Purpose: To assess the knowledge and practices regarding different approaches of vital pulp therapy in deciduous teeth among dental interns in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Methods: 268 Randomly selected dental interns from 5 different universities in Riyadh participated in the study. A self-designed, close-ended questionnaire was distributed to each participant. Responses were coded in a spreadsheet software and statistically analyzed using chi-square tests.

Results: Majority of the participants were females, from Riyadh Elm University and treated pediatric patients on a weekly basis. No significant difference was found in knowledge with respect to gender of participants but a significant difference in knowledge was found with respect to university they studied in.

Conclusion: Knowledge of dental interns in most areas of VPT like; choice of treatment in different clinical scenarios and choice of materials for each therapy was found adequate in this study.


Abstract Cerebellotrigeminal dermal (CTD) dysplasia is a rare neurocutaneous disorder characterized by a triad of symptoms: bilateral parieto-occipital alopecia, facial anesthesia in the trigeminal area, and rhombencephalosynapsis (RES), confirmed by cranial magnetic resonance imaging. CTD dysplasia is also known as Gómez-López-Hernández syndrome. So far, only 35 cases have been described with varying symptomatology. The etiology remains unknown. Either spontaneous dominant mutations or de novo chromosomal rearrangements have been proposed as possible explanations. In addition to its clinical triad of RES, parietal alopecia, and trigeminal anesthesia, CTD dysplasia is associated with a wide range of phenotypic and neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Treatment is symptomatic and includes physical rehabilitation, special education, dental care, and ocular protection against self-induced corneal trauma that causes ulcers and, later, corneal opacification. The prognosis is correlated to the mental development, motor handicap, corneal–facial anesthesia, and visual problems. Follow-up on a large number of patients with CTD dysplasia has never been reported and experience is limited to few cases to date. High degree of suspicion in a child presenting with characteristic alopecia and RES has a great importance in diagnosis of this syndrome.


Commercial (bovine-porcine) glucagon added in a single dose between 10(-12) and 10(-7) M to neonatal rat hepatocytes in primary cultures with subsequent incubation for 20-24 h, stimulated their entry into the DNA synthesis phase as revealed by [3H]thymidine-labeling and radioautography; about 14 h of incubation was required before an effect was observed. Commercial (bovine) insulin at doses between 10(-11) and 10(-7) M apparently stimulated the entry of hepatocytes into S phase. However, insulin's effect, which needed 20 h for induction, was due to the release of a wave of synchronized hepatocytes from an earlier produced block near the G1/S boundary of their growth-division cycle. Equimolar mixtures of glucagon with insulin from 10(-15)-10(-7) M increased the fraction of hepatocytes synthesizing DNA first at 4-8 h, and then at 20-24 h. Effective doses of glucagon, insulin, and glucagon plus insulin also increased the entry of hepatocytes into mitosis, as found after a 4-h incubation with colchicine (0.1 mM). Withholding inactivated fetal bovine serum from the growth medium for 24 h did not change the mitotic activity either of the untreated or of the glucagon- and glucagon plus insulin-stimulated hepatocytes, but it increased the proliferogenic effect of bovine insulin. Highly purified crystalline (porcine) glucagon, insulin, and glucagon plus insulin also stimulated the growth of hepatocytes in the presence or absence of serum. Finally, equimolar (10(-14) M) mixtures of glucagon with (Bu)2cGMP and of insulin with (Bu)2cAMP increased the hepatocytic replication as efficiently as did glucagon plus insulin at the same dose. The present results show that glucagon and insulin are synergistic, intracycle regulators of the growth of neonatal rat hepatocytes. They also suggest that cyclic necleotides may mediate at least partly the hepatotropic effects of the pancreatic hormones.


Although sarcoidosis can affect virtually any organ, musculoskeletal involvement is infrequent. Early in the course of the disease, acute polyarthritis may be observed in up to 40% of patients, but this is often self-limited. Chronic or recurrent sarcoid arthritis is rare, affecting only 1 to 4% of patients. Asymptomatic involvement of muscles has been reported in 25 to 75% of patients in small series, but symptomatic involvement of muscles is rare. Although prospective studies assessing the prevalence of muscle involvement in sarcoidosis have not been done, several large retrospective studies suggest that symptomatic muscle involvement occurs in < 0.5% of patients with sarcoidosis. Patterns of sar-coid muscle involvement include chronic, progressive myopathy; nodular or tumorous sarcoidosis affecting muscles; and an acute polymyositis-like syndrome. Corticosteroid therapy is usually efficacious for the acute myositis variant but is less consistently helpful in the other forms (e.g., chronic myopathy or nodules). Similarly, clinically significant involvement of bone is rare (< 2–5%), and is often associated with chronic multisystemic disease, lupus pernio, and chronic uveitis. Unfortunately, osseous sarcoidosis is often un-responsive to therapy. In this review, we discuss the prevalence, clinical features, and management of sarcoidosis involving muscle, joints, and bones.


Hereditary collagen dysplasias comprise a complex group of connective-tissue disorders that result in the reduced tensile strength of affected tissues. These processes are called cutaneous asthenia in the skin of dogs and cats. We report here the case of a crossbred male cat, aged 6 months, that presented with two skin wounds in the region of the right thorax and right iliac tuberosity. The skin of these regions and of the animal's dorsum was hyperextensible, smooth to the touch, and easily torn with minor trauma. Microscopic examination of skin samples revealed reduced dermal connective tissue consisting of shortened and fragmented collagen fibers. Normal fibers were intermingled with altered fibers. Ultrastructural changes in collagen fibers included disorientation of fibrils within the same bundle, marked spacing differences, and variation in the diameter of transverse sections. The fibrils maintained the transverse striations characteristic of normal collagen.


Due to several reasons, treatment methods for a certain waste are oftennot available locally in the waste handling and management industry. This is especially true for regions which are not densely populated. This requires transports, the majority of which consumes fossil fuel. To avoid this, local waste treatment methods need to be developed. In this work it is investigated how treatment of one hazardous waste is done; water and sludge containing oil. Based on sustainability criteria three novel methods are presented that can be conducted locally; mycoremediation, phytoremediation and electrocoagulation. The methods are evaluated in a case study of a recycling company. Mycoremediation and electrocoagulation were found to be suitable in the case study, as long as some criteria are fulfilled. In addition it is shown what barriers exist in law, policies and practices that hinder local treatment of water and sludge containing oil.


Despite its small population and territory, Israel is one of the most influential countries in the region. This is mostly due to global lobbying achievements, strong economy, high technology and military products, having support of ultra-rich Jewish people around the world and additionally being a natural strategic partner of USA. Until the last decade, Israel's name could not be associated with energy resources although she has owned the same features above and the strong influence in the region. After some discoveries such as Tamar, Leviathan, Tanin and Karish inside its offshore boundaries, Israel has started to be introduced as the future's important gas exporter in the region. From the sight of international affairs between Turkey (who is also another strategic partner of USA) and Israel; after the 2009 Davos statements of the Turkish President (as a result of Israel's cruelties in Palestine) and Mavi Marmara irruption of Israel, relations come to a rupture. After the end of 2015, while Turkey's relations were strained with Russia and naturally, gas import security raised alerts. And by adding this situation some other political reasons, Turkey and Israel have taken steps forward to reestablish good relations (by the way, it has been claimed that Israel also needs Turkey for an economic gas export to the due markets). Before the coup, Israel has agreed to pay compensations to the families of the Mavi Marmara victims. And after the coup, this step and other due items have been negotiated and accepted by both governments. With this alteration in the affairs between Israel and Turkey, energy, as it is stated, has become the most important issue that prepared both sides to have been eager to solve the problems in between. And now there are quite different scenarios, claimed by the experts, about the Israel's gas export route to Turkey and EU. In addition to these scenarios, unfortunately, the solution for the long-lasting Cyprus matter that stands against Turkish red lines, might find a ground to be asserted according to some Turkish experts. However, are these scenarios coherent from the point of reserves, export potentials, economics and other sights? What might happen in the future? For a possible gas transit or gas sales situation, may a country allow its red line policies to be relinquished? In this study, after analyzing the reserves, export potential of Israel, and possible export options, Turkey's positioning, Cyprus matter and sales to EU conditions are tried to be detailed with the technical and economical sights in addition to politics.


Sovereignty marks the boundary between politics and law. Highlighting the legal context of politics and the political context of law, it thus contributes to the internal dynamics of both political and legal systems. This book comprehends the persistence of sovereignty as a political and juridical concept in the post-sovereign social condition. The tension and paradoxical relationship between the semantics and structures of sovereignty and post-sovereignty are addressed by using the conceptual framework of the autopoietic social systems theory.

Using a number of contemporary European examples, developments and paradoxes, the author examines topics of immense interest and importance relating to the concept of sovereignty in a globalising world. The study argues that the modern question of sovereignty permanently oscillating between de iure authority and de facto power cannot be discarded by theories of supranational and transnational globalized law and politics.

Criticising quasi-theological conceptualizations of political sovereignty and its juridical form, the study reformulates the concept of sovereignty and its persistence as part of the self-referential communication of the systems of positive law and politics. The book will be of considerable interest to academics and researchers in political, legal and social theory and philosophy.
Contents: Preface; Introduction. Part I Cases and Concepts: Multiple sovereignty in the EU: on the differentiated semantics and structures of European law and politics; Sovereignty, or post-sovereignty? A social systems theoretical perspective. Part II Concepts and Theories: Sovereignty and the constitutional state: on the systemic self-referencing and differentiation in the Kelsen-Schmitt debate; No more sovereignty? On the concepts of legal pluralism, living law and societal constitutionalism; Power in sovereignty and its popular legitimation: on the semantics and contingency of popular sovereignty. Part III Theories and Systems: The evolution of the EU's political and legal autopoiesis: on the self-reference of European polity; Desiring a democratic European polity: the post-sovereign EU governed by sovereign Member States. Postscript: sovereignty of popular memories: a critique of political existentialism; Bibliography; Index.


