In 2015 SAGE became aware of author misconduct concerning the suspected fabrication of identities, as well as the impersonation of legitimate individuals, to manipulate the peer review process across three separate journal publications. SAGE and the journal Editors immediately launched an investigation and have decided to retract the following articles for reasons of author misconduct. Alireza Karimi was the submitting author on 12 of the articles. SAGE regrets the academic record was compromised by manipulation of the peer review process and apologises to readers.


This paper describes the concept of "Smart Decarceration" and introduces the special issue of Criminal Justice and Behavior entitled "Research to Advance Smart Decarceration Policies, Programs, and Interventions." The concept of Smart Decarceration originated nearly a decade ago as the United States reached a tipping point in mass incarceration, and it focuses on three interrelated outcomes: substantially reducing the use of incarceration and other forms of punishment; reversing racial disparities and other inequities in the criminal justice system; and promoting safety and well-being, particularly for communities that have been most impacted by mass incarceration. Ultimately, Smart Decarceration efforts should prioritize reducing the overall footprint of the criminal justice system, while building capacity outside of the system to support safety, health, and well-being. Research plays a critical role in advancing Smart Decarceration, as new forms of knowledge and evidence must be developed to replace ineffective and unjust policies and practices associated with mass incarceration. The paper discusses approaches to research that move beyond typical criminal justice outcomes and focus on the multifaceted goals of Smart Decarceration. The six articles in this special issue are introduced, highlighting their foci across ecological levels and the breadth of the criminal justice continuum, centering populations most impacted by incarceration, and identifying practice and policy innovations.


This communication reports large magnitude (exceeding 1500 nm) and reversible reflection notch tuning in polymer stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals (PSCLCs) formulated with negative dielectric anisotropy (−Δe) hosts upon application of a direct current (DC) field. Selective and repeatable tuning ranges of 100 nm to 400 nm are demonstrated. The reflection changes are dictated by a nonlinear distortion of the pitch across the cell thickness, which is associated with electromechanical displacement of the polymer stabilizing network. The electro-optical control of the selective reflection in −Δe PSCLCs may have potential use in optics, displays, and other commercial products.


This article compares the relative effect of study abroad as opposed to foreign language instruction on an aspect of the L2 learner's grammatical development, namely the expression of past time in target language (TL) French. Based on a cross-sectional quantitative analysis of oral data elicited from Irish advanced learners, a number of differences and similarities emerge between the learners' development in the TL community and in the foreign language classroom. On the one hand, the more beneficial effect of study abroad is evident insofar as the study abroad learners attain a higher level of accuracy in their use of past time morphology across a more expansive range of aspectual contexts. On the other hand, however, similarities are also evident between the learners in both domains of acquisition. Based on a variationist analysis which controls for the effect of a number of linguistic factors on the learners' choice of past time marker (grammatical aspect, inherent lexical aspect, and discourse grounding), the learners' contextual use of past time morphology appears to be relatively similar. The results are firstly dicussed in relation to existing research evidence concerning the L2 learner's grammatical development during study abroad, and secondly, in relation to the question of the manifestation of grammatical development in the L2 learner.


The influence of different fermentation methods and turning of cocoa beans on the cocoa bean's quality was studied. Both shallow box covered with banana leaves (SBBL) and shallow box without banana leaves (SBWL) were used throughout fermentation (120 hours). The initial
microbial load for SBBL and SBWL was 5.35±0.18 and 5.19±0.21 log CFU/g before increased to 6.27±0.08 and 6.17±0.03 log CFU/g, respectively at the end of fermentation (120 hours). The titratable acidity of the cocoa beans increased steadily until 72 hours before decreased slightly to 1.34±0.07 (SBBL) and 0.75±0.15 (SBWL) at the latter stage of fermentation. The cocoa
beans fermented under SBBL were less acidic than those found in SBWL. Turned cocoa beans produced better quality of cocoa with less acidic compared to the one without turning. Cocoa beans with periodical turning recorded higher percentage of brown beans for both SBBL (73%)
and SBWL (69%); percentage of purple beans decreased to about 7-8% for cocoa fermented in respective methods mentioned above. No slaty beans were recorded throughout the study. This study suggests that the use of shallow box with banana leaves can produce cocoa beans with
superior quality.


Flash memory has accelerated the architectural evolution of storage systems with its unique characteristics compared to magnetic disks. The no-overwrite property of flash memory has been leveraged to efficiently support transactions, a commonly used mechanism in systems to provide consistency. However, existing transaction designs embedded in flash-based Solid State Drives (SSDs) have limited support for transaction flexibility, i.e., support for different isolation levels between transactions, which is essential to enable different systems to make tradeoffs between performance and consistency. Since they provide support for only strict isolation between transactions, existing designs lead to a reduced number of on-the-fly requests and therefore cannot exploit the abundant internal parallelism of an SSD. There are two design challenges that need to be overcome to support flexible transactions: (1) enabling a transaction commit protocol that supports parallel execution of transactions; and (2) efficiently tracking the state of transactions that have pages scattered over different locations due to parallel allocation of pages. In this paper, we propose LightTx to address these two challenges. LightTx supports transaction flexibility using a lightweight embedded transaction design. The design of LightTx is based on two key techniques. First, LightTx uses a commit protocol that determines the transaction state solely inside each transaction (as opposed to having dependencies between transactions that complicate state tracking) in order to support parallel transaction execution. Second, LightTx periodically retires the dead transactions to reduce transaction state tracking cost. Experiments show that LightTx provides up to 20.6% performance improvement due to transaction flexibility. LightTx also achieves nearly the lowest overhead in garbage collection and mapping persistence compared to existing embedded transaction designs.


We believe that some issues presented in the article by Kiire et al 1 need to be corrected, and others deserve some further discussion.

Authors in the paragraph on cataract surgery pointed the increased risk of suprachoroidal haemorrhage in patients with high myopia, glaucoma, diabetes, atherosclerotic vascular disease or hypertension referencing to the interesting study,2 which was based only on intracapsular (ICCE) and extracapsular (ECCE) cataract extractions. Both techniques are much more traumatic and are supplemented usually with more invasive than topical form of anaesthesia, however, rarely used today. The dominant technique for cataract surgery is today phacoemulsification with implantation of foldable intraocular lenses (IOLs) through avascular clear corneal incisions under topical anaesthesia. This transformed the surgery into a lower risk procedure. Thus, …


The Nuvistor small-signal tetrode, a modern and unique development in the design and manufacture of electron tubes, has great potential for use in the intermediate-frequency stages of new television receivers. The Nuvistor provides the circuit designer with a new tube capable of superior performance in this wideband amplifier application. In addition to its high figure of merit, the Nuvistor tetrode has many other advantages pertinent to its use in television receiver circuits. This paper briefly describes the constructional features of the Nuvistor which contribute to its high performance, and gives detailed comparison of laboratory models of two- and three-stage stagger-tuned if amplifiers.


The accumulation of amyloid-β protein into plaques is a characteristic feature of Alzheimer's disease. However, the contribution of amyloid-β plaques to neuronal dysfunction is unknown. We compared intracellular recordings from neocortical pyramidal neurons in vivo in APP-Sw (Tg2576 transgenic mice overexpressing amyloid precursor protein with the Swedish mutation) transgenic mice to age-matched nontransgenic cohorts at ages either before or after deposition of cortical plaques. We show that the evoked synaptic response of neurons to transcallosal stimuli is severely impaired in cortex containing substantial plaque accumulation, with an average 2.5-fold greater rate of response failure and twofold reduction in response precision compared with age-matched nontransgenic controls. This effect correlated with the presence of amyloid-β plaques and alterations in neuronal process geometry. Responses of neurons in younger APP-Sw animals, before plaque accumulation, were similar to those in nontransgenic controls. In all cases, spontaneous membrane potential dynamics were similar, suggesting that overall levels of synaptic innervation were not affected by plaques. Our results show that plaques disrupt the synchrony of convergent inputs, reducing the ability of neurons to successfully integrate and propagate information.


Phytophthora blight of peppers (Capsicum annuum), caused by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora capsici, occurs in most regions where this crop is grown. The root and crown rot phase of the disease develops on plants in areas of the field where soil remains saturated with water after an irrigation or rainfall. Subsequent periods of soil saturation encourage further disease development. Actigard (acibenzolar-S-methyl), is a chemical activator of plant disease resistance, has no known direct antifungal effects and is thought to mimic salicylic acid in the signal transduction pathway that leads to systemic acquired resistance (SAR). Foliar applications of Actigard were evaluated for suppression of root and crown rot on pepper plants growing in the greenhouse in pots and inoculated with Phytophthora capsici or grown in soil naturally infested with the pathogen. Inhibition of stem cankers on pepper cultivars Bell Tower and AZ9 after two to four treatments with Actigard was significantly greater than on plants receiving a single treatment of the chemical. Inhibition of stem canker elongation on Bell Tower or AZ9 peppers ranged from 93.2 to 97.2% and 87.4 to 92.4% when plants were inoculated with P. capsici at 1 or 5 weeks, respectively, after the fourth application of Actigard. Survival of chile pepper plants in field soil naturally infested with P. capsici was significantly increased by three foliar applications of Actigard compared to nontreated plants in all three trials when pots were watered daily and in two of three trials when pots were flooded for 48 hr every 2 weeks. When soil was flooded every 2 weeks, establishing conditions highly favorable for disease development, plants treated once with Ridomil Gold survived significantly longer than those treated with Actigard. On the other hand, when water was provided daily without periodic flooding, establishing conditions less favorable for disease development, there was no significant difference in plant survival between the two chemicals in two of three trials. Growth of shoots on chile pepper plants treated with Actigard, watered daily and grown in soil containing P. capsici generally was greater than nontreated plants. Pepper plants subjected to periodic saturated soil conditions and receiving three foliar applications of Actigard plus a soil treatment of Ridomil Gold survived significantly longer and produced a greater amount of shoot growth than plants treated with either chemical alone. This work suggests that Actigard could be an important management tool for Phytophthora root and crown rot on pepper plants. This is a part of the 2002 Vegetable Report, University of Arizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, index at: http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/crops/az1292/


