexts where a severe crisis of representation exists. Dealigned citizens and voters whose preferences are not reflected in the established party system are more likely to support outsiders on election day.

The second main contribution of this dissertation is to show that outsiders are more likely to threaten democratic governability and to commit authoritarian excesses. There are three main factors that contribute to executive abuses when political outsiders reach the presidency: 1) the lack of democratic political socialization of outsiders, 2) the difficult socio-political context faced by outsiders –which creates a "window of opportunity" for executive excesses–, and 3) the lack of a strongly organized party monitoring the actions of outsider presidents. This work shows that executive-legislative relations tend to be more acrimonious when the president is an outsider. The in-depth analysis of the Fujimori case also suggests that outsiders tend to form very inexperienced cabinets, which generates serious governability problems.


During the last 10 years increase in the number of surgical centers developing the practice of off-pump heart surgeries has been noticed. Our medical centre, where 140 CABG surgeries have been performed, is one of the like. Such surgeries demand multicomponent anesthetic manual able to provide adequate depth of anesthesia, hemodynamic stability, prevention of intraoperative myocardial ischemia, providing an early patient activation in a postoperative period. On the assumption stated above we suggest and compare two anesthetic methods - total intravenous anesthesia on the basis of Propofol and Phentanylum and inhalational anesthesia on the basis of Isoflurane for providing CABG Surgery. It has been detected that the anesthetic methods offered by us enable to provide an adequate anesthetic defence while performing CABG Surgeries in case of stable markers of hemodynamics and oxygen transfer functions. Mild hemodynamic disorders have been detected in the operation course first of all at the expense of positional changes and heart immobilization. These disorders have not lead to the deterioration of oxygen transfer functions and have been totally eliminated in the recovery period. Worked-out anesthetic methods on the basis of Midazolam, Propofol, Isoflurane and low doses of Phentanylum (5-7 mcg/kg per hour) give a possibility to decrease the period of artificial lung ventilation, provides an early (less than 6 hours) and safe extubation for 86% of the patients and reduces their stay in a resuscitation unit as well.


Bollob\'{a}s and Thomason (1985) proved that for each $k=k(n) \in [1, n-1]$, with high probability, the random graph process, where edges are added to vertex set $V=[n]$ uniformly at random one after another, is such that the stopping time of having minimal degree $k$ is equal to the stopping time of becoming $k$-(vertex-)connected. We extend this result to the $d$-uniform random hypergraph process, where $k$ and $d$ are fixed. Consequently, for $m=\frac{n}{d}(\ln n +(k-1)\ln \ln n +c)$ and $p=(d-1)! \frac{\ln n + (k-1) \ln \ln n +c}{n^{d-1}}$, the probability that the random hypergraph models $H_d(n, m)$ and $H_d(n, p)$ are $k$-connected tends to $e^{-e^{-c}/(k-1)!}.$


Mature results from GOG158 have clearly established carboplatin and paclitaxel as an effective and well tolerated standard regimen, providing a basis for the reference arm in GOG0182-ICON5, an ongoing multiarmed phase III trial of the Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG) evaluating the incorporation of newer cytotoxic agents. Results from GOG158 will be reviewed, including an analysis of second-look surgical outcomes, followed by an update on the current status of GOG0182-ICON5.


In the spirit of the symposium generally, I want to step back a bit and not limit myself to Plessy v. Ferguson,' which, frankly, is a turkey shoot. It's easy. Barry McDonald's got a very difficult job to defend it.2 Let me try to pull the camera back and talk more generally about what these cases that we're talking about today have in common. To do that, I want to comment on what we might think of as the canon and the anti-canon of Supreme Court cases. Here I build upon thoughtful work by, among others, Professor Richard Primus.3 In so doing, in talking about canon and anticanon, I would like to preview my new book that's coming out, America's Unwritten Constitution, because I'm going to be building on some of these ideas. It is a complement to the last thing that I did, America's Constitution: A Biography, that tries to take the reader through the written document, the canonical text.' The Constitution is very compact. I try to take the reader really from start to finish: from the Preamble through every article, and then through every amendment. The thought of the new book is that the Constitution is not all that we believe it to be. It proclaims itself the supreme law of the land, and yet all of us understand that there is more to it than that. There is also a canon and an anti-canon of decisions.