As the use of automated social media analysis tools surges, concerns over accuracy of analytics have increased. Some tentative evidence suggests that sarcasm alone could account for as much as a 50% drop in accuracy when automatically detecting sentiment. This paper assesses and outlines the prevalence of sarcastic and ironic language within social media posts. Several past studies proposed models for automatic sarcasm and irony detection for sentiment analysis; however, these approaches result in models trained on training data of highly questionable quality, with little qualitative appreciation of the underlying data. To understand the issues and scale of the problem, we are the first to conduct and present results of a focused manual semantic annotation analysis of two datasets of Twitter messages (in total 4334 tweets), associated with; (i) hashtags commonly employed in automated sarcasm and irony detection approaches, and (ii) tweets relating to 25 distinct events, including, scandals, product releases, cultural events, accidents, terror incidents, etc. We also highlight the contextualised use of multi-word hashtags in the communication of humour, sarcasm and irony, pointing out that many sentiment analysis tools simply fail to recognise such hashtag-based expressions. Our findings also offer indicative evidence regarding the quality of training data used for automated machine learning models in sarcasm, irony and sentiment detection. Worryingly only 15% of tweets labelled as sarcastic were truly sarcastic. We highlight the need for future research studies to rethink their approach to data preparation and a more careful interpretation of sentiment analysis.


The effect of climatic factors on wood anatomy of the alien red oak (Quercus rubra L.) growing in three experimental plantations in Latvia was assessed by classical dendrochronological techniques. Two tree-ring proxies – tree-ring width (TRW) and mean area of earlywood vessel lumen (VLA) – were studied on 33 trees. Annual variation of TRW amongst trees was similar (mean r = 0.46), but there was more individuality in VLA (mean r = 0.26); nevertheless, chronologies of both proxies had rather synchronous variation amongst the sites. Annual variation of TRW was affected by factors related to water deficit in late summer, as suggested by the negative effect of temperature and positive effect of precipitation that have intensified during the 20th century, likely due to warming. Although weather conditions during the dormant period did not directly affect TRW, temperature during the autumn-spring period has been the main climatic determinant of VLA likely via influence on overwintering and hence vigour of tree. This suggests that conductive properties of wood and hence the susceptibility to water deficit have been affected by weather conditions before the formation of tree rings. During the 20th century, sensitivity of VLA has shifted from temperature in winter to temperature in autumn likely due to climate change. Still, the positive effect of these factors suggests that warming of climate would increase VLA and hence the risk of embolism and xylem disfunction. Therefore, the importance of availability of water for growth of red oak in Latvia is increasing.


In this paper the sameness and difference between two distinguished Indian authors, Rokeya sakhawat Hossain (1880–1932) and Mahasweta Devi (b. 1926), representing two generations almost a century apart, will be under analysis in order to trace the generational transformation in women's writing in India, especially bengal. situated in the colonial and postcolonial frames of history, Hossain and Mahasweta Devi may be contextualized differently. at the same time their subjects are also differently categorized; the former is not particularly concerned with subalterns whereas the latter specifically focuses on the effect of race and class on gender. the quest for the 'self' and 'subjectivity' is more pertinent in the latter and consequently the appeal for agency is based on a crude power struggle. Hossain, a philanthropist who championed the woman question, believed that striving for equality should be a collective process which could be achieved by spreading awareness among fellow-inmates inhabiting the prison of patriarchy. Like Euro-american first-wave feminists, Rokeya advocated the necessity of education among women in order for them to be able to comprehend their plight and 'awake' for the cause. she addresses fundamental issues of feminism like education and the systematized claustrophobia within the domestic space. Whereas Mahasweta Devi, has been an activist writer who is regarded as the brand ambassador for the support of the marginalized, deprived and denotified tribes of India. It is her mission to provide succour to the marginalized sections, especially tribes from the Purulia district of West bengal, like the Kherias and shabars. as an activist writer she explores tribal life and allied socio-political issues which reflect their agony.


The idea of monitoring our reservoirs spatially in three dimensions with discrete snapshots (time-lapse measurements) along the production (or injection) time axis is extremely compelling but of course, as we have found, it is not as straightforward as one might initially anticipate. However, by persevering we have noted a long list of direct and indirect benefits too numerous to elaborate. The methods tell us how wells perform (particularly long-reach horizontals), how the field itself is responding to production and efforts to boost recovery, and greatly improve our understanding of the field in general.


When art teachers are asked to adopt a different teaching pedagogy, often little thought is given to the impact that those changes have on the lives of those teachers. This thesis answers the question: What are the possibilities and impediments of an experienced art teacher choosing to change art education pedagogy in mid-career? The author, a mid-career art educator investigates the experience of making a fundamental change to her teaching pedagogy. Drawing from the literature of holistic art education, pre-service elementary generalists in art methods courses, self-study methodology and grounded theory methods of analysis, this thesis documents the author's transition between teaching styles.

Having successfully taught in a teacher-centered/authoritarian style for nearly 15 years, she rewrote her pedagogy based on the literature of holistic art education, emphasizing a more student-centered teaching method. She then attempted to apply this new pedagogy while teaching an art methods course for pre-service elementary generalist teachers. The structure of this study is based on weekly, audio-recorded self-interviews she conducted after each class. These audio-recordings were used to track her emotional and cognitive responses as she worked toward integrating her new teaching pedagogy into practice.

This study uncovers the feelings of vulnerability, stress and mental and physical fatigue the author experienced as a result from making these changes. Yet opportunities for growth are revealed as well. She gained new insights into the experiences of her students, a better understanding of how to navigate change in the classroom and a renewed sense of purpose to her teaching practice.
 Drawing from these findings, the author presents a model for self-directed, holistic change to art education pedagogy that can help art teachers embrace and navigate change in their own classrooms.

This dissertation concludes with suggestions for future research in the following areas: the lives of mid-to-late career art educators whose voices are absent from the literature of art education; the notion of vulnerability in the lives of pre-service and early-career art teachers; and a longitudinal study on the long-term impact of holistic/student-centered art education pedagogy and elementary generalist teachers.


The focus of this article is on the role poetry writing plays in helping those bereaved or depressed to cope with their emotions. Through a therapeutic process of applying her thoughts to writing poetry, the author, mother of a special needs child, expresses herself and the trauma of her experience. The writer utilizes free verse to allow thoughts to freely form on the page instead of forcing them into a tightly constructed form that might hinder the therapeutic writing process.


This study aimed to determine the frequency of invasive fungal infection (IFI) in pediatric patients with hematologic malignancy who received amphotericin B oral suspension and early intravenous fluconazole during the neutropenic phase as prophylaxis for IFI. Records of 743 neutropenic episodes induced by cytotoxic chemotherapy between 1997 and 2008 were retrospectively reviewed to determine risk factors for and frequency of IFI. The overall frequency of IFI was 0.8% (n=6) and frequencies of proven, probable, and possible infections were 0.3% (n=2), 0.4% (n=3), and 0.1% (n=1), respectively. During 351 episodes of profound neutropenia (neutrophil count <500/&mgr;L for ≥14 d), overall incidence of IFI was 1.71% (n=6). Pulmonary aspergillosis was the most common causative agent, and no patients showed candidemia, or hepatosplenic candidiasis. Cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens for acute myelogenous leukemia and profound neutropenia were significantly associated with IFI (P=0.004 and P=0.009, respectively). No IFI-attributable deaths or breakthrough fungal infections occurred. Our results indicate that amphotericin B oral solution and early intravenous fluconazole may be effective in reducing the incidence and mortality of IFI in pediatric patients with hematologic malignancies.


An important aspect of the job of the 18,000 civil engineers in the Federal service is professionalism. A profession is defined in terms of: mental effort based on an educationally communicable body of knowledge, constant growth of the body of knowledge, dissemination of knowledge to all members, a society with professional requirements for membership, and standards of ethics and performance for all members. The paper covers various aspects of personal management problems the Federal government faces in dealing with civil engineers and other professionals. These are: identifying jobs that require professional competence, setting appropriate qualification requirements, recruiting high quality engineers and technicians, establishing career patterns that foster development and retention of engineers and technicians, providing training opportunities, identifying high potential for advancement, and providing for appropriate participation of professionals in employee management cooperation programs. The Civil Service Commission seeks the cooperation of civil engineers in achieving a top-notch Federal service.


Corruption continues to be one of the biggest societal challenges of our time. New hope is placed in Artificial Intelligence (AI) to serve as an unbiased anti-corruption agent. Ever more available (open) government data paired with unprecedented performance of such algorithms render AI the next frontier in anti-corruption. Summarizing existing efforts to use AI-based anti-corruption tools (AI-ACT), we introduce a conceptual framework to advance research and policy. It outlines why AI presents a unique tool for top-down and bottom-up anti-corruption approaches. For both approaches, we outline in detail how AI-ACT present different potentials and pitfalls for (a) input data, (b) algorithmic design, and (c) institutional implementation. Finally, we venture a look into the future and flesh out key questions that need to be addressed to develop AI-ACT while considering citizens' views, hence putting"society in the loop".


