Drinking water quality reports have highlighted a persistent trend in pesticide detection in the Republic of Ireland. One of the main concerns of the drinking water industry is that consistent pesticide removal rates do not occur despite the existence of activated carbon (AC) treatment regimes in most plants. The present work examines the removal of three chlorophenoxy herbicides (MCPA, 2,4-D and dichlorprop) from aqueous solutions by AC adsorption and a novel liquid-core microcapsule perstraction system. Herbicide adsorption to three ACs used in the drinking water industry was dependant on the pH of the water.
As pH increased, adsorption decreased. Herbicide adsorption to AC was further decreased when humic acid (HA) was added to the contacting system. HA uptake by AC was minimal,
possibly due to the large molecular weight associated with HA. Herbicide adsorption to AC was hindered by the presence of HA in the sample solutions and by HA pre-saturated
to the AC. The possible interaction between herbicides and HA was investigated by UV Visible and fluorescence spectroscopy to evaluate any potential interactions occurring during site competition. Weak spectral changes were observed and the florescence intensity was quenched by HA addition, suggesting that some form of interaction occurs. Capsular perstraction of MCPA, 2,4-D and dichlorprop by dibutyl sebacate liquid-core microcapsules
(LCMs) was demonstrated. The use of LCMs results in between 9 and 18 % of the herbicides being extracted within 60 minutes of capsule addition. The quantity of LCMs added
was equal to 1 g of oil core and could be increased to achieve higher levels of extraction. The results were compared to adsorption by 1 g of activated carbon (AquaSorb 2000) over the same time period of 100 minutes. Although the remediation of herbicides was more effective, AC equilibrium had not been reached after 100 minutes. The results demonstrate the time efficiency incurred by using LCMs compared to AC.


Aims: Sequel to the resurgence of TB co-infection in HIV/AIDS patients in sub-Saharan Africa, efavirenz has become an important component of the highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART). The objective of this study therefore is to provide a simple reversedphase high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the determination of efavirenz in human plasma. Study Design: Method development and experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: School of Pharmacy, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya, between October 2009 and September 2010. Methodology: A 500μl drug-free plasma sample was each placed in six different centrifuge tubes (2ml) and varying aliquots of the stock solution (100μg/ml) of efavirenz were spiked and vortexed for 60sec to give concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, 8.0 and 16μg/ml for calibration standards and 2.0, 4.0, 8.0 and 16.0μg/ml for quality control Research Article British Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 4(1): 145-157, 2014 146 samples. The off-column sample pretreatment was carried out by protein precipitation using ice-cold acetonitrile. The samples were chromatographed in a phenomenex (C18) 5μm particle size column with 250x4.6mm I.D and UV detection at 254nm using a mobile phase, which was made up of a mixture of solutions A and B. Both consisted of acetonitrile, 25mM ammonium acetate buffer and glacial acetic acid in proportions of 90:10:0.1 and 10:90:0.1(v/v), respectively. The analytical technique was validated for precision, accuracy and analyte recovery. Results: The calibration plot for efavirenz was found to be linear over the concentration range of 0.5 to 16.0μg/ml with the regression line equation obtained as y=26842x–409.4 and the regression coefficient (R=0.999), which allows for accurate reading of the concentrations of the test samples. The RSD (%) in intraday and interday assays ranged from 0.44 to 0.78%. Accuracy ranged from 92 to 110% and the recovery was >97%. Conclusion: This new HPLC method is simple, reproducible and cost-effective and can be used for therapeutic drug monitoring of efavirenz in HIV/AIDS patients on HAART as demonstrated in this study.