Effective management for wide-ranging species must be conducted over vast spatial extents, such as whole watersheds and regions. Managers and decision makers must often consider results of multiple quantitative and qualitative models in developing these large-scale multispecies management strategies. We present a scenario-based decision support system to evaluate watershed-scale management plans for multiple species of Pacific salmon in the Lewis River watershed in southwestern Washington, USA. We identified six aquatic restoration management strategies either described in the literature or in common use for watershed recovery planning. For each of the six strategies, actions were identified and their effect on the landscape was estimated. In this way, we created six potential future landscapes, each estimating how the watershed might look under one of the management strategies. We controlled for cost across the six modeled strategies by creating simple economic estimates of the cost of each restoration or protection action and fixing the total allowable cost under each strategy. We then applied a suite of evaluation models to estimate watershed function and habitat condition and to predict biological response to those habitat conditions. The concurrent use of many types of models and our spatially explicit approach enables analysis of the trade-offs among various types of habitat improvements and also among improvements in different areas within the watershed. We report predictions of the quantity, quality, and distribution of aquatic habitat as well as predictions for multiple species of species-specific habitat capacity and survival rates that might result from each of the six management strategies. We use our results to develop four on-the-ground watershed management strategies given alternative social constraints and manager profiles. Our approach provides technical guidance in the study watershed by predicting future impacts of potential strategies, guidance on strategy selection in other watersheds where such detailed analyses have not been completed, and a framework for organizing information and modeled predictions to best manage wide-ranging species.


Abstract : Chinchillas were exposed to 1-500 impulses and their cochleae were stained with osmic acid and dissected. The number of damaged hair cells in each half turn of the cochlea was counted by examination under a phase-contrast microscope. Insignificant hair cell loss was seen over the range of exposures of from 1-40 impulses. However, exposure to 500 impulses did result in large amounts of damage in the basal half turns of two out of three chinchillas. The pattern of loss seen was different from that seen after comparable exposures in the monkey. It was suggested that the damage produced in the chinchilla's middle ear by exposure to few impulses protected these cochleae from further damage, while the absence of such middle ear damage in the monkey resulted in the cochleae receiving the full trauma of the impulse with a resulting larger amount of hair cell damage in the monkey. Comparisons to humans were also drawn. (Author)


: CT-documentation of skeletal muscular lesions caused by neuromuscular diseases implies an essential contribution to conventional techniques in the macroscopic field. Size, distribution and degree of lesions as well as compensatory mechanisms are proved thereby. We report about the different effects on muscle appearance referring to 106 patients of our own experience in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, spinal muscular atrophy, poliomyelitis, polyradiculitis, polyneuropathy as well as peripheral traumatic nerve lesions.


The distribution of isopotential lines on the thoracic surface of 15 normal subjects aged 15 to 43 was determined at 10 to 20 instants of time during ventricular activation. At the beginning of the QRS interval a precordial maximum and a dorsal minimum of potential can be observed. Thereafter, the minimum migrates toward the right shoulder and appears then anteriorly in the right subclavicular fossa, while another minimum appears near the mid-sternal line. The two minima finally merge together, and the potential distribution becomes dipolar once again. During the last third of the QRS interval the maximum of potential moves toward the left axillary and dorsal region, while a new maximum appears near the upper end of the sternum. A tentative correlation between surface and intracardiac electrical events can be established on the basis of the most generally accepted descriptions of ventricular activation processes. During some phases of ventricular activation, the potential distribution on the surface of the body is of the dipolar type, and there are no measurable local components; during other phases of ventricular depolarization, however, proximity potentials do appear on the thoracic surface, yielding information about local activation waves. When the ventricular activation is altered, the location and time course of local and dipolar potentials show important modifications.


This paper concerns new techniques for making requirements specifications precise, concise, unambiguous, and easy to check for completeness and consistency. The techniques are well-suited for complex real-time software systems; they were developed to document the requirements of existing flight software for the Navy's A-7 aircraft. The paper outlines the information that belongs in a requirements document and discusses the objectives behind the techniques. Each technique is described and illustrated with examples from the A-7 document. The purpose of the paper is to introduce the A-7 document as a model of a disciplined approach to requirements specification; the document is available to anyone who wishes to see a fully worked-out example of the approach.


Even after 200 years of study, some details of the cranial anatomy of ichthyosaurs, one of the most successful groups of marine vertebrates in the Mesozoic, are still unclear. New information on the braincase, palate and occiput are provided from three‐dimensional scans of an exceptionally preserved ichthyosaur ('Hauffiopteryx' typicus) skull from the Toarcian (183–174 Ma, Lower Jurassic) of Strawberry Bank, England. This ichthyosaur has unusual, hollow, tubular hyoid bars. The occipital and braincase region is fully reconstructed, creating the first digital cranial endocast of an ichthyosaur. Enlarged optic lobes and an enlarged cerebellum suggest neuroanatomical adaptations that allowed it to be a highly mobile, visual predator. The olfactory region also appears to be enlarged, suggesting that olfaction was more important for ichthyosaurs than has been assumed. Phylogenetic analysis suggests this ichthyosaur is closely related to, but distinct from, Hauffiopteryx, and positioned within Thunnosauria, a more derived position than previously recovered. These results further our knowledge of ichthyosaur cranial anatomy in three dimensions and provide a platform in which to study the anatomical adaptations that allowed ichthyosaurs to dominate the marine realm during the Mesozoic.


Collaborative associations between academic medical centers and community hospitals can use telemedicine to promote and enhance cancer treatment and clinical research. It is expensive to duplicate communications technology at all sites, but it is possible to share technologies using telemedicine. This paper describes a system in evolution that provides regional oncology services at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics and regional oncology affiliates. The system requires integrated hardware and software to provide Internet access, videoconferencing, and data transmission. This system is comprised of several forms of technology that promote education and training, continuing medical education, patient evaluation and protocol eligibility, data transfer for radiation therapy treatment planning, and clinical and technologic quality assurance and peer review programs for medical oncology and radiation oncology.


ABSTRACT Varbla, S.; Ellmann, A., and Delpeche-Ellmann, N., 2020. Utilizing airborne laser scanning and geoid model for near-coast improvements in sea surface height and marine dynamics. In: Malvárez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 1339-1343. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. For most coastal engineering applications sea surface height (SSH) is commonly obtained from land bounded tide gauges (TG). Instead, this study now explores a methodology that utilizes airborne laser scanning (ALS) in conjunction with a hydrodynamic model (HDM), TGs and a high-resolution marine geoid model to obtain (i) accurate SSH at coasts; (ii) deeper insight into the marine dynamics that may be present and (iii) identification of deficiencies in the HDM and/or geoid model. The methodology employed a robust processing of ALS data, followed by referencing all sources of data to the geoid and subsequent statistical analysis of the discrepancies. The comparison between HDM and ALS shows maximum discrepancies of 15 cm, which reveals deficiencies in the used HDM. In addition, the ALS data shows promising results for identifying surface waves properties that otherwise would not be captured in such detail.


This thesis explores the study and design of an all-digital VCO-based ADC in a 65 nm CMOS technology. As the CMOS process enters the deep submicron region, the voltage-domain-based ADCs begins to suffer in improving their performance due to the use of complex analog components. A promising solution to improve the performance of an ADC is to employ as many as possible digital components in a time-domain-based ADC, where it uses the time resolution of an analog signal rather than the voltage resolution. In comparison, as the CMOS process scales down, the time resolution of an analog signal has found superior than the voltage resolution of an analog signal. In recent years, such time-domain-based ADCs have been taken an immense interest due to its inherent features and their design reasons.In this thesis work, the VCO-based ADC design, falls under the category of time-based ADCs which consists of a VCO and an appropriate digital processing circuitry. The employed VCO is used to convert a voltage-based signal into a time signal and thereby it also acts as a time-based quantizer. Then the resulting quantized-time signal is converted into a digital signal by an appropriate digital technique. After different architecture exploration, a conventional VCO-based ADC architecture is implemented in a high-level model to understand the characteristic behaviour of this time-based ADC and then a comprehensive functional schematic-level is designed in reference with the implemented behavioural model using cadence design environment. The performance has been verified using the mixed-levels, of transistor and behavioural-levels due to the greater simulation time of the implemented design.ADC's dynamic performance has been evaluated using various experiments and simulations. Overall, the simulation experiments showed that the design was found to reach an ENOB of 4.9-bit at 572 MHz speed of sample per second, when a 120 MHz analog signal is applied. The achieved peak performance of the design was a SNR of 40 dB, SFDR of 34 dB and an SNDR of 31 dB over a 120 MHz BW at a 1 V supply voltage. Without any complex building blocks, this VCO-based all-digital ADC design provided a key feature of inherent noise shaping property and also found to be well compatible at the deep submicron region.


from fermented grapes, generally Vitis vinifera or its hybrids with Vitis labrusca or Vitis rupestris. Grapes ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, water, or other nutrients,[1] as yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts produce different styles of wine. These variations result from the complex interactions between the biochemical development of the grape, the reactions involved in fermentation, the terroir (the special characteristics imparted by geography, geology, climate, viticultural methods and plant genetics), and the production process. Many countries define legal appellations intended to define styles and qualities of wine; these typically restrict the geographical origin and permitted varieties of grapes, as well as other aspects of wine production.


