Type I interferon (IFN-I) plays a critical role in the antiviral innate immune responses that protect the host against virus infection. The negative regulators of IFN-I are important not only for fine-tuning the antiviral responses to pathogens but also for preventing excessive inflammation. Identification of negative regulators and study of their modulation in innate immune responses will lead to new strategies for the control of both viral and inflammatory diseases. Here, we report for the first time that the cell growth-regulating nucleolar protein LYAR behaves as a repressor of host innate immune responses. We demonstrate that LYAR negatively regulates IFN-β-mediated immune responses by inhibiting the DNA binding ability of IFN regulatory factor 3 (IRF3). Our study reveals a common mechanism of LYAR in promoting different virus replication events and improves our knowledge of host negative regulation of innate immune responses. ABSTRACT The innate immune response is vital for host defense and must be tightly controlled, but the mechanisms responsible for its negative regulation are not fully understood. The cell growth-regulating nucleolar protein LYAR was found to promote replication of multiple viruses in our previous study. Here, we report that LYAR acts as a negative regulator of innate immune responses. We found that LYAR expression is induced by beta interferon (IFN-β) during virus infection. Further studies showed that LYAR interacts with phosphorylated IFN regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) to impede the DNA binding capacity of IRF3, thereby suppressing the transcription of IFN-β and downstream IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). In addition, LYAR inhibits nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB)-mediated expression of proinflammatory cytokines. In summary, our study reveals the mechanism of LYAR in modulating IFN-β-mediated innate immune responses by targeting phosphorylated IRF3, which not only helps us to better understand the mechanisms of LYAR-regulated virus replication but also uncovers a novel role of LYAR in host innate immunity. IMPORTANCE Type I interferon (IFN-I) plays a critical role in the antiviral innate immune responses that protect the host against virus infection. The negative regulators of IFN-I are important not only for fine-tuning the antiviral responses to pathogens but also for preventing excessive inflammation. Identification of negative regulators and study of their modulation in innate immune responses will lead to new strategies for the control of both viral and inflammatory diseases. Here, we report for the first time that the cell growth-regulating nucleolar protein LYAR behaves as a repressor of host innate immune responses. We demonstrate that LYAR negatively regulates IFN-β-mediated immune responses by inhibiting the DNA binding ability of IFN regulatory factor 3 (IRF3). Our study reveals a common mechanism of LYAR in promoting different virus replication events and improves our knowledge of host negative regulation of innate immune responses.


During thermomechanical treatment of austenitic stainless steel a' martensite and e martensite form in the austenite matrix. The martensitic transformation and deforming existing together result a high elongation at the investigated steel belonging to the TRIP grades. The amount of a'and e martensite depends on the strain level as well as on the deforming temperature in this steel. In the course of thermomechanical treatments we measured the amount and texture of the existing phases at different temperature and strain. It has been stated that the martensites are dominant in low temperature range, they have a considerable amount, and the transformation from e martensite to a' martensite also takes place. The amount of a' martensite increases by increasing the strain while the amount of e martensite shows a maximum. By investigating the relationship between the quantity of existing phases and the effect of texture, it has been stated that the transformation takes place in certain given plates in the textured matrix.


This volume pulls together key documentsstatutes, court decisions, FEC advisory opinions, draft legislationand scholarly articles that are essential references for any informed discussion of campaign finance reform. Each chapter includes a set of reprinted materials preceded by an explanation of the relevant issues by the editors. Topics include the history of federal statutes on campaign finance; major Supreme Court decisions; the constitutional contours of the current debate; a roadmap to the present rules of the game; political action committees; national parties; hard and soft money; express and issue advocacy; enforcing campaign finance law; and recent innovations and proposals.The volume is designed to help reformers and interested citizens understand how current campaign finance practices have evolved from previous decisions made by legislative, judicial, and executive bodies and what might be entailed in moving the system in a desired direction.Each of the editors has extensive practical experience in the field of campaign finance."


Demonstration of Staphylococcal Thermonuclease (TNase) from Powder Milk. Some authors have reported that the number of Staphylococcus aureus needed to produce a food-poisoning is 10(6) CFU per gram of food, however, other authors have reported foods without microorganisms but these have produced food-poisoning. Because the methods for staphylococcal enterotoxins demonstration in foods are laborious and expensive procedures, in this paper we tried to demonstrate the thermonuclease (TNase) presence in foods directly, as a helper test for screening foods suspected to be contaminated with this microorganism. To 112 powder milk samples were determined TNase presence by Tatini's et al (1976) and Lachica's (1972) technics, 31 of this samples had S. aureus. Only with Lachica's technique it could be possible to demonstrate TNase in 17 of 112 analyzed samples, 14 of these had viable S. aureus.


The objective of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework for the development of a student recruitment agent management system for private universities and colleges in Malaysia. There is a need for such system especially in a maturing (competitive) international education market life cycle as competition intensifies. The availability of such system could provide private universities and colleges with the opportunity to develop competitive advantage through the control of the marketing channel of the international education market. This system is developed based on the balanced scorecard methodology proposed by Kaplan and Norton in the 1990s. The paper, first, analyses the nature of competition in the international education market, the role of the recruitment agents in the industry, the behaviour of the international students, and the behaviour of the recruitment agents. Next, it discusses the principal-agent theory and power theory to explain the behaviour of the agents. Apart from that, the management control theory will be used in conjunction with balanced scorecard to outline conceptual framework for the development of the student recruitment agent management system. It is hoped that this conceptual framework can be applied and tested empirically in future research.

Keywords: Student Recruitment Management System, Balanced Scorecard, Performance Management and International Education.


The sizing and siting of renewable resources-based distributed generation (DG) units has been a topic of growing interest, especially during the last decade due to the increasing interest in renewable energy systems and the possible impacts of their volatility on distribution system operation. This paper goes beyond the existing literature by presenting a comprehensive optimization model for the sizing and siting of different renewable resources-based DG units, electric vehicle charging stations, and energy storage systems within the distribution system. The proposed optimization model is formulated as a second order conic programming problem, considering also the time-varying nature of DG generation and load consumption, in contrast with the majority of the relevant studies that have been based on static values.


The L-band Microwave Imaging Radiometer with Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS), scheduled to be flown as single payload on board the European Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission, has a very wide field of view and synthesizes narrow beams by means of two-dimensional (2-D) interferometry, the same concept used in radio astronomy. Wide field of view is indeed a key feature of this radiometer, which leads naturally to the measurement of the full vector of brightness temperatures of the image. This paper analyzes the theory of polarimetry in the 2-D wide-field-of-view microwave interferometry and describes the way MIRAS will measure the polarimetric brightness temperatures.


Introduction: Neointima formation and vascular remodelling through vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) migration and proliferation can limit the long term success of coronary interventions, for example in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Gene therapy may provide a novel treatment strategy to improve long-term patency rates and reduce the need for repeat surgery. CABG surgery is potentially suitable for gene therapy as it allows ex vivo treatment of the vein before grafting. Therapeutic gene delivery to endothelial cells (ECs) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) using recombinant adenovirus (Ad) 5 can successfully reduce pathological remodelling in experimental animal models. However, the Ad5 receptor coxsackie adenovirus receptor (CAR) is only expressed at low levels on vascular cells. Additionally, the common prevalence of neutralising antibodies against Ad5 in humans may limit the efficacy of Ad5 based gene therapy, although this requires testing in the clinical setting. Thus, alternative Ad serotypes may provide more efficient vascular gene transfer with lower neutralising antibody titer, thereby improving the prospect of effective gene therapy. Here we investigate the potential of Ad49, a novel species D adenovirus, as a vector for vascular gene delivery.

Methods and Results: Transduction of primary human VSMCs and ECs with Ad49 was 4 fold higher than Ad5 (p<0.001) and 30 fold higher than Ad35 (p<0.0001) when infected with 1000 viral particles per cell. Ad49 could also transduce HVSMCs more efficiently than Ad5 following a short exposure time <60 minutes. Ex vivo incubation of whole mouse aorta with Ad49GFP resulted in transduction of endothelial cells seen by co-localisation of GFP and CD31 immunohistochemistry. Similarly, luminal infusion of Ad49GFP into intact human saphenous vein ex vivo also resulted in endothelial cell transduction. The Ad49 receptor is unidentified however, blocking CAR, CD46 and removal of sialic acid, classical candidate adenovirus receptors, did not alter Ad49 transduction. Importantly serum neutralisation studies in 103 patient serum samples from Glasgow cardiovascular clinics found Ad5 neutralisation rates were high (40/103) but no pre-existing immunity to Ad49 was observed.

In conclusion, we demonstrate that Ad49 efficiently transduces vascular cells in vitro and ex vivo in intact tissue and may provide a new vector for vascular gene therapy.


Nonlinear gyrokinetic codes allow for detailed understanding of tokamak core turbulent transport. However, their computational demand precludes their use for predictive profile modeling. An alternative approach is required to bridge the gap between theoretical understanding and prediction of experiments. A quasilinear gyrokinetic model, QuaLiKiz (Bourdelle et al 2007 Phys. Plasmas 14 112501), is demonstrated to be rapid enough to ease systematic interface with experiments. The derivation and approximation of this approach are reviewed. The quasilinear approximation is proven valid over a wide range of core plasma parameters. Examples of profile prediction using QuaLiKiz coupled to the CRONOS integrated modeling code (Artaud et al 2010 Nucl. Fusion 50 043001) are presented. QuaLiKiz is being coupled to other integrated modeling platforms such as ETS and JETTO. QuaLiKiz quasilinear gyrokinetic turbulent heat, particle and angular momentum fluxes are available to all users. It allows for extensive stand-alone interpretative analysis and for first principle based integrated predictive modeling.