It is often argued that the provision of liquidity by the international institutions such as the IMF to countries experiencing balance of payment problems can have catalytic effects on the behavior of international financial markets, i.e., it can reduce the scale of liquidity runs by inducing investors to roll over their financial claims to the country. Critics point out that official lending also causes moral hazard distortions: expecting to be bailed out by the IMF, debtor countries have weak incentives to implement good but costly policies, thus raising the probability of a crisis. This paper presents an analytical framework to study the trade-off between official liquidity provision and debtor moral hazard. In our model international financial crises are caused by the interaction of bad fundamentals, self-fulfilling runs and policies by three classes of optimizing agents: international investors, the local government and the IMF. We show how an international financial institution helps prevent liquidity runs via coordination of agents' expectations, by raising the number of investors willing to lend to the country for any given level of the fundamental. We show that the influence of such an institution is increasing in the size of its interventions and the precision of its information: more liquidity support and better information make agents more willing to roll over their debt and reduces the probability of a crisis. Different from the conventional view stressing debtor moral hazard, we show that official lending may actually strengthen a government incentive to implement desirable but costly policies. By worsening the expected return on these policies, destructive liquidity runs may well discourage governments from undertaking them, unless they can count on contingent liquidity assistance. Giancarlo Corsetti European University Institute firstname.lastname@example.com Bernardo Guimaraes Yale University firstname.lastname@example.com Nouriel Roubini Department of Economics, KMC 7-83 Stern School of Business New York University 44 West 4th Street New York, NY 10012 firstname.lastname@example.com


With the increased use of Natural Gas as a fuel, higher natural gas prices, and the new federal regulations, buyers and sellers of natural gas are seriously looking at ways to improve their natural gas measurement and reduce the unaccounted for natural gas. An error in measurement of only one tenth of one percent (0.1%) on 100 MMSCF/D Natural Gas selling at $5.50/MCF will cause an over or under billing of $200,750.00 in one year. This will more than pay for a proving system. If the company undercharges it has lost money and if it over charges it has the risk of law suits later for huge amounts of money.


We have previously shown that human embryonic stem cell (hESC) therapy to injured rabbit vocal folds (VFs) induces human tissue generation with regained VF vibratory capacity. The aims of this study were to test the sustainability of such effect and to what extent derivatives of the transplanted hESCs are propagated in the VFs. The VFs of 14 New Zealand rabbits were injured by a localized resection. HESCs were transplanted to 22 VFs which were analyzed for persistence of hESCs after six weeks and after three months. At three months, the VFs were also analyzed for viscoelasticity, measured as dynamic viscosity and elastic modulus, for the lamina propria (Lp) thickness and relative content of collagen type I. Three months after hESC cell therapy, the dynamic viscosity and elastic modulus of the hESC treated VFs were similar to normal controls and lower than untreated VFs (p ≤ 0.011). A normalized VF architecture, reduction in collagen type I, and Lp thickness were found compared with untreated VFs (p ≤ 0.031). At three months, no derivatives of hESCs were detected. HESCs transplanted to injured rabbit VFs restored the vibratory characteristics of the VFs, with maintained restored function for three months without remaining hESCs or derivatives.


Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is endemic in Uganda with control strategies focusing on vaccination of cattle, while small ruminants are largely ignored. In order for Uganda to establish effective control strategies, it is crucial that the epidemiology of the disease is fully understood. This study summarizes results of serological investigations of sheep and goats for antibodies to FMDV from four districts in 2006 following an FMD outbreak in the region and from an attempted comprehensive random sampling in two districts in 2007. Antibodies were quantified and serotyped using competitive ELISA for antibodies towards non-structural proteins (NSP) and structural proteins towards serotype O, and blocking ELISA for antibodies towards the seven serotypes of FMD virus (FMDV). In 2006, sheep and goats in Bushenyi and Isingiro districts were free from antibodies towards FMDV, while herds in Kasese and Mbarara districts excluding Kahendero village were all positive for antibodies towards NSP and SP-O. In 2007, mean prevalence estimates of antibodies towards FMDV NSP was 14% in goats and 22% in sheep in Kasese district, while Bushenyi was still free. The difference between these two districts probably reflects different levels of FMDV challenge attributed to the variation in exposure rates which again in part may be as a result of the differing husbandry practices. Contrary to 2006, with clear antibodies towards serotype O, the serotype-specificity of the antibodies was less clear in 2007, as antibodies towards both serotype O and SAT serotypes were identified. Our results show that goats and sheep are infected during FMD outbreaks, and that they may be useful for determining the serotype of FMD outbreaks in Uganda, if they are sampled shortly after an outbreak.


