When monitoring spatial phenomena, which can often be modeled as Gaussian processes (GPs), choosing sensor locations is a fundamental task. There are several common strategies to address this task, for example, geometry or disk models, placing sensors at the points of highest entropy (variance) in the GP model, and A-, D-, or E-optimal design. In this paper, we tackle the combinatorial optimization problem of maximizing the mutual information between the chosen locations and the locations which are not selected. We prove that the problem of finding the configuration that maximizes mutual information is NP-complete. To address this issue, we describe a polynomial-time approximation that is within (1-1/e) of the optimum by exploiting the submodularity of mutual information. We also show how submodularity can be used to obtain online bounds, and design branch and bound search procedures. We then extend our algorithm to exploit lazy evaluations and local structure in the GP, yielding significant speedups. We also extend our approach to find placements which are robust against node failures and uncertainties in the model. These extensions are again associated with rigorous theoretical approximation guarantees, exploiting the submodularity of the objective function. We demonstrate the advantages of our approach towards optimizing mutual information in a very extensive empirical study on two real-world data sets.


[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to carry out a 16-week treatment of lumbar stabilization exercise with a ball targeting patients with chronic low back pain and investigate its effect on alleviation of low back pain and bone mineral density. [Subjects and Methods] The subjects of this study were 36 patients who were diagnosed with chronic low back pain. They were divided into a conservative treatment group (CTG, n=12), floor exercise group (FEG, n=12), and ball exercise group (BEG, n=12). The degree of recovery from pain was looked into using a visual analogue scale (VAS) and DEXXUM T (OsteoSys, Seoul, Korea) which was used to observe the changes in bone mineral density. [Result] Although the VAS score was reduced in FEG and BEG with treatment, it was not reduced in CTG. Also, the bone mineral density was increased in FEG and BEG, while it was reduced in CTG. [Conclusion] Lumbar stabilization exercises using a ball are thought to be an effective interventional therapy for the alleviation of chronic low back pain and to increase bone mineral density of patients.


A sequence analysis of actions in complex system comprehension Patrick Jeuniaux Universite Laval Sebastien Tremblay Universite Laval Jean-Fran¸ cois Gagnon Universite Laval Daniel Lafond DRDC-Valcartier Fran¸ cois Bernier DRDC-Valcartier Abstract: Complex systems have a broad network of relations for which human comprehension is severely limited and analysts often rely on the support of technological systems. In this study we investigated whether comprehension can be augmented by IMAGE – a set of interactive visualization, data exploration and knowledge representation tools – and explore behavioural signatures associated with the optimal use of IMAGE. The comprehension and use of IMAGE of 24 participants were examined in the context of a scenario involving military convoys evolving their strategy according to the reactions of a hostile and dynamic environment. Comprehension was measured by a score normalized in function of a randomly generated exploration of the system. A sequence analysis was performed to extract the pattern of IMAGE-user interaction. Our results reveal a great diversity across participants and that transitional probability of key IMAGE events is not related to augmented comprehension in a simple structured way.


Robotic process automation and intelligent process automation have gained a foothold in the automation of business processes, using blocks of software (bots). These agents interact with systems through interfaces, replacing human intervention with the aim of improving efficiency, reducing costs and mitigating risks by ensuring and enforcing compliance measures. However, there are aspects of the incorporation of this new reality within the business continuity lifecycle that are still unclear, and which need to be evaluated. This study provides a multivocal literature review of robotic process automation and intelligent process automation correlated with business continuity, to identify the level of awareness of these two emerging forms of automation within the business continuity management lifecycle. Based on the reviewed literature, the study develops a discussion of the main research areas for investigation, identifying what is attracting the attention of practitioners and researchers and which areas they highlight as promising for future research. Numerous sources from relevant backgrounds reveal an interest in these interrelated topics but there as yet is little or no information available on the direct connection between them.


This paper addresses a generalization of the vehicle routing problem in which the pick-up locations of the targets are nonstationary. We refer to this problem as the vehicle routing problem with floating targets and the main characteristic is that targets are allowed to move from their initial home locations while waiting for a vehicle. This problem models new applications in drone routing, ridesharing, and logistics where a vehicle agrees to meet another vehicle or a customer at a location that is away from the designated home location. We propose a Mixed Integer Second Order Cone Program MISOCP formulation for the problem, along with valid inequalities for strengthening the continuous relaxation. We further exploit the problem structure using a Lagrangian decomposition and propose an exact branch-and-price algorithm. Computational results on instances with varying characteristics are presented and the results are compared to the solution of the full problem using CPLEX. The proposed valid inequalities reduce the computational time of CPLEX by up to 30% on average while the proposed branch and price is capable of solving instances where CPLEX fails in finding the optimal solution within the imposed time limit.


Investigations over the last 20 years have moved the field of neuro-otology beyond the nonspecific concept of psychogenic dizziness to a more detailed understanding of interactions between neuro-otological and psychiatric disorders. Diagnostic studies of patients with Ménière's disease, vestibular neuritis, and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo suggest a model in which patients with predisposing factors, such as anxious temperaments or persistent anxiety during acute vestibular crises, are more likely to develop chronic dizziness with comorbid anxiety or depressive disorders. Outcome studies of patients with dizziness have shown that long-term disability depends more on psychological than physical factors. These medical-psychiatric interactions hold the keys to effective management of many patients with dizziness. Laboratory research has revealed neuroanatomical connections between central vestibular pathways and networks in the brain that control fear-related behavioral responses. These likely serve normal physiological functions in all individuals but appear to be the substrate for the close association between dizziness and anxiety in neuro-otological patients. Clinical studies of dizzy patients without active neuro-otological deficits have defined a syndrome of subjective dizziness and persistent imbalance known as phobic postural vertigo or chronic subjective dizziness. This syndrome can be reliably distinguished from other causes of chronic dizziness. Traumatic brain injuries, dysautonomias, and migraine headaches may cause a perplexing pattern of chronic or recurrent dizziness that is easily mistaken for a psychosomatic illness. Antidepressant medications, vestibular and balance rehabilitation therapy, and cognitive psychotherapy are showing increasing promise for treating both physical and psychological symptoms in patients with chronic dizziness due to various illnesses.


Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are utilized for condition monitoring, developing the board, following animals or goods, social protection, transportation, and house frameworks. WSNs are revolutionizing research. A WSN includes a large number of sensor nodes, or bits, in the application. Bits outfitted with the application's sensors acquire nature data and send it to at least one sink center (in like manner called base stations). This article simulates energy-efficient network initialization strategies using simulation models. First, an overview of network initiation and exploration procedures in wireless ad-hoc networks is provided. The clustering-based routing strategy was selected since it's best for ad-hoc sensor networks. The clustering-based routing techniques used for this study are described below. LEACH, SEP, and Z-SEP are used. MATLAB was used to implement and simulate all routing protocols. All protocols were simulated with various parameters like Number of CHs, Number of Alive Nodes, Number of Dead Nodes, Number of packets to BS, and circumstances to show their functioning and to determine their behavior in different sensor networks.


The low representation of women in computer science and telecommunication engineering studies continues to be a topic of interest within the scientific community, and also a topic of concern to the policy community in Spain. The main aim of this paper is to review the literature in the Spanish language regarding the lack of interest and engagement of female secondary students in ICT-related subjects and careers. The content of the Spanish secondary educational system, the influence of stereotypical beliefs about men's and women's competences and attitudes towards ICTs and the way young women perceive their technology abilities are discussed in this paper. These aspects, together with a group of contextual factors specific to the context of Spain and the influence of parents and career advisors are tackled in this paper. The implications of the empirical findings and future research directions are discussed.


Abstract– 40Ar/39Ar dating of potassium feldspar (primary spherulitic‐blocky and secondary idiomorphic K‐feldspar) separated from impact‐metamorphosed gneiss found near Videix in the western central part of the Rochechouart impact structure (NW Massif Central, France) yielded a Rhaetian combined age of 201 ± 2 Ma (2σ), indistinguishable within uncertainty from the age of the Triassic/Jurassic boundary. Ballen quartz intergrown with the primary K‐feldspar indicates post‐shock temperatures exceeding approximately 1000 °C that affected the precursor gneiss. Geochemically, both feldspar types represent essentially pure potassium end‐members. Apart from the approximately 15 km diameter impact deposit area, the youngest crystallization age known for basement rocks in this part of the Massif Central is approximately 300 Ma. No endogenic magmatic‐thermal events are known to have occurred later in this region. The K‐feldspar recrystallized from local feldspar melts and superimposed post‐shock hydrothermal crystallization, probably within some thousands of years after the impact. It is, therefore, suggested that the 40Ar/39Ar age for the Videix gneiss (as a potassic "impact metasomatite") dates the Rochechouart impact, in consistence with evidence for K‐metasomatism in the Rochechouart impactites. The new age value is distinctly younger than the previously obtained Karnian–Norian age for Rochechouart and, thus, contradicts the Late Triassic multiple impact theory postulated some years ago. In agreement with the paleogeographic conditions in the western Tethys domain around the Triassic/Jurassic boundary, the near‐coastal to shallow marine Rochechouart impact is compatible with the formation of seismites and tsunami deposits in the latest Triassic of the British Isles and possible related deposits in other parts of Europe.