This chapter discusses the main results of work carried out at the OECD to benchmark economic performance and policy in its member countries, in order to make policy recommendations that may improve economic performance. It examines differences in policy recommendations that have been made for countries at various levels of development, characterises the main challenges each group of countries faces, and considers the main distinctions between these countries and five emerging non-members. Product market competition and human capital reforms are found to be especially important priorities in lower-income countries, which face substantial gaps in productivity to the frontier countries.


Driven by visions of reduced greenhouse gas pollution, the automotive industry undergoes a transformation towards environmentally friendlier vehicles. Emobility (here defined as electric drivelines powered with batteries) is one alternative whereupon the technology now has spread
from passenger cars into the truck industry. Previous research in emobility lack insights in what impact electrification might have on incumbent truck manufacturers respectively if and how a commercialization is restricted by current arrangements. This thesis addresses that gap by
investigating what affect emobility might have on incumbent truck manufacturers' business model and the potential need of adaptation to enable customers' adoption of the technology.
Due to technological maturity, the scope is delimited to focus on the smallest types of trucks and the applications of refuse collection and city distribution.
Naturally, emobility bring changes to incumbent business models. However, this study conclude that these changes primarily takes place upwards the value chain where the size of business model impact depend on certain strategic decisions that truck manufacturers make.
Such strategic decisions e.g. include engagement in battery production or providing charging infrastructure. With new investments or acquisitions, truck manufacturers could start to develop and produce their own batteries, which would drastically affect their business model. However,
most truck manufacturers purchase their batteries from suppliers or partners, hence only creating a large exposure and dependency to new suppliers. Additionally, insights from
interviews indicate that incumbent truck manufacturers rely on external actors or partners to build, install and maintain a fast charging infrastructure, which create more dependency for these companies. Simultaneously, interviews with refuse truck operators indicate that they prefer greater range and night charging, hence making this initial niche market independent from a fast charging network the strategic decision of providing charging infrastructure of less relevance.
Downwards the value chain and towards customers, changes are found to be only minor.
Instead, new internal competence regarding electric engines and batteries will be needed as today's core competences, especially regarding combustion powertrains, become obsolete and truck manufacturers transcend to electric powertrains. A growing importance from digital services is expected, which could work as an antidote to lost aftermarket revenue since the electric powertrain create a reduced need of service and maintenance. After analyzing the empirical findings, this study concludes that the existing business model is sufficient for commercializing electric refuse trucks, however with some dependency from political incentives and with truck manufacturers focusing on the total cost of ownership for their customers.


In this contribution, the multiconfigurational second-order perturbation theory method based on a complete active space reference wave function (CASSCF/CASPT2) is applied to study all possible single and double proton/hydrogen transfers between the nucleobases in the adenine-thymine (AT) base pair, analyzing the role of excited states with different nature [localized (LE) and charge transfer (CT)], and considering concerted as well as step-wise mechanisms. According to the findings, once the lowest excited states, localized in adenine, are populated during UV irradiation of the Watson-Crick base pair, the proton transfer in the N-O bridge does not require high energy in order to populate a CT state. The latter state will immediately relax toward a crossing with the ground state, which will funnel the system to either the canonical structure or the imino-enol tautomer. The base pair is also capable of repairing itself easily since the imino-enol species is unstable to thermal conversion.


On television, Justices Thomas and Scalia have proclaimed ALL their colleagues to be, "very good people … honest [and] fair … try[ing] to get it right," and make the Supreme Court "work." Justice Kagan was called a "delight." Ginsburg, although having, "some very bad ideas," was singled out as "very good" and, indeed, "fabulous; one who makes all of us better judges." This frequent off-the-cuff "lavish" public praise is unwarranted on the merits, grossly misleading the public regarding what justices actually have done and how that should be evaluated. Above all, the oral praise by Thomas and Scalia is refuted by their own considered written words in Court opinions. Repeatedly, they have questioned the integrity of their colleagues; and accused them of arrogance, lawlessness, license, illegitimate abuse of power, basing decisions on no more than their own personal values, contempt for the Constitution, sowing confusion rather than providing clarity, hypocritically pretending to defend the weak against the powerful, while actually favoring the powerful at the expense of the weak, protecting "inconsequential" expression while disdaining the "heart" of the First Amendment (the right to criticize officeholders), poisonous and pernicious racism and sexism, belief in black inferiority, jeopardizing the lives of good innocent people in order to save the lives of the most vicious and depraved, placing the welfare of terrorists above the lives of soldiers combating them, mandating "infanticide" (the barbaric killing of "human children"), and numerous other sins. These are very strange criteria for, "good … honest … fabulous," justices. If it is unrealistic to expect Thomas and Scalia to criticize sharply in public those with whom they must work, surely cordial interpersonal working relationships do not require going to the opposite extreme. Even if it would be inappropriate to be publicly negative about other justices, there is certainly no reason to give lay people the impression that rabid leftist judicial ideologues are fantastic rather than destructive. This can only lend legitimacy to and respect for the judicial arrogance, dishonesty, and abuse of power against which Scalia and Thomas repeatedly have protested in writing. In turn, this is a grave disservice to the cause of constitutional government to which they have been so otherwise tirelessly dedicated.


Three modern speleothems were sampled at high resolution for radiocarbon analysis to identify their bomb-pulse signatures and to construct chronologies. Each speleothem exhibited a different 14C response, presumed to be related to site characteristics such as vegetation, temperature, rainfall, depth below the surface, and water pathway through the aquifer. Peak 14C activity for WM4 is 134.1 pMC, the highest cited thus far in the literature and suggestive of a lower inertia at this site. Dead carbon fractions for each stalagmite were calculated and found to be relatively similar for the 3 speleothems and lower than those derived from Northern Hemisphere speleothems. An inverse modeling technique based on the work of Genty and Massault (1999) was used to estimate soil carbon residence times. For each speleothem, mean soil 14C reservoir ages differed greatly between the 3 sites, ranging from 2–6.5 to 32–46 yr.


CONTEXT
Abdominal obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes. Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the lumbar spine provides an index of abdominal fat.

OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to examine the hypothesis that DXA-derived abdominal fat measurement in women undergoing osteoporosis investigation predicts risk for subsequent diagnosis of diabetes.

DESIGN
This historical cohort study was derived from the Manitoba Bone Density Program Database for the Province of Manitoba, Canada.

SETTING AND PATIENTS
30,252 nondiabetic women aged 40 yr and older were referred for baseline osteoporosis assessment with DXA between January 1990 and March 2007.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Each woman's longitudinal provincial health service record was assessed for the presence of diabetes diagnosis codes after DXA testing.

RESULTS
During 5.2 + or - 2.6 yr of observation, 1252 (4.1%) women met the case definition for diabetes. A greater proportion of abdominal fat from spine DXA was strongly related to subsequent diabetes diagnosis in models adjusted for age, body mass index, and other comorbidities. Those in the highest quintile had 3.56 (95% confidence interval = 2.67-4.75) times the risk for subsequent diabetes diagnosis compared with those in the lowest (reference) quintile. Fat from hip DXA was not predictive of subsequent diabetes after adjustment for the same variables (1.00, 95% confidence interval = 0.79-1.26).

CONCLUSIONS
Predictive information about diabetes risk can be obtained from spine DXA scans performed for osteoporosis risk assessment. This is consistent with evidence linking abdominal fat with insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome.


The standard approach for computing the trace of the inverse of a very large, sparse matrix $A$ is to view the trace as the mean value of matrix quadratures, and use the Monte Carlo algorithm to estimate it. This approach is heavily used in our motivating application of Lattice QCD. Often, the elements of $A^{-1}$ display certain decay properties away from the non zero structure of $A$, but random vectors cannot exploit this induced structure of $A^{-1}$. Probing is a technique that, given a sparsity pattern of $A$, discovers elements of $A$ through matrix-vector multiplications with specially designed vectors. In the case of $A^{-1}$, the pattern is obtained by distance-$k$ coloring of the graph of $A$. For sufficiently large $k$, the method produces accurate trace estimates but the cost of producing the colorings becomes prohibitively expensive. More importantly, it is difficult to search for an optimal $k$ value, since none of the work for prior choices of $k$ can be reused.


treatment for bronchial asthma on the usual lines. Tropical eosinophilia has of late created much interest.' 2 Young adults are most commonly affected, though children and the old are not immune. Often it is difficult to differentiate from bronchial asthma. One can however come to a diagnosis by total and differential white-cell count and filarial complement-fixation test (F.C.F.T.). Diethylcarbamazine is specific in these cases. One can expect freedom from symptoms after a course of two to three weeks. Unfortunately there is still some confusion about the borderline cases. In our opinion eosinophilia does not exceed 2,000 per c.mm. and F.C.F.T. is never positive in cases of bronchial asthma. Aspergillosis is now recognized in the U.K. as an important clinical entity. Undoubtedly some cases of " bronchial asthma" are in fact bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Correct diagnosis can be arrived at in these cases by repeated and painstaking examination of sputum.3 Antispasmodics have no place in the treatment of this condition. Chlorpromazine has been mentioned in your article for the treatment of status asthmaticus only. Our experience with this drug has been very encouraging in all the grades of bronchial asthma. When the usual measures described in your article have failed, the following combination almost invariably has given satisfactory results in our hands: Chlorpromazine 12.5-25 mg. Phenobarbitone 20-30 mg. Aminophylline 120-180 mg. This is given as powder; one powder is given at a time three times a day. Dosage is gradually reduced with the control of symptoms and the one at bedtime is continued for about five to six months. In some cases of status asthmaticus, when adrenaline with or without aminophylline had failed, a combination of chlorpromazine 20-50 mg. intramuscularly eight hourly with aminophylline 0.25 g. intravenously eight hourly proved extremely satisfactory. No proprietary preparation is yet available with this combination. The psychic element in bronchial asthma is no doubt important.-I am, etc., N. ISLAM.


