An Hedonic Analysis of the Effects of Lake Water Clarity on New Hampshire Lakefront Properties

Policy makers often face the problem of evaluating how water quality affects a region's economic well-being. Using water clarity as a measure of the degree of eutrophication levels (as a lake becomes inundated with nutrients, water clarity decreases markedly), analysis is performed on sales data collected over a six-year period. Our results indicate that water clarity has a significant effect on prices paid for residential properties. Effects of a one-meter change in clarity on property value are also estimated for an average lake in four real estate market areas in New Hampshire, with effects differing substantially by area. Our findings provide state and local policy makers a measure of the cost of water quality degradation as measured by changes in water clarity, and demonstrate that protecting water quality may have a positive effect on property tax revenues.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Microarray screening of Guillain-Barré syndrome sera for antibodies to glycolipid complexes

Objective: To characterize the patterns of autoantibodies to glycolipid complexes in a large cohort of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and control samples collected in Bangladesh using a newly developed microarray technique. Methods: Twelve commonly studied glycolipids and lipids, plus their 66 possible heteromeric complexes, totaling 78 antigens, were applied to polyvinylidene fluoride–coated slides using a microarray printer. Arrays were probed with 266 GBS and 579 control sera (2 μL per serum, diluted 1/50) and bound immunoglobulin G detected with secondary antibody. Scanned arrays were subjected to statistical analyses. Results: Measuring antibodies to single targets was 9% less sensitive than to heteromeric complex targets (49.2% vs 58.3%) without significantly affecting specificity (83.9%–85.0%). The optimal screening protocol for GBS sera comprised a panel of 10 glycolipids (4 single glycolipids GM1, GA1, GD1a, GQ1b, and their 6 heteromeric complexes), resulting in an overall assay sensitivity of 64.3% and specificity of 77.1%. Notable heteromeric targets were GM1:GD1a, GM1:GQ1b, and GA1:GD1a, in which exclusive binding to the complex was observed. Conclusions: Rationalizing the screening protocol to capture the enormous diversity of glycolipid complexes can be achieved by miniaturizing the screening platform to a microarray platform, and applying simple bioinformatics to determine optimal sensitivity and specificity of the targets. Glycolipid complexes are an important category of glycolipid antigens in autoimmune neuropathy cases that require specific analytical and bioinformatics methods for optimal detection

Of cattle and feasts: multi-isotope investigation of animal husbandry and communal feasting at Neolithic Makriyalos, northern Greece

The aim of this study is to investigate livestock husbandry and its relationship to the mobilization of domestic animals for slaughter at large communal feasting events, in Late Neolithic Makriyalos, northern Greece. A multi-isotope approach is built that integrates analysis of: 1. δ13C and δ15N values of human and animal bone collagen for understanding long-term dietary behavior, 2. Incremental δ13C and δ18O values of domestic animal tooth enamel carbonate for assessing seasonal patterns in grazing habits and mobility, and 3. 87Sr/86Sr ratios of cattle tooth enamel for examining the possibility that some of the animals consumed at the site were born outside the local environment. The findings indicate that cattle had isotopically more variable diets than sheep, which may reflect grazing over a wider catchment area in the local landscape. Cattle products did not make a significant contribution to the long-term dietary protein intake of the humans, which may indicate that they were primarily consumed during episodic feasting events. There is no indication that pasturing of livestock was pre-determined by their eventual context of slaughter (i.e. large-scale feasting vs. more routine consumption events). Two nonlocal cattle identified among those deposited in a feasting context may have been brought to the site as contributions to these feasts. The evidence presented provides a more detailed insight into local land use and into the role of livestock and feasting in forging social relationships within the regional human population

Improvement of the Embarrassingly Parallel Search for Data Centers

International audienceWe propose an adaptation of the Embarrassingly Parallel Search (EPS) method for data centers. EPS is a simple but efficient method for parallel solving of CSPs. EPS decomposes the problem in many distinct subproblems which are then solved independently by workers. EPS performed well on multi-cores machines (40), but some issues arise when using more cores in a datacenter. Here, we identify the decomposition as the cause of the degradation and propose a parallel decomposition to address this issue. Thanks to it, EPS gives almost linear speedup and outperforms work stealing by orders of magnitude using the Gecode solver