The article consists of five parts, where the first part formulates the problem, aim and objectives of the article. The aim of the article is to conduct a study of brand im-age and provide recommendations for brand image en-hancement after theoretical analysis of the process of brand image formation. The aim is achieved with the help of the objectives formulated that seek: 1) to define and prove the conception of brand image theoretically, 2) to analyze the process of brand image formation, 3) to carry out the research on brand image, 4) to provide recom-mendations for brand image strengthening. The tools of classical marketing do not help answering the question why some brands are so unique or why the image of par-ticular brands is better in comparison with others. There-fore, the article analyzes the problem how a positive brand image should be developed. The second part of the article reveals the conception of brand image. Various models of brand image are pre-sented and the importance of brand positioning in the process of positive brand image formation is proved in the same part as well. The third part introduces and describes the modified model of brand image formation, enumerating three and the main phases of brand image formation that are brand identity, brand positioning and brand image. The results of the empirical study of brand image are presented in the fourth part of the article. Conducting the empirical study of brand image the methods of qualitative and quantitative studies were employed. The aim of the empirical study was to examine Fizz brand image. The summary of the results and the recommendations for Fizz brand enhancement are presented after the empirical study of Fizz brand positioning and Fizz brand. The last part provides the final conclusions for brand image formation.


Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background and Purpose: The role of regional hypoperfusion as a contributor to stroke risk in atherosclerotic vertebrobasilar disease has recently been confirmed by the observational VERiTAS (Vertebrobasilar Flow Evaluation and Risk of Transient Ischemic Attack and Stroke) Study. We examined the stability of hemodynamic status over time and its relationship to stroke risk in patients from this prospective cohort. Methods: VERiTAS enrolled patients with recently symptomatic ≥50% atherosclerotic stenosis/occlusion of vertebral and/or basilar arteries. Large vessel flow in the vertebrobasilar territory was assessed using quantitative magnetic resonance angiography, and patients were designated as low or normal flow based on distal territory regional flow, incorporating collateral capacity. Patients underwent standard medical management and follow-up for primary outcome event of vertebrobasilar territory stroke. Quantitative magnetic resonance angiography imaging was repeated at 6, 12, and 24 months. Flow status over time was examined relative to baseline and relative to subsequent stroke risk using a cause-specific proportional hazard model, with flow status treated as a time-varying covariate. Mean blood pressure was examined to assess for association with changes in flow status. Results: Over 19±8 months of follow-up, 132 follow-up quantitative magnetic resonance angiography studies were performed in 58 of the 72 enrolled patients. Of the 13 patients with serial imaging who had low flow at baseline, 7 (54%) had improvement to normal flow at the last follow-up. Of the 45 patients who had normal flow at baseline, 3 (7%) converted to low flow at the last follow-up. The mean blood pressure did not differ in patients with or without changes in flow status. The time-varying flow status remained a strong predictor of subsequent stroke (hazard ratio, 10.3 [95% CI, 2.2–48.7]). Conclusions: There is potential both for improvement and worsening of hemodynamics in patients with atherosclerotic vertebrobasilar disease. Flow status, both at baseline and over time, is a risk factor for subsequent stroke, thus serving as an important prognostic marker. Registration: URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00590980.


Background. The number of reproductive-aged women with cancer, who desire child bearing, has increased with improvements in cancer detection and treatment. Cancer treatments have the potential to cause germline mutations that might increase the risk of cancer in the progeny of cancer patients. the aim of the study was to assess the feasibility of reducing the long-term side effects of Etoposide on the progeny of rats using Glutaxim. material and methods. Forty-five white outbred female Wistar rats, 2.5-month-old, were divided into 3 groups. Group I consisted of 15 intact rats. Group II comprised 15 rats treated with cytostatic drug (the control group). Group III consisted of 15 rats treated with Glutoxim® (Glutayil-Cysteinyl-Glycine, Pharma Vam Ltd., Russia) at a dose of 50 μg/kg 5 days before and 5 days after receiving cytostatic drug. results. An increase in the number of fetuses with external hemorrhages and pathological changes in internal organs was found in the progeny of female rats receiving Etoposide 3 months before mating. The progeny experienced a decrease in the rate of formation of sensory-motor reflexes, ability to learn and adaptive behavior. All studied parameters did not differ from background values in the progeny of female rats treated with combination of Etoposide and Glutoxim. conclusion. Glutaxim is the effective drug for correction of pathological changes in the progeny of female rats receiving cytostatic drugs.


Our work is set in the framework of complex dynamical systems and, more precisely, that of Boolean automata networks modeling regulation networks. We study how the choice of an update schedule impacts on the dynamics of such a network. To do this, we explain how studying the dynamics of any network updated with an arbitrary block-sequential update schedule can be reduced to the study of the dynamics of a different network updated in parallel. We give special attention to networks whose underlying structure is a circuit, that is, Boolean automata circuits. These particular and simple networks are known to serve as the "engines'' of the dynamics of arbitrary regulation networks containing them as sub-networks in that they are responsible for their variety of dynamical behaviours. We give both the number of attractors of period $p$, $\forall p\in \mathbb{N}$ and the total number of attractors in the dynamics of Boolean automata circuits updated with any block-sequential update schedule. We also detail the variety of dynamical behaviours that such networks may exhibit according to the update schedule.


A total of five specimens of Allactaga hotsoni were captured in Khorasan and Yazd provinces, Iran, in summer 2004 and 2005. The specimens are similar to those described previously from Baluchistan of Iran and Afghanistan. For the first time a karyological study was carried out to make a comparison with the other species. On the basis of karyological study there is not any significant difference in chromosome number from other species of Allactaga (2n=48, NFa=92). Previously this species was reported from Baluchistan and National Kavir Park near Siah-Kuhe. In this study A. hotsoni is reported for the first time from the study areas.


In this article we examined how voluntary and self-organizing efforts contributed to disaster resiliency in a rural community in Central Florida. We analyzed data from a focus group with farmworkers in Central Florida to investigate how self-organizing collective action can help develop more resilient communities in socially vulnerable populations. We identified three major themes within our coding scheme: past disaster experiences, self-organizing collective action, and challenges to self-organizing collective action and resilience. The results indicated that past disaster experiences provided an opportunity for these farmworkers to mobilize their social capital and network partnerships to self-organize and develop disaster resilience. The findings indicated that self-organizing collective action could be effective in creating disaster resilience, even in socially vulnerable populations. Nonetheless, the results also indicated certain challenges to self-organizing collective action and resilience such as: language barriers, an anti-immigrant sentiment, poor relations with law enforcement, and lack of work. These challenges are constant reminders that the goal of creating truly disaster resilient communities cannot be reached if these conditions are not lessen or eradicated.


This paper is based on a survey of design and technology initial and in-service teacher training in the England. The survey was devised by the members of the Design and Technology Association (DATA) Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Advisory Group and sent to Design and Technology (D&T) Initial Teacher Training (ITT) providers. The aim of the survey was to build an overall picture of the situation for D&T to identify ways of supporting ITE at a time when recruitment for future D&T teachers is a key issue in schools in the UK. The data requested included the name of provider, contact name and specific course details, backgrounds of trainees entering the courses, staffing, resources, planned changes and INSET for staff, partnership schools, the impact of Ofsted/HMI inspections and any additional comments. Reference is made to recent developments and government initiatives resulting in changes in the school curriculum, in-service training and teacher training. The results of the survey are presented, a number of key issues discussed and recommendations made for ways forward.


The cholesterol-depleting drug methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (Me-beta-CD) was tested for its effects on amphibian oocyte maturation, cholesterol depletion, and low-density membrane recovery. Progesterone-induced oocyte maturation was accelerated by pretreatment of cells with 5-50 mM Me-beta-CD in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment of oocytes with 50 mM Me-beta-CD alone was sufficient to induce germinal vesicle breakdown, stimulate formation of meiotic spindles, and stimulate phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase over time courses longer than those observed after progesterone treatment. After short-term (30 min) labeling of oocytes with [(3)H]cholesterol, 30-90 min of treatment with 5-50 mM Me-beta-CD removed 50%-70% of cell- associated label, and cholesterol depletion was not observed with alpha-cyclodextrin. After long-term (20-23 h) labeling of oocytes with [(3)H]cholesterol, Me-beta-CD treatment resulted in dose- dependent cholesterol depletion in the 5-50 mM range, and 50 mM Me-beta-CD removed approximately 50% of cell-associated label after 9 h. Treatment of oocytes with 5-50 mM Me-beta-CD also decreased recovery of low-density membrane by detergent-free sucrose gradient centrifugation. These results implicate cholesterol and low-density membrane domains in the signaling mechanisms leading to germinal vesicle breakdown in amphibian oocytes.


This paper describes the design and construction of an autonomous indoor coaxial rotorcraft system with onboard vision processing capability. A radio-controlled (RC) helicopter was modified and upgraded with essential avionics and processing elements for autonomous flight. This paper shows that in an indoor environment, where GPS signals are unavailable, vision-based navigation system can be used as a substitution. An embedded vision system that is compact and light enough to be carried by indoor UAVs is integrated into the control loop. The system has been successfully tested and the UAV was able to follow a painted track on the ground autonomously.


A generalized switch-and-examine combining (GSEC) scheme was previously proposed by the authors as a low-complexity diversity technique for diversity-rich environments. In this letter, we extend the study of GSEC to independent and nonidentically distributed (i.n.d.) fading environments. In particular, after presenting the mode of operation of the GSEC scheme over i.n.d. fading paths, we analyze its error performance based on the moment generating function of combined signal-to-noise ratios. We then study its complexity in terms of the average number of path estimations. We finally investigate the effect of path examination order on the performance and complexity of GSEC over i.n.d. paths.