Many machine learning applications require the ability to learn from and reason about noisy multi-relational data. To address this, several effective representations have been developed that provide both a language for expressing the structural regularities of a domain, and principled support for probabilistic inference. In addition to these two aspects, however, many applications also involve a third aspect-the need to reason about similarities-which has not been directly supported in existing frameworks. This paper introduces probabilistic similarity logic (PSL), a general-purpose framework for joint reasoning about similarity in relational domains that incorporates probabilistic reasoning about similarities and relational structure in a principled way. PSL can integrate any existing domain-specific similarity measures and also supports reasoning about similarities between sets of entities. We provide efficient inference and learning techniques for PSL and demonstrate its effectiveness both in common relational tasks and in settings that require reasoning about similarity.


should be directed at identifying those who are at risk and assessing their innate immunity in different clinical situations. If antiendotoxin is then given early, rather than after sepsis is established, the results are likely to be superior to those obtained in the trials published so far. Comparisons can be made with the published trials of steroids in sepsis. For them to be beneficial it was thought necessary to administer steroids in the very early stages. They were deemed ineffective, though confirmatory studies were not performed. Although these two drugs are not comparable, by performing similar studies with antiendotoxins without fully understanding the events leading up to sepsis we run the risk of condemning this potentially useful treatment for the wrong reasons, spending millions in the process.


: For patients with Peyronie's disease requiring surgery, the authors' treatment is to excise the plaque and replace the diseased area of the tunica with a dermal graft. The goal of the surgery is to create a functional penis without prosthesis. For the first few months, sexual therapy and counseling are very important to help the patient and partner work together toward rehabilitation.


This is the second chapter of two on military human enhancement. In the first chapter, the authors outlined past and present efforts aimed at enhancing the minds and bodies of our warfighters with the broader goal of creating the "super soldiers" of tomorrow, all before exploring a number of distinctions—natural vs. artificial, external vs. internal, enhancement vs. therapy, enhancement vs. disenhancement, and enhancement vs. engineering—that are critical to the definition of military human enhancement and understanding the problems it poses. The chapter then advanced a working definition of enhancement as efforts that aim to "improve performance, appearance, or capability besides what is necessary to achieve, sustain, or restore health." It then discussed a number of variables that must be taken into consideration when applying this definition in a military context. In this second chapter, drawing on that definition and some of the controversies already mentioned, the authors set out the relevant ethical, legal, and operational challenges posed by military enhancement. They begin by considering some of the implications for international humanitarian law and then shift to US domestic law. Following that, the authors examine military human enhancement from a virtue ethics approach, and finally outline some potential consequences for military operations more generally. Patrick Lin California Polytechnic State University, USA Max Mehlman Case Western Reserve University, USA Keith Abney California Polytechnic State University, USA Shannon French Case Western Reserve University, USA Shannon Vallor Santa Clara University, USA Jai Galliott Macquarie University, Australia Michael Burnam-Fink Arizona State University, USA Alexander R. LaCroix Arizona State University, USA Seth Schuknecht Arizona State University, USA


In this paper, a state estimation based method is proposed to determine harmonic current contributions of plants supplied from a Point of Common Coupling (PCC). By using Weighted Least Squares (WLS) state estimation, it is aimed to improve harmonic voltage measurements acquired from conventional voltage transformers, which are employed commonly in the power systems. Using measured harmonic currents and estimated harmonic voltages, harmonic contributions of all plants have been determined by employing the Norton equivalent circuits of the plants and the superposition theorem. Absence of reliable harmonic voltage measurements necessitates employing harmonic filter current measured from at least one of the plants. Using the new measurement set built after the estimation process, a model to determine the harmonic current contribution of plants supplied from a PCC has been developed.


This article provides an extensive review of dual-band bandpass filter designs and discusses the pros and cons of these design methods. The behavior of an SLSIR proposed by the authors shows that two passbands can be generated without using external dual-band impedance transformers. Furthermore, by using the design curves shown in this article, the k and the Qe, which are used for the synthesis of a dual-band bandpass filter, can be accurately calculated. Two examples of dual-band bandpass filters operated at 1.9/5.7 and 2.45/5.7 GHz with different bandwidths was presented to show details of the design technique. The simulation and measurement results shown are in good agreement. The resulting SLSIR dual-band filters using this technique not only provide controllable responses but also have high frequency selectivity and good impedance matching with considerable size reduction. Finally, a performance comparison comparing the technique in this article with previous design methods is listed in Table 3. The design methodology should be useful in dual-band RF transceiver design.


ABSTRACT We have identified and characterized a secreted protein, designated Pic, which is encoded on the chromosomes of enteroaggregativeEscherichia coli (EAEC) 042 and Shigella flexneri 2457T. The product of the pic gene is synthesized as a 146.5-kDa precursor molecule which is processed at the N and C termini during secretion, allowing the release of a mature protein (109.8 kDa) into the culture supernatant. The deduced amino acid sequence of Pic shows high homology to autotransporter proteins, particularly a subgroup termed the SPATEs (serine protease autotransporters of the Enterobacteriaceae). Present in all members of this subgroup is a motif similar to the active sites of certain serine proteases. Pic catalyzes gelatin degradation, which can be abolished by disruption of the predicted proteolytic active site. Functional analysis of the Pic protein implicates this factor in mucinase activity, serum resistance, and hemagglutination. Our data suggest that Pic may be a multifunctional protein involved in enteric pathogenesis.


Women outperform men in face recognition and are especially good at recognizing other females' faces. This may be caused by a larger female interest in faces. The aims of this study were to investigate if women were more interested in female faces and if depth of friendship was related to face recognition. Forty-one women and 16 men completed two face recognition tasks: one in which the faces shown earlier had been presented one at a time, and one where they had been shown two and two. The Network of Relationships Inventory was used to assess depth of friendships. As hypothesized, but not statistically significant, women tended to recognize more female faces when faces were presented two and two. No relationships were found between depth of friendships and face recognition. The results gave some support for the previously untested hypothesis that interest has importance in women's recognition of female faces.


Abstract Bats rely heavily on acoustic signals in order to communicate with each other in a variety of social contexts. Among those, agonistic interactions and accompanying vocalizations have received comparatively little study. Here, we studied the communicational behaviour between male greater mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis) during agonistic encounters. Two randomly paired adult males were placed in a box that allowed us to record video and sound synchronously. We describe their vocal repertoire and compare the acoustic structure of vocalizations between two aggression levels, which we quantified via the bats' behaviour. By inspecting thirty, one-minute long encounters, we identified a rich variety of social calls that can be described as two basic call types: echolocation-like, low-frequency sweeps and long, broadband squawks. Squawks, the most common vocalization, were often noisy, i.e. exhibited a chaotic spectral structure. We further provide evidence for individual signatures and the presence of nonlinear phenomena in this species' vocal repertoire. As the usage and acoustic structure of vocalizations is known to encode the internal state of the caller, we had predicted that the spectral structure of squawks would be affected by the caller's aggression level. Confirming our hypothesis, we found that increased aggression positively correlated with an increase in call frequency and tonality. We hypothesize that the extreme spectral variability between and within squawks can be explained by small fluctuations in vocal control parameters (e.g. subglottal pressure) that are caused by the elevated arousal, which is in turn influenced by the aggression level.


In this paper, we shall consider best- and worst-case fading correlation scenarios, i.e., uncorrelated and fully correlated fading channels and will study the performance of a single-input-multiple-output (SIMO) link that uses a practical imperfect online training-based minimum mean square error (MMSE) channel estimator and a zero-forcing (ZF) receiver under these two conditions. Considering the extremes of correlation and focusing on frequency-nonselective Rayleigh block fading, we will find the probability distribution function (pdf) of the postprocessing signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in each case and shall provide closed-form expressions for the symbol error probability (SEP) of these systems when using M-ary pulse amplitude modulation (M-ary PAM). Moreover, a lower bound will be provided for the information capacity of fully correlated SIMO links with training-based MMSE channel estimation, which will further be optimized to yield its maximum under different conditions. Monte Carlo simulations perfectly verify the analysis.