Medical graduates require positive attitudes toward older people with cognitive impairment, in addition to knowledge and skills in the diagnosis and management of dementia. The Student Training Project in Dementia (STriDE) project was conducted to ensure that these needs are met through curricula in Western Australian medical schools. Two medical schools in Perth, Western Australia, participated. Mixed methods were utilized comprising a) focus groups and interviews and b) a survey of teachers and students. Participants recommended clearer structure and standardization in the curriculum to ensure that all students receive similar educational experiences regardless of hospital placement. Both teachers, and to a lesser extent students, held positive attitudes toward older people. Teachers tended to be more dissatisfied with current curricula than students. Teachers and learners endorsed a broad range of teaching and learning methods, assessments, and skills/competencies. The results of this study present major challenges for professional entry dementia education given the breadth, flexibility, and depth of dementia education recommended by teachers and learners.


Glucosyl hesperidin (G-hesperidin) is a water-soluble derivative of hesperidin. We compared the absorption and metabolism of G-hesperidin with those of hesperidin in rats. After oral administration of G-hesperidin or hesperidin to rats, hesperetin was detected in sera hydrolyzed with β-glucuronidase, but it was not detectable in unhydrolyzed sera. Serum hesperetin was found more rapidly in rats administered G-hesperidin than in those administered hesperidin. The area under the concentration-time curve for hesperetin in the sera of rats administered G-hesperidin was approximately 3.7-fold greater than that of rats administered hesperidin. In the urine of both administration groups, hesperetin and its glucuronide were found. Urinary excretion of metabolites was higher in rats administered G-hesperidin than in those administered hesperidin. These results indicate that G-hesperidin presents the same metabolic profile as hesperidin. Moreover, it was concluded that G-hesperidin is absorbed more rapidly and efficiently than hesperidin, because of its high water solubility.


Soft X-rays (< 1Kev) are of medical interest both for imaging and microdosimetry applications. X-ray sources at this low energy present a technological challenge. Synchrotrons, while very powerful and flexible, are enormously expensive national research facilities. Conventional X-ray sources based on electron bombardment can be compact and inexpensive, but low x-ray production efficiencies at low electron energies restrict this approach to very low power applications. Laser-based sources tend to be expensive and unreliable. Energetiq Technology, Inc. (Woburn, MA, USA) markets a 92 eV, 10W(2pi sr) electrode-less Z-pinch source developed for advanced semiconductor lithography. A modified version of this commercial product has produced 400 mW at 430 eV (2pi sr), appropriate for water window soft X-ray microscopy. The US NIH has funded Energetiq to design and construct a demonstration microscope using this source, coupled to a condenser optic, as the illumination system. The design of the condenser optic matches the unique characteristics of the source to the illumination requirements of the microscope, which is otherwise a conventional design. A separate program is underway to develop a microbeam system, in conjunction with the RARAF facility at Columbia University, NY, USA. The objective is to develop a focused, sub-micron beam capable of delivering > 1 Gy/second to the nucleus of a living cell. While most facilities of this type are coupled to a large and expensive particle accelerator, the Z-pinch X-ray source enables a compact, stand-alone design suitable to a small laboratory. The major technical issues in this system involve development of suitable focusing X-ray optics. Current status of these programs will be reported.