This article analyses main public management doctrines (traditional administration, NPM and post-NPM), assesses the doctrinal basis of public management reforms in the 2004–2010 period, provides suggestions concerning principles, directions and process of future public management reforms in Lithuania. Despite different political views and terms of various Governments, important decisions of public management reforms were based on the party logic, whose purpose is to strengthen political authority of the government in office. The implementation of the 'bureaucratic' public administration strategy, whose content was informed by the ideas of post-NPM, was initially unsuccessful because of limited political ownership and the legalistic approach. The XV Lithuanian Government undertook wide public management reforms based on the managerial doctrine with prevailing NPM characteristics. A mix of the party logic and the NPM doctrine could be contradictory and risky in Central and Eastern European countries. Also, the NPM has not yielded good results in Continental Europe, its solutions do not match Lithuania's problems and there is no solid empirical evidence about its effectiveness in Lithuania. Therefore, its application should be limited and selective during Lithuania's public management reforms. Post-NPM is the best doctrine for future public management reforms, whose implementation in Lithuania should be supported by broader political consensus, better inter-institutional cooperation and a more managerial implementation approach.


In the great majority of genomes, the use of positive charge increases, on average, approaching protein N-termini. Such charged residues slow ribosomes by interacting with the negatively charged exit tunnel. This has been proposed to be selectively advantageous as it provides an elongation speed ramp at translational starts. Positive charges, however, are known to orientate proteins in membranes by the positive-inside rule whereby excess charge lies on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane. Which of these two models better explains the N-terminal loading of positively charged amino acids? We find strong evidence that the tendency for average positive charge use to increase at termini is exclusively due to membrane protein topology: 1) increasing N-terminal positive charge is not found in cytosolic proteins, but in transmembrane ones with cytosolic N-termini, with signal sequences contributing additional charge; 2) positive charge density at N-termini corresponds to the length of cytoplasmically exposed transmembrane tails, its usage increasing just up until the membrane; 3) membrane-related patterns are repeated at C-termini, where no ramp is expected; and 4) N-terminal positive charge patterns are no different from those seen internally in proteins in membrane-associated domains. The overall apparent increase in positive charge across all N-termini results from membrane proteins using positive charge adjacent to the cytosolic leaflet, combined with a skewed distribution of where N-termini cross the plasma membrane; 5) while Escherichia coli was predicted to have a 5' ribosomal occupancy ramp of at least 31 codons, in contrast to what is seen in yeast, we find in ribosomal footprinting data no evidence for such a ramp. In sum, we find no need to invoke a translational ramp to explain the rising positive charge densities at N-termini. The membrane orientation model makes a full account of the trend.


Accelerated thermal cycling (ATC) tests were conducted to investigate an effect of thermal cycle conditions on thermal fatigue life of a chip size package (CSP) lead-free solder joint. A ternary Sn-Ag-Cu alloy was used as a lead-free solder material. For frequency of thermal cycle (1~3 cycles/h) and maximum (388~423 K) and minimum (223~273 K) temperatures investigated, the effects of them on thermal fatigue life of the solder joint were slight. On the contrary, correlation was recognized between temperature amplitude and thermal fatigue life of the solder joint. The thermal fatigue life increased with decreasing temperature amplitude. The relationship obeyed the Coffin-Manson's type equation.


This paper examines export behaviour of manufacturing firms in Indonesia. We use firm-level data from survey of medium and large Indonesian manufacturing industries over the period 1990-2000. Using panel data regression technique, we find the following regularities. First, there is a persistency in the firm's decision to export as well as proportion of exported output. Second, higher wage, larger number of production employment, higher productivity and higher share of foreign ownership lead to higher probability of a firm to export. Third, higher wage leads to higher proportion of exported output. However, higher productivity or higher share of foreign ownership leads to lower proportion of exported output. Fourth, while real exchange rate does not significantly affect the probability of firms to export, it significantly affects the proportion of exported output. Fifth, both probability to export and proportion of exported output was significantly much lower during the 1997/1998»s Asian crisis. Finally, looking at the export behaviour across industries, the estimation results show that there is a variation of export behavior across industries.


Abstract Little information is available regarding how young lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals enter homelessness. This qualitative study documents the variations in LGBTQ + youth's pathways to homelessness via 16 interviews with youths aged 17–25 years. All LGBTQ + youths reported having lived in a family environment marked by neglect, which had led to the loss of self-confidence and trust in their families. These experiences of family neglect constitute the starting point of three different trajectories toward homelessness: (1) being evicted by families that perpetuate heterocisnormative victimization; (2) aging out of youth protection services without a safety net upon exiting; and (3) fleeing from bullying at school in search of freedom and support. Results show the importance of developing homelessness prevention strategies for LGBTQ + youth that consider the heterocisnormativity experienced in their different life environments.


The master curve approach is a new concept for a fracture mechanics-basedintegrity assessment of pressurized engineering construction. It permits the determinationof fracture toughness properties with small-size specimens under quasi-static loadingconditions. The transfer of the quasi-static master curve approach to dynamical loadinglike Charpy impact testing would be expedient but is not trivial. In principle, the mastercurve approach seems to be applicable for dynamic loading. The detailed statisticalanalysis of the results, however, shows several shortcomings. The test temperature affectssignificantly the reference temperature, To. With small Charpy-size specimens valid valuesare only obtained if tested within the upper part of the lower shelf region. Approximately,the experimental results are compatible to the Weibull-distribution of the master curveconcept.


Background: Pulsed-field ablation (PFA) is a tissue-selective, nonthermal cardiac ablation modality. A novel PFA ablation system consisted of a multichannel irreversible electroporation generator system and a multielectrode circular irreversible electroporation catheter has been developed for catheter ablation. To understand the progression and immediate impacts of PFA, this study evaluated the subchronic (7±3 day) and chronic (30±3 day) safety and performance of the novel PFA system when simulating pulmonary vein and superior vena cava isolation in a porcine beating heart model. Methods: Ten swine models were divided into subchronic (n=6) and chronic cohorts (n=4). Lesions were performed within the right and left atrium to conduct right pulmonary veins and superior vena cava isolations, in addition to creating stacked lesions in the left atrium roof and right atrium posterior wall. Results: Acute pulmonary vein and superior vena cava isolation were achieved in 10 out of 10 swine and demonstrated 100% lesion durability in both cohorts, including sustained elimination of electrical activity at the left atrium roof and right atrium posterior wall. Histology demonstrated that all the cardiac sites ablated showed discrete zones of loss of myocardial fibers or smooth muscle cells with preservation of the tissue architecture with resultant fibrocellular replacement, neovascularization, and neocollagen deposition. Mineralization findings were present in association with residual necrotic muscle fibers. Only in 7 days group, areas of mineralization were frequently associated with inflammation. There were no treatment-related changes in other tissues, including complete sparing of the phrenic nerve. Conclusions: Pulsed-field ablation for pulmonary vein and superior vena cava isolation with the novel PFA system was feasible, safe with myocardial-specific ablative effect. Durable lesions were observed at the target areas. with inflammation phenomena mainly documented at 7 days.


In this study, the effectiveness of measure and transition phenomenon of traffic congestion were analyzed with a series of data from model development to ex post evaluation of traffic congestion.As the result, it was found that considering the range and factor of reproducing traffic congestion in the traffic simulation model was important. The study also identified the importance of acquiring knowledge from ex post evaluation of congestion measures based on local characteristics and other restrictions.As the future work, it is necessary to analysis the relation of congestion transition amount and congestion measures by inquiring real examples.


This research investigated the relationships between potential constraints to students' access to technological resources and student academic performance. Longitudinal data from 2010 (n=228), 2011 (n=340) and 2012 (n=347) from South African accounting students was used to test the relationships between technological resources access and student academic performance using correlation analysis, multiple linear regression analysis and factor analysis. Access to the latest software was found to be associated with student academic performance; a 'digital divide' between students may influence their academic performance. This research specifically identifies certain constraints potentially associated with a 'digital divide' that may influence student performance. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n23p2234


Proxy reports in survey research are widely used when the index individual is unavailable or somehow incapacitated by age or disability. Proxy reports are plagued by concerns about accuracy, however, and self-reports are generally preferred when objective measurement is not possible. This paper uses the Young Lives Study of International Child Poverty to assess the validity and utility of adolescent self-reported health (SRH) and the conventional parent's proxy report. Using multivariate regression models and the framework of convergent validity, I find evidence for the validity of both proxy and self-reports, although proxy reports appear to be slightly more robustly associated with available physical health information. Exploratory multiple imputation simulations suggest that researchers should request both proxy and self-reports in household surveys; having both substantially improves the imputation of one if it is missing or implausible. Along with a moderate correlation between the two reports, these results suggest that proxy and self-reports of adolescent's general health status are not interchangeable and may complement one another.


P-glycoprotein (Pgp), the ATP-binding cassette multidrug transporter, exhibits a drug (substrate)-stimulatable ATPase activity, and vanadate (Vi) inhibits this activity by stably trapping the nucleoside diphosphate in the Pgp·ADP·Vi conformation. We recently demonstrated that Vi-induced 8-azido-[α-32P]ADP trapping into Pgp in the absence of substrate occurs both in the presence of 8-azido-[α-32P]ATP (following 8-azido-ATP hydrolysis) or 8-azido-[α-32P]ADP (without hydrolysis) and, the transition state intermediates generated under either condition are functionally indistinguishable. In this study, we compare the effect of substrates on Vi-induced 8-azido-[α-32P]ADP trapping into Pgp under both non-hydrolysis and hydrolysis conditions. We demonstrate that whereas substrates stimulate the Vi-induced trapping of 8-azido-[α-32P]ADP under hydrolysis conditions, they strongly inhibit Vi-induced trapping under non-hydrolysis conditions. This inhibition is concentration-dependent, follows first order kinetics, and is effected by drastically decreasing the affinity of nucleoside diphosphate for Pgp during trapping. However, substrates do not affect the binding of nucleoside diphosphate in the absence of Vi, indicating that the substrate-induced conformation exerts its effect at a step distinct from nucleoside diphosphate-binding. Our results demonstrate that during the catalytic cycle of Pgp, although the transition state, Pgp·ADP·Pi(Vi), can be generated both via the hydrolysis of ATP or by directly providing ADP to the system, in the presence of substrate the reaction is driven in the forward direction, i.e. hydrolysis of ATP. These data suggest that substrate-stimulated ATP hydrolysis by Pgp is a vectorial process.