In the developed world, the principal sources of morbidity and mortality are diseases of lifestyle, and one of the central goals of health promotion is the encouragement of riskreducing behaviour. In a series of 3 studies, the present program of research examined the effect of self-affirmation and manipulated perceived efficacy on perceptions of efficacy, risk perception, and risk-reducing behavioural intentions. Participants were undergraduate students who were randomly assigned to a self-affirmation manipulation (self-affirmation versus no self-affirmation) and a perceived efficacy manipulation (high versus low versus baseline), followed by exposure to negative health risk information (risk of a heart attack or colorectal cancer). Across the 3 studies, factor analyses indicated 3 distinct categories of risk-reducing intentions: intentions associated with maintaining an active lifestyle, seeking medical advice and assessment, and maintaining a healthy diet. There was little evidence that self-affirmation affected efficacy, risk, or intentions. Structural equation modeling and meta-analytic analyses suggested the presence of a suppression effect for risk perception: a manipulation designed to increase perceived efficacy had direct positive effects on risk, but also had indirect negative effects on risk, with measured efficacy acting as a mediator. These analyses also showed that the 3 categories of behavioural intentions had distinct (and often different) antecedents. These results highlight the complexity of variables in health risk behaviour. Implications and future directions are discussed. Risk, Efficacy, and Intention ii


High-rise glazing systems are among the most important components affecting energy efficiency. Through the lens of Life Cycle Assessment, glass has always been an unlikely material for large buildings due to its considerable energy consumption throughout the pre-use and post-use phases. Moreover, the use of high-tech materials has a negative impact on the environment. Therefore, the present study aims to assess a comparative life cycle of four different glazing system technologies (BIPV, smart glass, low-E, and double glazing) representing the most used commercial high potential glazing systems. The next step has been optimized for the Leadenhall iconic tower as the case study. In this analysis, energy simulation is combined with life cycle assessment to investigate the environmental impacts. ZEB-COM tool, Rhino®, and Grasshopper® have been used to calculate emissions, 3D modeling, and energy modeling, respectively. The results reveal that BIPV achieved 37% of total energy-saving and stood first. A hybrid solution (two glazing systems) has been proposed to eliminate negative aspects and increase livability. Although it can generate almost 30% less energy than the complete BIPV installation, with a specific design by the authors, it can cover aesthetic concerns in this system and compensates for 27% of the total energy demand of the Leadenhall project.


Maintaining competitiveness in future business environments requires agile organizations to implement systematic changes such as adapting existing goal-setting practices. Such changes can only be accomplished by taking a holistic view of the development organization. In large-scale agile development, the whole development organization is considered, and some scaling agile frameworks support practitioners to establish goals by providing recommendations for goal-setting practices. However, so far, only a limited amount of research investigating the establishment of goals in scaling agile environments exists. Against this backdrop, we present a case study to explore how goals are set and documented within eight programs at a large German automobile manufacturer. Moreover, we identify and categorize goals, present goal-setting challenges encountered by the case organization, and formulate seven mitigation propositions to address these challenges. Finally, we evaluate these mitigation propositions and discuss the evaluation results by incorporating the qualitative feedback provided by the interviewees.


Zirconia is a bioceramic material widely used for dental implants. In this work, the sinterability of nano-crystalline powders has been investigated by dilatometry in the temperature range of 1250 to 1400 0C with isothermal holding times of up to 8h. A slight increase in grain growth and an increasing linear shrinkage have been observed with increasing sintering temperatures. The sintered samples were submitted to Vickers' hardness and KIC tests and the results compared regarding the sintering conditions. It has been verified that satisfactory hardness and fractures toughness have been achieved after sintering above 1300 0C during 8h.


Background & Objective The CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) treatment is considered a standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. However, surgical treatment is more popular than CPAP in Korea. We conducted a questionnaire survey of the OSA patients to find out what the sleep disordered-breathing patient think about CPAP treatment. Method We included 149 patients who performed split night polysomnography for sleep apnea and Snoring. All patient experienced CPAP in the latter part of the sleep study, and answered questionnaire after the sleep study. Result 120(80.5%) patients were male. Average age was 48.6±12.25. 19 patients were upper airway resistant syndrome, 69 patients were mild to moderate OSA, and other 61 patients were severe OSA. Mean AHI was 35.3±28.35. Among 149 patients, only 44 patients (29.5%) have been told about CPAP therapy. 50 patients wanted CPAP therapy as their first treatment, and the other 99 patients wanted surgeries first. Most surgery-first patients said they chose surgery because they wanted to eliminate snoring with just one surgical operation (70.6%). Severe OSA patients chose CPAP more than mild to moderate OSA patients (42.1% vs. 28.1%). The patients felt discomfort with air pressure (58%), and position limitation (22%). Only 20 patients are using CPAP therapy continuously after sleep study. Patients gave up CPAP due to discomfort and high expenses. Conclusion CPAP treatment had less popularity than surgery, and most OSA patients usually thought CPAP therapy was uncomfortable and expensive. And our results also show that physicians need to concentrate giving the patients more information about OSA treatment including CPAP therapy.


In the above-mentioned article,1 the electronic version differs from the print version due to minor grammatical errors in the abstract. The electronic version on the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine website has been corrected. We apologize for the error, and we regret any confusion or inconvenience it may have caused.


In this study, some quality characteristics and hatchability characteristics of 1 to 2, 3 to 4, 5 to 6, 7 to 8, 9 to 10, 11 to 12, and 13 to 14 d stored pheasant eggs were investigated. Although it was determined that the effect of storage time on egg weight, shape index, and albumen weight was not significant, the effect of storage time on eggshell weight, shell thickness, yolk weight, albumen index, yolk index, Haugh unit, shell percentage, albumen percentage, and yolk percentage was significant ( P < 0.05). It was determined that prolonged storage time caused a decrease in the albumen index and Haugh unit value but an increase in the yolk index of pheasant eggs. There was no positive or negative effect of storage time on the fertility rates and hatchability of fertile eggs, but there was a negative effect of storage time on hatchability on d 8 ( P < 0.05). Pheasant eggs should not be stored more than 8 d.


Recent progress in numerical modeling of H(-) ion sources has been reviewed. The following two topics are mainly the focus: (1) the origin of the nonuniformity of H(-) production and H(-) beam in large H(-) sources and (2) extraction physics, especially the role of the "weak" transverse magnetic field on H(-) extraction. The present understanding of the origin of H(-) beam nonuniformity is reviewed and discussed with the results by a series of Monte Carlo transport modeling of electrons, neutrals, and H(-) ions. Also, the physical mechanism of the large enhancement of H(-) extraction due to the weak transverse magnetic field is discussed with the particle in cell modeling. In addition, some new results on the effect of surface H(-) production on the electric potential structure near the extraction aperture are presented and discussed.


The myth that family firms can not survive through three generations, is supported by many facts in different parts of the world, that the number of companies that can last up to three generations is small. From the data also mentions that family companies contribute greatly to the Gross Domestic Product of a country. So very unfortunate if this family business can not last long. The purpose of this study is to explain the family business in terms of business complexity, family complexity and how to manage it in companies that are still held directly by the founder / first generation. Family business has its own uniqueness because it combines business, family and ownership, resulting in various roles of the people involved such as only family members or family members who act as employees and family members who are also as shareholders. The different roles will result in family complexity and business complexity. When it reaches third generation family complexity occurs more complicated than if it occurs in the first generation, because in the third generation then involved in the business has been involved in the relationship cousins while in the first generation involved only founder. Likewise the three companies become larger then it will have a heavier complexity than at the beginning of the stand. For that family company can still survive and sustainable it needs a good way of managing, and for each character of the company as in the newly established business is certainly different ways to manage it with a long-standing company, but also companies that are still held directly by Founder will be different way of managing it compared to companies that have reached third generation. In the first generation of companies need to pay attention to managing business by way of professional operation, pay attention to succession and managed family complexity.


A research guide to finding books, articles, and other resources in Communication Significant Reference books (on the first floor of Simpson Library)


This brief monograph was written in an attempt to discover the general situation of Disability Studies, given that this appears to have become a growth area in academia with various typically illiberal aspects. The findings bear out the initial impression. There is a style of argument, even propaganda (for there is usually little genuine engagement with opposing liberal views), that can be seen in many other areas of academia. It amounts to a relatively new 'progressive' industry with various fashionable keywords, phrases and ideologies — often not obviously related to disabilities in any serious way — indicating the nature of the beast: 'progressive', 'radical', 'oppression', 'bourgeois', 'empowerment', 'rights', 'equal opportunities', 'discrimination', 'prejudice', 'citizenship', 'social justice', 'socially constructed', 'Marxism', 'Post Modernism' and 'Feminism'. The overall picture is that disability has become increasingly politicised along politically correct lines to the detriment of society as a whole and, eventually, even to the disabled themselves. This is largely caused by the endemic trahison des clercs in our tax-consuming and coercively monopolised university system.


The number and size of hydroelectric dams have increased greatly across the Canadian landscape since 1910. The concrete gravity dams should perform satisfactorily during a seismic event as in case of failure, the release of impounded reservoir water can cause catastrophic damage in the downstream communities. Traditionally the foundation in a dam is modeled by a sub-structuring approach for the purpose of seismic performance analysis. The main disadvantage of sub-structuring approach is that it cannot be used for solving nonlinear dynamic problems. Therefore, in that case seismic response analysis must be carried out in time domain as it allows inclusion of nonlinear behavior in a system. In this study, different earthquake input mechanisms has been studied considering the following models A) massless foundation , B) free-field earthquake input at dam foundation interface and C) deconvolved earthquake input model. Deconvolution is a mathematical process which allows the adjustment of the amplitude and frequency contents of an earthquake ground motion applied at the base of the foundation to achieve the desired output at the dam-foundation interface. It has been observed that the existing procedures of deconvolution are inadequate for the high frequency earthquake records. A Modified deconvolution procedure has been proposed here for efficient deconvolution of high frequency earthquake records.The above discussed input mechanisms are studied in more detail with two different geometrical models. It has been found that model C is the most rational and accurate one compared to the other models.

In the second part of this study elastic and inelastic analysis of dams with different geometries has been performed to study the existing guidelines for the seismic assessment of dams. The performance of the dam models has been assessed using both the high frequency and low frequency earthquake records scaled at 0.35g. Based on the study it can be concluded that the different numerical models induce slight differences in the results relating to the tensile damage in dam foundation system. However, the results are consistent with each other. Also, the results from the linear elastic analysis provided valuable insight about seismic performance of concrete gravity dams but they fail to account for the existing deterioration in the dam.