Introduction
 Austrian pine is naturally distributed in the Central Europe mountains, where it forms resistant stands at an altitude of 250–1,800 m. Due to environmental plasticity, Black pine is one of the most common species in forest regeneration worldwide. Thanks to its high ornamentality and resistance to air pollution, this species is widespread in parks and urban and industrial areas. The species was introduced into Ukraine about 200 years ago. Dobrovolsky recommended using it on richer types of sandy soils and sandy loams, transitional to clay-loams, for marginal pine forests with a small admixture of deciduous trees and shade-tolerant shrubs.
The aim of the work was to characterize the Austrian pine stands of various ages of the first and second generations in Kirovohrad, Kharkiv and Sumy Regions and conduct a comprehensive assessment of their productivity, trunk quality and condition.
Materials and methods
Five Austrian pine stands were observed in Kirovohrad, Kharkiv and Sumy Regions during 2017–2018. The stands assessment was carried out based on the average height and diameter, an average tree volume, selection category, health category and reproduction. Mensuration variables were determined by generally accepted methods; both the selection category and the health category were defined according to the classification developed by the Laboratory of Forest Tree Breeding of URIFFM. Furthermore, the variability level of the growth indices was determined based on S. S. Mamayev scale. Growth rates of Austrian pine and Sсotсh pine were compared by means of Student's test. Prospective viability of Austrian pine was determined according to a 3-point scale.
Results
In the State Enterprise "Oleksandrivske Forest Economy" in Kirovohrad Region in the fresh fairly infertile site, Austrian pine and Sсots pine grow according to the II productivity class. Austrian pine at the age of 117 reached the height of 26.5 m which was 6.4% shorter than the Scots pine. Moreover, its diameter was 32.7 cm and it was 19.9% less than that of Scots pine. The Student's test showed that the diameter of Austrian pines is significantly less than that of Scots pines (tfact = 4.83, tSt = 1.98). The stands are normal by their selection structure; the trees of the second breeding category at the age of 117 made 14% of all trees. At that, more than half of the trees had straight trunks. Over the last 7 years, the stands' health has worsened. Thus, the trees of excellent condition made 7% only.
In severe steppe conditions in Veseli Bokovenky Dendrology Selection Forest Experemental Center, Kirovohrad Region, Austrian pine had an alley arrangement and was growing accoding to the VI productivity class. The average height of the 80–82-year-old trees was 17.2 m and their diameter was 28.1 cm. According to the yield tables, Austrian pine trees had 3% better height indices and 57.9% better diameter ones compared to Scots pine trees of the same age and productivity class. Most of the trees had straight trunks. The trees of I and II selection categories made 20.5%. At that, the share of minus trees was considerable, namely 36.4%. The trees of good and satisfactory conditions (73.3%) prevailed, 17.8% of trees had unsatisfactory condition. Almost all the trees had formed cones.
The stand in Neskuchanske Forestry in the State Enterprise "Trostyanets Forest Economy" in Sumy Region in fresh fairly fertile site had the III productivity class. The height of 114-year-old Austrian pine trees ranged from 21.5 to 24.5 m, their diameter varied from 29.3 to 57.3 cm. Scots pine trees in this stand had the height from 22.5 to 25.0 m and diameter from 30.6 to 43.0 cm. Black pine had an average height which was 6.4% inferior to that of Sсots pine. However, its average diameter was 16.9% higher than that of Scotch pine. The Student's test showed a significant difference (height tfact = 2.9, diameter tfact = 2.5, tSt = 2.04 at P = 0.95).
In the State Enterprise "Kharkiv Forest Research Station" arboretum, in the fresh fertile site, where Austrian and Scots pines are planted as alleys, Austrian pine had the I productivity class and Scots pine Ia. Austrian pine had the height variation level twice as high as Scots pine (13.6% vs. 7.4%). The Scots pine trees with straight trunks made 25%, while only 16.7% of Scots trees had straight trunks.
The analysis of the 27-year-old mix forest stand on eroded lands in the Oleksandrivske Forest Economy showed that the conservation status of Austrian pine was 33%; that of English oak was 35%. The growth of Scots pine in the fresh fairly fertile site corresponds to the 1B productivity class, the growth of the rest of the species – to the I class. The yield table data demonstrated that Scots pine trees were 9.4% higher and 56.6% wider in their diameter. At that, Austrian pine trees dropped 14.7% behind in their height and 1.0% in their diameter. Trees of the 1st selection category were only among Austrian pines (2.4%). The total share of trees of I and II categories were 26.1%. The proportion of trees of 2nd selection category was 18.2% for Scots pine and 13.8% for English oak.
The comprehensive assessment of the studied stands provided the following data. Austrian pine scored more points than Scotch pine (3/4 cases) and the same number of points in the 27-year-old stand. Therefore, it is considered promising for planting forests and protective stands on eroded soils as well as for landscaping.
Сonclusions
Austrian pine drops behind Scotch pine by height in all studied stands, but in most of the cases it prevails by diameter, has higher-quality trunks and is of better condition. According to the results of the comprehensive assessment, Austrian pine has scored more or the same points with Scotch pine.
Austrian pine is recognized as promising for planting forests and protective stands on eroded soils in central and north-eastern parts of Ukraine. Furthermore, with moderate recreational load it is able to perform ameliorative functions, and thanks to its high ornamentality it is promising for landscape gardening.
To further introduce the species, it is necessary to expand the forest seed plantation base, namely: to select plus trees, to establish clonal and family seed plantations. At the present stage it is recommended to use the best stands for harvesting cones.
2 Figs., 3 Tables, 20 Refs.


Carbon monoxide poisoning (COP) is one of the most common causes of mortality and morbidity due to poisoning in all over the world. Although the incidence of COP has not been known exactly in the childhood, almost one-third of CO exposures occurred in children. The data regarding COP in children are inconclusive. Children may be more vulnerable to CO exposure than adults as a result of their high respiration and metabolic rates, high oxygen metabolism, and immature central nervous system. Recent researches proposed new theories about neurological effects of CO toxicity. The clinical presentations associated acute COP may be various and nonspecific. Unrecognized CO exposure may lead to significant morbidity and mortality. CO exposed children often become symptomatic earlier, and recover more rapidly, than similarly CO exposed adults. Mild clinical signs and symptoms associated with COP are headache, dizziness, weakness, lethargy, and myalgia; however, severe signs and symptoms such as blurred vision, syncope, convulsion, coma, cardiopulmonary arrest and death can also accompany with COP. Neurologic manifestations can include altered mental status at different degrees, neck stiffness, tremor, ataxia, and positive Babinski's sign. Delayed neurologic sequels (DNS) of COP might be seen in children like adults. DNS symptoms and signs in children include memory problems, mental retardation, mutism, fecal and urinary incontinence, motor deficits, facial palsy, psychosis, chronic headache, seizures, and epilepsy. After CO exposure children must be cared to detect and treat DNS. Although hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is reported to prevent development of DNS, its indications, application duration and procedures are controversial in both of the children and adults. Although their predictive values are limited, exposing to CO more than eight hours and suffering from CO-induced coma, cardiac arrest, lactic acidosis, high COHb levels, and pathologic findings at neuroimaging are reported to increase the risk factor for developing DNS. Since physiological properties of children are unique, clinical and experimental studies must be done to provide new perspectives in order to prevent or reduce both acute and delayed neurological effects of CO toxicity.


I. BACKGROUND A. The History of the ILSA B. The GAYT 1. History and Structure 2. The WTO C. Economic Coercion & International Law D. Secondary Boycott II. U.S. OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE WTO AND THE GATT III. ECONOMIC COERCION AND INTERNATIONAL LAw A. Economic Coercion Under the Charter of the United Nations B. Economic Coercion under the U.N. Resolutions IV. SECONDARY BOYCOTTS. V. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS "Congress has the authority to enforce its laws beyond the territorial boundaries of the United States."(1) Extraterritorial legislation by its very nature applies to the territory or citizenry of another nation.(2) Thus, the recent increase in legislation aimed at foreign entities has given rise to an international outcry.(3) The United States has been accused by a number of nations of violating international law, national sovereignty, and self-imposed conventional-law obligations.(4) The most recent conflict arising out of this type of legislation surrounds the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 (ILSA).(5) This Act, signed by President Clinton on August 5, 1996,(6) provides for sanctions against foreign companies investing in Iran or Libya.(7) The international response to the ILSA has been profoundly negative.(8) Not only are the cries of foul much louder than usual, but they are coming primarily from U.S. allies in the European Community and beyond.(9) In Part 1, this Article introduces the ILSA and the different legal principles and provisions under which it may be scrutinized. Part 11 analyzes the ILSA in light of the provisions of the World Trade Organization and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Part III examines economic coercion and its acceptance under international law. Part IV examines the incongruity between the ILSA and traditional U.S. policy towards secondary boycotts. Finally, this Article concludes that the ILSA is a violation of international law and a violation of U.S. international obligations as well as a departure from traditional U.S. policy. I. BACKGROUND A. The History of the ILSA House Bill 3107 was introduced on March 19, 1996, as the Iran Oil Sanctions Act of 1996.(10) As the scope of the bill grew, so did its title.(11) Five days before the House of Representatives passed the bill, H.R. 3107 was renamed the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996.(12) The goal of the ILSA was twofold: to deter Iran and Libya from aiding international terrorism or obtaining weapons of mass destruction and to influence the President to pursue negotiations to form a multilateral sanctions regime concerning Iran.(13) To achieve these goals, the ILSA requires the President to impose two or more specified sanctions(14) on persons who engage in conduct prohibited by the bill.(15) The ILSA prohibits two types of conduct.(16) Foremost, it imposes sanctions on persons investing in or contributing to the ability of Iran or Libya to develop their petroleum resources.(17) Additionally, the ILSA imposes mandatory sanctions on persons exporting certain items that enhance Libya's weapons or aviation capabilities.(18) The requirement that all sanctions with respect to Libya be mandatory was a late addition to the bill.(19) In its original form, the bill gave the President discretion on whether to impose sanctions on parties contributing to the development of Libya's petroleum resources.(20) The President is responsible for determining whether a party has violated the ILSA's prohibitions.(21) Once that determination has been made, the President must either impose sanctions(22) or exercise a waiver.(23) The President's power of waiver may be used to exempt any offending party from sanctions.(24) The President may also waive sanctions with respect to all nationals of any country that has agreed to undertake substantial measures to inhibit Iran's efforts to support international terrorism or acquire weapons of mass destruction. …


Abstract Long-term climate moderation is commonly attributed to chemical weathering; the greater the temperature and precipitation the faster the weathering rate. To test this widely-held hypothesis, we performed a field study and determined the weathering rates of eight nearly pristine north-east Iceland river catchments with varying glacial cover over 44 y. Statistically significant linear positive correlations were found between mean annual temperature and chemical weathering in all eight catchments and between mean annual temperature and mechanical weathering and runoff in seven of the eight catchments. The runoff, mechanical weathering flux, and chemical weathering fluxes in these catchments are found to increase from 6 to 16%, 8 to 30%, and 4 to 14%, respectively, depending on the catchment for each degree of temperature increase. Positive correlations were found between time and mechanical and chemical weathering for all catchments. In summary, these results demonstrate a significant feedback between climate and Earth surface weathering, and suggest that this weathering rate is currently increasing with time due to global warming.