Experiments on model surfaces commonly help in identifying the structural sensitivity of catalytic reactions. Nevertheless, their conclusions do not frequently lead to devising superior "real-world" catalysts. For instance, this is true for single-crystal platinum electrodes and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), an important reaction for sustainable energy conversion. Pt(111) is substantially enhanced by steps, reaching a maximum at short terrace lengths of 3-4 atoms. Conversely, regular platinum nanoparticles with similar undercoordinated defects are less active than Pt(111) and their activity increases alongside the terrace-to-defect ratio. We show here that a model to design ORR active sites on extended surfaces can also be used to solve this apparent contradiction and provide accurate design rules for nanoparticles. Essentially, only surfaces and nanostructures with concave defects can surpass the activity of Pt(111), whereas convex defects are inactive. Importantly, only the latter are present in regular nanoparticles, which is why we design various concave nanoparticles with high activities.


The structural abnormalities that correlate with the clinical manifestations of HIV-associated dementia (HIVD) are unclear. In a prospectively categorized group of patients with and without HIVD who were followed to autopsy, we correlated HIV-related neuropathologic changes with the presence and severity of HIVD. We also assessed the effect of antiretroviral therapy on the neuropathologic changes. Finally, using reverse transcriptase-poly-merase chain reaction on homogenized brain tissue, we correlated the relative expression of mRNA for tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) with cognitive impairment and with the patterns of neuropathologic changes. The presence of multinucleated giant cells and diffuse myelin pallor were specific for HIVD, but these pathologic changes occurred in only 50% of patients with dementia. Patients treated with antiretroviral agents for >12 months were less likely to show multinucleated giant cells or diffuse myelin pallor. Levels of mRNA for TNF-α from frontal subcortical white matter were significantly greater in patients with HIVD than in AIDS patients without dementia or in seronegative controls. We conclude that routine histopathologic examination of the brain fails to detect multinucleated giant cells and diffuse myelin pallor in 50% of patients dying with HIVD. This suggests that more subtle neuropathologic correlates for the clinical manifestations of HIVD exist. Our observations of elevated levels of TNF-α mRNA in HIVD indicate that indirect mechanisms of brain dysfunction, such as abnormal cytokine expression, may contribute to the pathogenesis of HIVD.


Electrical Energy is the life stream of progress for any nation and it is all the more vital in a developing country like India. The energy in electrical form is most widely used since it can be converted into any other form efficiently. A power System Network consists of variety of apparatus for generation, transmission and distribution spread over a large area serving to number of Industrial & Commercial consumers. When the power system is polluted with harmonics due to non linear load, unbalance prevailing between phases and bad voltage profile the quality of power supply becomes very inferior which hampers the power apparatus of both the utilities and the customers. Filters have gained a great attention owing to their applications as a solution to above issues. To make it distortion and ripple free filters are used at receiving end. These filtered signals may be used for further processing. This work is an attempt to simulate various filters such as Butterworth and Chebyshev Type I and Type II using MATLAB/SIMULINK. For flat band response Butterworth filter is used. Error probability will be less in Chebyshev filter.


Conventional approaches to the analysis of human well-being use money-metric
measures such as income or consumption. However, they are heavily criticised for
relying on a limited understanding of well-being. In recent decades, subjective
measures of well-being have been increasingly presented as providing a more
inclusive and holistic perspective of well-being. Using data from the National Income
Dynamics Study (NIDS), this dissertation examines the relationship between income,
a common money-metric measure of well-being, and life satisfaction, a key indicator
of subjective well-being. The results show that income and life satisfaction exhibit a
weak but significant positive relationship, one which is stronger at lower levels of
income. In addition to income, the analysis identifies a number of other significant
correlates of subjective well-being. Furthermore, several differences in the correlates
of income and life satisfaction are detected. These results highlight how subjective
well-being measures can include information about people's lived experiences in
ways that are not fully captured in objective money-metric measures.


The proposed project is intended to design an access control system using GSM technology. GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) is a digital mobile telephony system that uses a variation of Time Division Multiple Accesses (TDMA) and most widely uses the three digital wireless telephony technologies i.e., TDMA, CDMA & FDMA. The present project is an innovative idea for providing security by restricting the access of certain areas to certain people only. In this case of security, the opening & closing of the gate of the restricted areas is done through SMS. A GSM modem is used for this purpose. It allows only authenticated SIM cards or number for the access purpose rejecting all other unauthenticated SIM card users. When an 'OPEN 'SMS is sent, the gate opens up and then closes automatically.


The effect of suckling on depletion of hypothalamic LHRH from the median eminence (ME) following ovariectomy (OVX) was determined in cattle. Multiparous, postpartum Holstein cows were assigned randomly to three groups: intact, nonsuckled (INT, n = 4); ovariectomized (3 to 5 d after parturition), nonsuckled (OVX, n = 4); and ovariectomized (3 to 5 d after parturition) and suckled by three calves (OVX-S, n = 5). Blood samples were collected at three periods (1 to 7 d before parturition and 3 to 5 d and 31 to 37 d after parturition) to determine plasma LH concentration. At 31 to 37 d after parturition, all cows were slaughtered and each ME was collected and mid-sagitally sectioned. The left half of each ME was used to determine content and concentration of LHRH. Concentrations of LH and LHRH were determined by RIA. Plasma LH concentration was similar among the three groups at 1 to 7 d before parturition and 3 to 5 d after parturition; however, at 31 to 37 d after parturition, OVX cows had a greater (P less than .05) concentration of LH (2.25 +/- .64 ng/ml) than either INT (.47 +/- .10 ng/ml) or OVX-S (.92 +/- .14 ng/ml) cows. Content of LHRH in the ME of INT (80.12 +/- 15.0 ng) and OVX-S 109.8 +/- 16.4 ng) cows was similar but was greater (P less than .05) than that in OVX cows (48.95 +/- 5.9 ng).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Early career teachers face a range of challenges in their first years of teaching and how these challenges are managed as career implications. Based on current literature, this paper presents a model of early career teacher resilience where resilience is seen as a process located at the interface of personal and contextual challenges and resources. Through a semi-structured interview the challenges faced by 13 Australian early career teachers and the resources available to manage these challenges are examined. Findings show that beginning teachers experience multiple, varied and ongoing challenges and that personal and contextual resources are both important in sustaining them through the beginning year(s) of their teaching careers. The study emphasises the critical roles played by family and friends and the importance of relationships in the resilience process. Implications for future research and teacher education are discussed.


Two monomeric copper complexes [CuII(sal-ppzH)Cl2] (1) and [CuII(hyap-ppzH)Cl2] (2) were synthesized by reacting CuCl2·2H2O with the monobasic tridentate Schiff-base ligands [Hsal-ppz] (I) and [Hyap-ppz] (II) (derived by reacting 1-(2-aminoethyl) piperazine with salicylaldehyde and 2-hydroxyacetophenone) respectively. Elemental analysis, IR, UV-Vis, 1H NMR and 13C NMR data confirm the structures of the ligands and those of the complexes. Both complexes are monomeric in nature in the solid state and in solution as well. Single crystal XRD data suggest a distorted square pyramidal geometry for 1 crystallized in the P space group. DFT studies established a similar molecular structure for 2. The synthesized metal complexes [CuII(sal-ppzH)Cl2] (1) and [CuII(hyap-ppzH)Cl2] (2) successfully catalyzed the oxidation of 3,5-di-tert-butylcatechol (3,5-DTBC) in methanol in the presence of H2O2 with high Kcat values of 1.182 × 104 mmol h−1 and 2.880 × 104 mmol h−1, respectively. [CuII(sal-ppzH)Cl2] (1) and [CuII(hyap-ppzH)Cl2] (2) were also anchored into the polymeric matrix of chloromethylated polystyrene and were analyzed by TGA, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), EPR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) as well as energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The polymer grafted metal complexes were used as catalyst precursors in the oxidative bromination of salicylaldehyde in the presence of H2O2, KBr and HClO4. Under optimized reaction conditions, both catalysts show nearly quantitative oxidative bromination of salicylaldehyde, with the order of % products formed being 5-bromosalicylaldehyde > 3,5-dibromosalicylaldehyde > 3-bromosalicylaldehyde. Plausible reactive species involved in the catalytic cycle are identified by UV-Vis spectroscopy, pH metric titration, ESI-MS, EPR and DFT studies.


Myxococcus xanthus, a bacterium that forms fruiting bodies, moves by gliding motility utilizing dual motility systems that differ both genetically and morphologically [system A, having at least 21 genetic loci and moving mainly single cells, and system S, having at least 10 genetic loci and moving groups (rafts) of cells] [Hodgkin, J. & Kaiser, D. (1979) Mol. Gen. Genet. 172, 177-191]. In this study, we found that A- and S-gliding-motility systems have different selective advantages on surfaces containing different concentrations of agar. We observed that colonies of A+S- cells (A-motile cells) swarmed better than A-S+ cells (S-motile cells) on relatively firm and dry surfaces (e.g., 1.5% agar). In contrast, colonies of A-S+ cells swarmed much better than A+S- cells on soft and wet surfaces (e.g., 0.3% agar). Individual A-motile cells moved at a rate of 2-4 microns/min on 1.5% agar but they barely moved on 0.3% agar (< 0.5 microns/min); in contrast S-motile cells moved 3-5 times faster on 0.3% agar than on 1.5% agar. Wild-type cells with both A- and S-motility systems were able to move well over a wide range of surfaces. These results suggest that dual motility systems enable the myxobacteria to adapt to a variety of physiological and ecological environments and show similarities in function to the dual motility systems of flagellated bacteria such as Vibrio spp.