Book Reviews

Current Legal Problems 1956 Edited by G. W. Keeton and G. Schwarzenberger London: Stevens & Sons, 1956. Pp. vii, 275. $5.55 reviewer: David F. Maxwell =================================== Some Problems of Proof under the Anglo-American System of Litigation By Edmund Morris Morgan. New York: Columbia University Press, 1956. Pp. xii, 195.$3.50 reviewer: Charles T. McCormick =================================== Effective Drafting of Leases with Check List and Forms By Milton N. Lieberman Newark: Gann Law Books, 1956. Pp. viii, 974 reviewer: Robert N. Cooks =================================== The Law and One Man Among Many By Arthur E. Sutherland Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1956. Pp. ix, 101. $2.50 reviewer: Kenneth B. Hughs =================================== Proxy Contests for Corporate Control By Edward Ross Aranow and Herbert A. Einhorn. New York: Columbia University Press,1957. Pp. xxiii, 577.$15.00 reviewer: Jess Halstead =================================== Gibson\u27s Suits in Chancery By Arthur Crownover, Jr. Charlottesville: The Michie Company, 1955-1956. Vol. I, Pp. xxiii, 909; Vol. II,Pp. xv, 949. $45.00. reviewer: Walter P. Armstrong, Jr. =================================== Laissez Faire and the General-Welfare State: A Study of Conflict in American Thought, 1865-1901. By Sidney Fine Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1956. Pp. x, 468.$7.50. reviewer: Howard Jay Graha

Enacting the Prevent Duty in Early Childhood Education Settings

This chapter examines the implementation of the Prevent Duty in early childhood education (ECE) provision in England. Findings from a small-scale empirical study suggest that ECE practitioners simultaneously performed, resisted and embodied the requirements of the Prevent Duty in practice. ECE practitioners were performative in their response to the requirement to promote fundamental British values (FBVs) as they evidenced compliance within an environment of regulation. However, ECE practitioners simultaneously operated a pedagogy rich in values education in which children were positioned as constructors of values. The layering of counter-terrorism within safeguarding policy led to a repositioning of practices of surveillance of children and families, which resonates with some critical readings of counter-terrorism policy in ECE

Kinetics of Plasma Viremia and Soluble Nonstructural Protein 1 Concentrations in Dengue: Differential Effects According to Serotype and Immune Status

We describe the magnitude and kinetics of plasma viremia and nonstructural protein 1 (sNS1) levels in sequential samples from 167 children with acute dengue, enrolled early in a community study in Vietnam. All children recovered fully, and only 5 required hospitalization. Among those with dengue virus type 1 (DENV-1), plasma viremia was significantly greater in primary (49) than secondary (44) infections and took longer to resolve. In primary DENV-2 and 3 infections, viremia was significantly lower than among primary DENV-1 infections. Concentrations of sNS1 were significantly higher for DENV-1 than for DENV-2 after adjusting for viremia, with marked differences in the kinetic profiles between primary and secondary infections. Secondary infection and higher viremia were independent predictors of more severe thrombocytopenia, and higher viremia was associated with a small increase in hemoconcentration. Our findings identify clear serotype and immune-status related effects on the dynamics of dengue viremia and sNS1 responses, together with associations with important clinical parameters

'Who do "they" cheer for?' Cricket, diaspora, hybridity and divided loyalties amongst British Asians

This article explores the relationship between British Asians' sense of nationhood, citizenship, ethnicity and some of their manifestations in relation to sports fandom: specifically in terms of how cricket is used as a means of articulating diasporic British Asian identities. Norman Tebbit's 'cricket test' is at the forefront of this article to tease out the complexities of being British Asian in terms of supporting the English national cricket team. The first part of the article locates Tebbit's 'cricket test' within the wider discourse of multiculturalism. The analysis then moves to focus on the discourse of sports fandom and the concept of 'home team advantage' arguing that sports venues represent significant sites for nationalist and cultural expression due to their connection with national history. The article highlights how supporting 'Anyone but England', thereby rejecting ethnically exclusive notions of 'Englishness' and 'Britishness', continues to be a definer of British Asians' cultural identities. The final section situates these trends within the discourse of hybridity and argues that sporting allegiances are often separate from considerations of national identity and citizenship. Rather than placing British Asians in an either/or situation, viewing British 'Asianness' in hybrid terms enables them to celebrate their traditions and histories, whilst also being proud of their British citizenship. © The Author(s) 2011