Aim: In current studies, it is reported that exposure to electromagnetic field (EMF) is related to numerous illnesses. Important parts of our bodies, oral and dental tissues can also be influenced by the EMF. In this study, it was aimed to determine possible negative impacts of EMFs on dental enamel hardness and to test the efficiency of the antioxidant agents against possible adverse effects.
Methodology: In this study, 4-month-old 32 Winster strain Albino rats were used, each weighing 250-300 gr in average. In total, 40 teeth were used from these 32 rats. These teeth were classified into four groups. Group 1 was determined as the control group, and Group 2,3, and 4 were exposed to EMF measured as 2.48 μT magnetic field intensity and 80.3 V / m electric field intensity for 52 days. Ganodermalucidum (20 mg/kg/ day) was applied to the Group 3 together with the EMF. Melatonin (10 mg/kg/ day) was applied to the Group 4 together with the EMF. The teeth pulled out after the euthanasia were embedded into acrylic blocks and micro-hardness test was applied. The normality of the variables was analyzed through the Shapiro-Wilk test. After the homogeneity test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare surface micro-hardness (p<0.05).
Results: As a result of the conducted statistical analyses, there was statistically no significant difference among the groups concerning micro-hardness (P>0.05).
Conclusions: It was determined in our study that 52-day exposure to 2.48 μT EMF did not cause any micro-hardness change in the tooth enamels of the rats. It was also observed that the used antioxidant agents did not cause any significant difference.

How to cite this article: Aras A,  Dogan MS, Yavas MC. The effect of antioxidants against electromagnetic field on enamel microhardness in rats. Int Dent Res 2019;9(3):133-7.

Linguistic Revision: The English in this manuscript has been checked by at least two professional editors, both native speakers of English.


BACKGROUND. There is a paucity of information on the maintenance of body temperature at birth for low birth weight infants. OBJECTIVES. We examined the distribution of temperatures in low birth weight infants on admission to the NICUs in the Neonatal Research Network centers and determined whether admission temperature was associated with antepartum and birth variables and selected morbidities and mortality. METHODS. Infants without major congenital anomalies born during 2002 and 2003 with birth weights of 401 to 1499 g who were admitted directly from the delivery room to the NICU were included. Bivariate associations between antepartum/birth variables and admission temperature and selected morbidities/mortality and admission temperature were examined, followed by multivariable linear or logistic regressions to detect independent associations. RESULTS. There were 5277 study infants and the mean (±SD) birth weight and gestational age were 1036 ± 286 g and 28 ± 3 weeks, respectively. The distribution of admission temperatures was 14.3% at <35°C, 32.6% between 35 and 35.9°C, 42.3% between 36 and 36.9°C, and 10.8% at ≥37°C. The estimate of birth weight on admission temperature with and without intubation was +0.13°C and +0.04°C per 100-g increase in birth weight, respectively. The mean admission temperature for each center varied from 1.5°C below to 0.3°C above a reference center. On adjusted analyses, admission temperature was inversely related to mortality (28% increase per 1°C decrease) and late-onset sepsis (11% increase per 1°C decrease) but not to intraventricular hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, or duration of conventional ventilation. CONCLUSIONS. Preventing decreases in temperature at birth among low birth weight infants remains a challenge. Associations with intubation and center of birth suggest that assessment of temperature control for infants intubated in the delivery room may be beneficial. Whether the admission temperature is part of the casual path or a marker of mortality needs additional study.


Contaminated surfaces contribute to transmission of C. difficile in the healthcare setting. The aim of the investigation was to assess the effectiveness of an environmental disinfection protocol consisting of daily use of the oxygen-releasing sporocide Oxygenon® Liquid (Antiseptica) in preventing nosocomial CDI, compared to daily surface disinfection with a quaternary ammonium compound-based product plus the oxygen-releasing sporicide Perform® (Schulke+) for targeted sporicidal environmental disinfection. In a pre-post single group study with patients of two internal medicine wards (A and B) between February 2008 and May 2011, we compared the CDI rate between the pre- and post-intervention phase by calculating the post-pre phase CDI rate-difference and preventable fraction. In a pre-post parallel groups study from August 2009 until May 2011, the post-pre phase CDI rate-difference of the experimental group (internal medicine ward B) was compared with the post-pre CDI rate-difference of a control group (general surgery department) by calculating the between-group difference in the post-pre CDI rate-difference. In the pre-post single group study, among patients ≥ 70 year olds, the post-pre phase CDI rate reduction of 14.0/10,000 bed-days was significant, and preventable fraction of CDI was 60.2% (95%CI: 15.6%-82.8%). The results of the pre-post parallel groups study suggested a superiority of the new environmental disinfection protocol at borderline significance. The post-pre CDI rate-difference in the experimental group was greater than the post-pre rate-difference in the control group by 10.4/10,000 bed-days. Using a sporicide for daily surface decontamination may be superior to targeted sporicidal disinfection in preventing nosocomial transmission of C. difficile.


- Under the general law the drafter of a trust deed has great freedom to decide what equitable duties the trustee will be under, subject only to the irreducible core of obligations of a trustee, and any duties imposed by state legislation that are incapable of being excluded. The drafter of a superannuation trust deed is more limited, because unexcludable statutory covenants in s 52 Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (Cth) ("SIS Act") provide a minimum set of trustee's obligations, and s 56(2) SIS Act imposes a further limit on what general law duties can be excluded.
Section 56 SIS Act gives all superannuation trustees a right of indemnity from the assets of the trust fund even for liabilities that the trustee has incurred in breach of trust. The right of indemnity is the same for all the trustees, even though the circumstances that can sometimes justify such a right of indemnity are not the same for all trustees. An unsatisfactory consequence of the existence of the right of indemnity is that a professional indemnity insurer of the trustee would be entitled to be subrogated to that right of indemnity. Administrative powers of ASIC or APRA might deter a trustee from exercising its right of indemnity, but the criteria on which such administrative action might be taken are not articulated.
The jurisdiction of the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal can not only result in the Tribunal making orders against a superannuation trustee, but can also give rise to an equitable duty on a trustee.
There is considerable doubt about whether equity will require a trustee who breaches a trustee's duty to pay compensation to an individual beneficiary for consequential financial loss, or for personal suffering that arises from the breach of a trustee's duty. Equity will sometimes impose liability on people who are associated with a trustee's breach, but only in quite specific types of circumstances.
In contrast with the situation in equity, when there has been a breach of a statutory covenant section 55 SIS Act enables a trustee, a director of a corporate trustee, and a person involved in a trustee's breach of a statutory covenant, to be held liable for all the loss or damage that anyone suffers in consequence of that breach. Persons involved in a breach of a statutory covenant will be under a statutory liability under s 55 in circumstances where they would not have had liability under the general law. The damages payable under s 55, by both trustees and persons involved, are compensation for all financial loss and personal suffering caused by the breach. These damages are likely to be larger, in some cases, than any equitable compensation that might be recoverable for the breach.


The inhibitory action of insulin and proinsuiin on basal and glucagon-activated glycogenolysis was studied in cultured rat hepatocytes containing [14C]glycogen. Insulin or proinsuiin given as sole hormones in the presence of 5 mM glucose decreased basal release of [14C]glucose from [14C]glycogen to 20%. Half-maximal effective concentration of insulin was ∼0.15 nM and of proinsuiin was ∼5 nM. Inhibition of [14C]lactate release from [14C]glycogen required slightly higher hormone concentrations with a similar difference in potency for insulin and proinsuiin. The glucagon-stimulated release of [14C]glucose was completely blocked by insulin or proinsuiin with half-maximal effective concentrations of ∼0.2 and 8 nM, respectively. In contrast, release of [14C]lactate in the presence of glucagon was increased slightly by insulin and proinsuiin. Basal and glucagon-activated phosphorylase activity was inhibited by ∼50% in a dose-dependent manner by both hormones, with differences in potency similar to those for the inhibition of glycogenolysis. These data point to a direct regulatory role of insulin in the control of hepatic glycogen breakdown even when acting as sole hormone. The results do not support the notion of a preferential inhibitory potency of proinsuiin on hepatic glycogenolysis.


For a long time, the aseismatic capacity of engineering structures has always been a major research direction of architecture. As is known to all, building collapse is one of the major earthquake devastating consequences. Damages of buildings generally reflect the degree of earthquake disaster. As a result, the aseismatic capacity of building structures, especially their capacity to prevent collapse, is of great importance to the overall earthquake defense system of the society. During the long term of research, some researchers have provided several excellent ideas. However, on account of lacking of the data summarization, a great many of studies have been stagnant. The ice is not broken until information technology represented by computers is widely used in architecture. On three major phases (design, construction and management) of building life cycle, Building Information Modeling (BIM) is of great importance to promote the data information exchange and sharing, accelerate decision speed, reduce the project cost and improve the production quality. On the basis of introducing BIM development, this paper elaborates the functions of BIM on the research on upgrading the collapse resistant capacity of building structures, hoping to promote the application of BIM on the research on the collapse resistant capacity of building structures.