Interface design is arguably one of the most important issues in the development of mobile applications. Mobile users often suffer from the poor interface design that seriously hinders the usability of those mobile applications. The major challenge in the interface design of mobile applications is caused by the unique features of mobile devices, such as small screen size, low resolution, and inefficient data entry methods. Therefore, there is a pressing need of theoretical frameworks or guidelines for designing effective and user-friendly interfaces for mobile applications. Based on a comprehensive literature review, this paper proposes a novel framework for the design of effective mobile interfaces. This framework consists of four major components, namely information presentation, data entry methods, mobile users, and context. We also provide a set of practical interface design guidelines and some insights into what factors should be taken into consideration while designing interfaces for mobile applications.


Are we able to help younger students to develop their understanding and their use of the capital letter, dot and question mark by giving them intensive teaching on the subject during a short period, and would the effect be long lasting?I decided to investigate this together with young students in second and third grade and at the same time try to see which grade would benefit most.By using an experimental research design I conducted the investigation in a class with children from both grades where the result was compared with two similar control groups. The investigation lasted during five months, while the students were able to show their knowledge in the subject just before and after a two weeks period of intensive teaching and then again after four months.The result showed that the intensive teaching had an effect that lasted over time and that it was the students in second grade that would benefit most.


T he influence of visual and acoustic stimuli on course control was studied in crickets walking on an air-supported sphere under open-loop conditions. The speed of walking elicited by a calling song was greater in the presence of visual targets than it was in the dark. The precision of phonotactic orientation was improved in the presence of visual cues. Visual and acoustic stimuli induced turning and when both stimuli were present at the same time their effects were additive. A further enhancement was observed when visual and acoustic stimuli were presented from the same direction. Optomotor stimuli also shifted the response to the calling song in an additive way.


ABSTRACT The induction of beginning teachers is an imperative process in enculturating teachers to their new careers and helping them overcome the hurdles in the early years of teaching and the registration processes teachers undergo. Although induction practices in Australia have become more common in recent years, the data shows there is still much work to do. The current article presents a collective case study of six induction programs, which sought to ascertain the nature of beginning teacher induction in the independent school sector in NSW. Although difficult to generalise across the entire schooling sector, it is likely that the cases selected provide a snapshot of the variety and inconsistency of induction programs in independent schools across the state. The implications of the findings are significant in that they support structured induction of beginning teachers that may require bureaucratic oversight to ensure that beginning teachers have the best opportunity to become highly qualified career professionals.


If you had just one wish for the study of human development, what would it be? How would it advance the field? And what would it take for your vision to be realized? This was the charge given to 28 scholars who come from different disciplines and fields, and who study different periods of the life course. In this article, Richard A. Settersten, Jr. and Megan McClelland, the issue's editors, provide an overview of the contributors' wishes, organized into seven thematic areas: (1) conceptual advances; (2) systems, levels, and contexts; (3) individual differences; (4) methodological advances; (5) harnessing science for human welfare and social justice; (6) underexplored life course dynamics; and (7) interdisciplinary collaboration and playing well with others.


Purpose

This paper aims to address a mobile robot localization system that avoids using a dedicated laser scanner, making it possible to reduce implementation costs and the robot's size. The system has enough precision and robustness to meet the requirements of industrial environments.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an algorithm for artificial beacon detection combined with a Kalman Filter and an outlier rejection method, it was possible to enhance the precision and robustness of the overall localization system.

Findings

Usually, industrial automatic guide vehicles feature two kinds of lasers: one for navigation placed on top of the robot and another for obstacle detection (security lasers). Recently, security lasers extended their output data with obstacle distance (contours) and reflectivity. These new features made it possible to develop a novel localization system based on a security laser.

Research limitations/implications

Once the proposed methodology is completely validated, in the future, a scheme for global localization and failure detection should be addressed.

Practical implications

This paper presents a comparison between the presented approach and a commercial localization system for industry. The proposed algorithms were tested in an industrial application under realistic working conditions.

Social implications

The presented methodology represents a gain in the effective cost of the mobile robot platform, as it discards the need for a dedicated laser for localization purposes.

Originality/value

This paper presents a novel approach that benefits from the presence of a security laser on mobile robots (mandatory sensor when considering industrial applications), using it simultaneously with other sensors, not only to guarantee safety conditions during operation but also to locate the robot in the environment. This paper is also valuable because of the comparison made with a commercialized system, as well as the tests conducted in real industrial environments, which prove that the approach presented is suitable for working under these demanding conditions.


A Java runtime system is proposed which comprises a stack-based interpreter executing a program that comprises bytecodes and class structures. The system further comprises a modified constant pool with internal information of use only during linking and with external information to be preserved for late code binding. The internal information is removed from the modified constant pool after linking.


OBJECTIVES
To compare the risk and intensity of tooth sensitivity (TS) as well the effectiveness of at-home bleaching using two carbamide peroxide bleaching gels, specifically a novel polymeric nanoparticle gel (experimental) and a commercial gel (Opalescence PF, Ultradent, South Jordan, Utah, USA), applied at two application times.

METHODS
This multicenter, triple-blind, and split-mouth randomized controlled trial was conducted on 80 healthy adults with canine teeth that were shade A2 or darker. The participants all used the experimental and the control gels on one side of a tray, depending on the group to which they were allocated, for 30 or 60 minutes per day over four weeks. The absolute risk and intensity of TS were assessed daily using the five-point Numeric Rating Scale and the 0-10 Visual Analogue Scale. Color change was evaluated with shade guide units (ΔSGU) and a digital spectrophotometer (ΔEab, ΔE00, and ΔWid) at baseline and 30 days postbleaching. The risk and intensity of TS was evaluated by the McNemar and the Wilcoxon signed-rank tests, respectively. Color change (ΔSGU, ΔEab, ΔE00, and ΔWid) was evaluated by Mann-Whitney and paired t-tests (α=0.05).

RESULTS
No differences in the risk and intensity of TS were observed based on the bleaching gels used and the times of application (p>0.05). Thirty days after bleaching, there was no significant difference in color change, in terms of the bleaching gels used or the application times (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION
The novel carbamide peroxide polymeric nanoparticles gel, when applied for 30 or 60 minutes, produced effective color change and a low rate of tooth sensitivity, as compared to the control group.


Wiki technology is one of the hottest research domains nowadays. The idea of integrating Wiki with digital library brings us new way to improve the quality of information retrieval and service in digital library. This paper presents a new retrieval model based on Wiki technology in literature retrieval system. Experiments designed show that the recall and precision of the new system are much better than the traditional ones. But the method also has some disadvantages, for example it does not change computer's communication mode essentially. Our work will deal with these problems mentioned above to provide better service in the digital library in the future.


The objective of this study was to examine the hypothesis that long-term, rapid atrial pacing produces a model of atrial systolic and diastolic dysfunction but does not alter ventricular function. Eight dogs were atrially paced at 400 beats/min (3:1-5:1 ventricular response) for 6 wk and subsequently instrumented with left atrial (LA) and left ventricular (LV) sonomicrometers and micromanometers. Data were compared with those from six sham-operated controls at matched heart rates and mean LA pressures of 10 mmHg. Dogs with rapid pacing had slightly greater LA volume (10.3 +/- 4.0 vs. 7.9 +/- 4.4 ml) and reduced ejection fraction (2.2 +/- 1.4 vs. 13.0 +/- 4.0, P < 0.05), systolic ejection rate (0.3 +/- 0.1 vs. 2.8 +/- 1.2 vol/s, P < 0.05), and reservoir fraction (0.07 +/- 0.04 vs. 0.35 +/- 0.06, P < 0.05) compared with controls. LA diastolic chamber stiffness was greater after rapid atrial pacing than before (stiffness constant kc, 5.7 +/- 2.3 vs. 3.4 +/- 0.6, P < 0.05), and the ratio of transesophageal echo-determined pulmonary venous systolic to diastolic integrated flow (a measure of relative reservoir to conduit function of the LA) was less in rapidly paced dogs compared with control dogs (0.41 +/- 0.19 vs. 0.68 +/- 0.23, P < 0.05). In contrast, rapid atrial pacing did not influence LV systolic performance or lusitropy, because the LV pressure time derivative and the time constant of LV relaxation were similar in both groups. In this model of isolated atrial myopathy, increased atrial stiffness and enhanced conduit function compensate for impaired atrial booster pump and reservoir functions.