Katerina Clark and Evgeny Dobrenko with Andrei Artizov and Oleg Naumov. Soviet Culture and Power. A History in Documents, 1917-1953. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007. xvii, 545 pp. Notes. Glossary. List of Documents. Index. $55.00, cloth.Soviet Culture and Power is an intriguing collection of documents compiled by Andrei Artizov and Oleg Naumov, translated by Marian Schwartz, and interwoven with a stimulating narrative composed by Katerina Clark and Evgeny Dobrenko. Detailing the evolution of Soviet culture from the 1920s through the end of the Stalin era, it draws on archives that began to be opened up during the Gorbachev era, and in some cases, remain difficult to access; these include the Archive of the President of the Russian Federation, the Russian Archive of Contemporary Political History, the Central Archive of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation and the Russian State Archive of Literature and Art. Although Soviet Culture and Power incorporates only a third of the documents included in the compilation on which it is based - Artizov and Naumov's Vlast' i khudozhestvennaia intelligentsiia - for its intended non-specialist audience, the primary source excerpts it contains, together with the commentary that connects them, make for fascinating reading.The premise of Soviet Culture and Power is that culture mattered immensely to the Soviet leadership as it was establishing itself during the 1920s through the Second World War. Literature, in particular, constituted a key arena for representing the Marxist-Leninist belief system that the new regime sought to entrench, as well as for staking its claim to legitimacy. As stated in the introduction, "Writing was a means for promulgating the Party's ultimate authorship of Soviet reality" (p. xii).In addition to tracing the mandates assigned to culture, the collection provides a corrective to the notion that the state and Party merely interfered with culture. As Clark and Dobrenko demonstrate, the highest echelons of the political structure regulated and controlled it. Indeed, one of the most remarkable things revealed by the documents included is the enormous extent to which the Politburo and Stalin himself were involved in the development of Soviet culture. Even in the context of Party struggles, collectivization, terror and war, they appear engrossed in content analyses of controversial works like the Mikhail Bulgakov play Days of the Turbins or discussions over who should serve on the editorial board of a given literary journal. Clearly, the cultural was political.Apart from illuminating the extent to which the cultural realm was controlled, Soviet Culture and Power allows the reader to become acquainted with the concerns and opinions of key intellectuals through personal letters, petitions and surveillance transcripts. Correspondence within the interstices of the personal and professional, for example, illustrates precisely how some writers postured themselves to serve the interests of the state and Party - and so became beneficiaries of a network of patronage presided over by Stalin (most notably Maxim Gorky) - while others were excluded from the privileges of the cultural elite (namely Mikhail Zoshchenko). …


Researchers have hypothesized four levels of instructional dialogue and claimed that teachers can improve children's language development by incorporating these dialogue levels in their classrooms. It has also been hypothesized that enhancing children's early language development enhances children's later reading development. This quasi-experimental research study investigated both of these hypotheses using a collaborative service delivery model for Grade 1 children with language difficulties from a socially and economically disadvantaged urban community in Australia. Comparing the end-of-year reading achievement scores for the 57 children who received the language intervention with those of the 59 children in the comparison group, the findings from this research are supportive of both hypotheses. The interrelationships between learning difficulties, reading difficulties, and language difficulties are discussed along with children's development in vocabulary, use of memory strategies and verbal reasoning, and the need for multidimensional programming.


Horizontal severance deeds separate property rights above and below the surface. Sub-surface rights have typically belonged to mineral estate owners, whereas surface rights above have typically belonged to farmers. In West Virginia, courts have traditionally applied a common law trespass doctrine known as reasonable necessity to account for times when these bifurcated rights clash. The reasonable necessity doctrine in West Virginia has evolved over time as state courts have made it more rigorous by requiring that, in exercising their rights, sub-surface mineral estate owners not substantially burden the surface. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit's decision in Whiteman v. Chesapeake Appalachia, L.L.C. applies the current standard to resolve disputes between the rights of surface and mineral estate owners in horizontal severance deed disputes. This Comment argues that the Fourth Circuit properly applied the heightened reasonable necessity doctrine that has developed in West Virginia common law over the past thirty years, and that in so doing, the court properly balanced the values that both mining and farming bring to the national economy.