A literature must be greater than its critics, yes; but that does not mean lesser-than assessors are permitted a carte blanche illiteracy. Even carpaltunnel-syndrome-challenged typists who jet newspapery opinions should attempt a minimal degree of scholarly probity, so as to prevent their inventing idiocies or venting idiosyncrasies. Such observations must apply forcefully to critics of any obscure literature-such as that of African Canada-possessing a phantasmal bibliography, a shadowy canon, and murky archives. The critique of African-Canadian literature remains an enterprise open to any form of intellectual abuse, for the literature itself has not yet been granted the dignity of an accepted, distinct existence. To many, it is a branch of Caribbean-or West Indian-or African-American-or African, literature. Its critique need derive therefore from no Canadian source. Too many think that by reading Toni Morrison and Derek Walcott, they are equipped to read, without alterating any facts of geography or society, Austin Clarke or M. Nourbese Philip. Thus, the public-and the academy-is assaulted with abstract social work or political bavardage that is alien, irrelevant, and unreal. See, for instance, Donna Bailey Nurse's op-ed piece in The [Toronto] Globe and Mail "Books" insert of Saturday, 21 February 2004, appearing on page DlS. Titled "Black in print" and prefaced by a teaser proclaiming, "What you need to know about... being black in Canada," the article purports to offer an analysis of "black Canadian identity," but it is perversely narrow. Nurse begins with a canard, the idea that "According to Canadian culture, there was no such thing as a black Canadian woman." Yet, all one has to do is pick up a decent history, or even go to First Baptist Church on Huron Street in Toronto (not that far from Nurse's native Pickering, Ontario) and examine its documents, to commence a discovery of the deep roots of African men and women in Canadian soil. Agreed: European-Canadian nationalist propaganda has never wanted to accept the prior presence of First Nations peoples, let alone the later arrivals of people of colour. It is lazy, however, to deny the history of the continuous presence of "Coloureds" and Natives thwarting white anglophone and francophone claims of cultural primordiality. Nurse then posits, "suddenly, things have changed, and I think it has to do with the stories, the accumulation over time of black voices and literary ideas, characters and themes that are showing me who I am." One must applaud this development of positive self-consciousness, but the literature did not materialize into existence yesterday, nor did it do so simply to provide solace for one individual. Again, Nurse demonstrates a refusal to engage any AfricanCanadian literary earlier than, say, 1970-or maybe 1980 (or maybe 1990 or 2000). One must ask what her phrase "over time" really means: since 1783 or since 1983? Nurse opines, too, "Black Canadian literature has reached the tipping point." (Her use of the metaphor popularized by African-Canadian writer Malcolm Gladwell is unfortunate: Is the literature tipping "up" or "down"?) Problematic here is the determination that "now" the literature is doing "something," whereas before, presumably, it was somnambulant, infantile, or comatose. …


The dynamic behavior of plates with mixed boundary conditions has been the subject of intensive study for many years due to its great importance in many engineering applications. On-trend approach in dynamic response analysis is to combine mathematical model, test results and computer simulation. Classical techniques of mathematical modeling of intricate structural systems for response analysis in frequency or time domain are tiresome and time consuming. In this study, a point supported rectangular plate considered and extraction of its system model from FE model, validated by the test results, by using commercially available computer programs such as Ansys and Matlab is demonstrated. State space mathematical model in principal coordinates obtained in Matlab from the modal analysis results of its FE model. Its modes sorted with respect to peak gain values, and the modes with the less contributions to the response truncated. To validate the accuracy of this method and truncation, transient responses from the full model with no reduction, truncated model, and Ansys are compared and found to be in accord with each other. Its demonstrated by plotting the indicated results of analyses, and emphasized the significant processing times between the conventional approach and stated method. It is concluded obvious that this study will make a good understanding in simplifying the dynamic analysis of vibration problems of plates.


