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The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) Classification of the Epilepsies has been updated to reflect our gain in understanding of the epilepsies and their underlying mechanisms following the major scientific advances that have taken place since the last ratified classification in 1989. As a critical tool for the practicing clinician, epilepsy classification must be relevant and dynamic to changes in thinking, yet robust and translatable to all areas of the globe. Its primary purpose is for diagnosis of patients, but it is also critical for epilepsy research, development of antiepileptic therapies, and communication around the world. The new classification originates from a draft document submitted for public comments in 2013, which was revised to incorporate extensive feedback from the international epilepsy community over several rounds of consultation. It presents three levels, starting with seizure type, where it assumes that the patient is having epileptic seizures as defined by the new 2017 ILAE Seizure Classification. After diagnosis of the seizure type, the next step is diagnosis of epilepsy type, including focal epilepsy, generalized epilepsy, combined generalized, and focal epilepsy, and also an unknown epilepsy group. The third level is that of epilepsy syndrome, where a specific syndromic diagnosis can be made. The new classification incorporates etiology along each stage, emphasizing the need to consider etiology at each step of diagnosis, as it often carries significant treatment implications. Etiology is broken into six subgroups, selected because of their potential therapeutic consequences. New terminology is introduced such as developmental and epileptic encephalopathy. The term benign is replaced by the terms self-limited and pharmacoresponsive, to be used where appropriate. It is hoped that this new framework will assist in improving epilepsy care and research in the 21st century.

Despite progress in antimicrobial drug development, a critical need persists for new, feasible pathways to develop antibacterial agents to treat people infected with drug-resistant bacteria. Infections due to resistant gram-negative bacilli continue to cause unacceptable morbidity and mortality rates. Antibacterial agents have been historically studied in noninferiority clinical trials that focus on a single site of infection (eg, complicated urinary tract infections, intra-abdominal infections), yet these designs may not be optimal, and often are not feasible, for study of infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria. Over the past several years, multiple stakeholders have worked to develop consensus regarding paths forward with a goal of facilitating timely conduct of antimicrobial development. Here we advocate for a novel and pragmatic approach and, toward this end, present feasible trial designs for antibacterial agents that could enable conduct of narrow-spectrum, organism-specific clinical trials and ultimately approval of critically needed new antibacterial agents.

The author questions standard archival claims of truth and diversity.

The first scientific publication on 'general adaption syndrome', or as we know today 'biologic stress' has been published in Nature in 1936 by the 29-year old Hans Selye. His results in that short publication that contained no references or illustrations, were based on experiments in rats that were exposed to severe insults/ stressors, but his idea about a 'nonspecific bodily response' originated from his observations of sick patients whom he had seen as a medical student and young clinician. Autopsy of stressed rats revealed three major, grossly visible changes: hyperemia and enlargement of the adrenals, atrophy of the thymus and lymph nodes as well as hemorrhagic gastric erosions/ulcers (the "stress triad"). Based on this and additional observations, he concluded that the key master organ in stress reactions is the adrenal cortex (although he also accepted the limited and short lasting effect of catecholamines released from the adrenal medulla) which stimulated by an increased secretion of ACTH, secreted by the anterior pituitary gland. He thus identified the first molecular mediators of the stress reaction, i.e., steroids released from the adrenal cortex that we call today glucocorticoids, based on his classification and naming of steroids. At the end of a very productive life in experimental medicine, Selye recognized that under both unpleasant and demanding stressors as well as positive, rewarding stimuli adrenal cortex releases the same glucocorticoids and only certain brain structures may distinguish the stimuli under distress and eustress - terms he introduced in 1974, that also contained his last definition of stress: the nonspecific response of the body on any demand on it. After brief description of the history of stress research, the rest of this review is focused on one element of stress triad, i.e., gastroduodenal ulceration, especially its pathogenesis, prevention and treatment. Following a short description of acute gastroprotection, discovered by on