Everywhere we go we are overwhelmed with impressions and experiences making our day. Research has proven these to change over time, thus psychologists and experimenters in surveys are interested in what a person actually experienced at a particular point in time, referred to as immediate experience. Whether it was as a reaction to some event or just at specific times during the day, is determined by the purpose of the project. By allowing an experimenter to ask questions to a set of participants at predefined times and dates, the approach called Experience Sampling Method (ESM) aims at capturing user experiences. To be able to ask such questions participants are required to carry some kind of device running the actual survey. Since most people possesses a mobile phone, this can serve as an excellent host for ESM surveys. In this thesis we have studied the ESM approach, and the design and implementation of a prototype framework for creating, running and collecting results from surveys based on ESM will be presented. Several mobile operating systems and devices exist, hence an important concern in our work has been interoperability between different devices. To achieve this goal we have emphasised on expressing all information exchanged between a computer and a mobile device in eXtensible Markup Language (XML). From our work we have seen that the flexibility of the prototype makes the system not limited to psychological surveys only, but the approach can be used as a very powerful tool for example in market analysis.


Formal identification is a prerequisite for development in the modern world. The inability to authenticate oneself when interacting with the state—or with private entities such as banks—inhibits access to basic rights and services, including education, formal employment, financial services, voting, social transfers, and more. Unfortunately, underdocumentation is pervasive in the developing world. Civil registration systems are often absent or cover only a fraction of the population. In contrast, people in rich countries are almost all well identified from birth. This "identity gap" is increasingly recognized as not only a symptom of underdevelopment but as a factor that makes development more difficult and less inclusive. Many programs now aim to provide individuals in poor countries with more robust official identity, often in the context of the delivery of particular services. Many of these programs use digital biometric identification technology that distinguish physical or behavioral features, such as fingerprints or iris scans, to help "leapfrog" traditional paper-based identity systems. The technology cannot do everything, but recent advances enable it to be used far more accurately than previously, to provide identification (who are you?) and authentication (are you who you claim to be?). Technology costs are falling rapidly, and it is now possible to ensure unique identity in populations of at least several hundred million with little error. This paper surveys 160 cases where biometric identification has been used for economic, political, and social purposes in developing countries. About half of these cases have been supported by donors. Recognizing the need for more rigorous assessments and more open data on performance, the paper draws some conclusions about identification and development and the use of biometric technology. Some cases suggest large returns to its use, with potential gains in inclusion, efficiency, and governance. In others, costly technology has been ineffective or, combined with the formalization of identity, has increased the risk of exclusion. One primary conclusion is that identification should be considered as a component of development policy, rather than being seen as just a cost on a program-by-program basis. Within such a strategic framework, countries and donors can work to close the identification gap, and in the process improve both inclusion and the efficiency of many programs


The aim of this research is to explore the everyday narratives for two year 5 teachers in a primary school when asked to implement a lifelong learning project into their classroom. Teachers have few opportunities to pause and reflect on their professional practice, so the two year 5 teachers were highly motivated to engage with the research given that the Effective Lifelong Learning Inventory (ELLI) was being piloted in their classes. With this purpose, I undertook a narrative approach.

There was also a strong rationale behind providing the teachers with a space in which to have a reflective conversation to allow their narratives to be told. This came from an underlying concept within ELLI, that students have the opportunity to reflect upon their own learning and yet it is not naturally inbuilt for the teachers. The teacher participants constructed a narrative over time as they explored both the negative and positive aspects of implementing a lifelong learning project.

In my analysis I was interested in both the structural element to how the narrative is spoken but also what significant themes are produced across the narratives and the commonalities found. The analysis is a combination of work based on Gee (1991), Mischler (1995) and Riessman (2008) and includes my own part in the co-construction of the narrative.

The narratives allow the teachers to explore their pedagogy and belief system into lifelong learning not only for the children but also for themselves. I identified and interpreted the significant themes from the teachers' narratives, reflecting how they link to the literature review and the identified learning dimensions within ELLI. Although the experience is around the lifelong learning project, the narrative that unfolds goes far beyond this and reflects very much the individual belief systems, ethical viewpoints, experience, culture and pedagogy as teachers.