Loss of flight in the Galapagos cormorant Although rare among existing birds, the loss of flight appears to have occurred multiple times in evolutionary history. However, the genetic changes that ground avian species are not well understood. Burga et al. sequenced genomes from three cormorant species and compared them with that of the flightless Galapagos cormorant (see the Perspective by Cooper). They identified variants in genes involved in primary ciliogenesis. Functional analyses of these variants suggest that the impaired function of the genes may be responsible for skeletal changes associated with the Galapagos cormorant's loss of flight. Science, this issue p. eaal3345; see also p. 904 Genomic analysis points to CUX1 and cilia-related genes likely underlying a loss of flight in the Galapagos cormorant. INTRODUCTION Changes in the size and proportion of limbs and other structures have played a key role in the evolution of species. One common class of limb modification is recurrent wing reduction and loss of flight in birds. Indeed, Darwin used the occurrence of flightless birds as an argument in favor of his theory of natural selection. Loss of flight has evolved repeatedly and is found among 26 families of birds in 17 different orders. Despite the frequency of these modifications, we have a limited understanding of their underpinnings at the genetic and molecular levels. RATIONALE To better understand the evolution of changes in limb size, we studied a classic case of recent loss of flight in the Galapagos cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisi). Cormorants are large water birds that live in coastal areas or near lakes, and P. harrisi is the only flightless cormorant among approximately 40 extant species. The entire population is distributed along the coastlines of Isabela and Fernandina islands in the Galapagos archipelago. P. harrisi has a pair of short wings, which are smaller than those of any other cormorant. The extreme reduction of the wings and pectoral skeleton observed in P. harrisi is an attractive model for studying the evolution of loss of flight because it occurred very recently; phylogenetic evidence suggests that P. harrisi diverged from its flighted relatives within the past 2 million years. We developed a comparative and predictive genomics approach that uses the genome sequences of P. harrisi and its flighted relatives to find candidate genetic variants that likely contributed to the evolution of loss of flight. RESULTS We sequenced and de novo assembled the whole genomes of P. harrisi and three closely related flighted cormorant species. We identified thousands of coding variants exclusive to P. harrisi and classified them according to their probability of altering protein function based on conservation. Variants most likely to alter protein function were significantly enriched in genes mutated in human skeletal ciliopathies, including Ofd1, Evc, Wdr34, and Ift122. We carried out experiments in Caenorhabditis elegans to confirm that a missense variant present in the Galapagos cormorant IFT122 protein is sufficient to affect ciliary function. The primary cilium is essential for Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in vertebrates, and individuals affected by ciliopathies have small limbs and ribcages, mirroring the phenotype of P. harrisi. We also identified a 4–amino acid deletion in the regulatory domain of Cux1, a highly conserved transcription factor that has been experimentally shown to regulate limb growth in chicken. The four missing amino acids are perfectly conserved in all birds and mammals sequenced to date. We tested the consequences of this deletion in a chondrogenic cell line and showed that it impairs the ability of CUX1 to transcriptionally up-regulate cilia-related genes (some of which contain function-altering variants in P. harrisi) and to promote chondrogenic differentiation. Finally, we show that positive selection may have played a role in the fixation of the variants associated with loss of flight in P. harrisi. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that the combined effect of variants in genes necessary for the correct transcriptional regulation and function of the primary cilium likely contributed to the evolution of highly reduced wings and other skeletal adaptations associated with loss of flight in P. harrisi. Our approach may be generally useful for identification of variants underlying evolutionary novelty from genomes of closely related species. Comparative and predictive genomics of loss of flight. Comparison of the genomes of four closely related cormorant species allowed us to predict function-altering variants exclusively affecting the Galapagos cormorant and to test their functional consequences. Our results implicate ciliary dysfunction as a likely contributor to the evolution of loss of flight. We have a limited understanding of the genetic and molecular basis of evolutionary changes in the size and proportion of limbs. We studied wing and pectoral skeleton reduction leading to flightlessness in the Galapagos cormorant (Phalacrocorax harrisi). We sequenced and de novo assembled the genomes of four cormorant species and applied a predictive and comparative genomics approach to find candidate variants that may have contributed to the evolution of flightlessness. These analyses and cross-species experiments in Caenorhabditis elegans and in chondrogenic cell lines implicated variants in genes necessary for transcriptional regulation and function of the primary cilium. Cilia are essential for Hedgehog signaling, and humans affected by skeletal ciliopathies suffer from premature bone growth arrest, mirroring skeletal features associated with loss of flight.


The work of the present thesis is focused on the implementation of microelectronic voltage sensing devices, with the purpose of transmitting and extracting analog information between devices of different nature at short distances or upon contact.
Initally, chip-to-chip communication has been studied, and circuitry for 3D capacitive coupling has been implemented. Such circuits allow the communication between dies fabricated in different technologies. Due to their novelty, they are not standardized and currently not supported by standard CAD tools. In order to overcome such burden, a novel approach for the characterization of such communicating links has been proposed. This results in shorter design times and increased accuracy.
Communication between an integrated circuit (IC) and a probe card has been extensively studied as well. Today wafer probing is a costly test procedure with many drawbacks, which could be overcome by a different communication approach such as capacitive coupling. For this reason wireless wafer probing has been investigated as an alternative approach to standard on-contact wafer probing.
Interfaces between integrated circuits and biological systems have also been investigated. Active electrodes for simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and electrical impedance tomography (EIT) have been implemented for the first time in a 0.35 um process. Number of wires has been minimized by sharing the analog outputs and supply on a single wire, thus implementing electrodes that require only 4 wires for their operation. Minimization of wires reduces the cable weight and thus limits the patient's discomfort.
The physical channel for communication between an IC and a biological medium is represented by the electrode itself. As this is a very crucial point for biopotential acquisitions, large efforts have been carried in order to investigate the different electrode technologies and geometries and an electromagnetic model is presented in order to characterize the properties of the electrode to skin interface.