In this paper, we describe the IBM POWER8™ cache, interconnect, memory, and input/output subsystems, collectively referred to as the "nest." This paper focuses on the enhancements made to the nest to achieve balanced and scalable designs, ranging from small 12-core single-socket systems, up to large 16-processor-socket, 192-core enterprise rack servers. A key aspect of the design has been increasing the end-to-end data and coherence bandwidth of the system, now featuring more than twice the bandwidth of the POWER7® processor. The paper describes the new memory-buffer chip, called Centaur, providing up to 128 MB of eDRAM (embedded dynamic random-access memory) buffer cache per processor, along with an improved DRAM (dynamic random-access memory) scheduler with support for prefetch and write optimizations, providing industry-leading memory bandwidth combined with low memory latency. It also describes new coherence-transport enhancements and the transition to directly integrated PCIe® (PCI Express®) support, as well as additions to the cache subsystem to support higher levels of virtualization and scalability including snoop filtering and cache sharing.


Aim : This study aims to investigate some clinical and pathologic factors associated with the prognosis of patients with colon and rectum cancers separately. Background : Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer of the digestive system and also the fourth cause of cancer-related deaths around the world. Different studies indicate that survival of patients with colorectal cancer has improved in some areas of the world. However, it remains unclear which factors are involved in this improvement. Patients and methods : Data for 1194 patients with colorectal cancer registered in the Cancer Registry Center of the Research Center of Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences were used in this study. Data analysis was performed using competing risks model. Software used for data analysis included STATA, Version11, and significance level was regarded as p Results : Body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption, tumor site, inflammatory bowel disease, metastasis to lymph nodes and distant metastasis had a significant effect on death from colon cancer, while body mass index, distant metastasis and type of the first treatment had a significant effect (p Conclusion : According to the results of this study, some variables may have a different impact on colon and rectum carcinoma; therefore, the effects of these factors on different parts of the large bowel must be considered separately in future studies.


Spinal fixations with pedicle screws are widely used nowadays in order to provide spine stability and correcting spinal deformity. The pullout strength of pedicle screws can be evaluated by means of pullout strength testing. This paper reviews recent experimental and finite element analysis evidence concerning the factors that affecting the pullout strength of pedicle screws in various bone materials. Cadaveric bones and synthetic foam blocks were used by researchers in the recent experiment. Types of screw, screw designs, insertion technique, bone mineral density and bone-screw interface have their own significant effects to the fixation strength and will be further discussed.

 Key words: Spinal fixation, pedicle screws, pullout strength, cadaveric bones, synthetic foam blocks.


Book description: After the post-socialist transformation, the issues of growth, development and knowledge based economy are back on the research and policy agenda for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). This volume is the first comprehensive analysis of growth and restructuring in CEE from the perspective of knowledge based economy. Discussing issues such as:
Will CEE become a liability or an asset to the EU in becoming a knowledge based economy?
How has the tranformation of CEECs during the 1990s affected the knowledge based economies in these countries?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the CEECs growing in knowledge intensive sectors?
What have CEECs done to increase knowledge intensity of their economies and what could they do to further upgrade, especially within the enlarged EU?


There are at least four things that are described in this paper, such as: the concept of science in general and the natural sciences in particular; revitalization of the natural sciences, and the challenges of globalization around the natural sciences. At this time there is a tendency to separate the natural sciences from the theological aspect. This paper seeks to restore the science in its place.


Background Carotid artery dissection is an important cause of stroke in young patients. Selection criteria for endovascular repair have not been well defined and limited data exist on long-term outcomes of stent reconstruction. Objective To report the immediate and long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes of patients treated with stent placement for progressively worsening symptomatic carotid arterial dissection despite antithrombotic therapy. Methods A single institution neuro-endovascular database was accessed to identify consecutive cases in which carotid artery dissection was treated with endovascular repair between 2006 and 2012. Clinical, demographic, radiographic, and procedural data were obtained through chart review. Results A total of 22 patients were identified and included 27 carotid artery dissection repairs with stent implantation. The mean age was 43 years (±8.7) with 13 patients being women. Traumatic dissections were seen in 9 (40.9%) patients and spontaneous dissections in 13 (59.1%) patients. All patients were symptomatic and were started on antithrombotic therapy on diagnosis. Most common indications for treatment included recurrent ischemia despite antithrombotic therapy in 15 (55.5%) arteries and enlarging dissecting aneurysm in 4 (14.8%) arteries. Mean degree of stenosis was 79.1%. Mean number of stents used was 1.88 (range 1–4). There was 1 (4.5%) asymptomatic peri-procedural thromboembolic event. Median clinical follow-up was 14 months (range 3–40) and median imaging follow-up was 14 months (range 3–38). There was 1 (4.5%) case of recurrent transient ischemic attack. There was no death, significant restenosis or stroke in the territory of the treated vessel during the duration of the follow-up. Conclusions Endovascular stent reconstruction for the treatment of selected patients with progressively worsening carotid dissection despite medical management is feasible with acceptable immediate and long-term clinical and radiographic outcomes. To be able to draw more robust conclusions, further evaluation with larger number of patients and longer follow-up is needed.


DNA methylation plays an important role in the regulation of gene expression. Tumor cells are characterized by alterations of DNA methylation pattern, namely local CpG island hypermethylation and genome wide hypomethylation. The hypomethylation of the genome affects many repetitive sequences and transposable elements and is believed to results in chromosomal instability and increased mutations events. In this review we summarize the current knowledge concerning epigenetic mechanisms related to cancer, especially the relationship of DNA hypomethylation to carcinogenesis. numer.indb 21 2010-03-08 22:37:44


Aiming at the problems in the camouflage design of military engineering, such as strong subjectivity and unpredictable camouflage effect, etc. We propose a 3D camouflage scene simulation method based on MFC and Vega Prime technologies. On the basis of real DEM data in an area in American, we use 3D visualization technique to create terrain model and ground object model. The camouflage pattern is applied to the surface of the model by texture mapping technology, and real-time rendering is used. The engine Vega Prime API renders the model and creates a camouflage simulation scenario. The result shows that, the virtual scene of camouflage can be generated by using visual simulation technology, this helps to test the effect of the camouflage pattern. Keywords-Camouflage; Terrain Modeling; Visual Simulation; Digital Elevation Model


We present a visual-inertial depth estimation pipeline that integrates monocular depth estimation and visual- inertial odometry to produce dense depth estimates with metric scale. Our approach performs global scale and shift alignment against sparse metric depth, followed by learning-based dense alignment. We evaluate on the TartanAir and VOID datasets, observing up to 30% reduction in inverse RMSE with dense scale alignment relative to performing just global alignment alone. Our approach is especially competitive at low density; with just 150 sparse metric depth points, our dense- to-dense depth alignment method achieves over 50 % lower iRMSE over sparse-to-dense depth completion by KBNet, currently the state of the art on VOID. We demonstrate successful zero-shot transfer from synthetic TartanAir to real-world VOID data and perform generalization tests on NYUv2 and VCU-RVI. Our approach is modular and is compatible with a variety of monocular depth estimation models.


An experiment was conducted at Lincoln University to investigate the effects of irrigation, micronised polyacrylamide (PAM) and gypsum on the growth and yield of 'llam Hardy' potatoes in 2001-2002. At the final harvest, tuber yields were similar (59 500 kg haI ). Environmental factors dominated results, particularly January rainfall, which was 150% of the 16-year average. Economic yield (tubers> 113g) was not affected by any treatment and was >80% of total tuber yield. Premium size tubers (> 170g) were 65% of total tuber yields and no treatment affected tuber size distribution. The maximum crop growth rate was higher from irrigated (189 kg DM hal dl ) than dryland plots (174 kg DM ha-1 dl ). This reflected differences in leaf area index at two times during the later growth period. Mean crop growth rate, as a result, was also lower (118 kg DM had-) compared to irrigated plots (130 kg DM haI dl ). The duration of growth was similar (125 days) for all treatments. There was no effect of any treatment on soil adherence to tubers. Aggregate stability was increased 24% by gypsum application. However, poor initial soil structure caused by years of intensive cultivation meant this only increased to 2.4% and was unlikely to have had any affect on crop growth and yield.


The template activities of the 60-70S RNA complex and of the 30-40S subunit RNA species of Rous sarcoma virus were tested in a cell-free protein-synthesizing system from mouse ascites Krebs II cells. Stimulation of protein synthesis over the endogenous background was about 2-fold with 30-40S viral RNA and about 1.3-fold with 60-70S viral RNA as template. Analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis showed that the predominant polypeptide synthesized in vitro in response to 30-40S RNA of Rous sarcoma virus had a molecular weight of 75,000-80,000. This polypeptide could be precipitated by antiserum against the group-specific antigens of the virus, although its molecular weight is higher than that of virion group-specific antigen proteins. Analysis of tryptic digests of the protein made in vitro indicates similarity to tryptic digests from authentic virion group-specific proteins. It is concluded that part of the RNA from Rous sarcoma virus is translated in vitro into a high-molecular-weight protein, perhaps a precursor of the virion group-specific proteins.


This paper analyses tax morale in transition countries. Tax morale has been used as dependent variable working with World Values Survey and European Values data for different years (1990-2000). The results suggest that trust, measured as trust in the legal system, the government, the parliament and the national officers has a strong impact on tax morale. Furthermore, a higher degree of satisfaction with the political system leads to a higher tax morale. Furthermore, the paper investigates the correlation between corruption and tax morale. The bivariate as well as the multivariate analysis show that in transition countries a higher corruption leads to a lower tax morale.


Media promotion of the ideal body as slimness for women and muscularity for men, has led to increasing numbers of both genders reporting dissatisfaction with their bodies and trying to change using weight control products. It has been suggested that pharmacists can play a key role in promoting healthy lifestyles and weight management.
The main aim of the research study was to examine the impact of media on body image perception and to investigate the role of pharmacists in weight management. This thesis consists of three studies: an evaluation of weight control websites, a body image survey of young adults and interviews with pharmacists.