Despite the theory for both Rayleigh and Love waves being well accepted and the theoretical predictions accurately matching observations, the direct observation of their quantifiable decay with depth has never been measured in the Earth's crust. In this work, we present observations of the quantifiable decay with depth of surface‐wave eigenfunctions. This is done by making direct observations of both Rayleigh‐wave and Love‐wave eigenfunction amplitudes over a range of depths using data collected at the 3D Homestake array for a suite of nearby mine blasts. Observations of amplitudes over a range of frequencies from 0.4 to 1.2 Hz are consistent with theoretical eigenfunction predictions. They show a clear exponential decay of amplitudes with increasing depth and a reversal in sign of the radial‐component Rayleigh‐wave eigenfunction at large depths, as predicted for fundamental‐mode Rayleigh waves. Minor discrepancies between the observed eigenfunctions and those predicted using estimates of the local velocity structure suggest that the observed eigenfunctions could be used to improve the velocity model. Our results confirm that both Rayleigh and Love waves have the depth dependence that they have long been assumed to have. This is an important direct validation of a classic theoretical result in geophysics and provides new observational evidence that classical seismological surface‐wave theory can be used to accurately infer properties of Earth structure and earthquake sources.


Evidence for the effectiveness of acute and chronic stretching for improving range of motion is extensive. Improved flexibility can positively impact performances in activities of daily living and both physical and mental health. However, less is known about the effects of stretching on other aspects of health such as injury incidence and balance. The objective of this review is to examine the existing literature in these areas. The review highlights that both pre-exercise and chronic stretching can reduce musculotendinous injury incidence, particularly in running-based sports, which may be related to the increased force available at longer muscle lengths (altered force-length relationship) or reduced active musculotendinous stiffness, among other factors. Evidence regarding the acute effects of stretching on balance is equivocal. Longer-term stretch training can improve balance, which may contribute to a decreased incidence of falls and associated injuries and may thus be recommended as an important exercise modality in those with balance deficits. Hence, both acute and chronic stretching seem to have positive effects on injury incidence and balance, but optimum training plans are yet to be defined.


This paper discusses photogrammetric measurements of a 5m-diameter inflatable space antenna using four Kodak DC290 (2.1 megapixel) digital cameras. The study had two objectives: 1) Determine the photogrammetric measurement precision obtained using multiple consumergrade digital cameras and 2) Gain experience with new commercial photogrammetry software packages, specifically PhotoModeler Pro from Eos Systems, Inc. The paper covers the eight steps required using this hardware/software combination. The baseline data set contained four images of the structure taken from various viewing directions. Each image came from a separate camera. This approach simulated the situation of using multiple time-synchronized cameras, which will be required in futuxe tests of vibrating or deploying ultralightweight space structures. With four images, the average measurement precision for more than 500 points on the antenna surface was less than 0.020 inches in-plane and approximately 0.050 inches out-of-plane.


Agent technology can provide a systematic way to design and implement efficiently distributed intelligent manufacturing systems. Multi-agent system has been recognized as a promising paradigm to integrate a number of agents with different functions. In micro machining field many researchers have been studied the machining characteristics since the influence of underlying mechanisms are fundamentally different from macro-scale machining. This paper presents an agent-based micro machining system. To cover the process planning step for micro machining, basic agents such as cutting tool selection, tool-path generation, and machining cost estimation were implemented. To build and integrate these distributed agents, Java Agent Development Framework (JADE) was used. Throughout this system the selection of optimal roughing tool for semi-finishing stage was implemented by providing automated process planner for micro machining to the engineers. Machining data bases were constructed to store the information of materials, tools, and capability of available machine tools. A designed part can be uploaded to the Micro Machining (MM) agent as a Stereo Lithography (STL) format. MM agent can provide process parameters for 3-axis micro milling and tool sequence for cost-optimal machining automatically. Machining Cost Estimation agent can calculate micro machining cost for the designed part. To test the multi-agent system, a surface of micro-surface feature was fabricated with micro end-mills.Copyright © 2009 by ASME


Aim: The goal of this study was to evaluate the incidence of myocardial infarction, cancer and death in relation to use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Methods : Nine years' follow up of an urban cohort of peri-/postmenopausal women was undertaken. Local and national registers were used for retrieval of events. Results: The incidence of myocardial infarction per 1,000 person-years in users and non-users was 0.61 (5/962) and 2.20 (92/4759) respectively, adjusted relative risk (RR) 0.37; 95% confi dence interval 0.15-0.90. Rates of mortality from cardiovascular disease and cancer were 0.36 and 1.10, p= 0.058, and 2.60 and 2.09, p=0.360, respectively. In terms of all-cause mortality the adjusted RR was 1.02; 0.69- 1.52, incidence of cancer 1.28; 1.01-1.64, breast cancer 1.52; 1.01-2.28 and endometrial cancer 3.61; 1.54-8.46 . Conclusions: Women affirming use of HRT had a lower incidence of myocardial infarction. Further studies are needed to assess whether the absence of effect on total mortality may be accounted for by an increased cancer risk.


Abstract Thromboxane A2 (TxA2), an arachidonic acid metabolite causing vasoconstriction and platelet aggregation, is a putative mediator of coronary-artery vasospasm. To determine whether platelet-released TxA2 causes coronary arterial vasospasm, we measured plasma thromboxane B2 (TxB2, the inactive hydration product of TxA2) in the radial-artery and coronary-sinus blood of seven patients and performed therapeutic trials of antiplatelet agents in nine. Although coronary-sinus TxB2 levels rose from the base line approximately fivefold with spontaneous ischemia, samples drawn early in ischemia showed no rise over base-line values. Although a 150-mg dose of aspirin reduced urinary dinor-TxB2 levels by over 75 per cent, it had no effect on the course of the chronic recurrent form of angina pectoris due to vasospasm ("vasotonic angina"). Similarly, indomethacin had no effect on the frequency or duration of ischemia. TxA2 is unlikely to cause vasotonic angina, but it may be released during coronary vasospasm. (...


The present study has the purpose to identify and analyze the meaning of school failure to social actors that use or work in the Program of School Health Primary Care--PROASE (family members, health and education professionals) and to articulate their discourse with the official discourse in order to establish the program's future actions. Our study has a qualitative theoretical framework based in Minayo (1992). One area where PROASE develops its activities was chosen and by semistructured interviews and documentation analysis it was possible to know how the three segments that compose the sample understand the meaning of school failure.


Location-Based Services (LBS) are a new industry at the core of which are GIS and spatial databases. With increasing mobility of individuals, the anticipated availability of broadband communications for mobile devices and growing volumes of location specific information available in databases there will inevitably be an increase in demand for services providing location related information to people on the move. New Information and Communication Technologies (NICTs) are providing enhanced possibilities for navigating " smart cities ". Urban environments, meanwhile, have increasing spatial complexity. Navigating urban environments is becoming an important issue. The time is ripe for a re-appraisal of urban wayfinding. This paper critically reviews the current LBS applications and raises a series of questions with regard to LBS for urban wayfinding. Research is being carried out to measure individuals' spatial ability/awareness and their degree of preference for using LBS in wayfinding. The methodology includes both the use of questionnaires and a virtual reality CAVE. Presented here are the results of the questionnaire survey which indicate the relationships between individuals' spatial ability, use of NICTs and mode preference for receiving wayfinding cues. Also discussed are our future research directions on LBS, particular on issues of urban wayfinding using NICTs.


Although clinical photography is not new, the incorporation of digital wound images into computerized patient records is an innovation recently developed in nursing practice. At the Washington, DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Washington DC VAMC), a nurse imaging program is being developed through a unique partnership between a clinical nurse specialist and a nurse informaticist. Digitized images are stored as parts of the ViastA computerized patient record system, making them immediately available throughout the entire medical center, on more than 1500 computers in the clinical environment. Any patient condition that can be represented visually, for example, pressure ulcers, which are the most frequently imaged, can be placed into the medical record. The major benefit of this nurse imaging program is that the status of wound healing can be tracked visually over time, from acute care to the clinic setting, and to the home. Progression from the problem, as originally defined, through the innovation process, and a statement of future plans are presented in the article.


We present here a multi-length scale integration of compositionally tailored NaSICON-based Na+ conductors to create a high Na+ conductivity system resistant to chemical attack in strongly alkaline aqueous environments. Using the Pourbaix Atlas as a generalized guide to chemical stability, we identify NaHf2P3O12 (NHP) as a candidate NaSICON material for enhanced chemical stability at pH > 12, and demonstrate the stability of NHP powders under accelerated aging conditions of 80 °C and pH = 13–15 for a variety of alkali metal cations. To compensate for the relatively low ionic conductivity of NHP, we develop a new low temperature (775 °C) alkoxide-based solution deposition chemistry to apply dense NHP thin films onto both platinized silicon wafers and bulk, high Na+ conductivity Na3Zr2Si2PO12 (NZSP) pellets. These NHP films display Na+ conductivities of 1.35 × 10−5 S cm−1 at 200 °C and an activation energy of 0.53 eV, similar to literature reports for bulk NHP pellets. Under aggressive conditions of 10 M KOH at 80 °C, NHP thin films successfully served as an alkaline-resistant barrier, extending the lifetime of NZSP pellets from 4.26 to 36.0 h. This integration of compositionally distinct Na+ conductors across disparate length scales (nm, mm) and processing techniques (chemically-derived, traditional powder) represents a promising new avenue by which Na+ conducting systems may be utilized in alkaline environments previously thought incompatible with ceramic Na+ conductors.