Recent research and experimental findings, as well as technological development and commercialization efforts, suggest that even a modest amount of data can deliver superior signal modeling and reconstruction performance if sparsity is present and accounted for. Early sparsity-aware signal processing techniques have mostly targeted stationary signal analysis using offline algorithms for signal and image reconstruction from Fourier samples. On the other hand, sparsity-aware time-frequency tools for nonstationary signal analysis have recently received growing attention. In this context, sparse regression has offered a new paradigm for instantaneous frequency estimation, over classical time-frequency representations. Standard techniques for estimating model parameters from time series yield erroneous fits when, e.g., abrupt changes or outliers cause model mismatches. Accordingly, the need arises for basic research in robust processing of nonstationary parametric models that leverage sparsity to accomplish tasks such as tracking of signal variations, outlier rejection, robust parameter estimation, and change detection. This article aims at delineating the analytical background of sparsity-aware time-series analysis and introducing sparsity-aware robust and nonstationary parametric models to the signal processing readership, through readily appreciated applications in frequency-hopping (FH) communications and speech compression. Preliminary results strongly support the vision of seeking the right form of sparsity for the right application to enable sparsity-cognizant estimation of robust parametric models for nonstationary signal analysis.


This study analyzes how juvenile courts utilize gender-responsive approaches by examining stakeholder narratives about girls in the juvenile justice system. The study uses a directed content analytic approach to examine the extent to which stakeholder narratives align with gender-responsive principles related to content- and context-related needs. Findings revealed that stakeholders most commonly refer to girls' family dysfunction, delinquency history, and the need for community-based services. Stakeholders were limited in their discussion of girls' health and provision of trauma-informed care. Learning from stakeholders provides a unique lens to consider ways to integrate gender-responsive practices within the juvenile justice system.


In poly-traumatic patients a blunt chest trauma is an important trigger of the posttraumatic systemic inflammatory response. There is clinical evidence that fracture healing is delayed in such patients, however, experimental data are lacking. Therefore, we investigated the influence of a thoracic trauma on fracture healing in a rat model. Male Wistar rats received either a blunt chest trauma combined with a femur osteotomy or an isolated osteotomy. A more rigid or a more flexible external fixator was used for fracture stabilization to analyze whether the thoracic trauma influences regular healing and mechanically induced delayed bone healing differently. The blunt chest trauma induced a significant increase of IL-6 serum levels after 6 and 24 h, suggesting the induction of a systemic inflammation, whereas the isolated fracture had no effect. Under a more rigid fixation the thoracic trauma considerably impaired fracture healing after 35 days, reflected by a significantly reduced flexural rigidity (three-point-bending test), as well as a significantly diminished callus volume, moment of inertia, and relative bone surface (!CT analysis). In confirming the clinical evidence, this study reports for the first time that a blunt chest trauma considerably impaired bone healing, possibly via the interaction of the induced systemic inflammation with local inflammatory processes.


In muscle cells, insulin elicits recruitment of the glucose transporter GLUT4 to the plasma membrane. This process engages sequential signaling from insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1 to phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase and the serine/threonine kinase Akt. GLUT4 translocation also requires an Akt-independent but PI 3-kinase–and Rac-dependent remodeling of filamentous actin. Although IRS-1 phosphorylation is often reduced in insulin-resistant states in vivo, several conditions eliciting insulin resistance in cell culture spare this early step. Here, we show that insulin-dependent Rac activation and its consequent actin remodeling were abolished upon exposure of L6 myotubes beginning at doses of C2-ceramide or oxidant-producing glucose oxidase as low as 12.5 μmol/l and 12.5 mU/ml, respectively. At 25 μmol/l and 25 mU/ml, glucose oxidase and C2-ceramide markedly reduced GLUT4 translocation and glucose uptake and lowered Akt phosphorylation on Ser473 and Thr308, yet they affected neither IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation nor its association with p85 and PI 3-kinase activity. Small interfering RNA–dependent Rac1 knockdown prevented actin remodeling and GLUT4 translocation but spared Akt phosphorylation, suggesting that Rac and actin remodeling do not contribute to overall Akt activation. We propose that ceramide and oxidative stress can each affect two independent arms of insulin signaling to GLUT4 at distinct steps, Rac–GTP loading and Akt phosphorylation.