ObjectiveTo assess current practice, advise minimum standards, and identify educational gaps relevant to genetic screening, counseling, and testing of women affected by gynecologic cancers.MethodsThe Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) organized a multidisciplinary summit that included representatives from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the American Society Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC), and patient advocacy groups, BrightPink and Facing our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE). Three subject areas were discussed: care delivery models for genetic testing, barriers to genetic testing, and educational opportunities for providers of genetic testing.ResultsThe group endorsed current SGO, National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), and NSGC genetic testing guidelines for women affected with ovarian, tubal, peritoneal cancers, or DNA mismatch repair deficient endometrial cancer. Three main areas of unmet need were identified: timely and universal genetic testing for women with ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancers; education regarding minimum standards for genetic counseling and testing; and barriers to implementation of testing of both affected individuals as well as cascade testing of family members. Consensus building among all stakeholders resulted in an action plan to address gaps in education of gynecologic oncology providers and delivery of cancer genetics care.

We propose to test for short baseline neutrino oscillations, implied by the recent reevaluation of the reactor antineutrino flux and by anomalous results from the gallium solar neutrino detectors. The test will consist of producing a 75 kCi 144Ce - 144Pr antineutrino source to be deployed in the Kamioka Liquid Scintillator Anti-Neutrino Detector (KamLAND). KamLAND's 13m diameter target volume provides a suitable environment to measure energy and position dependence of the detected neutrino flux. A characteristic oscillation pattern would be visible for a baseline of about 10 m or less, providing a very clean signal of neutrino disappearance into a yet-unknown, "sterile" state. Such a measurement will be free of any reactor-related uncertainties. After 1.5 years of data taking the Reactor Antineutrino Anomaly parameter space will be tested at > 95% C.L.

Heart attack is mainly caused by the rupture of a vulnerable plaque. IVUS-OCT is a novel medical imaging modality that provides opportunities for accurate assessment of vulnerable plaques in vivo in patients. IVUS provides deep penetration to image the whole necrotic core while OCT enables accurate measurement of the fibrous cap of a plaque owing to its high resolution. In this paper, the authors describe the fundamentals, the technical designs and the applications of IVUS-OCT technology. Results from cadaver specimens are summarized, which indicated the complementary nature of OCT and IVUS for assessment of vulnerable plaques, plaque composition, and stent-tissue interactions. Furthermore, previously reported in vivo animal experiments are reviewed to assess the clinical adaptability of IVUS-OCT. Future directions for this technology are also discussed in this review.

The long-term consequences of exposure to excess stress, particularly during sensitive developmental windows, on the initiation and progression of many complex, common physical and mental disorders that confer a major global burden of disease are well established. The period of intrauterine life represents among the most sensitive of these windows, at which time the effects of stress may be transmitted inter-generationally from a mother to her as-yet-unborn child. As explicated by the concept of fetal or developmental programming of health and disease susceptibility, a growing body of evidence supports the notion that health and disease susceptibility is determined by the dynamic interplay between genetic makeup and environment, particularly during intrauterine and early postnatal life. Except in extreme cases, an adverse intrauterine exposure may not, per se, 'cause' disease, but, instead, may determine propensity for disease(s) in later life (by shaping phenotypic responsivity to endogenous and exogenous disease-related risk conditions). Accumulating evidence suggests that maternal psychological and social stress during pregnancy represents one such condition that may adversely affect the developing child, with important implications for a diverse range of physical and mental health outcomes. In this paper we review primarily our own contributions to the field of maternal stress during pregnancy and child mental and physical health-related outcomes. We present findings on stress-related maternal-placental-fetal endocrine and immune/inflammatory processes that may mediate the effects of various adverse conditions during pregnancy on the developing human embryo and fetus. We enunciate conceptual and methodological issues related to the assessment of stress during pregnancy and discuss potential mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of the effects of stress. Lastly, we describe on-going research and some future directions of our program.

Download this index for direct links to 122 technical reports in the NCGIA Technical Papers series, published in the 1988-1997 period.

Download this index for direct linked access to reports and position papers associated with NCGIA hosted and sponsored specialist research meetings and conferences between 1988 and 2008.