Sequence data from mitochondrial and nuclear small subunit rDNA were used to estimate phylogenetic relationships of cantharelloid and cla- varioid Homobasidiomycetes. Sixty-five diverse Homobasidiomycete species were investigated, in- cluding 23 cantharelloid and clavarioid species. Al- though nodes deep in the tree could not be resolved, four lineages containing cantharelloid and clavarioid fungi were identified. (i) Cantharellaceae (Canthar- ellus, Craterellus) is closely related to Hydnum, which is toothed, Stichoclavaria, which is a simple club, and Clavulina, which is coralloid. These taxa all have stichic nuclear division, which is a synapomorphy supporting this clade. (ii) Clavariadelphus is closely related to Gomphus and Ramaria. This relationship is supported by green reactions of sporocarps treated with iron salts, which is reflective of the presence of the compound pistillarin. The nearest relatives of these cantharelloid and clavarioid fungi are gastero- mycetes, including the earth star Geastrum, the stink- horn Pseudocolus, and the "cannon-ball fungus" Sphaerobolus. (iii) The clavarioid fungi Clavaria, Cla- vulinopsis, Pterula, and Typhula appear to be derived from the lineage that contains most of the gilled fun- gi. (iv) Clavicorona is closely related to Auriscalpium, which is toothed, and Lentinellus, which is gilled. This lineage is united by amyloid spore ornamenta- tion. Although these results suggest that there has been extensive convergence in fruiting body mor- phology, certain anatomical and biochemical features appear to be phylogenetically informative, notably stichic nuclear division, presence of pistillarin, and cyanophily or amyloidity of spore ornamentation.


This study has been performed for the purpose of determining the nutrition habits and probiotic food consumption of adolescent students attending high school education. A total of 270 students consisting of 163 female and 107 male students attending high schools in the central quarter of the Kulu district in the province of Konya have participated in this study. The survey model has been utilized and anthropometric measurements and questionnaire form have been implemented as a data collection tool in this study. According to the findings obtained in the study, it has been determined that a large proportion of students skip meals and consume low amounts of probiotic foods. Accordingly, operational solution recommendations have been set forth.


A novel, unconventional thermal treatment employing borax for preparing porous carbon materials is presented. The new method was used to prepare carbon felt electrodes for use in lithium–air batteries. The etching of the carbon fiber surface was found to be highly controllable by the amount of borax. The resulting felts were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), secondary electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The borax treatment resulted in a change of the size, shape and orientation of the Li2O2 crystals formed during discharge.


The Great Recession from December 2007 to June 2009 is associated with a dramatic weakening of the labor market from which the labor market is now only slowly recovering. The unemployment rate remains stubbornly high and durations of unemployment are unprecedentedly long. I use data from the Displaced Workers Survey (DWS) from 1984-2010 to investigate the incidence and consequences of job loss from 1981-2009. In particular, the January 2010 DWS, which captures job loss during the 2007-2009 period, provides a window through which to examine the experience of job losers in the Great Recession and to compare their experience to that of earlier job losers. These data show a record high rate of job loss, with almost one in six workers reporting having lost a job in the 2007-2009 period. The consequences of job loss are also very serious during this period with very low rates of reemployment, difficulty finding full-time employment, and substantial earnings losses.


This work explores problems in national development in the Third World using Nigeria during the petroleum boom as a case study. The book explores how historical, political, ideological, economic, social, and cultural factors affected Nigeria's development and policies. Special attention is devoted to the development paradigms that influenced Nigerian development thinking, the national planning apparatus, nationalist ideology, and the role of world market and multinational corporations. Petroleum and Structural Change in a Developing Country concludes that Nigeria has experienced growth without change and that unless structural change is implemented, real development will remain elusive.


This paper presents a checkpoint and recovery (C&R) protocol to support fault-tolerance for PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine). The protocol helps to mask fail-stop failures from an application. The C&R activities are transparent and do not require any change in the PVM library nor operating system. In PVM, an application can change the number of processes during execution. This paper focuses on solving problems raised by the dynamic spawn and the asynchronous exit of tasks in PVM. The proposed protocol is a non-blocking one, so it reduces side-effect of checkpoint activities of original programs.


In this paper, an analysis of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) mixed convection over an exponentially stretching surface in the presence of a non-uniform heat source/sink and suction/injection is presented. The governing boundary layer equations are transformed into a set of non-dimensional equations by using a group of non-similar transformations. The resulting highly non-linear coupled partial differential equations are solved by using the implicit finite difference method in combination with the quasilinearization technique. Numerical results for the velocity, temperature and concentration profiles, as well as the skin friction coefficient, wall heat transfer and mass transfer rates are computed and presented graphically for various parameters. The results indicate that the velocity profile reduces, while the temperature profile increases in presence of the effects of magnetic field and suction at the wall. The velocity ratio parameter increases the skin-friction coefficient and the Schmidt number decreases the wall mass transfer rate. The temperature profile increases for the positive values of Eckert number and space as well as temperature dependent heat source/sink parameters, while the opposite behavior is observed for negative values of same parameters.


This paper presents an experimental approach to determine the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of paste, mortar and concrete at early age. The deformation of specimens was measured by using high-precision linear variable displacement transducers (LVDT) and the temperature was measured by thermocouples embedded in the specimens. It was found that the CTE decreased after setting and reached minimum values at a few hours after setting, then increased with time until becoming nearly constant. At the age before the mixtures gain enough stiffness, the use of fly ash increases CTE of the pastes and concretes. However, at later age, the CTE of pastes and concretes with fly ash is smaller than that of the mixtures without fly ash. Aggregate seems to be the main factor that affects the CTE of concrete because it occupies most of the concrete volume.


On 14 December 1948, The New York Times announced the end of an 111/2-month strike against recording companies by the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), led by its president, James Caesar Petrillo. (1) The deciding factor for the recording ban was a finding that the AFM welfare fund, paid for by royalties from record companies, was in violation of the Taft-Hartley Labor Act. Major record companies affected by the ban included Capitol, Columbia, Decca, M-G-M, Mercury, and RCA Victor, but the ban affected contracts with over 770 recording and transcription companies. (2) It ended when the U.S. secretary of labor and attorney general held that a modified version of the fund did not violate Taft-Hartley. (3) The 1948 recording ban cannot be understood apart from the Taft-Hartley Act. While there are detailed histories of the 1948 AFM strike, (4) none examine the strike in the context of the social and political pressures that led to the passage of Taft-Hartley; nor do they provide details of the maneuvers by Truman's cabinet, the AFM and record companies to bring the fund into compliance with the act. (5) The Taft-Hartley Act The antecedents for Taft-Hartley began with the Great Depression and President Roosevelt's New Deal policies. One intention of the New Deal was to benefit workers and the economy by stimulating the organization of labor. (6) Labor laws drafted in the 1930s were largely designed to protect workers and prevent abusive tactics by employers to prevent unionization. (7) In 1935, Congress passed The National Labor Relations Act, commonly called the Wagner Act--a law with sweeping labor provisions. (8) The Wagner Act took a more pro-labor stance than previous laws and encouraged the organization of unions through its administrative agency, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The Wagner Act enumerated a list of unfair labor practices by employers to discourage or prevent unionization. (9) Wage freezes to head off inflation were put into practice during World War II. One consequence of wage freezes was the proliferation of non-wage benefit packages to keep and attract workers. These included union welfare funds set up through agreements between labor and management for pensions and health and life insurance. The gradual proliferation of large welfare funds under the control of union leaders, who had little or no accountability, concerned government officials. (10) Following the end of World War II there was a sharp jump in unemployment as war contracts were cancelled and soldiers returned home. Wage freezes and price controls expired at end of June 1946, and were rapidly followed by inflation of as much as 25% in some basic commodities. (11) The resulting economic upheaval produced a flurry of strikes nationwide. In the 12 months following the war, there were 4,630 strikes involving 5 million workers. Citywide strikes shut down several industrialized cities, including Rochester, NY, Stamford, Conn., and Lancaster, PA. (12) The result was a shift in public sentiment against labor and union leaders. The public became weary and irritated by the extreme number of strikes. Letters arrived at the White House referring to "union tyrants" and demanding tighter restrictions on unions and labor bosses. (13) Representative Fred A. Hartley, Jr., one of the authors of Taft-Hartley, wrote: "The positions of labor and management were reversed ... Labor was in the saddle and riding hard." In his opinion, labor leaders had become equal in power to the elected heads of government and had forgotten the reasons why they had been given authority. "So," Hartley explained, "we wrote the Taft-Hartley Act." (14) The Taft-Hartley Act, officially the Labor-Management Relations Act of 1947, (15) was cosponsored by two Republican members of Congress: Representative Hartley of New Jersey and Senator Robert A. Taft of Ohio. It was passed by both chambers of Congress and sent to President Truman on 9 June 1947. …


EFFICIENT and effortless swallowing at the upper end of the esophagus requires, among other events, coordinated and powerful contraction of the pharyngeal constrictors coupled with relaxation of the cricopharyngeus muscle, or upper esophageal sphincter, at the precise moment of arrival of the bolus from above. This highly coordinated sequence of events in normal persons has been demonstrated by a number of investigators using pressure recording, 1,2 routine radiographic, 3,4 and cineradiographic techniques. 5-8 The peristaltic wave begun by the pharyngeal constrictors is propagated into the esophagus proper but first must traverse the zone of increased pressure at the level of the cricopharyngeal sphincter. Code and his associates have shown in normal swallowing that there is a precisely timed and pronounced relaxation of the sphincter beginning immediately prior to pharyngeal contraction, "ensuring that the doorway to the esophagus is open as the swallowed material is forced toward it" (Fig 1). The


This study examines the extent to which quality improvement initiatives (continuous quality improvement and Six Sigma) depend on knowledge management for realizing positive patient safety learning outcomes. Drawing on the knowledge management and quality management literature, this paper develops a path model for improving patient safety learning. Survey data were collected from a sample of 273 U.S. hospitals. Results indicate that a three-stage knowledge management process mediates the relationship between quality improvement initiatives and patient safety learning. While continuous quality improvement was found to also have a direct positive association with patient safety learning, Six Sigma did not demonstrate a statistically significant direct relationship to patient safety. The authors' results provide new insight into the relationship of knowledge management capabilities and quality initiatives in healthcare. Hospitals are looking for evidence to help justify expenditures on various programs and also seek to identify ways to improve patient safety. The pragmatic contribution of this study for healthcare administrators lies in the application of these findings in planning quality management systems and knowledge management processes. The results contribute to the operations management literature by addressing how quality management initiatives in hospital organizations link to patient safety learning outcomes directly as well as via knowledge management capabilities. The interrelationships have not been adequately explored and limited research discusses the effectiveness of a three-stage knowledge management process in healthcare.