A semi-detailed landscape-based vegetation map (scale: 1: 37,500) based on field data from 1999 has been available as an update of Stoffers' 1956 map of the Lesser Antillean island of St. Eustatius, Netherlands Caribbean, but up to now was never finalized or published. In this report we complete the documentation of that map to provide new insights into vegetation change over a period of more than 40 years, and a quantitative reference point for future studies on landscape-level vegetation development for the island.


This literature review summarizes the state of current information on the extraction, synthesis, properties, and potential uses of juglone, a natural product produced by the walnut tree (Juglandacea). Juglone (5-hydroxy-1,4-naphthoquinone) is known primarily for its allelopathic effect against certain plants and toxicity towards marine organisms. It has a wide variety of potential uses in medicine, and as a biocide for organic farming and pest control. This summary also provides historical uses of juglone and the walnut tree, a brief background on the biosynthesis and mode of toxicity of juglone. We further go on to recommend and outline the most common methodologies for extraction of the compound in the academic and small industrial setting.


The development objective of the Jakarta Urgent Flood Mitigation Project for Indonesia is to contribute to the improvement of the operation and maintenance of priority sections of Jakarta's flood management system. Some of the negative impacts and mitigation measures include: (1) to coordinate government appratuses in Gambir district and Petojo Utara sub district in carrying out the process of resettlement of the Krukut Lama dredging project affected people (PAP); (2) to help the regional secretary coordinate mayors in performing the resettlement process; (3) to implement assistance in the process of resettlement of PAPs, either through relocation to Rusunawa which have been provided as well as other compensation options; (4) to provide health, education, and transport services; (5) to provide business recovery assistance; and (6) to help PAPs make emptying, demolition of structures, and guard land that has been acquired.


Methods are needed to obtain in situ information on the transformation rates of trichloroethene (TCE), the most commonly detected organic groundwater contaminant. The objective of this research was to investigate the potential for determining TCE transformation rates in groundwater by measuring the transformation rate of its fluorinated surrogate, trichlorofluoroethene (TCFE). To explore this hypothesis, the in situ transport behavior, transformation pathway, and transformation rate of injected TCFE were determined in TCE-contaminated groundwater using single-well, push-pull tests. Although transport behavior varied between wells, TCFE, dichlorofluoroethene (DCFE), and TCE were transported similarly to each other. In the shallow water-bearing zone, TCFE was reductively dechlorinated to cis-DCFE, trans-DCFE, and (E)-1-chloro-2-fluoroethene (CFE), while co-injected TCE was concurrently transformed to cis-dichloroethene (DCE), trans-DCE, 1,1-DCE, and a trace amount of chloroethene (CE). With added formate and the injected TCFE concentration being a factor of 20 higher than that of TCE, the TCFE transformation rate ranged from 0.053 to 0.30 mumol/L-day, while that of TCE ranged from 0.009 to 0.012 mumol/L-day. Without added formate, the TCFE transformation rate decreased to 0.036 mumol/L-day. In the deeper water-bearing zone, TCFE transformation occurred only after a lag time of 55 days with added formate. No TCFE transformation occurred in groundwater that had not previously been exposed to TCE. The potential applicability for TCFE as an in situ transport and transformation surrogate for TCE was demonstrated.


The paper provides an extensive descriptive analysis and comparison of recent trends in union formation and fertility in Bulgaria and Russia. The analysis is based on data from the Generation and Gender Surveys (GGS) carried out in 2004. We generate a large number of single- and multi-decrement life tables describing various life course events: leaving home and separation from the parental family, entry into union, first and second childbirth, divorce. Life tables are constructed for real cohorts as well as for synthetic cohorts. We study four real cohorts, born in 1940-44, 1950-54, 1960-64 and 1970-74. Synthetic-cohort life tables are constructed for three periods of time, referring to the pre-transitional demographic situation (1985-1989), the beginning of the transition (1990-1994) and recent demographic developments (1999-2003). We study also Roma and Turkish ethnic groups in Bulgaria. The life tables deliver detailed information that is otherwise unavailable. Our tentative findings indicate that societal transformation had a stronger impact on family-related behavior in the Bulgarian population than in the population of Russia. There is evidence that in some aspects Bulgaria is lagging behind other former socialist and Western European countries where the second demographic transition is more advanced. Evidence also suggests that Russia is lagging behind Bulgaria. However, certain specific features distinctive to Russia, such as the low level of childlessness, a drastic drop in second and subsequent births, and very high divorce rates even compared to Western European countries (it is a long-standing, not just recent trend), lead us to think that Russia may have a model of change particular to the country.