Due to their potential to improve roadway safety, reduce traffic congestion, and enhance the mobility of people and goods, Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) have generated considerable enthusiasm in the transportation community. In this white paper, state-of-the practice ITS programs that are environmentally beneficial are highlighted spanning the three main areas of ITS, including, Vehicle Systems, Traffic Management Systems, and Traveler Information Systems. Recent ITS research programs in the US and EU are outlined.View the NCST Project Webpage

This white paper describes the circumstances in California around the turn of the 21st century that led the California Energy Commission (CEC) to direct additional Public Interest Energy Research funds to address critical electric grid issues, especially those arising from integrating high penetrations of variable renewable generation with the electric grid. It contains an assessment of the beneficial science and technology advances of the resultant portfolio of electric grid research projects administered under the direction of the CEC by a competitively selected contractor, the University of California’s California Institute for Energy and the Environment, from 2003-2014.

The IPD-Work (individual-participant data meta-analysis of working populations) Consortium has published several papers on job strain (the combination of low job control and high job demands) based on Karasek's demand-control model (1) and health-related outcomes including cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, obesity, diabetes as well as health-related behaviors, utilizing meta-analyses of a pooled database of study participants from 17 European cohorts. An IPD approach has some advantages over typical meta-analyses, eg, having access to all the data for each individual allows for additional analyses, compared to typical meta-analyses. However, such an approach, like other meta-analyses, is not free from errors and biases (2-6) when it is not conducted appropriately. In our review of the IPD-Work Consortium's (hereafter called the Consortium) publications of the last two years, we have identified and pointed out several conceptual and methodological errors, as well as unsubstantiated conclusions and inappropriate recommendations for worksite public health policies (6-15). However, the Consortium has not yet appropriately addressed many of the issues we have raised. Also several major errors and biases underlying the Consortium IPD meta-analysis publications have not been presented in a comprehensive way, nor have they been discussed widely among work stress researchers. We are concerned that the same errors and biases could be repeated in future IPD Consortium meta-analysis publications as well as by other researchers who are interested in meta-analyses on work stressors and health outcomes. It is possible that the inappropriate interpretations in the Consortium publications, which remained uncorrected to date, may have a negative impact on the international efforts of the work stress research community to improve the health of working populations. Recently, Dr. Töres Theorell, a principal investigator of the Consortium, responded in this journal (16) to some of ou

ObjectivesPrevious attempts at meta-analysis and systematic review have not provided clear recommendations for the clinical application of thermal ablation in metastatic colorectal cancer. Many authors believe that the probability of gathering randomised controlled trial (RCT) data is low. Our aim is to provide a consensus document making recommendations on the appropriate application of thermal ablation in patients with colorectal liver metastases.MethodsThis consensus paper was discussed by an expert panel at The Interventional Oncology Sans Frontières 2013. A literature review was presented. Tumour characteristics, ablation technique and different clinical applications were considered and the level of consensus was documented.ResultsSpecific recommendations are made with regard to metastasis size, number, and location and ablation technique. Mean 31 % 5-year survival post-ablation in selected patients has resulted in acceptance of this therapy for those with technically inoperable but limited liver disease and those with limited liver reserve or co-morbidities that render them inoperable.ConclusionsIn the absence of RCT data, it is our aim that this consensus document will facilitate judicious selection of the patients most likely to benefit from thermal ablation and provide a unified interventional oncological perspective for the use of this technology.Key points• Best results require due consideration of tumour size, number, volume and location. • Ablation technology, imaging guidance and intra-procedural imaging assessment must be optimised. • Accepted applications include inoperable disease due to tumour distribution or inadequate liver reserve. • Other current indications include concurrent co-morbidity, patient choice and the test-of-time approach. • Future applications may include resectable disease, e.g. for small solitary tumours.

The Spatial Search specialist meeting in Santa Barbara (December 2014) brought together 35 academic and industry representatives from computational, geospatial, and cognitive sciences with interest in focused discussions on the development of an interdisciplinary research agenda to advance spatial search from scientific and engineering viewpoints. The position papers from participants represent the shared expertise that guided discussions and the formulation of research questions about processes of spatial search and about the conceptual ideas, infrasturctures, and tools needed to enhance the search experience in both physical and virtual spaces. The call for position papers is included.