The aim of the study was to determine the attitudes of patients towards neuroleptic medication in relation to compliance, in order to develop a measure that will allow clinicians to predict likely compliance difficulties. A catchment area sample of 106 adult schizophrenics completed three new self-report measures, a rating scale of attitudes to medication (Drug Attitudes Scale DAS), a scale based on the theory of planned behaviour (Theory of Planned Behaviour Scale TPB) and a measure of compliance with medication (Drug Behaviour Scale DBS). Keyworkers rated compliance, using an established measure (the Kemp Scale). Three reliable variables from these scales were renamed positive, negative and conditional positive attitude and together named the Drug Compliance and Attitude Scale (DCAS). The DCAS predicted both keyworker (Kemp) and self-report (DBS) measures of compliance. The DCAS had modest concurrent validity and was superior in predictive power to the most popular established scale. The non-compliance reported by patients was found to be mostly because they changed the time they took the medication rather than because of changing dosage and involved increasing as well as reducing frequency. Reasons for deviation from prescription included active manipulation of subjective state as well as passive non-compliance. It has been shown that compliance with neuroleptic regimes is a complex set of behaviours which involves more than simply taking or not taking medication. Future research on enhancing compliance among this patient group will need to consider the complex nature of both attitudes to medication and behavioural responses. Clinical implications of the study include the use of the DCAS to enhance compliance, to identify those patients for whom the medication may not be effective and to evaluate treatments combining drug and psychological interventions.


This guide is designed to serve as an introduction to the world of Superheros. It pulls together LIU Post library resources and provides linkage to other, relevant web-based content.


This paper proposes a method to extract regions of a deformable object from several views of it while finding the correspondence of the object among the views. The method has been developed to analyze X-ray images of a stomach. Owing to the physical (not physiological) deformation of the stomach and changes of the camera angle, the shape of the stomach regions are fairly different among the images. In order to collectively analyze these images, we use an elastic stomach model. Firstly, our method builds an elastic stomach model based on the stomach shape in one image. Considering each photographing condition, the deformation of the stomach in each image is simulated with the elastic model. Fieferring to the predicted contour which is obtained by projecting the deformed model from the camera angle of each image, the contour is robustly extracted from noisy images in a model-driven way. Since the predicted contour registered in each image corresponds 'with the elastic model, the position of each stomach part in the image is simultaneously obtained; corresponding parts can be found among the images through the model. Experimental results of analyzing several types of stomach X-ray images are shown and discussed.


Author(s): Novaes, Lucas Martins | Advisor(s): Collier, Ruth B | Abstract: This dissertation conceptualizes a new type of clientelistic party, which despite being widespread has not been properly theorized. I refer to it as modular. Since clientelism — the exchange of goods for votes — requires substantial organization, scholars often assume that only dominant parties or solid political machines can engage in clientelistic mobilization. I show that is not the case. Rather, modular parties are makeshift organizations whose integrity from one election to the next is uncertain, but whose politicians are nevertheless able to mobilize voters through patron-client relationships.Modular parties do not own, but "hire" or outsource the networks of clients they use. Well before the advent of elections, community chiefs, community organization leaders, ethnic leaders, landowners, local officials, and other types of local notables already established considerable political capital through their private and relatively small clienteles. Instead of ignoring or dismantling these networks, politicians running elections above the local level created modular parties to connect these networks. In this sense, modular par- ties are made up of two tiers: one on top, responsible for acquiring state resources and acting at the level of subnational or national politics; and one at the bottom composed of multiple modules, each with a local notable running local politics and acting as broker in favor of the upper stratum. Throughout time, these local leaders may take new roles, such as union leaders, bureaucrats, and local politicians, but they remain responsible for the construction and maintenance of patron–client networks. Today in Brazil, this local no- table is usually a mayoral candidate diligently brokering votes for the party offering most state resources or direct payments.Such outsourcing of the organization of patron-client linkages to local authorities may facilitate the rapid mobilization of voters for politicians in modular parties, but it also prevents these politicians from building a reliable support base. Brokers in modular parties act as free–agents, and switch parties as they see appropriate. As long as there are other parties outsourcing clientelistic mobilization, brokers may switch whenever they receive a more lucrative proposal.Using a research design that detects when parties receive resources they can use to hire brokers as-if randomly, I am able to show that variations in resources cause parties to expand or contract the number of modules working for them. Moreover, taking advantage of an unexpected institutional reform that made party switching potentially costly, and employing regression discontinuities to separate the brokers who were subject to this new ruling, I was able to evaluate how party switching drastically damages the electoral prospects of modular parties.Substantively, the fluidity of modules sheds light on why clientelism can be resilient and widespread on many parts of the developing world, at the same time that strong clientelistic machines are relatively rare. It is durable because brokers offer their services to the highest bidding party, thus maximizing their ability to nurture their networks. However, by relying on these autonomous brokers parties will not create direct linkages of their own, frustrating any hope of making parties organizationally strong.


Growth of 3C or 6H-SiC epilayers on low off-axis 6H-SiC substrates can be mastered by changing the size of the on axis plane formed by long terraces in the epilayer using geometrical control. The desired polytype can be selected in thick (~200 µm) layers of both 6H-SiC and 3C-SiC polytypes on substrates with off-orientation as low as 1.4 and 2 degrees. The resultant crystal quality of the 3C and the 6H-SiC epilayers, grown under the same process parameters, deteriorates when lowering the off-orientation of the substrate.


This paper is concerned with the problem of fitting a generalized linear model to the conditional mean function of multiplicative error time series models. These models are particularly suited to model nonnegative time series such as the duration between trades at a stock exchange and volume transactions. The proposed test, based on a marked residual empirical process whose marks are suitably defined residuals and which jumps at the estimated indices, is shown to be asymptotically distribution free.


Nystagmus is a series of more or less rapid vibrations that take place when the eye is in or near the primary position. In direction, the oscillations are generally horizontal, but they may be vertical, rotary or mixed. The frequency varies from 60 to 200 separate oscillations per minute, and the extent of the excursions from 1 to 10 mm. True nystagmus is almost always binocular, and the movements are conjugate, i. e., equal, simultaneous and parallel in the two eyes. This means that the two eyes act alike; it does not imply that the two components of the oscillations are equal, for, as is well known, there are two distinct types of oscillation, the springing or resilient and the pendulum. The resilient type of nystagmus has a slow component in one direction which is immediately followed by a quick return. The slow component is vestibular and is characteristic


Using the DM model is not complex: the user changes input values of interest (plant size,conversion rates, etc.) and examines the effect of these changes on output values (annual profits,feed stock requirements, etc.). There are nine worksheets in four modules in the excel workbook: assumptions, process, economics, and technology assessment. All user inputs are entered in the assumptions module of the model, which consists of three worksheets denoted with bright yellow tabs: process assumptions, economic assumptions and physical assumptions.The values that are entered on this page are then used in each of the subsequent modules to calculate hourly flow rates,equipment size and cost, total costs, loan terms, and annual profits. At the top of each page is a title bar which describes the page, the color coding of the cells, and pertinent information from the other pages. Before each of the pages is discussed, an explanation of the different types of cells in the model is in order.


Lightning is a captivating natural phenomenon but indisputably terrifying. Therefore, lightning studies have played an essential role in establishing safety regulations to protect lives and infrastructures. Among the many simulating functions that were utilized in the past for modelling the lightning return-stroke current, Heidler and Pulse functions overcame certain limitations, including the time derivative discontinuities. Incompletely-recorded current derivative signals represent another challenge in lightning research. This thesis proposes a double-term Pulse function that could be investigated with the double-term Heidler function for modelling the lightning return-stroke current. The time derivative of both Pulse and Heidler functions have been used to simulate the current derivative signals recorded on June 10, 1996. Some of these return-stroke signals exceded the maximum set level.
Consequently, the double-term simulating functions were used to recover a large incompletely recorded return-stroke current derivative signal. The R2 fitting factor was used to evaluate the quality of each fitting to determine which simulating function is better suited to model and recover valuable return-stroke current signals.


Circulating drilling fluid is often regarded as a contamination source in investigations of subsurface microbiology. However, it also provides an opportunity to sample geological fluids at depth and to study contained microbial communities. During our study of deep subsurface microbiology of the Chinese Continental Scientific Deep drilling project, we collected 6 drilling fluid samples from a borehole from 2290 to 3350 m below the land surface. Microbial communities in these samples were characterized with cultivation-dependent and -independent techniques. Characterization of 16S rRNA genes indicated that the bacterial clone sequences related to Firmicutes became progressively dominant with increasing depth. Most sequences were related to anaerobic, thermophilic, halophilic or alkaliphilic bacteria. These habitats were consistent with the measured geochemical characteristics of the drilling fluids that have incorporated geological fluids and partly reflected the in-situ conditions. Several clone types were closely related to Thermoanaerobacter ethanolicus, Caldicellulosiruptor lactoaceticus, and Anaerobranca gottschalkii, an anaerobic metal-reducer, an extreme thermophile, and an anaerobic chemoorganotroph, respectively, with an optimal growth temperature of 50–68°C. Seven anaerobic, thermophilic Fe(III)-reducing bacterial isolates were obtained and they were capable of reducing iron oxide and clay minerals to produce siderite, vivianite, and illite. The archaeal diversity was low. Most archaeal sequences were not related to any known cultivated species, but rather to environmental clone sequences recovered from subsurface environments. We infer that the detected microbes were derived from geological fluids at depth and their growth habitats reflected the deep subsurface conditions. These findings have important implications for microbial survival and their ecological functions in the deep subsurface.