We investigate the cosmic evolution of the absolute and specific star formation rate (SFR, sSFR) of galaxies as derived from a spatially resolved study of the stellar populations in a set of 366 nearby galaxies from the Calar Alto Legacy Integral Field Area (CALIFA) survey. The sample spans stellar masses from M⋆ ~ 109 to 1012M⊙ and a wide range of Hubble types. The analysis combines images obtained with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX; far-ultraviolet and near-ultraviolet) and Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS; u, g, r, i, z) with the 4000 Å break, Hβ, and [MgFe]′ indices measured from the CALIFA data cubes to constrain parametric models for the star formation history (SFH), which are then used to study the cosmic evolution of the SFR density (ρSFR), the sSFR, the main sequence of star formation (MSSF), and the stellar mass density (ρ⋆). Several SFH laws are used to fit the observational constrains. A delayed-τ model, SFR ∝ (t0 − t)exp(−(t0 − t)∕τ), provides the best results, in good agreement with those obtained from cosmological surveys. Our main results from this model are that (a) the mass currently in the inner (≤0.5 half-light radius, HLR) regions formed at earlier epochs than the mass in the outer (1–2 HLR) regions of galaxies. The time since the onset of the star formation is longer in the inner regions (t0 ~ 13−10 Gyr) than in the outer ones (t0 ~ 11−9 Gyr) for all the morphologies, while the e-folding timescale τ in the inner region is similar to or shorter than in the outer regions. These results confirm that galaxies of any Hubble type grow inside-out. (b) The sSFR declines rapidly as the Universe evolves, and faster for early- than for late-type galaxies, and for the inner than for the outer regions of galaxies. (c) The evolution of ρSFR and ρ⋆ agrees well with results from cosmological surveys, particularly with the recent results from the Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA), the G10-Cosmological Evolution Survey (COSMOS), and the 3D Hubble Space Telescope (HST) survey. At low redshift, z ≤ 0.5, most star formation takes place in the outer regions of late spiral galaxies, while at z > 2, the inner regions of the progenitors of the current E and S0 are the main contributors to ρSFR. (d) Similarly, the inner regions of galaxies are the main contributor to ρ⋆ at z > 0.5, growing their mass faster than the outer regions, with a lookback time at 50% ρ⋆ of t50 ~ 9 and 6 Gyr for the inner and outer regions. (e) The MSSF follows a power law at high redshift, with the slope evolving with time but always remaining sub-linear, in good agreement with the Illustris simulation. (f) In agreement with galaxy surveys at different redshifts, the average SFH of CALIFA galaxies indicates that galaxies grow their mass mainly in a mode that is well represented by a delayed-τ model, with the peak at z ~ 2 and an e-folding time of ~3.9 Gyr.


It is becoming clear that immune responses are subject to modulation by the sympathetic nervous system. We examined the effect of chemical sympathectomy (to ablate peripheral sympathetic nerve fibers) on cytokine and Ab production in two strains of mice that are known to differ in their response to a variety of pathogens and in the dominant types of cytokines produced. C57Bl/6J mice produce a strong cell-mediated response, characterized by production of IL-2 and IFN-gamma, whereas BALB/cJ have a dominant humoral response, with production of IL-4 and IL-10. Animals were denervated by injection with 6-hydroxydopamine and immunized with keyhole limpet hemocyanin, and spleens were removed at various times after immunization. Denervation significantly increased the keyhole-limpet-hemocyanin-stimulated in vitro proliferation and IL-2 and IL-4 production by splenocytes from both strains. The increases were prevented by pretreatment with desipramine, which blocks the uptake of 6-hydroxydopamine into the nerve fibers and subsequent nerve fiber destruction. Serum titers of IgM, IgG, IgG1, and IgG2a were also enhanced in the C57Bl/6J strain; BALB/cJ mice had a small increase in IgG1 only. These results suggest that one function of splenic innervation and transmitter release may be to modulate T helper cytokines, thereby partially regulating immune effector function. Our evidence is consistent with a model of immune regulation in which removal of sympathetic nervous system input enhances at least some parameters of immune responses.


We studied how project groups in a pharmaceutical organization communicate project content. The project groups are geographically dispersed, and operate in different time zones. In such project environments, synchronous or geographically bounded modes of communication channels (e.g., face to face meetings, telephone) are not always viable options. Instead, computer-based communication media such as email, project intranets and extranets become surrogate conduits for day-to-day project communication and exchange of project-related content. We examined the effect of different media configurations on the nature of content created by the project groups. We found that configuration decisions, notably the responsibility for content provision and who had access to content, influenced medium choice and the nature of communication taking place via the medium. More substantive content resulted when content provision was decentralized and access to content restricted to specific sub-groups. Content providers resorted to superficial use of "openly configured" Web-based media or used email if unsure who could access content, or if they suspected that recipients might lack the background to understand the communicated. We explain these findings by proposing a "triad" of three interrelated concepts arising from both media richness theory and genre theory: content, medium and genre. We argue that substantive use (and Scheepers & Nicolajsen 2 acceptance of the medium and content) occurs when there is a "fit" between genre,


Stephanie Jamison's contribution undertakes to think along with sacrifice and its performative and intellectual expressions. She thus challenges the view of interiorization as the resultant idea of an end of sacrifice as exterior performance. By clarifying these aspects Jamison points to instances of ritual speculation, for example the famous hymn of Puruṣa, the cosmic man, and the theme of interiorizing ritual in the earliest Vedic texts. The changes depicted apparently have more to do with what she labels "ritual inflation" rather than with the "death of ritual." By describing the complex activity of equating and substituting the cosmic and the mundane, in both the early and later Vedic texts, she emphasizes the centrality of sacrifice within Indian intellectual endeavours, both past and present.


Rough-and-tumble play, or play fighting, is common in the young of many mammals. Research on play fighting among rats shows that there are many levels of neural control over this behavior: subcortical mechanisms mediate the motivation and behavior of such play, and the cortex provides mechanisms by which the play changes with age and context. The cortical mechanisms help to explain the advantages playing offers the brain. The cortically induced modulations of the content of play with age ensure that exposure to particular kinds of experiences are enhanced during the critical juvenile period. These experiences, in turn, modify the development of other areas of the cortex. Such cortical changes appear to mediate the effects of play on the refinement of social skills. As a result, rats that play as juveniles are more socially competent as adults. This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research.


Preeclampsia is a frequent disorder with reported incidence in pregnancies. In Egypt, it complicates
6%-8% of pregnancies and reaches 15%
in referral centers. The
renin-angiotensin system activation during the early stages of Preeclampsia
proved to be a direct cause. Women carrying the D allele of the ACE-I/D polymorphism have higher
measures of uterine artery resistance, which is a marker for development of
intrauterine growth retardation and preeclampsia. The maternal syndrome of
preeclampsia (PE) during the latter half of pregnancy is believed to result from
impaired placentation in early gestation and a failure to develop low
resistance uteroplacental circulation. Aim:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the association with angiotensin
converting enzyme gene polymorphism and changes in its enzyme serum level in
preeclamptic patients compared to non preeclamptic control group together with
studying the changes in umbilical artery and uterine artery Doppler. Subjects: The study was conducted on 180
pregnant women allocated into two groups having the same inclusion and
exclusion criteria except for hypertension and proteinuria; each group
comprised of 90 pregnant women with matched age. Methods: Doppler study of umbilical and uterine arteries
and the detection of Angiotensin converting gene polymorphism by PCR with
Estimation of serum ACE in serum by ELISA technique. Results: The distribution of the ACE-I/D genotypes and allelic
frequencies in the present study of polymorphism was 37.8% for the DD, 48.9%
for the ID, 13.3% for the II in preeclampsia group while it was 33.3% for the
DD, 46.7% for the ID, and 20% for the II in the control group. There was no
significant difference between cases and controls regarding the cumulative D
effect. Conclusions: No
existence of a relation between preeclampsia and ACE gene polymorphism
considering different modes of inheritance whether is dominance or recessiveness. No effect of ACE gene polymorphism is on ACE serum level. Positive correlation between ACE gene polymorphism
and the uterine artery Doppler changes gives strong evidence that ACE gene may
have a role in the histopathological changes taking place in these vessels, therefore affecting maternal prognosis. It is unclear to explain this
mismatched ACE genetic influence on the incidence of preeclampsia, but
the multifactorial pathogenesis of the development and complication in
preeclampsia and also physician's intervention may contribute to the pregnancy
outcome. Recommendations: International collaborations, particularly among countries with
a high incidence of preeclampsia, may help to include participants with
different cultural and genetic backgrounds, which can provide further insight
into the etiology of the disease both genetic and environmental.


Volume renderers for interactive analysis must be sufficiently versatile to render a broad range of volume images: unsegmented "raw" images as recorded by a 3D scanner, labeled segmented images, multimodality images, or any combination of these. The usual strategy is to assign to each voxel a three component RGB color and an opacity value /spl alpha/. This so-called RGB/spl alpha/ approach offers the possibility of distinguishing volume objects by color. However, these colors are connected to the objects themselves, thereby bypassing the idea that in reality the color of an object is also determined by the light source and light detectors c.q. human eyes. The physically realistic approach presented, models light interacting with the materials inside a voxel causing spectral changes in the light. The radiated spectrum falls upon a set of RGB detectors. The spectral approach is investigated to see whether it could enhance the visualization of volume data and interactive tools. For that purpose, a material is split into an absorbing part (the medium) and a scattering part (small particles). The medium is considered to be either achromatic or chromatic, while the particles are considered to scatter the light achromatically, elastically, or inelastically. Inelastic scattering particles combined with an achromatic absorbing medium offer additional visual features: objects are made visible through the surface structure of a surrounding volume object and volume and surface structures can be made visible at the same time. With one or two materials the method is faster than the RGB/spl alpha/ approach, with three materials the performance is equal. The spectral approach can be considered as an extension of the RGB/spl alpha/ approach with greater visual flexibility and a better balance between quality and speed.