This policy brief explains how Japan produces its annual defense white paper and how this publication and other defense reports promote transparency on Japan’s national defense. I outline the process of putting together the white paper and then suggest ways in which the process and the structure could be applied by other nations seeking to improve their defense transparency.

ObjectiveTo highlight the opportunities and challenges of developing and implementing performance outcome measures in rheumatology for accountability purposes.MethodsWe constructed a hypothetical performance outcome measure to demonstrate the benefits and challenges of designing quality measures that assess patient outcomes. We defined the data source, measure cohort, reporting period, period at risk, measure outcome, outcome attribution, risk adjustment, reliability and validity, and reporting approach. We discussed outcome measure challenges specific to rheumatology and to fields where patients have predominantly chronic, complex, ambulatory care-sensitive conditions.ResultsOur hypothetical outcome measure was a measure of rheumatoid arthritis disease activity intended for evaluating Accountable Care Organization performance. We summarized the components, benefits, challenges, and tradeoffs between feasibility and usability. We highlighted how different measure applications, such as for rapid cycle quality improvement efforts versus pay for performance programs, require different approaches to measure development and testing. We provided a summary table of key take-home points for clinicians and policymakers.ConclusionPerformance outcome measures are coming to rheumatology, and the most effective and meaningful measures can only be created through the close collaboration of patients, providers, measure developers, and policymakers. This study provides an overview of key issues and is intended to stimulate a productive dialogue between patients, practitioners, insurers, and government agencies regarding optimal performance outcome measure development.

Ian Haney-Lopez addresses the connection between dog whistle politics and the increasingly successful right-wing attacks on the government and unions, and offers a frame for the labor movement to mobilize and defeat dog whistling.

The widespread availability of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV infection in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has resulted in decreased morbidity, mortality, and transmission of HIV. This region, however, still represents the majority of the global burden of HIV. Furthermore, levels of retention in care and medication adherence, critical determinants of ART effectiveness, are currently suboptimal, and, thus, continue to be the target of many interventions. This dissertation is comprised of three chapters related to understanding ART adherence and interventions to improve it.Chapter 1 quantitatively describes and examines the distribution of poor adherence to antiretroviral therapy in a study of HIV-positive patients in Zambia. In a novel application of the Lorenz curve, a tool used commonly in economics, this analysis characterized the concentration of medication non-possession in a network of clinics in order to identify “hotspots” and predictors of poor adherence. Results extend previous studies by revealing that even though average adherence is high, lapses in adherence are common and concentrated among a minority of patients, and also in certain clinics. This concentration and variability varies with time on ART. Furthermore, a small fraction of patients accounts for the majority of days of medication non-possession, with the size of this group increasing with time on ART. This suggests that targeted interventions may represent a preferable overall strategy as compared to those targeting all patients to improve adherence. Furthermore, there was high variability across clinics suggesting that interventions targeting clinic “hotspots” may also represent an efficient use of resources to improve ART adherence. Chapter 2 presents the results of the first qualitative study to examine conditional incentives for ART adherence and their potential pathways of action among people living with HIV. This study was conducted within a study of conditional food and cash transfers to

Modernism happened in mathematics, too. Between about 1890 and 1930, the field turned toward dramatic, previously unimaginable abstraction, as radical innovations dispensed with inherited conventions. The recognition of non-Euclidean geometry raised the strange notion that multiple, contradictory realms of mathematics could coexist and remain equally correct, even if some seemed non-representative of the world or nonsensical in human experience. Mathematicians grew frenzied in the effort to resolve newfound paradoxes. The turn of the century saw a series of attempts to rethink math’s most basic foundations, and the 1920s witnessed explosive controversies about the role of language in mathematics. These developments do not merely constitute change in one field; they demonstrate that modernism was a broader cultural phenomenon than literary scholars have realized. This dissertation begins from the shared intellectual history of literary and mathematical modernism: a common attempt to rethink foundational axioms, a common ambivalence toward growing abstraction, and a common interest in and anxiety about form. This convergence, I argue, exposes an interpretive dilemma intrinsic to form in mathematics and writing alike. Modernist shifts in cultural assumptions gave rise to newly abstract forms that revealed form to have been always already abstract—so abstract as to estrange its own cultural function. Formalism, in literature, skates uncomfortably between profundity and superficiality, because attention to literary language in and of itself risks discounting language’s fundamental function: to express, refer, and communicate. But decades before formalism named a school of thought in literary interpretation, formalism—by that name—identified an understanding, and an interpretation, of mathematics. Mathematical formalism has roots reaching back to the 17th century, but after a long history it reached its heyday in the 1920s, when the field’s escalating abstraction had led