Abstract. A systematic study of black carbon (BC) vertical profiles measured at high-resolution over three Italian basin valleys (Terni Valley, Po Valley and Passiria Valley) is presented. BC vertical profiles are scarcely available in literature. The campaign lasted 45 days and resulted in 120 measured vertical profiles. Besides the BC mass concentration, measurements along the vertical profiles also included aerosol size distributions in the optical particle counter range, chemical analysis of filter samples and a full set of meteorological parameters. Using the collected experimental data, we performed calculations of aerosol optical properties along the vertical profiles. The results, validated with AERONET data, were used as inputs to a radiative transfer model (libRadtran). The latter allowed an estimation of vertical profiles of the aerosol direct radiative effect, the atmospheric absorption and the heating rate in the lower troposphere. The present measurements revealed some common behaviors over the studied basin valleys. Specifically, at the mixing height, marked concentration drops of both BC (range: from −48.4 ± 5.3 to −69.1 ± 5.5%) and aerosols (range: from −23.9 ± 4.3 to −46.5 ± 7.3%) were found. The measured percentage decrease of BC was higher than that of aerosols: therefore, the BC aerosol fraction decreased upwards. Correspondingly, both the absorption and scattering coefficients decreased strongly across the mixing layer (range: from −47.6 ± 2.5 to −71.3 ± 3.0% and from −23.5 ± 0.8 to −61.2 ± 3.1%, respectively) resulting in a single-scattering albedo increase along height (range: from +4.9 ± 2.2 to +7.4 ± 1.0%). This behavior influenced the vertical distribution of the aerosol direct radiative effect and of the heating rate. In this respect, the highest atmospheric absorption of radiation was predicted below the mixing height (~ 2–3 times larger than above it) resulting in a heating rate characterized by a vertical negative gradient (range: from −2.6 ± 0.2 to −8.3 ± 1.2 K day−1 km−1). In conclusion, the present results suggest that the BC below the mixing height has the potential to promote a negative feedback on the atmospheric stability over basin valleys, weakening the ground-based thermal inversions and increasing the dispersal conditions.


While intracerebroventricular (ICV) or intravenous (IV) administration of GRF1-44 enhanced te daily food intake in hay-fed ewes, only the first hour of intake was enhanced in concentrate-fed ewes given centrally administered GRF. Previous insulin administration (ICV or IV) suppressed the orexigenic effects of GRF in hay-fed ewes, suggesting that insulin response to a concentrate meal might result in the early blockade of the orexigenic effects of GRF.


The revocation of university degrees, whilst once unheard of, has been increasingly employed by Australian universities in the wake of high-profile cheating scandals. Yet, to date, there is only one reported Australian case, Re La Trobe University; Ex Parte Hazan in which a student has challenged a university's decision to revoke a degree. However, this case does not comprehensively address the legal issues surrounding decisions to revoke degrees. This paper therefore seeks to provide Australian universities with some clarity with respect to these issues, elucidating the source of the power of universities to revoke degrees, and the circumstances in which this power can be exercised. It does so through a review of English and United States case law, an analysis of accepted Australian administrative law principles, and an examination of university legislation in Australia.


A boundary element method is presented to investigate the dynamic behavior of elastic structures partially or completely in contact with uniform axial flow. In the analysis of the linear fluid-structure interaction problem, it is assumed that the fluid is ideal and its motion is irrotational. Furthermore, the elastic structure is assumed to vibrate in relatively high-frequencies, so the infinite frequency limit condition is imposed for fluid free surface, which is satisfied implicitly by using method of images. When in contact with the flowing fluid, the structure is assumed to vibrate in its in vacuo eigen-modes that are obtained by using a finite element software. The wetted surface of the structure is idealized by using appropriate hydrodynamic panels and a boundary element method is formulated for velocity potential function, which is taken as linearly varying over the panels. Using the Bernoulli's equation, the dynamic fluid pressure on the elastic structure is expressed in terms of potential function, and the fluid-structure interaction forces are calculated as generalized added mass, hydrodynamic damping and hydrodynamic stiffness coefficients, due to the inertia, Coriolis and centrifugal effects of fluid, respectively. Solution of the eigenvalue problem associated with the generalized equation of motion gives the dynamic characteristics of the structure in contact with fluid. As an application of the method, the dynamics of a simply supported cylindrical shell subjected to internal flow is studied. The predictions compare quite well with the previous results in the literature.Copyright © 2006 by ASME


This paper discusses the history of the concept "authenticity" within the works of Thomas Merton. During his undergraduate and graduate studies at Columbia is where he first developed a theme which would run through most of his religious writings: authenticity. By tracing this term back to his professor, Lionel Trilling, this will give us a new lens through which to view Thomas Merton's teachings. This paper will also discuss other influences to his use of "authenticity," including his prolonged exposure and affinity towards Marxism, as well as his interests in Existential writers such as Albert Camus. The discussion of authenticity in Merton's work revolves around three themes: 1) Solitude, 2) Alienation, and 3) the Absurd. The goal of this paper is to not only illustrate the history of a particular concept in Merton's work to more fully understand this Catholic monk, but will demonstrate that traditionally non-religious concepts and thinkers often influence the religious lives and experiences of mystics.


The brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is a widespread introduced pest in New Zealand. Some hair and faecal remains suspected to be from a possum were found on a vehicle transport barge in port at Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf (North Island, New Zealand), an island that has historically remained possum free. So that appropriate action could be taken, we used forensic genetics to confirm the species, number, and sex of the individuals that may have disembarked at the island. We concluded that forensic samples were attributable to a single male possum that did not disembark on the island, hence no eradication response was put in place. This case study illustrates how forensic DNA analysis of wildlife remains can assist in the response to a potentially disastrous invasive event by providing information in a timely and cost-effective manner.


We formulate a model of sequential decision making, dubbed the Goal Prediction game, to study the extent to which an overseeing adversary can predict the final goal of an agent who tries to reach that goal quickly, through a sequence of intermediate actions. Our formulation is motivated by the increasing ubiquity of large-scale surveillance and data collection infrastructures, which can be used to predict an agent's intentions and future actions, despite the agent's desire for privacy.Our main result shows that with a carefully chosen agent strategy, the probability that the agent's goal is correctly predicted by an adversary can be made inversely proportional to the time that the agent is willing to spend in reaching the goal, but cannot be made any smaller than that. Moreover, this characterization depends on the topology of the agent's state space only through its diameter.


An endoparasitic survey of wild rodent populations of two islands, namely Pulau Langkawi and Pulau Jarak, was conducted to determine their biodiversity. Of the total of 13 rats captured, only one rat was trapped from Pulau Jarak. All rodents were identified and examined for endoparasites. These represented three commensal rodent species (Rattus tiomanicus, Rattus rattus diardii, and Rattus exulans), with R. tiomanicus being the most dominant species (84.3%) with the number of males (58.3%) captured being higher than females (41.7%). The rats were analyzed for parasite incidence, prevalence and intensity. The single rodent captured from Pulau Jarak was free from endoparasite infection. Post-mortem examination found high levels of endoparasitic infection in the hosts captured in Pulau Langkawi with the highest incidence in the small intestine, followed by caecum and stomach. Overall, the study showed high prevalence of multiple species of Heligmonellidae (100%) and only one cestode species (Rodentolepis nana). The endoparasite population was also found to be uniquely low in diversity. This study also showed that the present distribution of the rodent population in Langkawi is characteristic of a disturbed habitat and can be attributed to ongoing human activities in the surrounding area. This study provides a much needed baseline for the ecology of a disturbed island habitat. Further studies will shed light on the ecological interactions that influence the endoparasitic population of commensal rodents in the Langkawi archipelago.


A linear decision binary tree structure is proposed in constructing piecewise linear classifiers with the genetic algorithm (GA) being shaped and employed at each nonterminal node to search for a linear decision function optimal in the sense of maximum impurity reduction. The methodology works for both the two-class and multiclass cases. In comparison to several other well known methods, the proposed binary tree-genetic algorithm (BTGA) is demonstrated to produce a much lower cross validation misclassification rate. Finally, a modified BTGA is applied to the important pap smear cell classification. This results in a spectrum for the combination of the highest desirable sensitivity along with the lowest possible false alarm rate. The multiple choices offered by the spectrum for the sensitivity-false alarm rate combination will provide the flexibility needed for the pap smear slide classification.


By means of identical cubic elements, we generate a partition of a volume in which a particle-based cosmological simulation is carried out. In each cubic element, we determine the gas particles with a normalized density greater than an arbitrarily chosen density threshold. By using a proximity parameter, we calculate the neighboring cubic elements and generate a list of neighbors. By imposing dynamic conditions on the gas particles, we identify gas clumps and their neighbors, so that we calculate and fit some properties of the groups so identified, including the mass, size and velocity dispersion, in terms of their multiplicity (here defined simply as the number of member galaxies). Finally, we report the value of the ratio of kinetic energy to gravitational energy of such dense gas clumps, which will be useful as initial conditions in simulations of gravitational collapse of gas clouds and clusters of gas clouds.


This study screened four Rhizopus species as biosurfactant producers using different markers. First of all, Rhizopus spp. UCP 1607 was identified as Rhizopus arrhizus by morphological and molecular methods. The production of biosurfactant/bioemulsifier was investigated by submerged fermentation using soybean post-frying oil (5% v/v) and sodium glutamate (1% w/v) medium. The primary markers' hemolysis and parafilm M tests showed that R. arrhizus UCP1607 strain exhibited higher hemolytic activity (49 mm of clear zone) on sheep blood agar and a larger drop diameter (12 mm) on parafilm hydrophobic surface. The experimental results showed the most promising biosurfactant production by R. arrhizus UCP 1607 strain led to a reduction of surface tension (31.8 mN/m) and the diameter of the oil-spreading covered an area of 66.4 cm2. The strains Rhizopus microsporus var. chinensis UCP1296, R. microsporus var. microsporus UCP1304, and R. arrhizus UCP1607 were capable of forming stable emulsions corresponding to 91.7, 94.8, and 82.6%, respectively in crude oil.

 Key words: Tensio-active agent, bioemulsifier, screening of Rhizopus strains, submerged fermentation.