A large-scale Monte Carlo simulation study of the Ising model for the simple cubic lattice was recently performed by us. In this paper, we complement that study with the bcc, fcc and diamond lattices. Both the canonical and microcanonical ensembles are employed. We give estimates of the critical temperature and also other quantities in the critical region. An analysis of the critical behaviour points to distinct high- and low-temperature exponents, especially for the specific heat, as was also obtained for the simple cubic lattice, although the agreement is good between the different lattices. The source of this discrepancy is briefly discussed.


The increase in the distributed generation of electricity, with wind turbines and solar panels, necessitates investments in the distribution network. The current tariff regulation in the Dutch electricity industry, with its ex post evaluation of the efficiency of investments and the frontier shift in the x-factor, delays these investments.In the unbundled electricity industry, the investments in the network need to be coordinated with those in the distributed generation of electricity to enable the DSOs to build enough network capacity. The current Dutch regulations do not provide for a sufficient information exchange between the generators and the system operators to coordinate the investments.This paper analyses these two effects of the Dutch regulation, and suggests improvements to the regulation of the network connection and transportation tariffs to allow for sufficient network capacity and coordination between the investments in the network and in the generation of electricity. These improvements include locally differentiated tariffs that increase with an increasing concentration of distributed generators.


A new LC-MS based method was developed to detect three potential genotoxic impurities namely, N',N'''-(4,6-dichloropyrimidine-2,5-diyl)bis[N,N-dimethyl(imidoformamide)]} (Impurity-I), {N-(2-amino-4-chloro-6-{[(1S,2R)-2-(hydroxymethyl)cyclopent-3-en-1-yl]amino}pyrimidin-5-yl)formamide} (Impurity-II) and {(1R,5S)-5-[(2,5-diamino-6-chloropyrimidin-4-yl)amino]cyclopent-2-en-1-yl}methanol (Impurity-III), at low level in Abacavir sulfate, a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. It utilizes Zorbax phenyl hexyl column (150 mm x 4.6 mm, 3.5 μm) with electrospray ionization in selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode for quantitation of these PGIs. The method is able to quantify Impurity-I at 0.74 ppm, Impurity-II and Impurity-III at 0.73 ppm with respect to 5.0 mg/mL of Abacavir sulfate. The method was found to be linear in the range of LOQ to 150% of Toxicological Threshold Concentration level of 2.5 ppm. The correlation coefficients of PGI's obtained were >0.999 in each case. The method accuracy of these PGI's is in the range between 88.7-115.0%. The method is sensitive, specific, linear, accurate, precise and meets the criteria of validation as per International Conference on Harmonization.


In debates concerning the concepts of modernism and modernity, postmodernism and postmodernity, a recurring critique has been the denial of a political function for postmodernism due to its presumed lack of any effective means of intervention in political processes - chiefly through the putative existence of a gap between theory and practice. It will be argued that this critique is based on the acceptance of modernist criteria for what constitutes political effectivity as well as an endorsement of that dualism which sets up a fundamental separation between theory and practice. This thesis will argue that both postmodern performance and politics resist modernist appeals to metanarratives of totality and the centre, along with the dialectic and dualistic metaphysics which underpin these modernist criteria. This will require an interrogation of the polarising tendencies of both modernist politics and theatre which sought either to separate or collapse the incessant binaries of performance practice - such as those between mind and body, process and product, and representation and reality. It will be proposed that the deconstructive strategies of postmodernism serve to subvert this either/or dualism and set up in its place a performance model which acknowledges the space of play between the poles of these binary oppositions.

In short, the thesis will explore the relationships between politics, performance and postmodernism, specifically in order to argue that performance is the paradigm for postmodernism, and that postmodern politics and postmodern performance share a deconstructive mode of operation: a meansoriented process towards specific objectives, not final resolutions. The postmodern will be defined as a performance model – like deconstruction, endlessly deferring unequivocal meaning and final closure. It is the provisional and contingent strategies of performance which set the model for the postmodern. In turn, it will be argued that postmodern performance practices are not only more relevant than modernist political theatre forms in presenting political actualities as well as potentialities, but that they are also more accurate "representations" of the political and ontological "realities" of the late-twentieth century.

The thesis is in three parts. Part One analyses the relationships between modernism and postmodernism, focusing on the largely negative constructions of the postmodern and in turn, defining a postmodernism that evades the modernist criteria of its critics. The epistemologies and politics of both modernism and postmodernism are addressed - the former in terms of its adherence to a narrative model based on neo- Aristotelian prescriptions; the latter in terms of its performance characteristics - which work to evade entrapment in the dialectic.

Part Two addresses the concept of performance - firstly in modernist theatre, then in the diverse avant-gardes, and finally how it is defined in the postmodern. Major forms of Western modernist theatre are addressed - with a focus on Naturalism, and Dada - leading to the neo-avant-garde performance art of the 1960s to 1980s. It is argued that underpinning all of these forms is entrapment in a hierarchised binary model. Furthermore, it is argued that all of these avant-garde forms were, and are, eventually co-opted and absorbed due to their acceptance of the dialectic that necessarily demands an anti-movement.

Part Three first focuses on modernist political theatre in terms of its embracing of the dialectic and its inherent didacticism, and then on postmodern performance - and the attacks on it (as with postmodernism in general) for its seeming lack of an overt political stance, or programme. It is argued that the criteria used to define the political in these attacks are modernist criteria, and are no longer applicable to the postmodern. A major focus in this section is on the role of the spectator (in both modernist and postmodernist performance).

In the final chapter, the issue of a postmodern ethics will be addressed. It will be argued that it is the postmodern definition of aesthetics as differance which deconstructs universalist appeals to reason, truth, and justice - as well as a rigid subject/object dichotomy. The thesis concludes with a reinforcement of the argument: performance is the paradigm for postmodernism and its political practices. That is to say, performance is a deconstructive mode of do-ing, constantly aware of the tendency to lose self-reflexivity and seek closure rather than embrace the endless deferral of differance.


Extensive stratiform copper mineralization occurs in three upper Proterozoic embayments along a 250-km-long arcuate belt in the Mackenzie Mountains Supergroup, Northwest Territories, Canada. Mineralization is found in transgressive strata between the continental red beds of the Redstone River Formation and shallow restricted marine carbonates of the overlying Coppercap Formation. A mafic volcanic succession lying stratigraphically beneath the red beds possibly provided copper-bearing detritus to the red beds.The Coates Lake deposit, the object of this study, contains cupriferous sulfides (principally chalcocite, bornite, and chalcopyrite) hosted by microbial-laminated limestones and dolostones. These carbonates are intercalated with red siltstones to form as many as seven red bed-carbonate couplets within the 110-m-thick transition zone. Regional and local studies indicate that the host sediments were deposited in a peritidal setting associated with a sabkha environment.Paragenetic studies reveal a consistent order of precipitation for gangue and ore-forming minerals. These minerals can be related to the diagenetic evolution of the host sediments. Their presence at the Coates Lake deposit may be divided chronologically into four syngenetic to early diagenetic stages: syndiagenesis--precipitation of gypsum, anhydrite after gypsum, dolomitization; diagenesis 1--deposition of calcite with partial replacement of anhydrite, preore pyrite, authigenic silica with partial replacement of anhydrite and calcite, and authigenic feldspar; diagenesis 2--precipitation of copper-bearing sulfides in the presence of reduced sulfur, sulfate-reducing bacteria, and organic matter, and partial replacement of preore pyrite, anhydrite, calcite and quartz; and diagenesis 3--neomorphism of calcite. Mineralization, identified with the second stage of diagenesis, would have preceded the marked reduction in permeability associated with the formation of neomorphic calcite.


Abstract. Diversification of ecology into subdisciplines that run from macroecology to landscape, community, and population ecology largely reflects its specialization on different segments of the spatial gradient over which recognizable ecological patterns and processes occur. In all these cases, the elemental units involved in the patterns and processes of interest to ecologists are individuals from the same or different species. No distinct flavor of ecology has yet emerged that focuses on patterns and processes revolving around the lowermost end of the spatial gradient, which in the case of plants corresponds to the within-individual domain. Intraindividual heterogeneity in organ traits, however, is quantitatively important and has multiple consequences for plant individuals, populations, and communities, and for animal consumers as well. This paper first provides an overview of current knowledge on plant traits that vary subindividually, the magnitude of subindividual variation, and its spatial patterning. Examples will then be presented on the consequences of subindividual variation for plants and animal consumers at individual, population, or community levels. Finally, the recently emerging links between genetics, epigenetics, subindividual variation, and population ecology will be illustrated using results on variation in seed size, a functional plant trait playing an important role in plant population dynamics. Further observational and experimental studies are needed which link ecological and phenotypic measurements of plants to their epigenetic and genetic characteristics, in order to understand the three-way relationships between subindividual variability, genetic features, and epigenetic mosaicism. Another proposed line of inquiry should focus on evaluating whether subindividual epigenetic mosaics eventually translate into epigenetically heterogeneous progeny, thus contributing to the maintenance of population and community functional diversity.