Executive SummarySigned into law in September 2012, SB 1052 (Steinberg, 2012) specified that the California Open Education Resources Council (“CA-OERC”) be established under the administration of the Intersegmental Committee of Academic Senates (“ICAS”) of the University of California (“UC”), the California State University (“CSU”), and the California Community Colleges (“CCC”). CA-OERC was duly assembled and held its first meeting in January 2014. Representing 145 campuses across the three public systems of higher education, the CA-OERC initially set out to survey 10,000 UC, 24,000 CSU, 59,000 CCC full-time, part-time, and temporary faculty about their awareness, adoption, and use of Open Educational Resources (“OER”) textbooks. Based on the survey responses, the CA-OERC identified several impediments to adopting OER textbooks and concluded that rigorous peer review was ultimately the first step towards advocating for adoption of OER textbooks. The Council quickly identified 50 highly-enrolled courses with expensive textbooks across the three public systems of higher education and, over the following two years, collected more than 160 existing OER textbooks for these courses, established a rigorous peer review process, recruited faculty reviewers from the three systems, managed more than 450 reviews, and helped to curate the resulting high-quality, peer-reviewed collection of OER textbooks at COOL4ED, an online repository featuring reviews and case studies. Throughout, the CA-OERC’s work was supported by State monies, as well as grants from the Gates Foundation and Hewlett Foundation secured and administered by the CSU Chancellor’s Office. In addition to supplying OER textbooks for California university and college faculty and students to consider, the Council undertook several research efforts to understand OER awareness, adoption, and use. These included: intensive feedback -- via surveys, webinars, and e-portfolios-- from a cohort of 16 CCC and CSU fac

Sub-1 nm, extremely long nickel molybdate nanowires are synthesized based on a good/poor solvent system. The ultrathin nanowires can be hierarchically assembled into flexible, free-standing films with good mechanical properties. Compared with the large-size counterpart, nickel molybdate ultrathin nanowires display promising oxygen evolution reaction catalytic performance derived from the ultrathin feature.

BACKGROUND: Aleutian mink disease virus (AMDV) is the cause of a chronic immune complex disease, Aleutian disease (AD), which is common in mink-producing countries. In 2005, implementation of an AMDV eradication programme in Finland created a need for an automated high-throughput assay. The aim of this study was to validate an AMDV-VP2 -recombinant antigen ELISA, which we developed earlier, in an automated assay format for the detection of anti-AMDV antibodies in mink blood and to determine the accuracy of this test compared with the reference standard (counter-current immunoelectrophoresis, CIEP). METHODS: A blood sampling method based on filter paper 12-strips (blood combs) and a device to introduce these strips to an ELISA plate for elution of the samples were developed. Blood and serum samples were collected from 761 mink from two farms with low (2%) and high (81%) seroprevalences of AMDV infection in 2008. ELISA sensitivity and specificity were estimated with a Bayesian 2-test 2-population model that allowed for conditional dependence between CIEP and ELISA. Agreement between the two tests was assessed with kappa statistic and proportion agreement. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of the automated ELISA system were estimated to be 96.2% and 98.4%, respectively. Agreement between CIEP and ELISA was high, with a kappa value of 0.976 and overall proportion agreement of 98.8%. CONCLUSIONS: The automated ELISA system combined with blood comb sampling is an accurate test format for the detection of anti-AMDV antibodies in mink blood and offers several advantages, including improved blood sampling and data handling, fast sample throughput time, and reductions in costs and labour inputs.