The results from the evaluation study showed that the quality of most weight loss (64%) and weight gain product advertisements (80%) was generally poor, principally due to the use of misleading claims and a lack of useful information. These data complement the survey that university students reported rarely being influenced by weight control product adverts and hardly considered using these products as a method for changing weight. The survey also showed that most participants of both genders (71%) felt satisfied with their body image. However, the findings in this study indicated that there was a relationship between a high level of body image concern and self-perception of being overweight and the attempt to lose weight. Interviews with pharmacists showed that they were unlikely to be actively involved in reducing obesity problems and promoting healthy lifestyles in the community.

Although the prevalence of body dissatisfaction and the use of weight control products among these young adults may not be as high as has been reported elsewhere, healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, need to be aware of this problem when providing advice or consultations for young adults. Healthcare professionals should promote the benefits of healthy lifestyles as well as providing information about potential problems of harmful weight control strategies. The effect of ethnicity and culture on body image concern warrants further. The availability of weight control products and quality of information provided should also be further examined.


Political discourse suggests that federal officials in Washington D.C. manage Western lands and resources with little regard for local interests. This narrative is inconsistent with theory and practice alike. A central tenet of socio-ecological systems theory is that land and resources are inherently interconnected with local peoples and economies. Decades of federal land management also reflects the importance of localized inputs into law and policy. Legal scholars have, however, yet to provide a comprehensive account of the modern processes through which agencies engage localized considerations in land and resource decisions.

To fill this void, the Administrative Conference of the United States ("ACUS") hired the Author as an Academic Consultant to construct a longitudinal account of agencies' engagement with stakeholder collaborations. The Author identified hundreds of relevant laws and regulations, conducted dozens of interviews, and constructed case studies in Alaska, Arizona, and Maine. This Article presents that research — providing a robust, empirically informed descriptive account of agencies' engagement with local constituencies to create law and policy.

The resulting account reveals that stakeholder collaborations are widely used. They play a vital role in agency decision-making — particularly for the most pressing, controversial issues. For example, agencies are using collaborations to mitigate ex ante wildfire risk. This Article presents a case study of the Forest Service working with a particular collaboration to execute vital wildfire mitigation measures. This account highlights how collaborations facilitate negotiations among competing local interests to guide agency action on thorny issues.

The case study is but one of thousands of stakeholder collaborations that exist in practice. Numerous statutes, regulations, and executive orders require the thirteen federal agencies to use stakeholder collaborations to manage various public land and natural resources. This Article maps the legal landscape of this widely used, but little-known, governance mechanism.


The multinational territory of the Kholm region was recognized as a part of Ukraine after the negotiations between the Central Powers and the Ukrainian People's Republic in Brest-Litovsk in 1918. The decision caused resolute protests among both the Polish politicians and the Polish public. The church was also involved in the Polish-Ukrainian dispute on the territorial allegiance of the Kholm region. The secession of the Kholm region from Poland was opposed by the Polish episcopate. The Polish bishops proved the Polish nature of the region in the memorandum to the Pope Benedict XV. They also proved historical, national and religious rights of Poles to the Kholm region. They criticized the Galician Ukrainians belonged to the Greek Catholic Church who tried to restore the positions of the Church in the Kholm region and supported its accession to the Ukrainian state. The cooperation with the Russian authorities during the destruction of the Greek Catholic Church in the Kholm region in the 19 th century, the opposition to the growth of Roman Catholic influence to the Greek Catholic Church in Galicia and close connections between the Greek Catholics and Orthodox Christians were among the points the Polish bishops accused them of. The bishops also believed the Kholm's accession to Ukraine would create the threat of conversion of the local Polish population to the Orthodoxy. Finally, the Brest arrangements on transfer of the Kholm region to Ukraine havenot been realized. The region remained the part of Poland.


As more ontologies become publicly available, finding the "right" ontologies becomes much harder. In this paper, we address the problem of ontology search: finding a collection of ontologies from an ontology repository that are relevant to the user's query. In particular, we look at the case when users search for ontologies relevant to a particular topic (e.g., an ontology about anatomy). Ontologies that are most relevant to such query often do not have the query term in the names of their concepts (e.g., the Foundational Model of Anatomy ontology does not have the term "anatomy" in any of its concepts' names). Thus, we present a new ontology-search technique that helps users in these types of searches. When looking for ontologies on a particular topic (e.g., anatomy), we retrieve from the Web a collection of terms that represent the given domain (e.g., terms such as body, brain, skin, etc. for anatomy). We then use these terms to expand the user query. We evaluate our algorithm on queries for topics in the biomedical domain against a repository of biomedical ontologies. We use the results obtained from experts in the biomedical-ontology domain as the gold standard. Our experiments demonstrate that using our method for query expansion improves retrieval results by a 113%, compared to the tools that search only for the user query terms and consider only class and property names (like Swoogle). We show 43% improvement for the case where not only class and property names but also property values are taken into account.


INTRODUCTION
Delirium or acute confusional syndrome (ACS) is a frequent problem during hospitalization of elderly patients. We study the appearance of delirium and its characteristics in patients admitted to an internal medicine service.

METHODS
Prospective study of 148 patients over 64 years admitted due to medical condition (non-surgical) in the internal medicine service of the University Hospital of Bellvitge. Functionality was quantified with the Barthel index (BI) and comorbidity with the Charlson index (CI). The Confusional Assessment Method was used for the diagnosis of the ACS.

RESULTS
Seventy-seven (77) (52%) of the 148 patients were women, with a mean age of 78.5 years. The CI was 2.2. Mean of previous BI was 81.7. Mortality during admission was 8% (12 patients). A total of 42.5% of the patients (63) had ACS (30% prevalent). It was hyperactive in 68%, hypoactive in 16% and mixed in 16%. In 38% of the patients, the ACS had morning predominance and 62% it appeared after the evening. Advanced age was the only significant differences between patients with or without ACS (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in the ACS percentage between patients who survived or who died (p = 0.36).

CONCLUSIONS
Frequency of appearance of the confusional picture is high in patients admitted to acute hospitals, it being more frequent in the elderly. Measures to prevent the confusional picture in elderly patients who are hospitalized should be increased.


We present the first molecular dynamics simulations of classical thermosize effects for realistic molecular conditions and flows. The classical thermosize effect is the chemical potential difference induced between two different-sized channels that have different fluid transport processes. It can be generated by applying a temperature gradient within the different-sized domains, and in this article the system investigated is a combination of a microchannel and a nanochannel. Our molecular dynamics results are compared with a theoretical calculation of the induced chemical potential difference, and this yields useful new insight into diffusive transport in nonequilibrium gas flows.


This reseach aims to examine the effect of using rosella flour (Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn) on the chemical and organoleptic qualities of pork jerky.  The materials used consist of pork, rosella flour and kitchen spices (garlic, onion, coriander, pepper, ginger, cumin, galangal, salt, brown sugar, granulated sugar and tamarind). The experimental design applied was completely randomized design (CRD) with 4 treatments and 3 replications.The treatments consisted of  R0= without rosella flour, R1= 5% rosella flour, R2= 10% rosella flour and R3= 15% rosella flour. Parameters observed included color, taste and fat oxidation. The result of statistical analysis showed that the use of rosella flour in pork jerky had a very significant effect (P<0.01) on taste scores and fat oxidation but no significant effect (P>0.05) on color scores. It can be concluded that the use of rosella flour can increase the score of taste and fat oxidation while the color score of pork jerky does not change. The highest taste score at the 15% level and the lowest fat oxidation value at the 5% level.


As a contribution to the controversial discussion for the use of drug-eluting stents, the European Heart Institute of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts is emphasizing important factors: a) drug eluting stents (DES) should be used only in accordance with their on-label indications for use; b) to avoid off-label use of DES and to assure that patients are apprized of all their revascularization options, patients should have informed consent between the patient, interventionist and a cardiac surgeon; c) without informed consent, off-label use of DES may be considered a legal offence against the interventionist; d) at onset of new symptoms, patients must be informed that surgery is a viable and recommended option. 2007 Published by European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.


As a student of Hans-Georg Gadamer, and later a translator and important commentator on Gadamer's philosophy, P. Christopher Smith is widely acknowledged to be a leading hermeneutical philosopher. In a series of works, Smith has argued that Gadamer provides an important corrective to Nietzsche's caustic critical challenges, but that Gadamer's hermeneutics has no relevance for legal theory because law is just the manifestation of will to power. In this paper I argue that Smith misunderstands the nature of legal practice. Starting with a re-reading of the debate between Gadamer and Jacques Derrida about the legacy of Nietzsche's philosophy, I argue that Gadamer responds to Nietzsche's challenge in a manner that is exemplified in the critical dimensions of legal practice. Using the example of family law that Smith offers, I contend that Smith underestimates the critical and interpretive elements inherent in legal practice and captured in Gadamer's philosophy. I conclude that Gadamer offers a persuasive answer to Nietzsche's challenge.


Objectives Understanding of Australian Indigenous resilience is predominantly limited to the knowledge gained from non-Indigenous psychological resilience research. In a narrow research field, authors have pointed to various protective factors at play for Indigenous Australians that have the potential to strengthen community responses to ill health and adversity. This article reports on a study in the Yaegl community, an Indigenous community of north eastern NSW, which investigated resilience and its relationship to wellbeing. Methods A qualitative study with ethnographic and phenomenological design, utilising semi structured interviews and focus groups with Yaegl Indigenous community members, between 2006-2010. Results Findings from the study indicate resilience in the Yaegl community is multi-layered with wide-ranging sources of protection, support and resources needed to foster strength and wellbeing. In response to adversity and hardship, family and community protective sources are particularly important, including the need for connectedness, sharing and affection, role models and leadership. Conclusions Of particular significance is the importance participants placed on relationships for individual and collective strength and functioning. These relationships appear key to the amelioration of risk and adversity, and the sense of wellbeing of and within the community. Implications The existing and potential strengths and resources of a community need to be recognised and valued in health and mental health service initiatives, as tools in preventing risk, strengthening recovery from ill-health or adversity, and indeed boosting wellbeing. Key words Indigenous; family; community; wellbeing; resilience.


Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of employees' corporate social responsibility (CSR) perceptions on their turnover intentions. It strives to understand the underlying psychological mechanisms by proposing and testing mediation and moderation hypotheses. Specifically, employee engagement was examined as mediator and gender, belief in the importance of CSR and CSR awareness were examined as moderators of the proposed relationship between CSR and turnover intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

The target population for the study consisted of junior, middle and senior business professionals from both public and private sector manufacturing and service firms operating in India. The data were collected with the help of self-administered questionnaires via both personal visits to the organizations and internet-based questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the study hypotheses.

Findings

The study results suggest a significant influence of employees' CSR perceptions on their turnover intentions. Additionally, the study delineates the role of employee engagement in understanding the potential of a firm's involvement in CSR activities in influencing employee attitudes and behaviour at work. Interestingly, significant gender variations were observed in the proposed set of relationships. Belief in the importance of CSR and CSR awareness were also found to significantly moderate the relationship between CSR and turnover intentions.

Practical implications

By providing persuasive evidence on tangible business benefits of CSR initiatives, this study addresses the concerns of corporate managers to prove the business potential and value engendered by their CSR efforts.

Originality/value

The study makes a novel contribution by not only examining the direct association between the CSR and turnover intentions, but also by going a step ahead to unfurl the underlying psychological mechanisms for better understanding of the relationships.


The work described in this thesis involves the production and characterisation of antibodies and recombinant antibodies to aflatoxin Bi (AFBi), a potent mycotoxin
and carcinogen. The antibodies produced were then applied for use in a surface plasmon resonance-based biosensor (BIAcore), which measures biomolecular interactions in 'real-time'. Production of hapten-protein conjugates of the organophosphate pesticides chlorpyrifos and pirimiphos, and characterisation of antichlorpyrifos antibodies were also successfully performed.

Rabbit polyclonal and single chain Fv (scFv) antibodies were produced to aflatoxin Bi. The scFv's were produced from an established phage display system, which incorporated a range of different plasmids for scFv expression. Both sets of antibodies were used in the development of competitive ELISA's and also for the
development of BIAcore-based inhibition immunoassays. The antibodies were also used in the detection of AFBi in spiked grain samples by ELISA and BIAcore. Both the polyclonal and scFv antibodies were found to be suitable for the detection of AFBi, and the assays were reproducible.

The production of an activated form of the organophosphate pirimiphos for the production of a pirimiphos-protein conjugate was attempted. However it was not possible to conjugate this pesticide by any suitable means. Chlorpyrifos-BSA conjugates were produced with different molar substitution ratios, and were used for the development of a competitive ELISA with polyclonal anti-chlorpyrifos antibodies.


To study the effects of temperature and thickness on forming limits of boron steel 22MnB5, Nakajima tests have been performed for the steels with thickness of 1.0mm and 1.4mm at 600°C and 700°C, respectively. The forming limit curve (FLC) of the steel at 700°C is higher than that at 600°C, and the FLC of the steel with 1.4mm is higher than that of the steel with 1.0mm. With increasing the forming temperature, the strain rate sensitive exponent m increases, and it results in a longer Swift's diffuse instability phase and greater limit strains. The effect of thickness on yield path is different from the case at room temperature, due to the half angle of pointed Vertex, θ0, which increases with increasing of the thickness, and then the limit strains increase.


To investigate the role of small nucleolus RNA host gene 14 (SNHG14) in the progression of atherosclerosis (AS), bioinformatics analysis, and other relevant experiments (cell counting kit-8, flow cytometry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, luciferase reporter, RNA immunoprecipitation, RNA pull-down, and western blot assays) were done. The current study revealed that SNHG14 level was high in the serum of AS patients and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced AS cell lines. Besides, we found that SNHG14 accelerated cell proliferation while inhibited cell apoptosis in ox-LDL-induced AS cell lines. Next, SNHG14 was confirmed to be a sponge for miR-186-5p in AS cells, and it was validated that SNHG14 regulated AS cell proliferation and apoptosis by sponging miR-186-5p. Moreover, we uncovered that WAS-interacting protein family member 2 (WIPF2) was a downstream target of miR-186-5p in AS cells. Finally, it was demonstrated that miR-186-5p modulated AS cell proliferation and apoptosis via targeting WIPF2. To conclude, our research disclosed that SNHG14 affected ox-LDL-induced AS cell proliferation and apoptosis through miR-186-5p/WIPF2 axis, which may provide a theoretical basis for the treatment and diagnosis of AS.


OBJECTIVES
The potential benefit of surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), especially concerning pleurectomy/decortication (P/D), is unclear from the literature. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome after multimodality treatment of MPM involving different types of P/D and to analyse the prognostic factors.

METHODS
We reviewed 314 patients affected by MPM who were operated on in 11 Italian centres from 1 January 2007 to 11 October 2014.

RESULTS
The characteristics of the population were male/female ratio: 3.7/1, and median age at operation was 67.8 years. The epithelioid histotype was observed in 79.9% of patients; neoadjuvant chemotherapy was given to 57% of patients and Stage III disease was found following a pathological analysis in 62.3% of cases. A total of 162 (51.6%) patients underwent extended P/D (EP/D); 115 (36.6%) patients had P/D and 37 (11.8%) received only a partial pleurectomy. Adjuvant radiotherapy was delivered in 39.2% of patients. Median overall survival time after surgery was 23.0 [95% confidence interval (CI): 19.6-29.1] months. On multivariable (Cox) analysis, pathological Stage III-IV [ P  = 0.004, hazard ratio (HR):1.34; 95% CI: 1.09-1.64], EP/D and P/D ( P  = 0.006, HR for EP/D: 0.46; 95% CI: 0.29-0.74; HR for P/D: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.31-0.87), left-sided disease ( P  = 0.01, HR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.09-2.12) and pathological status T4 ( P  = 0.0003, HR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.14-1.66) were found to be independent significant predictors of overall survival.

CONCLUSIONS
Whether the P/D is extended or not, it shows similarly good outcomes in terms of early results and survival rate. In contrast, a partial pleurectomy, which leaves gross tumour behind, has no impact on survival.


Rationale . The genetic aspects influencing the effectiveness of metformin (MF) therapy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DMT2) have recently been intensively studied. Objective — to study the association between the rs11212617 polymorphism in the ATM gene and response to metformin therapy in DMT2 patients in the Novosibirsk region and to conduct a metaanalysis of the previously reported data. Material and methods . 460 DMT2 patients (97 males and 363 females) who received MF, both as a part of monotherapy and in combination with sulfonylurea (SU) drugs, were subjected to cross-sectional examination. Depending on HbA1c level, patients were divided into the following groups: patients who have attained the target HbA1c level after MF therapy (n=209) and those who did not attain the target HbA1c level although receiving the maximum dose of MF (n=251). Alleles and genotypes were determined by real-time PCR using TaqMan probes at the Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine (SB RAS). Results . Frequency of the rare C allele of the rs11212617 polymorphism in the ATM gene in the examined patients was 0.41 and statistically did not differ between the subgroups who received MF monotherapy and combination therapy. Statistically significant association between the genotype of the rs11212617 polymorphism in the ATM gene and the type of response was revealed neither in the total group of patients (OR=0.94, 95% CI 0.73—1.23; p=0.67) nor in the MF monotherapy (OR=0.94, 95% CI 0.73—1.23; p=0.67) or combination therapy subgroups (OR=1.02, 95% CI 0.72—1.43; p=0.92). However, the metaanalysis results verify that the C allele is associated with attainment of the target HbAc1 level (the total OR=1.27, 95% CI 1.10—1.46; p=0.0008). Conclusions . The rs11212617 polymorphism in the ATM gene can influence the effectiveness of MF therapy in DMT2 patients.


We introduce the problem of weakly supervised Multi-Object Tracking and Segmentation, i.e. joint weakly supervised instance segmentation and multi-object tracking, in which we do not provide any kind of mask annotation. To address it, we design a novel synergistic training strategy by taking advantage of multi-task learning, i.e. classification and tracking tasks guide the training of the unsupervised instance segmentation. For that purpose, we extract weak foreground localization information, provided by Grad-CAM heatmaps, to generate a partial ground truth to learn from. Additionally, RGB image level information is employed to refine the mask prediction at the edges of the objects. We evaluate our method on KITTI MOTS, the most representative benchmark for this task, reducing the performance gap on the MOTSP metric between the fully supervised and weakly supervised approach to just 12% and 12.7 % for cars and pedestrians, respectively.


Retinal ganglion cell outputs are less correlated across space than are natural scenes, and it has been suggested that this decorrelation is performed in the retina in order to improve efficiency and to benefit processing later in the visual system. However, sparse coding, a successful computational model of primary visual cortex, is achievable under some conditions with highly correlated inputs: most sparse coding algorithms learn the well-known sparse features of natural images and can output sparse, high-fidelity codes with or without a preceding decorrelation stage of processing. We propose that sparse coding with biologically plausible local learning rules does require decorrelated inputs, providing a possible explanation for why whitening may be necessary early in the visual system.


