The problem of equivalent models has plagued researchers since the earliest developmental stages of structural equation modeling (SEM; Marcoulides & Schumacker, 1996). Equivalent models are those that provide the same sets of statistical fit indexes (e.g., chi-square and p values) as a hypothesized model but may imply very different substantive interpretations of the data (Stelzl, 1986). As a c...

Abstract The distinction between acta jure imperii and gestionis, while playing a pivotal role in the law of state immunity, appears alien to responsibility. However, recent practice has shown conceptual overlaps these different areas international law. sovereign/commercial dichotomy informed attribution parastatal entities’ conduct under Article 5 International Law Commission’s Articles on Res...

System of Systems (SoS) are a relatively recent phenomenon and present a whole new set of challenges for systems engineers. The system elements of an SoS are often managed and operated in a predominantly independent manner, over widely distributed geographic locations and are subject to evolution with various rates of change. The goals of the SoS itself often change over time. One purpose of th...

Recently Francisco Presas Mata constructed the first examples of closed contact manifolds of dimension larger than 3 that contain a plastikstufe, and hence are non-fillable. Using contact surgery on his examples we create on every sphere S, n ≥ 2, an exotic contact structure ξ − that also contains a plastikstufe. As a consequence, every closed contact manifold (M, ξ) (except S) can be converted...

current evidence suggests no absolute contraindication to angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in patients who have had angioedema attributable to an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. However, since ARBs can also cause angioedema, they should be prescribed with extreme caution after a thorough risk-benefit analysis and after educating the patient to watch for signs of angioedema wh...