The arrangement, number, and anatomy of the facial vibrissa follicles of the southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina (Linn.), are described. There are three groups of vibrissae: mystacial, supraorbital, and rhinal, containing approximately 38, 7, and 1 follicles, respectively. These specialized hairs appear to be retained for at least 2 yr and are not shed with the pelage hairs at each annual moult. The histology of the vibrissa follicles and associated organs is described and discussed in relation to their sensory function. Vibrissa follicles of elephant seals are different in anatomy from those described in the mouse and rat: the ringwulst is relatively smaller and, in addition to the sebaceous glands, there are tubular glands of unidentified function but resembling apocrine sweat glands.


Objective: To investigate the therapeutic effect of FWST versus RSWT in patients with chronic lateral epicondylitis. Material and Methods: A total of 60 subjects of both genders were sought to participate in the current study, 60 patients (44females and 16males) with chronic lateral epicondylitis were assigned randomly into three equal groups. These individuals were eligible. Group A included 20 patients who received FSWT plus the conventional physical therapy while group B included 20 patients who received RSWT plus the conventional physical therapy, and group C included 20 who received the conventional physical therapy only. The treatment with shock wave for group A & B was applied only one session in the alternative week for the maximum of 3-5 sessions, and the conventional physical therapy for all groups were 12 sessions which was done three sessions per week. The participants' ages ranged from 30 to 60. They were recruited from the orthopedic outpatient clinics. The exclusive criteria were subjects who had other co morbidities which would affect the results. Results: The statistical analysis using 3x4 multivariate design MANOVA showed that no significant impacts were recorded for the experimental group on the pressure pain test, pain at work and handheld dynamometer. In addition, no significant impacts were recorded in the measuring time in the pressure pain test, pain at work and handheld dynamometer. Also, the correlation among the treated groups and assessing phases was statistically non-significant. This tested group (first independent variable) on the pressure pain test, pain at work and handheld dynamometer was not influenced by the measuring periods (second independent variable) (F=0.84, P=0.647). Conclusion: Finally, it was concluded that: Radial shock wave therapy (B) had only effects on pain more than Focused shock wave therapy (A) but Focused shock wave therapy (A) had effects on muscle function and inflammation and tendon changes more than Radial shock wave therapy (B).


WHEN intermittent pyloric obstruction is associated with a large, freely movable mass in the upper region of the abdomen, the congenital anomalies of this area must be remembered. Although duplications of the stomach are rare in occurrence, with only a small number having been reported in the literature, they should not be disregarded for practical purposes. The number that any surgeon will see will be few, but he should be cognizant of their existence, recognize them at the time of operation and know how to treat them, especially when they occur in adults. Duplications of the stomach may be intimately associated with the normal stomach or be removed from the area usually occupied by that organ. The walls of the cysts are complete or incomplete reproductions of the normal structure. When the duplication which is isolated from the organ is reproduced, the entire four layers of usual gastrointestinal wall may


Virtual Reality (VR) sickness occurs when exposure to a virtual environment causes symptoms that are similar to motion sickness, and has been one of the major user experience barriers of VR. To reduce VR sickness, prior work has explored dynamic field-of-view modification and galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS) that recou-ples the visual and vestibular systems. We propose a new approach to reduce VR sickness, called PhantomLegs, that applies alternating haptic cues that are synchronized to users' footsteps in VR. Our prototype consists of two servos with padded swing arms, one set on each side of the head, that lightly taps the head as users walk in VR. We conducted a three-session, multi-day user study with 30 participants to evaluate its effects as users navigate through a VR environment while physically being seated. Results show that our approach significantly reduces VR sickness during the initial exposure while remaining comfortable to users.


Despite their divergent developmental ancestry, plasma cells and gastric zymogenic (chief) cells share a common function: high-capacity secretion of protein. Here we show that both cell lineages share increased expression of a cassette of 269 genes, most of which regulate endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi function, and they both induce expression of the transcription factors X-box binding protein 1 (Xbp1) and Mist1 during terminal differentiation. XBP1 is known to augment plasma cell function by establishing rough ER, and MIST1 regulates secretory vesicle trafficking in zymogenic cells. We examined morphology and function of plasma cells in wild-type and Mist1(-/-) mice and found subtle differences in ER structure but no overall defect in plasma cell function, suggesting that Mist1 may function redundantly in plasma cells. We next reasoned that MIST1 might be useful as a novel and reliable marker of plasma cells. We found that MIST1 specifically labeled normal plasma cells in mouse and human tissues, and, moreover, its expression was also characteristic of plasma cell differentiation in a cohort of 12 human plasma cell neoplasms. Overall, our results show that MIST1 is enriched upon plasma cell differentiation as a part of a genetic program facilitating secretory cell function and also that MIST1 is a novel marker of normal and neoplastic plasma cells in mouse and human tissues.


As abnormal posture caused by prolonged smartphone use increases, its related disease also increases. It is time to prevent this problem. This study aim to figure out how much real-time visual feedback has an effect on postural correction. Healthy 34 participants were instructed to keep neutral posture and then use smartphone. Each participant was instructed to maintain a neutral posture with their elbows positioned in line with the trunk and flexed 90–120 ̊ and keep the trunk upright, chin tucked, scapula slightly protracted and depressed and sole of the foot on the floor 1) for 15 minutes in non feedback condition, after 3 minutes resting period, 2) for 15 minutes in visual feedback condition while maintaining their original posture. When participants consciously apply feedback for postural correction, participants can check the movement of scapula and forward head level as they apply posterior visual feedback. The result of this study had a significant difference in the meaning of interval at Tragus and all Z-coordinate.(p<0.05) Also, there was significant difference in the meaning of cervicoscapular posture angle.(p<0.05) Both results indicated that the participants maintained the original posture well. In this study, it proved that visual feedback for postural correction has a positive effect. Further study needs to demonstrate this measurement to real clinical patients. Keywords— Smartphone, Visual feedback, Forward head posture, Abnormal posture, Postural correction


Commonly used beam diagnostic methods, such as spectrometry or emittance measurements through quadrupolescans, are based on the assumption that the beam momentum spread is very small. This assumption is sometimes notfulfilled, which leads to a systematic misinterpretation ofthe measurement. We have studied this effect and presentalgorithms that consider the full momentum distributionand offer correct ways of analyzing the profile measurements.


Live-work developments are becoming increasingly important as a type of mixed-use development. This is manifested by the growing number of such units across the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Along with their growing popularity, these units are being espoused by governments at all levels as a way of creating complete communities, reducing car trips and enhancing the public realm by allowing for a mixed-use, diverse, pedestrian-friendly built form. For these reasons, live-work units can be considered a means for promoting progressive planning principles. Their development however, challenges municipalities on a number of fronts. Residential expectations of peace, security and quiet enjoyment can clash with commercial externalities such as noise, traffic and parking constraints. Because of this live-work units have a tendency to revert to pure residential which then negatively impacts economic growth. Live-work units in a largely residential neighbourhood are particularly prone to such an outcome which can undermine the work function of the units. As well, design and building code considerations such as maximum allowable floor space can also significantly impact the viability of businesses in these units.
NOTES 520 3 Given these challenges, this research explores two cases of live-work developments in the Greater Golden Horseshoe to assess their overall impact in meeting the stated goals of such developments. The two cases which are Cornell Village in Markham, Ontario and Port Credit in Mississauga, Ontario respectively are explored from the perspective of sustainability, economic impact and affordability. This research is intended to be exploratory in nature and used as a launch pad for additional, more quantitative analyses of the impact of such developments, particularly with regard to their economic impact in light of increasing immigration. The findings reveal that while both developments have had a certain degree of success in meeting their performative function, live-work units are highly context dependent. And their contributions towards environmental sustainability, job creation and urban development are determined by the economic and socio-spatial milieu in which they are located.


Making and manipulating a weak-link qubit In superconductors, single particles cannot have energies smaller than the superconducting gap. Yet when two superconductors are separated by a thin nonsuperconducting bridge (the "weak link"), quasi-particles can occupy states that are inside the gap, the so-called Andreev bound states (ABSs). Janvier et al. fabricated such a structure out of superconducting aluminum and manipulated the occupation of a pair of ABSs. They observed oscillations in population between two of the energy levels, forming a type of qubit, which they dubbed the Andreev qubit. The results may lead to applications in quantum information processing. Science, this issue p. 1199 States of a superconducting weak link are manipulated in a circuit quantum electrodynamics setup. Coherent control of quantum states has been demonstrated in a variety of superconducting devices. In all of these devices, the variables that are manipulated are collective electromagnetic degrees of freedom: charge, superconducting phase, or flux. Here we demonstrate the coherent manipulation of a quantum system based on Andreev bound states, which are microscopic quasi-particle states inherent to superconducting weak links. Using a circuit quantum electrodynamics setup, we performed single-shot readout of this Andreev qubit. We determined its excited-state lifetime and coherence time to be in the microsecond range. Quantum jumps and parity switchings were observed in continuous measurements. In addition to having possible quantum information applications, such Andreev qubits are a test-bed for the physics of single elementary excitations in superconductors.