In spite of increasing interest from the research community, person re-identification remains an unsolved problem. Correctly deciding on a true match by comparing images of a person, captured by several cameras, requires extraction of discriminative features to counter challenges such as changes in lighting, viewpoint and occlusion. Besides devising novel feature descriptors, the setup can be changed to capture persons from an overhead viewpoint rather than a horizontal. Furthermore, additional modalities can be considered that are not affected by similar environmental changes as RGB images. In this work, we present a Multimodal ATtention network (MAT) based on RGB and depth modalities. We combine a Convolution Neural Network with an attention module to extract local and discriminative features that are fused with globally extracted features. Attention is based on correlation between the two modalities and we finally also fuse RGB and depth features to generate a joint multilevel RGB-D feature. Experiments conducted on three datasets captured from an overhead view show the importance of attention, increasing accuracies by 3.43%, 2.01% and 2.13% on OPR, DPI-T and TVPR, respectively.


: Fibrocystic disease is the most common type of lesion in the female breast. It is a common dumping ground for a variety of distinct clinical and histologic entities which require different modalities of therapy and which have different malignant transformation potentials. In general, fibrocystic disease is managed medically unless a dominant lump or other adverse symptom develops, in which case a biopsy is performed. The exception to this rule is a cyst which can be safely aspirated under controlled conditions. If, on biopsy, one of the histologic types of fibrocystic disease called "precancerous mastopathy" is found, which has a high potential for malignant transformation, then serious consideration must be given to definitive surgical procedures, especially if the patient has other risk factors that would increase her risk of developing breast cancer even further.


The European Union's border control agency, Frontex, was established in 2004. Since its founding it has received ongoing critique from international human rights organizations stating that it prevents people from claiming their right to seek asylum. Therefore, the aim of this study is to understand how Frontex legitimizes its approach to the management of the union's external borders in relation to the right to seek asylum. The theoretical framework of the thesis consist of Michel Foucault's theories of power and knowledge structures in institutional discourse, which helps understand how the discourse is determined by power relations and consequently how Frontex legitimizes its work. A critical discourse analysis was conducted following Norman Fairclough's three-dimensional model. The model consist of a text analysis, an interpretation and a contextualization of the text. The material analyzed is a report produced by Frontex to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The results show that Frontex describes its relation to human rights with words that have a positive connotation such as 'protect' and 'respect', and at the same time aim to legitimize its work in technical terms of 'development' and 'effectiveness'. The results indicate that the knowledge produced in the report dehumanizes migrants and asylum seekers in order for Frontex to treat migration as a legal and technical issue. Furthermore, Frontex partially legitimizes its work by regularly referring to the UN and other NGO's while emphasizing their previous support of the institution's work. These power relations influence how Frontex chooses to discursively legitimize its work in respect to human rights. The results of this study only reflect Frontex's legitimization in the aforementioned report and cannot be generalized to the whole institution. However, it contributes to the knowledge which may improve the situation for those in need to exercise their right to seek asylum.


Wan Muhammad Saman Canal is a heritage that is very significant to the economic development of the State of Kedah. It is often the subject of conversation among the people because of the story of its development and contribution to the surrounding community. However, as time passes, the image and its history has been forgotten by the people. To ensure that the history of this canal is not forgotten, a study was conducted to determine the potential of the canal as a tourism product in Kedah and to update the information related to this canal. The methods of data collection are references from secondary sources, interviews with stakeholders, local people (head of villagers, imam) and Kedah Historical Society, and observation on site to determine the current situation of the canal. The results of this study are expected to contribute to the expansion of knowledge, harness the latest information related to the canal that was never known before, identifying potential historical relics along the canal as a tourism product and identifying the challenges faced in preserving this heritage.


Photomonth in Krakow – the eighth prestigious festival of Photography in Krakow, Poland. May 2010. This years theme being 'Great Expectations' Photography from Great Britain. Installation photographs as part of Newport group show. In the evening on May 8th the area around Plac Nowy turned into a huge open-air projection space. On the walls of the buildings and the local bars, simultaneous projections of photographs from Polish and British press agencies, Polish and British schools and photography magazines, and projects sent in to the ShowOFF section.