AIM
To investigate whether neoadjuvant-intensified radiochemotherapy improved overall and disease-free survival in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer.

METHODS
Between January 2007 and December 2011, 80 patients with histologically confirmed rectal adenocarcinoma were enrolled. Tumors were clinically classified as either T3 or T4 and by the N stage based on the presence or absence of positive regional lymph nodes. Patients received intensified combined modality treatment, consisting of neoadjuvant radiation therapy (50.4-54.0 Gy) and infusional chemotherapy (oxaliplatin 50 mg/m(2)) on the first day of each week, plus five daily continuous infusions of fluorouracil (200 mg/m(2) per die) from the first day of radiation therapy until radiotherapy completion. Patients received five or six cycles of oxaliplatin based on performance status, clinical lymph node involvement, and potential risk of a non-sphincter-conserving surgical procedure. Surgery was planned 7 to 9 wk after the end of radiochemotherapy treatment; adjuvant chemotherapy treatment was left to the oncologist's discretion and was recommended in patients with positive lymph nodes. After treatment, all patients were monitored every three months for the first year and every six months for the subsequent years.

RESULTS
Of the 80 patients enrolled, 75 patients completed the programmed neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy treatment. All patients received the radiotherapy prescribed total dose; five patients suspended chemotherapy indefinitely because of chemotherapy-related toxicity. At least five cycles of oxaliplatin were administered to 73 patients. Treatment was well tolerated with high compliance and a good level of toxicity. Most of the acute toxic effects observed were classified as grades 1-2. Proctitis grade 2 was the most common symptom (63.75%) and the earliest manifestation of acute toxicity. Acute toxicity grades 3-4 was reported in 30% of patients and grade 3 or 4 diarrhoea reported in just three patients (3.75%). Seventy-seven patients underwent surgery; low anterior resection was performed in 52 patients, Miles' surgery in 11 patients and total mesorectal excision in nine patients. Fifty patients showed tumor downsizing ≥ 50% pathological downstaging in 88.00% of tumors. Out of 75 patients surviving surgery, 67 patients (89.33%) had some form of downstaging after preoperative treatment. A pathological complete response was achieved in 23.75% of patients and a nearly pathologic complete response (stage ypT1ypN0) in six patients. An involvement of the radial margin was never present. During surgery, intra-abdominal metastases were found in only one patient (1.25%). Initially, 45 patients required an abdominoperineal resection due to a tumor distal margin ≤ 5 cm from the anal verge. Of these patients, only seven of them underwent Miles' surgery and sphincter preservation was guaranteed in 84.50% of patients in this subgroup. Fourteen patients received postoperative chemotherapy. In the full analysis of enrolled cohort, eight of the 80 patients died, with seven deaths related to rectal cancer and one to unrelated causes. Local recurrences were observed in seven patients (8.75%) and distant metastases in 17 cases (21.25%). The five-year rate of overall survival rate was 90.91%. Using a median follow-up time of 28.5 mo, the cumulative incidence of local recurrences was 8.75%, and the overall survival and disease-free survival rates were 90.00% and 70.00%, respectively.

CONCLUSION
The results of this study suggest oxaliplatin chemotherapy has a beneficial effect on overall survival, likely due to an increase in local tumor control.


The clinical development of aromatase inhibitors in recent years represents a significant addition to our armamentarium for the treatment of postmenopausal patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer--both for metastatic disease and in the adjuvant setting. In patients with metastatic disease, third-generation aromatase inhibitors have shown significantly superior efficacy over tamoxifen as first-line hormone therapy. In the adjuvant setting, preliminary results with the use of aromatase inhibitors in ongoing large clinical trials indicate significant gains in disease-free survival rates and in the occurrence of contralateral breast cancer, either alone for 5 years or sequentially after tamoxifen for 2-3 or 5 years. While tamoxifen monotherapy continues to be standard adjuvant therapy for patients with low risk primary breast cancer, postmenopausal patients with higher risk hormone-positive primary breast cancer should also be offered an aromatase inhibitor. Aromatase inhibitors are also prescribed for patients with contraindications to tamoxifen. The optimal sequence and duration of aromatase inhibitor adjuvant therapy as well as its long-term impact on overall survival remain to be established. In general, aromatase inhibitors have a good toxicity profile. Long-term effects such as the risk of osteoporosis need to be better defined.


Mobile phone carriers face challenges from three synergistic dimensions: Wireless, social, and mobile. Despite significant advances that have been made about social networks and human mobility, respectively, our knowledge about the interplay between two layers remains largely limited, partly due to the difficulty in obtaining large-scale datasets that could offer at the same time social and mobile information across a substantial population over an extended period of time. In this paper, we take advantage of a massive, longitudinal mobile phone dataset that consists of human mobility and social network information simultaneously, allowing us to explore the impact of human mobility patterns on the underlying social network. We find that human mobility plays an important role in shaping both local and global structural properties of social network. In contrast to the lack of scale in social networks and human movements, we discovered a characteristic distance in physical space between 10 and 20 km that impacts both local clustering and modular structure in social network. We also find a surprising distinction in trajectory overlap that segments social ties into two categories. Our results are of fundamental relevance to quantitative studies of human behavior, and could serve as the basis of anchoring potential theoretical models of human behavior and building and developing new applications using social and mobile technologies.


The contribution aims to illustrate the results of the research conducted on the lexicon of the Petrarch-Boccaccio magisterium relationship. The research also made use of the comparison between Boccaccio's various masters: Petrarch on the one hand, Andalò del Negro and Leonzio Pilato on the other.
The results of the research have shown the substantial difference of the Petrarchian magisterium compared to that of Leonzio or Andalò. Petrarch is a supreme teacher unlike the other two, considered by Boccaccio to be technical masters. Boccaccio in fact systematically attributes to Petrarch the noun preceptor, a very generic name: he is considered not only a teacher of literature but also of life. Boccaccio also expects from him a teaching that will lead him to an ethical conversion, as evidenced by the insistent presence of the lexicon pertaining to the moral sphere attributed to him.


With the continuous development of computer and blockchain technology, digital currency has gradually replaced some functions of legal tender. This paper investigated the impact and the feasibility of digital currency on the financial market. Combining the money demand theory of Karl Heinrich Marx and Milton Friedman respectively, we discussed the impact of electronic and cryptocurrencies on the amount of money in circulation. Then, through further empirical analysis, we conclude that in China, digital currency has a substitution effect on current deposits in the long term. Furthermore, the welfare effect level of different countries adopting different policies on digital currency is analyzed by using the local equilibrium model of tariff effect in small countries, and the policy choice of maximizing the total welfare level is discussed based on game theory. Finally, we put forward some suggestions on establishing the global financial supervision system.


In the last decade the interest of pneumologists and therapeutic research has been focused on COPD. The increasing morbidity and mortality world wide and the important socio-economic impact challenged to improve the therapeutic options. New indications like LABA and newly introduced drugs like tiotropium may help to ameliorate symptoms, ICS potentially help to protect against exacerbations and to suppress components of the inflammatory process even in COPD. A reappraisal of the place of theophylline in the stepwise approach to treat these patients seems to be useful. This report reviews its effects as bronchodilator and the well documented additive effects in combination with betaadrenergics and anticholinergics. Further desirable actions of theophylline on the sensation of dyspnoea and on exercise capacity, on respiratory muscle function and on the cardiovascular performance are discussed but no definite conclusions can be made about the clinical utility of these effects. Given that patients are carefully selected in terms of benefit and side effects theophylline may remain a valuable therapeutic option.