Aim Our Trust, a tertiary centre, aims to eliminate predictable cardio-respiratory arrests (CRA) outside of intensive care by the end of 2013. Although CRA in hospitalised children is rare, the majority are preventable (Tibballs et al 2005). Local incident reports highlighted areas of concern such as poor documentation and incomplete monitoring. Review processes are lengthy and focus on errors rather than areas for improvement. The aim was to develop a new approach to rapidly review all CRA's and share lessons with the relevant teams. Method Experienced clinicians, safety experts and risk managers used a Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) approach to develop RECALL: PDSA cycles: detailed study of recent CRA's by team to identify key areas to structure review tool tested key areas for completeness, ease of use and relevance key areas refined and tested again categories identified for review: Assessment, Escalation, Clinical reviews, Interventions tested proforma of questions to guide quick but systematic analysis of medical/nursing notes Using care-bundle approach, five 'must do's' identified for each category A traffic-light approach was applied to each category to communicate findings: Green (no areas for improvement), Amber (areas for improvement identified but unlikely to have prevented CRA) or Red (areas for improvement identified which may have prevented CRA). The RECALL tool was then tested prospectively over 8 weeks. Results RECALL is now used to review all CRA at weekly meetings, each case taking 30minutes. Lessons for learning are disseminated weekly to the medical director, safety team and local safety leads (discussed at monthly board meetings). Changes are implemented locally with trustwide learning incorporated into improvement goals. The project has moved towards local team review with dissemination trustwide. Early results are promising with a reduced number of CRA (fig 1) and increased staff engagement. Conclusion RECALL has facilitated a culture of learning so clinical teams understand how to improve recognition/escalation of seriously ill children. Common themes include completeness of observations and timeliness of interventions. A simple rapid assessment tool can provide timely and useful data that can be used to drive improvement. Abstract G119 Figure 1 Objective Structured Assessment of Debriefi ng (OSAD) in Paediatrics


Two years after a hypertension screening survey conducted at Napier in 1973 the blood pressure levels of 350 adults were re-examined. The sample comprised 152 persons previously referred for investigation because of high blood pressure detected during the 1973 survey, a matched control group of 146 normotensives and a small supplementary control group. Of the 152 persons in the referred group 31 (20.4%) were under medical supervision at the time of the 1973 survey, 89 (58.5%) attended a doctor within the next 12 months and 32 (21.1%) took no further action. Two years later the 31 cases previously under medical supervision had remained on therapy but only 43 of the 89 new cases were receiving treatment at the time of re-examination. More than 50% of the cases in the referred group showed a decrease in the mean systolic pressure of 10mmHg or greater over the two-year period compared with 20.5% of the normotensive control group. Only 32% of referred cases were regarded as effectively controlled at the time of re-examination ie had mean systolic pressures less than 160mmHg and mean diastolic pressures less than 95mmHg. The low level of effective control resulting from the earlier survey casts further doubt on the value of mass screening procedures for hypertension.


The ribonucleoprotein (RNP) of avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) was examined by electron microscopy after shadowing with carbon/platinum. Linear RNP strands up to 6.7 microns in length, from three IVB strains, were sensitive to both pancreatic RNase and to proteases. These strands were obtained from spontaneously disrupted complete particles but not from disrupted incomplete particles that lacked RNP. They were also released from Nonidet P40-disrupted particles and could be isolated on sucrose density gradients at a density of 1.27 g/ml. In some cases, helical RNP complexes associated with virus particles were observed that were similar to RNPs of human coronavirus strain 229E and mouse hepatitis virus strain 3.


The increasing digitalization of our daily lives is gaining a new momentum recently in what is called the post-desktop era of computing. This wide spread in digitalization is made possible by the introduction of handy devices specifically of mobile phones, laptop computers, Smartphones, and tablets. This new trend in shaping up technological advancement presents new opportunities for mobile information presentation, processing, and synthesis in different spheres of application such as providing industrial field services engineering support. Industrial field service engineers execute sets of work orders on daily basis plans. These work order executions demand the availability of digital information anywhere anytime to process them faster. This paper presents a scenario where the newly emerging Smartphone features such as augmented reality, audio / video processing, and near field communication sensing can be used to develop a prototype that supports industrial field service engineers in the contemporary field service engineering taskforces. It employs real world use-cases and carrying out quantitative prototype usability test analysis.


A suppository containing omeprazole was prepared for use as a non-oral dosage form. The stability of omeprazole in different bases, Witepsol H15, Witepsol S55, Witepsol E75 and polyethylene glycol was investigated.

Omeprazole was found to be stable only in Witepsol H15. The in-vitro release of omeprazole from Witepsol H15 was good and apparently obeyed a zero-order release pattern. The serum levels of omeprazole after administration of a single dose of the suppository were compared with the enteric formulation in four beagle dogs. The absorption rate from the suppository was significantly more rapid, compared with the commercially available enteric tablet, Omepral. The area under the serum omeprazole level-time curve, after administration of the suppository, was approximately equal to that of the enteric tablet. Similar results were obtained in four healthy volunteers.

We conclude that omeprazole, in suppository form suppresses gastric juice secretion as effectively as the commercial enteric tablet. These results suggest that the suppository is an effective dosage form of omeprazole for patients who cannot tolerate oral administration in countries where injectable forms are not available.


We present a self-supervised learning approach to learn audio-visual representations from video and audio. Our method uses contrastive learning for cross-modal discrimination of video from audio and vice-versa. We show that optimizing for cross-modal discrimination, rather than within-modal discrimination, is important to learn good representations from video and audio. With this simple but powerful insight, our method achieves highly competitive performance when finetuned on action recognition tasks. Furthermore, while recent work in contrastive learning defines positive and negative samples as individual instances, we generalize this definition by exploring cross-modal agreement. We group together multiple instances as positives by measuring their similarity in both the video and audio feature spaces. Cross-modal agreement creates better positive and negative sets, which allows us to calibrate visual similarities by seeking within-modal discrimination of positive instances, and achieve significant gains on downstream tasks.


Rabson-Mendenhall syndrome (RMS) is an autosomal recessive disorder due to mutations in the insulin receptor gene (INSR) which is mapped to 19p13.2. RMS is characterized by acanthosis nigricans, generalized lanugo, tooth and nail dysplasia, high nasal bridge, and growth retardation. A 5-year-old female patient was referred due to acanthosis nigricans and generalized lanugo. On her physical examination, severe acanthosis nigricans of the neck, axillae, the external genitalia and antecubital regions, generalized lanugo, mildly decreased subcutaneous fat, dysmorphic facial features, and polydactyly on her left hand were noted. Insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance were found. Sequence analysis of the INSR in the patient revealed c.3529+5G>A mutation in homozygous state. RMS should be suspected in a patient with characteristic physical features and insulin resistance.


In this article we introduce a new experimental game called Prisoner's Dilemma with Variable Dependence (PD/D), which allows players to separate their trust in their exchange partners from their cooperation with them in an ongoing relationship. The game allows researchers to observe the emergence of trust and cooperation separately, and ascertain the causal relationship between them. In six studies that use the PD/D design, we find that the players of PD/D consistently achieve very high cooperation rates, sometimes mean cooperation rates of about 95%, which are higher than in standard PD games sharing similar design features. These findings demonstrate that separating trust from cooperation is critical for building trust relations. They also show that the GRIT (Graduated Reciprocation In Tension reduction) strategy helps build such relations in the absence of mutual trust. Our results suggest that it is cooperation which leads to trust, not the other way around.


Our aim in this article is to explore and explain the concept of 'negative capability', in the context of the current resurgence of interest in organizational leadership. We suggest that negative capability can create an intermediate space that enables one to continue to think in difficult situations. Where positive capability supports 'decisive action', negative capability supports 'reflective inaction', that is, the ability to resist dispersing into defensive routines when leading at the limits of one's knowledge, resources and trust. The development of negative capability is discussed but it is suggested that its status is problematic in the context of a societal and organizational culture dominated by control and performativity. The practice of negative capability is illustrated throughout the article, using a case study of the leadership of an international joint venture.


Fairly allocating bandwidth to application sessions (flows) is difficult in Wireless Mesh Networks due to dynamics of wireless channel capacity and contention between flows on different nodes. Different scheduling algorithms have been applied to improve fairness in various scenarios. In this paper we propose a flow-based fairness scheme where a node determines its probability to send based on its flow requirements, and requirements of neighbor nodes. We propose novel methods for calculating this probability and distributing requirements to neighbors. Analysis shows our scheme can improve fairness, maintain high throughput, but at the expense of increased delay.


A set of 48 novel ion-exchange (1EX) resins bearing a range of amine and
quaternary ammonium moieties were prepared on a polystyrene-divinylbenzene
substrate. These were tested in Bottle-Roll (B/R) tests using a simulated ammoniacal
thiosulfate leach solution. The relative gold sorption capacities of these resins were
compared and assessed in terms of common structural features, with a view to
developing a gold-selective resin for use with thiosulfate leachates. Elution of the
gold-loaded resins was also examined, and a shortlist of promising structural
features was derived from the combined results.
A common reaction scheme was employed for most preparations, via
treatment of the exhaustively chloromethylated resin substrate with excess amine in
dimethylformamide. The subsequent functionalised resins were characterised using
infra-red spectroscopy, solid state 13C-NMR spectroscopy, ion-exchange testing and
elemental analysis. The weak-base resins prepared in this manner were then
exhaustively allcylated with either benzyl chloride or iodomethane, to provide a
range of structurally related moieties. These included alkylated derivatives of
ethanolamine, diethanolamine, piperidine, morpholine, piperazine, imidazole, and
tetramethy1-1,2-diaminoethane.
The resin moieties were examined by computational techniques to determine
approximate pKavalues, and by 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Minimum-energy structural
conformations were obtained using molecular modelling (MM+ parameters). The
gold and copper thiosulfate complexes, along with the thiosulfate, trithionate and
tetrathionate anions were modelled using ab-initio density functional theory (DFT).
The performance of the resins was compared in B/R tests using an artificial
leach liquor (pH —10.2) containing gold (20 ppm), copper (200 ppm), ammonia (1.3 M) and thiosulfate (0.1 M). Gold sorption by the resin was followed by periodic
sampling of the liquor and AAS analysis, over a 24 hour period. Relative gold
affinity for each resin was assessed using the ratio of maximum gold sorption to LEX
capacity (ie. [Au]R/Cm), with values ranging up to 16.2 mmol Au per mol of EEX
sites (resin BIM1; N'-benzylimidazole).
Comparison between the various methyl and benzyl- derivatives showed that
gold loading was relatively insensitive to the steric bulk of the functional group.
However, gold affinity was apparently enhanced by 2-hydroxyethyl and imidazolium
moieties. A set of promising moieties (piperidineethanol, quinuclidine, TMEDA,
and methyl derivatives of diethanolamine, imidazole, morpholine and piperazine)
had similar [Au]R/Cm values to the commercial IEX resins Dowex-1, IRA-410 and
Amberlite A26 (-10 mmol/mol). These resins were examined in controlled B/R tests
spiked with 10 ppm trithionate, with the trithionate and tetrathionate concentrations
followed by ion chromatography (IC). The novel resins loaded more slowly and were
more perturbed by the presence of an initial 10 ppm trithionate, while the
commercial resins were more rapidly fouled by trithionate.
The quinuclidine resin was subjected to four cycles of B/R gold loading and
elution. The resin retained 89% of the initial gold sorption capacity, and 99% of the
adsorbed gold was eluted with a modified nitrate eluent.