Exaptation refers to the emergence of novel functionalities in existing products. Exaptations frequently arise in the context of users who creatively modify (or hack) existing products to accommodate new needs. Here, we examine how product-first (compared with problem-first) search affects the occurrence of exaptations. In a product-first search, the user identifies the product to be hacked before seeking a viable need. In a problem-first search, the user has a defined problem before seeking a viable solution. We argue that users are more likely to achieve exaptations following a problem-first (compared with a product-first) search. Indeed, with problem-first search, they are less likely to face functional fixedness, and they can leverage their greater awareness of problems that may not have readily adaptable solutions, which leads them to generate exaptations. Using a novel data set comprising user hacks of IKEA products, we present evidence that hacks originating from a product-first search are less likely to generate exaptations than hacks originating from a problem-first search. We also show that this difference is mitigated when the user has hacking experience or when the IKEA product being hacked is more modular. We also explore how the mitigation happens. Increased hacking experience appears to reduce functional fixedness; meanwhile, increased product modularity increases the likelihood that users will make serendipitous discoveries leading to exaptations. We contribute to the growing literature on exaptation as a source of novelty and discuss the implications of this phenomenon for managing user innovation. This paper was accepted by Sridhar Tayur, entrepreneurship and innovation.


Autonomous mobile robots need to use spatial information about the environment in order to effectively plan and execute navigation tasks. This information can be represented at different level of abstractions, ranging from detailed geometric maps to coarse topological maps. Each level is adequate for some sub-tasks, but not for others. In this paper, we propose to use hybrid maps, patchworks of local metric maps connected into a topological network. Our hybrid maps are peculiar in that they use fuzzy sets to represent the uncertainty that affects metric information. We show how a robot can build hybrid maps from sensor data, and how it can use them in autonomous indoor navigation. We also report experiments performed on a real mobile robot that demonstrate the robustness of our approach with respect to inaccuracies in the map and noise in the sensor data.


A new voltage space vector diagram consisting of six concentric dodecagons is proposed in this paper. The space vector diagram is developed for an open-end induction motor drive fed from two three-level neutral point clamped (NPC) inverters with asymmetric isolated dc voltage sources. As already reported in literature, a dodecagonal space vector diagram is advantageous over a hexagonal one, since the 6n ± 1 (n = odd) harmonics are absent in the phase voltage and the linear modulation range is extended. The present work further improves the existing dodecagonal space vector diagrams by dividing the space vector plane into six concentric dodecagons, while retaining the aforementioned advantages. A high-resolution pulsewidth modulation strategy is developed in this paper, which compared to existing schemes, reduces the harmonic content of the motor phase voltage without resorting to higher switching frequency. A comparative study of output voltage quality produced by the proposed topology and a five-level inverter shows substantial improvement in the present work. At the same time, the present topology does not require any special design of the inverter and uses two popular three-level NPC inverters. Experimental verification on a laboratory prototype indicates the possible application of this concept for high power drives.


OBJECTIVE
To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) combined with Zhuang-medicine-thread moxibustion on silent information regulator-1 (SIRT1)/nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signal pathway and inflammatory factor expression in gastric antrum tissue of diabetic gastroparesis (DGP) rats, so as to explore its mechanism underlying improvement of DGP.

METHODS
Male SD rats were randomly divided into normal, model, medication, EA, Zhuang-medicine-thread moxibustion (moxibustion) and EA+moxibustion groups (n=12 per group). The DGP model was established by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Rats of the medication group were treated by gavage of 0.15 mg/mL mosapride citrate suspension. EA (10 Hz /50 Hz, 2 mA) or moxibustion (3 cones) or EA+moxibustion was applied to "Zhongwan"(CV12), bilateral "Neiguan"(PC6) and bilateral "Sanyinjiao"(SP6) of the related group for 20 min, once a day for 3 weeks. Blood glucose, gastric emptying rate and intestinal propulsion rate were measured. The levels of serum interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) were detected by ELISA; the phosphorylation level of the phosphorylated inhibitor of nuclear factor κBα inhibitor (pIκ-Bα), the protein and mRNA expression of NF-κB p65 and SIRT1 in the gastric antrum tissue were detected by Western blot and real-time quantifitative PCR, respectively.

RESULTS
(1) Compared with the normal group, the levels of blood glucose, serum IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α, and gastric pIκ-Bα and NF-κB p65 protein and mRNA expressions were significantly increased (P<0.01), and the gastric emptying rate, intestinal propulsion rate, serum IL-10 level, and SIRT1 protein and mRNA expressions were considerably decreased in the model group (P<0.01). (2) In contrast to the model group, the blood glucose in the EA, moxibustion and EA+moxibustion groups, serum IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α levels in the 4 treatment groups, as well as NF-κB p65 protein expression in the medication and EA+moxibustion groups, and NF-κB p65 mRNA expression and pIκ-Bα protein and mRNA expression in the 4 treatment groups were significantly decreased (P<0.01, P<0.05); while the gastric emptying rate and intestinal propulsive rate and IL-10 content in the 4 treatment groups, and SIRT1 protein and mRNA expression in the medication and EA+moxibustion groups were obviously increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). (3) The effects of EA+moxibustion were significantly superior to those of simple EA and moxibustion in increasing gastric emptying rate, IL-10, SIRT1 protein expression (P<0.05, P<0.01), and in lowering IL-8 and TNF-α contents, pIκ-Bα protein and mRNA expression and NF-κB p65 mRNA expression (P<0.05, P<0.01). No significant differences were found among the 4 intervention groups in promoting the intestinal propulsive rate and among the EA, moxibustion and EA+moxibustion groups in lowering blood glucose (P>0.05).

CONCLUSION
EA combined with Zhuang-medicine-thread moxibustion can effectively reduce the level of serum inflammatory factors and regulate SIRT1/NF-κB signal pathway in DGP rats, which may contribute to its function in improving gastrointestinal movement.


A chelating agent such as EDTA or EGTA used with a dilute TRIS buffer at pH 7'2-7-5 was used in order to effect a good separation of brush borders from the epithelium of the small intestine. A good separation was not obtained in low concentrations of TRIS buffer or saline alone. Brush borders were not obtained when the calcium—chelate complex of EDTA or EGTA was used, and only a partial fractionation was obtained when the magnesium complex of EDTA was tried. The involvement of calcium was further illustrated by adding calcium salts directly to the fractionation medium; separation was prevented when sufficient calcium had been added to saturate the chelating agent. It was found that there was no precise optimum concentration for EDTA but a separation could not be obtained below 2-4 mM/1. The effect of changing the pH of the buffer was also investigated and it was demonstrated that the onset of the ability to release brush borders coincided approximately with the ionization of the third acid radical of the chelating agent. This is in keeping with the suggested hypothesis that EDTA acts by chelating calcium ions. From these and electron-microscope studies it is suggested that the binding of calcium ions is an important factor in the maintenance of the stability of the epithelial cell membrane.


This study tests the hypothesis that lobbying by food firms does not contravene United States farm policy, particularly commodity programs. The research is important in the analysis and understanding of the difficulties of designing and reforming agricultural policies. If farm programs significantly benefit downstream food firms, there is effectively no countervailing power to the farm lobby because (1) farm input supply and marketing firms have been shown to benefit from existing farm policies - and have therefore no incentive to lobby against the policies - and (2) consumers and taxpayers, two important stakeholders in agricultural policies, are known to be quite inefficient in lobbying due to their "large-group" characteristics. Information on food firms' total lobbying expenditure is combined with the behavioral assumption of profit maximization to generate an econometric model of lobbying expenditure allocation by food firms. The model is used to carry out the test. The results indicate that food firms do not lobby to influence agricultural commodity markets. The ultimate implication is that the food processing sector of the agribusiness sector has no serious incentive to act as a countervailing power to the farm lobby in the forming or reforming of agricultural policy. Thus, attempts to reform agricultural policies will be resisted by a coalition of agribusiness and the farm sector. A limitation of the study is that the hypothesis test does not separate agricultural commodities from other inputs to food firms. However, because agricultural commodities constitute almost half of the food firms' overall input costs, the test provides evidence about lobbying for agricultural policies.


This paper detailedly illustrates how to design an anti-sway controller of overhead crane for eliminating pendulum of hook-headed. First of all the paper uses Lagrange Equation in analytical mechanics to obtain a mathematical model of crane motion system in three dimensional space. Then the paper advances a new control method and designs an anti-disturbance tracking controller based on servo-compensator and stabilization compensator for eliminating pendulum of hook-headed and accurately fixing position. In general, it is difficult to design an appropriate control law because of the crane motion system's nonlinearity and strong coupling. However, the control method the paper put forward is simple and effective, and ensures the transient state performance of closed-loop system preferable and stable. The paper will introduce the design steps of anti-sway controller of overhead crane and give a satisfying simulation result, which are new and original in this paper.


Decline in cognitive abilities is a major concern in aging individuals. A potential important factor for functioning of the central nervous system in late-life stages is the KLOTHO (KL) gene. KL is expressed in various organs including the brain and is involved in multiple biological processes, for example, growth factor signaling. In the present study, 19 tagging gene variants in KL were studied in relation to 2 measures of cognitive function, a 5-item cognitive composite score and the Mini Mental State Examination, in 1,480 Danes 92-100 years of age. We found that heterozygotes for the previously reported KL-VS had poorer cognitive function than noncarriers. Two other variants positioned in the 5' end of the gene, rs398655 and rs562020, were associated with better cognitive function independently of KL-VS, and the common haplotype AG was associated with poorer cognition, consistently across two cognitive measures in two cohort strata. The haplotype effect was stronger than that of KL-VS. Two variants, rs2283368 and rs9526984, were the only variants significantly associated with cognitive decline over 7 years. We discuss an age-dependent effect of KL and the possibility that multiple gene variants in KL are important for cognitive function among the oldest old participants.