Key words: narrative, lifelong learning, reflective conversation, ELLI, teachers, professional practice.


Denotational semantics is usually extensional in that it deals only with input/output properties of programs by making the meaning of a program a function. Intensional semantics maps a program into an algorithm, thus enabling one to reason about complexity, order of evaluation , degree of parallelism, eeciency-improving program transformations, etc. I propose to develop intensional models for a number of parallel programming languages. The semantics will be implemented, resulting in a programming language of parallel algorithms, called CDSP. Applications of CDSP will be developed to determine its suitability for actual use. The thesis will hopefully make both theoretical and practical contributions: as a foundational study of parallelism by looking at the expressive power of various constructs, and with the design, implementation, and applications of an intensional parallel programming language.


It is of interest to explore transfer of fluid through nanopores because of widespread applications for such systems. Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) with their exceptional properties are the best candidates as building blocks for nanostructures. Water transfer in lots of biological systems acts as an important role for keeping the tissue working properly. Peptide nanotube is one of the best biological channels which was proposed recently. While the mechanism of water permeation through channels is very complex, however, investigations such as effect of charge distributions and temperature on water permeation could shed light on the determinants of water and proton conduction rates in biological water channels. A neutral and two different charge-distributed CNTs have been used to investigate the effect of charge distribution on water permeation as well as investigation of the mechanism of water permeation through them. The charge distribution on CNTs is in accordance with peptide nanotube channels. We have investigated both the osmotic and diffusion permeations in two possible model systems. We have applied a pressure gradient (about 0.12-0.14 Mpa/13.4 A) on the systems for applying a chemical potential difference to explore the osmotic permeation. The diffusion permeation is obtained using no pressure difference. The amount of permeation for one model system was inconsistent with the continuous-time random-walk (CTRW) model. The charge distribution in this model prevents water molecules to flip around which shows that the main part of diffusion and permeation mechanism is flipping the water molecules according to water charge interaction. We have also investigated the effect of temperature on water permeation in the range of 280 K to 370 K. An interesting result is an abrupt increase in number of diffusion permeation around 340 K.


Objectives: To study the clinical and epidemiological profile of dengue cases admitted at a tertiary care hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at SDM College of Medical Sciences and Hospital on all serologically diagnosed dengue cases admitted from 1st October 2012 to 31st December 2012. The serological diagnosis was done using Rapid Immunochromatographic Card Test (RICT) in the clinical microbiology laboratory of the hospital. Detection of at least one component (NS1, IgM or IgG) was considered to be positive for sero-diagnosis. A pre-designed, pre-tested proforma was used to collect information from the patients. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 17.0 software and descriptive statistics was used. Results: Majority of cases 66.2% (149) were of Dengue fever (DF) according to WHO classification and highest number of dengue cases was in the age group of < 14 years. Male (58.2%) preponderance was noted among the cases. Fever was the presenting symptom in all cases followed by vomiting (47.1%) and headache (45.3%). Hepatomegaly was noted in 27.1% and splenomegaly in 9% of the cases. The mean platelet count was lower than normal values in all the cases. Conclusion: Detection of large number of cases in a short duration signifies high incidence rate. Dengue should be suspected in all cases presenting with symptoms like fever, vomiting and headache. Dengue fever (DF) is more common clinical syndrome than the most serious dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS).Dengue shock syndrome occurs more frequently in younger age group and diagnosing in children is very important. The use of Dengue RICT helps in the prompt and early diagnosis and management of the case and prevent complications of the dengue.


Objectives
Dietary patterns high in fiber from sources including whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, are associated with lower risk of chronic disease, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. We investigated how plasma lipidomics profiles differed between a diet high in whole grains (WG) versus a diet high in refined grains and added sugars (RG).

Methods
Using a randomized, crossover, controlled feeding study, 80 healthy participants (n = 40 men, n = 40 women, 40 normal weight, 40 overweight/obese), 18-45 y, were randomized to receive either a WG or RG diet for 28 days. After a 28-day washout period where participants resumed their habitual diet, they crossed over to the other diet. Targeted, differential mobility mass spectrometry was performed on fasting plasma samples collected at the baseline and end of each diet period and quantified the concentrations of 863 lipids from 13 classes. Paired t-tests and pairwise partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were used to evaluate differences in lipid profiles between the two diets.