In northern Laos, shortened fallows in the slash-and-burn upland rice system are not sustainable either from a production or economic standpoint. This paper evaluates the potential for using the indigenous fast-growing tree, Broussonetia papyrifera L. Vent. (paper mulberry) as an economic fallow crop. The objectives of this study are to assess the inner bark yield of paper mulberry, and to evaluate rice productivity following paper mulberry cultivation. In addition, allometric models for estimating the inner bark yield of paper mulberry are developed. Inner bark yield of paper mulberry stands ranging in age from 9 to 48 months ranged from 10 to 208 g m−2, and increased with age. The models using diameter at breast height and stem height, or diameter at breast height only as independent variables explained well the variation in inner bark yield. When paper mulberry was completely removed during the rice growing season, rice yields in these areas were similar to those following weedy bush fallow. When paper mulberry was allowed to grow, rice yields were negatively correlated to paper mulberry stem density. When paper mulberry lateral branches were pruned back, rice yields could be maintained if the paper mulberry stem density was <0.22 stems m−2, suggesting that if paper mulberry is managed properly, rice yields can be maintained at current levels. The paper mulberry-upland rice rotation system improves the productivity of a traditional slash-and-burn system through harvesting paper mulberry inner bark; however the long-term sustainability of such a system remains unclear and warrants further investigation.

In the last two years, the California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE) managed nine white papers on behavior and energy that were funded by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). In order to determine what should be done in the future in the area of behavior and energy, CIEE conducted a survey in the Fall of 2009 to assess the value of these papers, see how these papers have been used and are planning to be used, and determine what additional activities should be conducted in the area of behavior and energy (e.g., more white papers or other activities). Many of the respondents felt that the papers were beneficial and useful. The papers represented an extraordinary resource that could be accessed over time for guidance in designing, implementing, and evaluating policies and programs. The papers also reflected cutting edge research that highlighted big ideas, raised questions regarding existing energy policy and programs, and kept them informed on progress in the areas of behavior and energy efficiency. Many respondents had already made use of the papers for: general inspiration; training staff; referring to the papers as part of a research study, scientific article, or a proposal; and increasing their understanding of how technology is applied in the market to guide research projects, and of the increasing role of behavioral motivation in energy efficiency. Respondents have also used the papers for: reviewing study methodologies and proposals; supporting recommendations in comments or filings in public proceedings; and making product feature recommendations. Respondents have also used these papers for: designing, developing and evaluating pilots and marketing and outreach strategies; conducting energy savings potential studies; and conducting academic research (e.g., using experimental designs). Finally, many respondents planned to continue their current use of the papers (as noted above) and to explore other opportunities, such as: developing

Reflective papers are increasingly recognized as potentially important contributors to clinical education and practice; however, few quality guidelines are available for potential authors or reviewers. We sought to identify key characteristics of effective reflective papers and to clarify factors that increased or reduced the probability of acceptance for publication.A 10-item survey addressing the definition, purpose, and quality characteristics of reflective papers was developed based on a literature review and analysis of the author instructions of 14 journals that regularly publish reflective papers and are likely to be read by primary care physicians. The survey was sent electronically to the editor or associate editor responsible for reflective papers at each journal.Seven completed surveys were returned. The essential element defining a reflective paper was identified as narration of a specific professional experience that resonated with readers and conveyed deeper meaning. All respondents rated emotional engagement as very important, followed by stimulating reflection in the reader, providing a lesson applicable to patient care, and stimulating discussion with colleagues and/or learners. Reasons for acceptance or rejection of reflective submissions to journals were identified in issues related to writing style, topic selection, and reader reaction.Writing and reviewing reflective papers is strongly dependent on context, personal values, experience, and emotional reaction; nevertheless, core quality features can be identified to guide both writers and editors/reviewers without destroying the unique nature of these papers.