This article presents a new, simple and rapid embryo biopsy method. The blastomere for genetic analysis can be separated from a precompacted mouse embryo after a partial zona digestion with the use of a holding pipette. For the micromanipulation only two microcapillaries and micromanipulators are needed. The development of the biopsied embryos was studied during in vitro culture and in utero following embryo transfer. There was no significant difference between the treated and the control groups in the ratio of embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage, although the biopsied embryos were delayed in their development because they contained significantly fewer cells compared to the control ones at the same stage. Although there was no difference in the ratio of implantation, the development of the biopsied embryos in utero was also delayed 12-24 hours on the 9th day of pregnancy. No difference in development was visible from the 13th day of pregnancy. Statistically, no differences were found in the developmental ratio (number of developed fetuses/transferred embryos) of the control and treated embryos during gastrulation (9th day of pregnancy), at the beginning of organogenesis (13th day of pregnancy) and before birth (19th day of pregnancy). The embryo biopsy method presented here can be a new and useful tool for preimplantation genetic diagnosis.


Flow cells were utilized to determine the effects of repetitive Syto9 staining on developing Acinetobacter sp. BD413 biofilm and to identify features describing reproducible biofilm architecture at 63 x magnification. Syto9 is a general nucleic acid stain employed to visualize the entire microbial population of the biofilm and a component in the LIVE/DEADH® BacLight Bacterial Viability kits. CLSM images were quantified with the biofilm analysis software PHLIP to calculate six commonly used biofilm architecture characteristics. The characteristics biovolume and mean thickness were most reproducible when biofilms were grown in separate flow cells under controlled conditions, while roughness, porosity, total spreading and surface area to biovolume ratio exhibited inherent variability. Biovolume was more variable in separate flow cells than in channels of the same flow cell. However, even biofilms grown in channels of the same flow cell did not generate reproducible architectures based on the six characteristics. Results suggest difficulties in differentiating the effect of changes due to treatment from the natural variability of architecture development at the cellular level. Despite this high variability, biofilms only stained once developed into thicker structures containing more biomass than biofilms stained multiple times, suggesting that repeated staining with Syto9 affects architecture development. The application of Syto9 to monitor developing biofilms is not recommended.


Multi component, one pot synthesis of tetra substituted 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives from the condensation of barbituric acid, methyl acetoacetate, aromatic aldehyde and ammonium acetate has been demonstrated using an highly efficient catalyst Aluminium tris(dodecyl sulphate) (Al(DS)3) in aqueous medium. The synthesized molecules were obtained in excellent yield and high purity without use of any additional methodology. Further, the synthesized compounds were found to exhibit potent antibacterial activity against various gram positive and gram negative bacterial strains as compared with the standard antibiotic drug (Amoxicillin).


The Maxwell equations have a fairly simple form. However, finding solutions of Maxwell's equations is an extremely difficult task. Therefore, various simplifying approaches are often used in optics. One such simplifying approach is to use the approximation of geometric optics. The approximation of geometric optics is constructed with the assumption that the wavelengths are small (short-wavelength approximation). The basis of geometric optics is the eikonal equation. The eikonal equation can be obtained from the wave equation (Helmholtz equation). Thus, the eikonal equation relates the wave and geometric optics. In fact, the eikonal equation is a quasi-classical approximation (the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin method) of wave optics. This paper shows the application of geometric methods of electrodynamics to the calculation of optical devices, such as Maxwell and Luneburg lenses. The eikonal equation, which was transformed to the ODE system by the method of characteristics, is considered. The resulting system is written for the case of Maxwell and Luneburg lenses.


Nowadays due to technological advance and its direct impact on the quality of human life, addressing the issue of health and its determinants is very important. Maintaining public health is one of the most fundamental issues in each community. The aim of the study was to survey relationship between dependence on modern communication tools (internet and mobile phones) and psychological well-being. 300 university students was selected according to cluster sampling method. The questionnaires were distributed to the students and 141 completed questionnaires were collected. The Young Internet addiction test and mobile phone addiction index were used to measure the predictor variables and the Ryff psychological well-being scale was used for the criterion variable. Multiple regression analysis gave a multiple correlation coefficient (R) of 0.347 and adjusted coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.120. According to the calculated Beta values, the variable of dependence on mobile phones with the value of 0.196 showed the greatest power for explaining the autonomy component. The results showed a significant negative relationship between independent variables, i.e. dependence on the Internet and mobile phones, and dependent variables, i.e. psychological well-being and its components.


We theoretically analyze the timing jitter due to both the carrier phase noise of laser-diode (LD) pulse sources and the Gordon-Haus effect in soliton transmission. A formula is derived for the timing jitter in terms of the carrier linewidth, one of the measurable parameters common to all types of LD pulse sources. The transmission distance restricted by the timing jitter is analyzed, and the carrier linewidths required for ultra-long distance and ultra-high speed soliton transmission are estimated as well. Recirculating loop experiments at 10 Gb/s are demonstrated using two pulse sources; a gain-switched DFB-LD and a sinusoidally driven monolithically integrated MQW-DFB-LD/MQW-EA modulator, which have different carrier linewidths due to their different pulse formation processes. The difference in the carrier linewidths of the two pulse sources is measured by the proposed technique which is based on the optical heterodyne method. The observed difference between the two pulse sources in terms of timing jitter accumulation and timing jitter reduction with optical bandpass filters for the two pulse sources well support the theoretical predictions. >


Previous research has indicated that attorneys' opening statements may have powerful effects on jurors' verdicts. However, since attorneys can never be certain of exactly how witnesses will testify, it may be unwise for them to make extensive opening statements and run the risk of promising more than the evidence can show; they may discredit their cases. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of those opening statements that make promises that are not fulfilled in evidence. Subjects read one of three different versions of a transcript of a simulated criminal trial: (1) the promise-only version, in which the defense attorney promised evidence that would clearly indicate the defendant's innocence; (2) the promise-reminder version, in which the same promise was made, followed by a reminder in the prosecuting attorney's closing argument drawing attention to the discrepancy between the promise and evidence; or (3) the non-promise-control version, in which neither the promise nor reminder was made. Although the promise led to less guilty verdicts than were found in the control condition, this effect was nullified by the prosecution's reminder. It was suggested that the defense attorney's promise affected the thematic frameworks that jurors used in interpreting the evidence in the case. Implications for trial practice were discussed.


This paper presents the research in support of the development of design requirements for floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs).An overview of technical challenges in the design of FOWTs is discussed, followed by a summary of the case studies using representative FOWT concepts. Three design concepts, including a Spar-type, a TLP-type and a Semisubmersible-type floating support structure carrying a 5-MW offshore wind turbine, are selected for the case studies. Both operational and extreme storm conditions on the US Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) are considered. A state-of-the-art simulation technique is employed to perform fully coupled aero-hydro-servo-elastic analysis using the integrated FOWT model. This technique can take into account dynamic interactions among the turbine Rotor-Nacelle Assembly (RNA), turbine control system, floating support structure and stationkeeping system. The relative importance of various design parameters and their impact on the development of design criteria are evaluated through parametric analyses.The paper also introduces the design requirements put forward in the recently published ABS Guide for Building and Classing Floating Offshore Wind Turbine Installations (ABS, 2013).Copyright © 2013 by ASME


The effects of infertility on individuals and its emotional, psychological, and social consequences are complex matters that are influenced by many variables. Research now indicates that most cases of infertility can be attributed to a physiological cause in the man or woman. Shari'a is the Islamic way of life, of which medicine is an integral part. The Prophet Muhammad provided the foundation for a medical tradition that related to human beings in their totality; the spiri- tual, the psychological, and the physical were considered within the context of the social milieu. The Prophet described marriage as being half of the religion, so in Islam children are considered a great and blessed gift of Allah. Despite the high prevalence of male infertility, infertility is usually considered the woman's problem. Thus, the role of male infertility is vastly under-appreciated and even under-reported in Middle Eastern societies. Medical intervention is in keeping with the Islamic tradition; there are no religious objections in Islamic codes of ethics to an infertile couple pursuing medical treatment for infertility. This paper attempts to build a self-contained argument vis-a-vis infertility and surrogacy from Sunni-Islamic perspectives, taking into account socio-cultural and psychological aspects of this issue. It is based on pri- mary and secondary sources, interviews with couples who have participated in these treatments, the opinions of religious leaders and healers, as well as archival and documentary material, and a review of published and unpublished materials, books, and scientific journals.


Under oxygenated conditions, sulfate is relatively non-toxic to aquatic plants. However, in water-saturated soils, which are usually anoxic, sulfate can be reduced to toxic sulfide. Although the direct effects of sulfate and sulfide on the physiology of a few plant species have been studied in some detail, their cumulative effects on a plant's life cycle through inhibition of seed germination, seedling survival, growth, and seed production have been less well studied. We investigated the effect of sulfate and sulfide on the life cycle of wild rice (Zizania palustris L.) in hydroponic solutions and in outdoor mesocosms with sediment from a wild rice lake. In hydroponic solutions, sulfate had no effect on seed germination or juvenile seedling growth and development, but sulfide greatly reduced juvenile seedling growth and development at concentrations greater than 320 μg/L. In outdoor mesocosms, sulfate additions to overlying water increased sulfide production in sediments. Wild rice seedling emergence, seedling survival, biomass growth, viable seed production, and seed mass all declined with sulfate additions and hence sulfide concentrations in sediment. These declines grew steeper during the course of the 5 yr of the mesocosm experiment and wild rice populations became extinct in most tanks with concentrations of 250 mg SO4 /L or greater in the overlying water. Iron sulfide precipitated on the roots of wild rice plants, especially at high sulfate application rates. These precipitates, or the encroachment of reducing conditions that they indicate, may impede nutrient uptake and be partly responsible for the reduced seed production and viability.