Few figures inspire us like individuals who stand up for their rights and beliefs despite the peril that may follow. One cannot help but feel awe looking at the famous photograph of the lone Tiananmen Square protestor facing down a line of Red Army tanks, his willowy frame clothed in a simple white shirt and black pants as he holds a shopping bag. Or who can help but feel humbled by the courage of Rosa Parks, a seamstress, who finally had enough and was willing to be arrested rather than sit in the back of the bus.
But while these stories of everyday individuals acting with remarkable courage inspire us, we would hesitate to say that before a citizen can enjoy his or her constitutional rights that he or she must exhibit a similar fortitude. A close examination of the Court's cases, however, shows that the Court has imposed exactly such an expectation when it comes to the Fourth Amendment. The Court has repeatedly turned to the archetype of an idealized citizen – the "rugged individual" who will unflinchingly stand up to government authority – to define Fourth Amendment rights, and it has had disastrous consequences. The Court's use of the rugged individual has created an unrealistic threshold for exercising one's Fourth Amendment rights and is a primary reason why current Fourth Amendment doctrine has proven so impotent in addressing the severe problems with police-citizen encounters that have erupted across the country, from Seattle to Chicago to Ferguson to Baltimore, with each day's headlines seemingly adding another city to the list.
This Article will examine the Court's use of the rugged individual archetype in its Fourth Amendment jurisprudence and demonstrate how instead of promoting values like dignity and autonomy, the values that the archetype was intended to represent, it has actively undermined those values to devastating effect. Not only does the empirical evidence show that acting like the rugged individual is beyond the reach of most of the citizenry when confronted by the police, it also shows that the archetype when applied to minority communities creates an especially dangerous situation that alienates and effectively disenfranchises a large swath of citizens from their rights. The Article concludes by examining the various reasons the Court continues to rely on the rugged individual and why that reliance must change. In its place, the Article proposes a rights-bearing citizen as an archetype that far better promotes the Fourth Amendment's underlying values − an archetype that presumes that every citizen, whatever their race, income, or neighborhood, desires to exercise their Fourth Amendment rights and aligns Fourth Amendment jurisprudence with the realities of a police-citizen encounter.


Transform has over the last 30years set up several projects for treating oil contaminated water and sludge. Special attention has been to treat and recirculate wastewater from car, container and train wash. With this experience it was decided to test and acquire an EU Environmental Technology Verification. Result of this test is that the specific developed Rootzone soil filter can adapt and decompose oil contaminant. It is documented that the treated water can be recirculated or reused for irrigation or other purposes. Approval from EU was given on the 9th of January 2018, as the first and only approval by EU of treating oil contamination. This presentation is the first given since approval.


In recent years, the scale of datacenters has become larger due to the explosive increase in the amount of digital data. As a result, the growth of energy consumption is an important factor in the management cost of datacenters. Storing and processing such large volumes of data by database applications are the core technologies in this Big Data era. However, storage accounts for a significant percentage of a datacenter's energy consumption. Therefore, we try to reduce the energy of storage to save on the total cost of datacenters. The purpose of this study is to reduce the energy consumption of storage while minimizing the deterioration of application performance. Although many methods for storage energy saving have been discussed, since it is difficult to control it efficiently only at the storage level, we have investigated the storage power control mechanism on middleware (database) layer. In this paper, we use TPC-H (a database benchmark) as an application example of data processing. We evaluate the data placement control method of storage proposed for energy saving in the database runtime processing suitable for a largescale environment with many HDDs.


Obesity and lack of physical activity among children and adolescents are public health problems in the United States. This Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFP) evaluation measured program implementation in 13 middle schools and its effect on physical education practices, student fitness knowledge, and student physical activity and fitness levels. PYFP, a free program with the potential to positively affect student health and fitness outcomes, was designed to improve fitness education practices that are easily integrated into existing physical education programs. We used a 2-group (13 PYFP and 13 comparison schools) quasi-experimental design to collect FitnessGram assessments, accelerometry data, and surveys of students, physical education teachers, and administrators. Although the program was positively associated with student cardiovascular endurance and physical activity gains during the semester, schools underused professional development courses and fitness recognition resources.


Genes in prokaryotic genomes are often arranged into clusters and co-transcribed into polycistronic RNAs. Isolated examples of polycistronic RNAs were also reported in some eukaryotes but their presence was generally considered rare. Here we developed a long-read sequencing strategy to identify polycistronic transcripts in several mushroom forming fungal species including Plicaturopsis crispa, Phanerochaete chrysosporium, Trametes versicolor and Gloeophyllum trabeum1. We found genome-wide prevalence of polycistronic transcription in these Agaricomycetes, and it involves up to 8% of the transcribed genes. Unlike polycistronic mRNAs in prokaryotes, these co-transcribed genes are also independently transcribed, and upstream transcription may interfere downstream transcription. Further comparative genomic analysis indicates that polycistronic transcription is likely a feature unique to these fungi. In addition, we also systematically demonstrated that short-read assembly is insufficient for mRNA isoform discovery, especially for isoform-rich loci. In summary, our study revealed, for the first time, the genome prevalence of polycistronic transcription in a subset of fungi. Futhermore, our long-read sequencing approach combined with bioinformatics pipeline is a generic powerful tool for precise characterization of complex transcriptomes.


Credit risk analytics in R will enable you to build credit risk models from start to finish. Accessing real credit data via the accompanying website www.creditriskanalytics.net, you will master a wide range of applications, including building your own PD, LGD and EAD models as well as mastering industry challenges such as reject inference, low default portfolio risk modeling, model validation and stress testing. This book has been written as a companion to Baesens, B., Roesch, D. and Scheule, H., 2016. Credit Risk Analytics: Measurement Techniques, Applications, and Examples in SAS. John Wiley & Sons.


The United Kingdom's acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) refugees has been heralded as a progressive shift in asylum law. Indeed, the scope for the protection of sexual minorities under the Refugee Convention has expanded. The interpretation of the Convention definition of refugee in Article 1A(2) has been continuously adapted, especially the "particular social group" (PSG) category as well as the recognised scope of "well-founded fear of being persecuted." This thesis interrogates how "gay" refugees have been accepted under the Convention. The analysis considers the ways judicial decision-making has constructed the PSG and persecution of sexual minority asylum seekers. The sample consists of 22 appeals from 1999-2011 which were identified as major legal developments, beginning with the first significant recognition of "homosexual" refugees. Several additional tribunal determinations and key international cases are also considered. A socio-legal approach is taken to study the tensions between fluid sociological images of gender and sexuality and the fixed notions of identity found in the law (whether arising from individual cases, formal practice, or state imperatives). Through an examination of the legal discourse in the texts examined, the research deconstructs the jurisprudential debates in order to assess their impact on sexual minorities seeking asylum. This contextual, rather than doctrinal, approach reveals how the jurisprudence often obscures sociologically problematic assumptions made by adjudicators. This analysis offers an original contribution, concluding that UK protection is grounded on the assumption that sexual and gender identity are "immutable." Far from opening the UK to persecuted sexual minorities, the prevalence of this assumption significantly narrows the apparently "inclusive" construct of the refugee. Building on the findings, the thesis proposes that adjudication should focus on the persecutory intent to suppress non-conforming acts and identities (or norm deviance) in order to identify sexual minority refugees rather than the categories of LGBT. Additionally, framing determination in the terms of relational autonomy develops a better understanding of the conditions necessary to realise a non-conforming sexual and gendered life free of persecution. The concept of norm deviance decentres the assumption of a knowable truth of identity, and relational autonomy asserts that the deprivation of self-determination and rights to relate may constitute a well-founded fear of persecution.


We seek distributed protocols that attain the global optimum allocation of link transmitter powers and source rates in a cross-layer design of a mobile ad hoc network. Although the underlying network utility maximization is nonconvex, convexity plays a major role in our development. We provide new convexity results surrounding the Shannon capacity formula, allowing us to abandon suboptimal high-SIR approximations that have almost become entrenched in the literature. More broadly, these new results can be back-substituted into many existing problems for similar benefit. Three protocols are developed. The first is based on a convexification of the underlying problem, relying heavily on our new convexity results. We provide conditions under which it produces a globally optimum resource allocation. We show how it may be distributed through message passing for both rate- and power-allocation. Our second protocol relaxes this requirement and involves a novel sequence of convex approximations, each exploiting existing TCP protocols for source rate allocation. Message passing is only used for power control. Our convexity results again provide sufficient conditions for global optimality. Our last protocol, motivated by a desire of power control devoid of message passing, is a near optimal scheme that makes use of noise measurements and enjoys a convergence rate that is orders of magnitude faster than existing methods.


OBJECTIVE
The object of the present study is to show the spectrum of neurophysiological findings during clinical course of Miller Fisher syndrome (MFS), avoiding the controversy over a combined central and peripheral pathology.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
We report five patients with a syndrome of ophthalmoplegia, ataxia and areflexia. A similar episode had been suffered previously by 2 of these patients, 14 and 13 years before. In one of them the second episode evolved to a typical Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Motor and sensory conduction velocity of upper and lower limbs, F waves, blink-reflex and somatosensory evoked potentials were recorded in all cases. Needle electromyography in four and brainstem evoked potentials in three of them and the jaw-reflex in another one.

RESULTS
In all patients there was a markedly reduced amplitude of the distal sensory evoked response, and no signs of denervation in the EMG. The other results were variable both interindividually and intraindividually. The severity of abnormalities was also different between different patients. The clinical recovery was always accompanied by a improvement of neurophysiological parameters.

CONCLUSIONS
The electrophysiological findings in MFS can be variable but they appear always related with the clinical symptomatology. We report for the first time a case in whom the jaw-reflex was abnormal whereas the blink-reflex was normal.