Aim: The purpose of this short-term, randomized trial was to assess the efficacy of the addition of daily oral irrigation and dental floss to manual tooth brushing and also compared to determine which regimen had the greatest effect on the reduction of plaque and gingivitis. Material and methods: A parallel clinical study of 70 subjects was performed over a period of four weeks. The subjects in the first group (OIS) were trained in the correct use of oral irrigator, once per day in the evening and the second group (DF) were trained to brush their teeth two times per day, in the morning and evening, with uses of standard dental floss. Pre-scaling baseline data was recorded; subjects were re-evaluated after the scaling regarding their oral hygiene and gingival status in the 2 nd and 4 th week follow-up. Results: After four weeks, subjects who used oral irrigator associated regular tooth brushing demonstrated that significant decreases (p=<0.001) in papillary bleeding, of 16.80%, with an initial mean PBI value of 0.93 (±0.15) and a final mean PBI value of 0.59 (±0.25). Conclusion: These results supported the clinical efficacy of oral irrigator for the removal of bacterial plaque from proximal tooth areas. When combined with manual tooth brushing the daily use of an oral irrigator with standard jet tip, is significantly more effective in reducing gingival bleeding scores than is the use of dental floss, as determined within the limits of this 4-week


The purpose of this study is to develop a Computerized Ecology Observation Competence Assessment (CEOCA) to investigate the characteristics of students' observation competence. The authors assume that the students' observation competence can be enriched by meaningful experiences and the performance is situated in specific content or context. The facets included in CEOCA are knowledge, observation (on multi-media), concept mapping of wetland ecology. A total of 454 6th, and 7th graders were sampled in this study. The average difficulty (p value) is .62 for the sample. The correlation coefficients between CEOCA and related variables such as school math or science score are around .46 to .54. The pattern of correlation coefficients demonstrates sensible supporting evidences for the convergent and discriminant validity. The implications for further researches are also discussed.


Biomimicry depends on three key principles: nature as a model, nature as a goal and nature as a
mentor. By studying nature, there may be several answers to challenges that have already been solved
by nature. A growing challenge is that a lot of packaging gets produced and thrown every day. Few
studies have emphasized on the structures and construction of nature as a source of inspiration in the
design process taking the life cycle of packaging into account. Hence, the problem statement was as
follows: How can fruit structures be used as an inspiration to encourage users to extend packaging into
a long life product? The research methods consisted of a case study based on a survey, in-depth
interviews and an idea workshop. The results of the survey identified some factors consumers
emphasized when thinking of packaging, and acted as an input to the idea workshop. It was conducted
an in-depth interview with the development manager at Lilleborg, a company that develops products
for cleaning and personal hygiene. This collaboration gave a deeper understanding of the design
process of packaging while also identifying important factors for packaging. The idea workshop used
fruit as a source of inspiration and resulted in sketches of new ideas to the development of innovative
packaging. The conclusion was that this study expanded the understanding of how students can use
research methods and natural structures in biomimicry in their design education to develop long
lasting packaging.


This article uses a Bayesian procedure based on obtaining posterior odds to assess the evidence about the existence of multiple changes of variance in a time series. The approach is developed for sequences of independent observations. An extension to consider autoregressive models is also discussed. The information on the data about the location of the change points and the magnitude of the variances at the different pieces of the series is summarized through posterior distributions. The procedure is illustrated with a well-known financial series.


We model retail price stickiness as the result of errors due to costly decision-making. Under our assumed cost function for the precision of choice, the timing of price adjustments and the prices firms set are both logit random variables. Errors in the prices firms set help explain micro "puzzles" relating to the sizes of price changes, the behavior of adjustment hazards, and the variability of prices and costs. Errors in adjustment timing increase the real effects of monetary shocks, by reducing the "selection effect". Allowing for both types of errors also helps explain how trend inflation affects price adjustment.


Niche differentiation enables ecologically similar species to coexist by lessening competition over food and/or shelters and may be critical for reproductive isolation between closely related species in close proximity. Because no extra traits need to evolve, spatial and temporal differentiation may readily take place to complement other isolating mechanisms. Two closely related treefrog species occur together in Korea: the endangered Hyla suweonensis and the widespread Hyla japonica. Advertisement calls are differentiated, but it is unclear whether call difference is sufficient for reproductive isolation. We tracked individuals of both species to study fine-scale differentiation in microhabitat use in the diel cycle of the breeding season using a harmonic direction finder. tracking male movement patterns of both species revealed spatial and temporal differentiation in microhabitat use for calling and resting during the breeding season. Males of both H. suweonensis and H. japonica occurred in all 5 microhabitats identified in this study: rice paddy, ground, buried, grass and bush. Both treefrog species showed general similarities in calling from rice paddies and resting in grass and bush. However, H. suweonensis moved into rice paddies and produced advertisement calls 3 h earlier than H. japonica. These differences likely minimize contact between the species and provide an additional isolating mechanism. In addition, the activity of H. suweonensis may be contributing to the decline of this species, as resting in grass would increase dangers from predatory birds and habitat disturbance.


A bunched beam that is accelerated by the fundamental resonant mode of RF cavities necessarily loses energy by exciting the higher-order modes of these very cavities. We consider here the calculation of the power lost by gaussian bunches traversing a structure with resonator impedance of arbitrary quality factor. Known formulas are used for the infinite summations, which reduce to other approximate ones for the broad-band case. For the narrow-band case we present a simple analytic expression. We apply our results to calculate the power lost to the higher-order modes of the SSC RF cavities. Our conclusion is that if the resonant frequencies of all higher-order modes of the cavities are sufficiently far from integral multiples of the bunch frequency, the energy loss is strongly reduced over that calculated by a simple broad-band model; but if this condition is not satisfied, then the resulting resonant loss for even a weak mode may be several orders of magnitude greater than the broad-band calculation. 8 refs.


The link between transport and economic growth is nowadays understood behind the so-called issue of coupling. Transport intensity or transport elasticity to economic production are generally used to assess the link. In this paper, road freight intensity is decomposed into four factors. A European panel data estimation of these four factors isolates levels of coupling and levels of decoupling. We observe two factors of coupling (i. e. the rise of the average distance of transport and the increasing market share of road transport) and two factors of decoupling (the decreasing share of the industry in the economic production and the decreasing weight of industrial production).


We present a stylized model with feedback loops for the evolution of a population's wealth over generations. Individuals have both talent and wealth: talent is a random variable distributed identically for everyone, but wealth is a random variable that is dependent on the population one is born into. Individuals then apply to a downstream agent, which we treat as a university throughout the paper (but could also represent an employer) who makes a decision about whether to admit them or not. The university does not directly observe talent or wealth, but rather a signal (representing e.g. a standardized test) that is a convex combination of both. The university knows the distributions from which an individual's type and wealth are drawn, and makes its decisions based on the posterior distribution of the applicant's characteristics conditional on their population and signal. Each population's wealth distribution at the next round then depends on the fraction of that population that was admitted by the university at the previous round. We study wealth dynamics in this model, and give conditions under which the dynamics have a single attracting fixed point (which implies population wealth inequality is transitory), and conditions under which it can have multiple attracting fixed points (which implies that population wealth inequality can be persistent). In the case in which there are multiple attracting fixed points, we study interventions aimed at eliminating or mitigating inequality, including increasing the capacity of the university to admit more people, aligning the signal generated by individuals with the preferences of the university, and making direct monetary transfers to the less wealthy population.


: Transposition of the great arteries, a congenital cardiac disorder, was diagnosed in a 4-month-old domestic short-haired kitten. Angiography revealed a patent ductus arteriosis, with the pulmonary artery originating from the left ventricle and the aorta originating from the right ventricle. Blood gas analysis suggested a high ventricular septal defect. Necropsy confirmed the diagnosis.


This chapter introduces our research on amorphous silicon photonics. By exploring our high-quality silicon thin-film technology, we have demonstrated hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) waveguides with ultra-low-loss, vertical interlayer transition (VIT) devices for cross coupling between vertically stacked optical circuits. These device technologies are promising for three-dimensional photonic integrated circuits integrated in microelectronics chips. A record low loss of 0.6 dB cm−1 was achieved for a submicron-scale single-mode waveguide, and the VIT devices allow lowloss, broadband, and polarization-insensitive operation.