In 2002, 38 percent of U.S. farmland was rented. In the Midwest, typically half or more of farmland was rented. In Iowa, the proportion was 51 percent. Rates were even higher in some other Midwestern states. For example, in Illinois and Indiana, the figures were 62 and 68 percent, respectively. (USDA, 2904; table 40).1 Given this prominence, it is important to investigate whether the rental of farmland influences the use of sustainable practices. Based in Iowa, this research project examines the social dynamics between landlords, tenants, and agricultural agency professionals in order to better understand how those dynamics affect the adoption of sustainable agricultural methods on rented land. There is widespread anecdotal evidence that rented land poses special challenges for the adoption of sustainable agriculture in Iowa (and elsewhere in the Midwest). Sustainable techniques of production, including conservation practices and organic methods, require long-term investments in management and sometimes equipment (Gliessman, 1998). The instability of tenure inherent in rental arrangements, communication issues, and conflicting goals for the land, may lead to difficulties in adoption even when one or both parties in the landlord-farmer relationship wishes to implement sustainable techniques (Netting, 1993). Several factors promote a short-term, bottom-line approach to farming on rented land. Intense competition in some counties for cropland leads to narrow profit margins as farmers compete with each other to offer the highest rents, particularly in cash-rent situations (Hufferd and Gee, 2000). The increasing trend toward cash-rent in Iowa and elsewhere may be accelerating this tendency.2 In addition, cash-rent is usually associated with greater turnover among farmers (Pieper and Harl, 2000), mitigating against long-term management investments and the formation of good communication ties between landlords and tenants. Also, the pressure for increased land base, combined with intense competition for rented land, is leading to a situation where an increasing number of farmers are working widely scattered fields—20, 30, or more miles apart. As travel times increase, farmers may feel pressure to adopt less intensive and less sustainable methods.3


There has been recent speculation that the cores of intermediate-mass stars stripped of their envelopes by tidal interaction with the supermassive black hole in the Galactic Centre could form a population observationally similar to the so-called Sgr A* cluster or 'S' stars, which have close eccentric orbits around the hole. We model the evolution of such stars, and show that the more luminous end of the population may indeed appear similar to young B stars within the observational limits of the Galactic Centre region. Whether some or all of these cluster stars can be accounted for in this manner depends strongly on the assumed initial mass function (IMF) of the loss cone stars and the scattering rate. If most of the observed stars are in fact scattered from the Galactic Centre inner cusp region itself then the population of similar to 20 to current observational limits may be reproduced. However, this only works if the local relaxation time is small and relies on the cusp stars themselves being young, i.e. it is dependent on some star formation being possible in the central few parsecs. Conversely, we obtain a possible constraint on the tidal stripping rate of 'normal' IMF stars if there are not to be red stars visible in the Sgr A* cluster. (Less)


We describe a multi-order spectrograph concept suitable for 8-m class telescopes, using the
intrinsic spectral resolution of superconducting tunnelling junction detectors to sort the spectral
orders. The spectrograph works at low orders, 1–5 or 1–6, and provides spectral coverage with
a resolving power of R 8000 from the atmospheric cut-off at 320 nm to the long-wavelength
end of the infraredH orK band at 1800 nm or 2400 nm. We calculate that the spectrograph would
provide substantial throughput and wavelength coverage, together with high time resolution
and sufficient dynamic range. The concept uses currently available technology, or technologies
with short development horizons, restricting the spatial sampling to two linear arrays; however,
an upgrade path to provide more spatial sampling is identified. All of the other challenging
aspects of the concept – the cryogenics, thermal baffling and magnetic field biasing – are
identified as being feasible.


The past decade has seen a new paradigm in solid state physics, where a new class of layered crystals can be thinned down to a monolayer and exhibit drastic changes in their electronic and optical properties in comparison to their bulk counterpart. Graphene was the first, and certainly most outstanding, of this set of so called two-dimensional (2D) materials. Aside from its obvious appeal which earnt its discovery the 2010 Nobel Prize, the electronic properties of graphene are truly unique. Perhaps the most familiar is its linear electron dispersion which hosts quasi-particles that obey the Dirac equation. This has enabled the study of a plethora of transport phenomena, as well as the realisation of novel device architectures that will be used in the next generation electronics. In general, experimental signatures of electron transport are most prominent at liquid helium temperatures when lattice vibrations are weak, for example in quantum hall physics. In this Thesis, we explore the regime of intermediate temperatures where the physics of interest is strongest between 100 and 300 K. Equipped with the state of the art high quality graphene samples, we demonstrate novel electron transport unique to graphene. The experimental work consists of two themes. In the first work, we study hydrodynamic electron flow in graphene encapsulated with hexagonal boron nitride devices. At elevated temperatures, electron-electron collisions become significant, and the electron viscosity starts to influence the steady state current distribution in a variety of surprising ways. In the first work, we perform transport experiments on standard graphene hall bars in a unique measurement geometry which allows the detection of negative non-local voltages intrinsic to viscous flow. In another experiment, we study viscous electron flow through graphene nano-constrictions/classical point contacts. Here, we observed anomalous temperature dependence in the conductance measured across the constriction. Specifically, the conductance increases with increasing temperature and even exceeded the semi-classical limit which is expected for single-particle ballistic transport. The underlying mechanism originates from electron-electron collisions, which, counter-intuitively, act to enhance current flow. In the second work, we slightly change our experimental system by studying magneto transport in a graphene/hexagonal boron nitride superlattice. Owed to the large periodicity of the superlattice unit cell, these devices have allowed experimental observation of the long sought Hofstadter butterfly, which addresses the electronic dispersion of electrons in a periodic potential and magnetic field. Here, we again go to elevated temperatures, where all the spectral gaps related to Hofstadter butterflies are completely smeared, and instead find a new type of quantum oscillation. These new oscillations are periodic in 1/B with a frequency corresponding to one flux quantum piercing the superlattice unit cell. Whilst these oscillations are related to Hofstadter physics, they are in fact more primal in origin. The most fascinating feature is their robustness with respect to increasing temperature. The oscillations are easily observable at room temperature in fields as low as 3 T and still remained prominent at 373 K, the boiling point of water


Eating Disorders (ED) are a syndrome characterized by persistent alteration of eating behavior and the conditions that cause insufficient ingestion and/or adsorption of foods. There are three different ED diseases: Anorexia Nervosa (AN), Bulimia Nervosa (BN) and Binge Eating Disorders (BED). ED are complex conditions that arise from a combination of long-standing behavioral, emotional, psychological, interpersonal, and social factors. A common trait to all EDs is the incongruous diet, often based on arbitrary parameters, disconnected from physiological needs, with a strong alteration of the sensations of hunger and satiety, to which variations in weight, body composition, health status and quality of life of patients occur. Although EDs are relatively frequent psychiatric disorders in the general population, especially in adolescent and juvenile age groups, evidence based on the scientific evidence of the efficacy of the pharmacological treatment of EDAs remains modest. The currently available international guidelines related to the pharmacological treatment of EDs are currently few and not always adequately informative, as they are affected by the lack of studies on the subject. As a further consequence of this it is not surprising that, with the sole exception of fluoxetine for the treatment of Bulimia Nervosa (BN) symptoms, no psychopharmaceutical has been authorized by national and international regulators for the treatment of ED.
 This narrative review focuses on the advantages and limitations of drugs used in the treatment of ED.


When blood vessels are damaged, circulating platelets come into contact with activating stimuli that trigger aggregation and enable them to form a haemostatic plug. This process is subject to both positive and negative feedback to ensure that platelets respond appropriately to damage and do not form thrombi that totally occlude the vessel. Dysregulation of negative feedback mechanisms is believed to contribute to the increased risk of thrombosis associated with some diseases. Despite the association with thrombosis, platelet derived negative regulators of platelet activation are relatively poorly understood in comparison to mediators of platelet activation. However, it is increasingly apparent that the mechanisms by which platelets restrain activation are diverse and of equal complexity to those that mediate positive signalling. Some regulators, such as RASA3 and JAM-A, act as gatekeepers that must be deactivated for platelet activation to occur. In contrast, regulators that contain ITIMs, such as PECAM-1, are activated following stimulation and mediate negative regulation via phosphatases that restrain activation. Wnt3a and ESAM are thought to directly limit plateletplatelet adhesion by blocking activation of the fibrinogen receptor, integrin αIIbβ3. The various isoforms of PKC expressed by platelets provide a diverse and complex array of inhibitory effects including receptor desensitisation. Many platelet derived inhibitors have been identified but not fully characterised and so questions remain regarding the mechanisms that underlie their effects on platelet activity following their activation, inhibition or genetic disruption. In this chapter the current understanding and recent developments in the field of platelet-derived inhibitors of platelet activation will be discussed.


Over the last several decades, courts and legal scholars have struggled with whether or when to consider boilerplate text as contract. Recent attempts to draw all boilerplate text into "contract" seek to end that struggle but have shifted contract law away from its traditional focus on enforcing parties' actual agreements and common understandings. This has required a series of ad hoc "fixes" to contract law reminiscent of the medieval use of "epicycles" to try to square geocentric theories of planetary motion with recalcitrant observations of a nongeocentric universe. This shift has been transforming the meanings of contract law's central concepts. We view the shift as an undiagnosed paradigm slip, resulting in a generalized theory of "contract" as a mere assumption of risk that allows private obligations to be created unilaterally without reaching the actual agreements required by core contract law principles. Some now call this new sort of obligation "contract." But it is pseudo-contract, resembling contract without fulfilling its necessary conditions of validity.

The recent paradigm slip into pseudo-contract raises a complex blend of linguistic, factual, conceptual, practical, normative, and doctrinal problems. Under the mantle of "contract," the problems of pseudo-contract have remained largely hidden. In this Article we expose these problems and develop a more nuanced and coherent method of analysis — shared meaning analysis — that courts and other legal analysts can use to determine when any particular piece of boilerplate text does, or does not, contribute an actual term to a contract.

Because facts about language have received insufficient attention in discussions of how boilerplate text may (or may not) contribute to contract meaning, we launch our analysis by developing several seminal insights into the dependence of meaning on social cooperation from the language philosopher Paul Grice. Drawing on his insights into language, we develop a contemporary definition of the shared meaning of a contract (or the "common meaning of the parties") as that meaning that is most consistent with the presupposition that both parties were using language cooperatively to contract. We then offer a simple conceptual test that courts can use to discern this shared meaning, distinguish contractual from noncontractual uses of boilerplate text, and prevent contract from slipping into pseudo-contract. We pay particular attention to diagnosing deceptive or misleading uses of boilerplate text. Using examples ranging widely from clickwrap consumer contracts to high-end boilerplate contracts between sophisticated parties, we show how shared meaning analysis applies generally to many varieties of contract.