We continue the investigation for more than 2,150 astrophysics papers published from July 2007 to June 2008 of various possible correlations among time from submission to acceptance; nationalities of lead authors; numbers of citations to the papers in three years after publication; subdisciplines; and numbers of authors. Paper I found that submissions from American authors were accepted faster than others but by only about 3. 8 days out of a median of 105 days. Here we report the following additional relationships: (1) the correlation of citation rate with lag time is weak, the most cited papers having intermediate lag times, (2) citation rates are highest for papers with European and American authors and much smaller for papers from less-developed (etc.) countries, with other prosperous countries in between, (3) citation rates are much larger for currently hot topics (exoplanets, cosmology), than for less hot ones (binary stars, for instance), (4) papers with many authors (seven to more than 100) are more often cited than 1-2 author ones, but this is not linear, and author numbers are not much correlated with lag times, and (5) the lag time for hot topics is about the same as that for less hot topics, which surprised us. Of specific subfields, solar papers are, on average, accepted fastest, quite often within less than 2 months. We don't know why. © 2012 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary.

The U.S. pulp and paper industry consumes over $7 billion worth of purchased fuels and electricity per year. Energy efficiency improvement is an important way to reduce these costs and to increase predictable earnings, especially in times of high energy price volatility. There are a variety of opportunities available at individual plants in the U.S. pulp and paper industry to reduce energy consumption in a cost-effective manner. This paper provides a brief overview of the U.S. EPA ENERGY STAR(R) for Industry energy efficiency guidebook (a.k.a. the "Energy Guide") for pulp and paper manufacturers. The Energy Guide discusses a wide range of energy efficiency practices and energy-efficient technologies that can be implemented at the component, process, facility, and organizational levels. Also provided is a discussion of the trends, structure, and energy consumption characteristics of the U.S. pulp and paper industry along with a description of the major process technologies used within the industry. Many energy efficiency measure descriptions include expected savings in energy and energy-related costs, based on case study data from real-world applications in pulp and paper mills and related industries worldwide. The information in this Energy Guide is intended to help energy and plant managers in the U.S. pulp and paper industry reduce energy consumption in a cost-effective manner while maintaining the quality of products manufactured. Further research on the economics of all measures?as well as on their applicability to different production practices?is needed to assess their cost effectiveness at individual plants.

This white paper is part of a larger project by the University of California Institute on Global Con-flict and Cooperation (IGCC) to measure the level of defense transparency in Northeast Asia. The paper covers Japan, People’s Republic of China (PRC), Republic of Korea (ROK), United States, and Russia in eight functional areas: 1) dis-closures in defense white papers; 2) information available on official defense websites; 3) reporting to the United Nations; 4) openness of defense budgets; 5) legislative oversight; 6) robustness of press independence; 7) reporting of international military activity; and 8) disclosure on cyber activi-ties

The rock-paper-scissor game -- which is characterized by three strategies R,P,S, satisfying the non-transitive relations S excludes P, P excludes R, and R excludes S -- serves as a simple prototype for studying more complex non-transitive systems. For well-mixed systems where interactions result in fitness reductions of the losers exceeding fitness gains of the winners, classical theory predicts that two strategies go extinct. The effects of spatial heterogeneity and dispersal rates on this outcome are analyzed using a general framework for evolutionary games in patchy landscapes. The analysis reveals that coexistence is determined by the rates at which dominant strategies invade a landscape occupied by the subordinate strategy (e.g. rock invades a landscape occupied by scissors) and the rates at which subordinate strategies get excluded in a landscape occupied by the dominant strategy (e.g. scissor gets excluded in a landscape occupied by rock). These invasion and exclusion rates correspond to eigenvalues of the linearized dynamics near single strategy equilibria. Coexistence occurs when the product of the invasion rates exceeds the product of the exclusion rates. Provided there is sufficient spatial variation in payoffs, the analysis identifies a critical dispersal rate $d^*$ required for regional persistence. For dispersal rates below $d^*$, the product of the invasion rates exceed the product of the exclusion rates and the rock-paper-scissor metacommunities persist regionally despite being extinction prone locally. For dispersal rates above $d^*$, the product of the exclusion rates exceed the product of the invasion rates and the strategies are extinction prone. These results highlight the delicate interplay between spatial heterogeneity and dispersal in mediating long-term outcomes for evolutionary games.