Results
At a class level, only ceramides were significantly different when comparing the two diets. After removing lipid species with > 20% missing values or CVs < 25%, 606 were retained for species analysis. Sixty-seven lipid species were significantly different between diets at day 28 (FDR < 0.05): 38 of 414 detected triglycerides, 9 of 59 phosphatidylethanolamines, 9 of 63 phosphatidylcholines, 4 of 22 cholesterol esters, 3 of 11 sphingomyelins, 2 of 13 lysophosphatidylcholines, and 1 of 5 ceramides. The majority of significant lipids were higher in plasma after the WG diet. PLSDA analysis showed the first and second components explaining 49% and 8.4%, respectively. Based on the selected components, lipidomic profiles showed fair separation for the two groups of diet. R2 values were 0.07 and 0.43, and Q2 values were -0.03 and 0.04 for components 1 and 2, respectively.

Conclusions
Higher concentrations of some lipid species such as cholesterol ester 12:0, a carrier of high-density lipoprotein, could indicate a favorable shift in lipid profiles. Further investigation using more complex models are being conducted.

Funding Sources
National Cancer Institute - National Institutes of Health.


The Great Recession awoke state legislators to the power of individuals' credit reports to hinder economic opportunities. Many legislators would like to assuage the effects of bad historical events on the futures of the citizens that they represent. Among the topics they can address are employers' use of credit reports, the presence of criminal record information in credit reports, and the toxic effects of identity theft and medical debt on credit reports. However, the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act's preemptive effects must be acknowledged and negotiated. This article evaluates potential state legislative efforts against the FCRA's preemption provisions and current Supreme Court preemption doctrine to identify strategies for states that want to create effective legislation to protect their consumers' credit reputations and expand their constituents' opportunities going forward.


Urbanization negatively affects many biotic communities throughout the world. In the southeast United States, cities are expanding into previously rural and forested areas, reducing quality and quantity of habitat which may lead to declines in species diversity. To mitigate the impact that urbanization has on natural systems, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) installed a new stormwater control, the Preformed Scour Hole (PSH). However the impact of PSHs on aquatic and amphibious populations and communties, including anurans (frogs and toads), is unknown. Using the manual calling survey protocol, I surveyed the anuran populations in PSHs in Guilford, Alamance, Caswell, and Randolph counties. I correlated species richness and individual species presence with local factors associated with patch quality and regional factors associated with connectedness. I found that, as predicted, degree of urbanization was negatively associated and PSH surface area and the presence of riparian vegetation was positively associated, with the total number of species present in PSHs. Additionally, I found that the presence of different genera were either positively (in the case of Lithobates ) or negatively (in the case of Pseudacris ) correlated with increases in urbanization. The results of this study suggest that PSHs may help to mitigate anuran diversity loss due to urbanization. Furthermore, my results suggest that genera-specific models should be created to explain patterns of anuran diversity in urban areas. However, this study was unable to determine PSHs effect on anuran individual fitness or population size.


This paper describes the work done by the IELAB for the TREC Conversational Assistance Track (CAsT) 2020. IELAB investigated two methods to improve both the retrieval and re-ranking stages of a conversational IR system. The first method used an Adapted Query (AQ), which extracted context from the first utterance only to expand all subsequent queries for a conversational session. The second method utilized a query likelihood model (QLM) which used a pre-trained deep language model to estimate the likelihood that a query could be generated by a document. Specifically, we used the text-to-text transfer transformer (T5) as a scoring functions for re-ranking passages.


The Australia–United States free trade agreement (AUSFTA) came into effect in 2005. It was the second preferential trade agreement that Australia signed, after its agreement with Singapore, and marked a departure from the primacy of Australia's previous trade policy of unilateral and multilateral trade liberalisation towards preferential liberalisation. This paper assesses the economic effects of AUSFTA by applying the Productivity Commission's gravity model of trade from its Bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements review. The evidence reveals AUSFTA resulted in a fall in Australian and US trade with the rest of the world — that the agreement led to trade diversion. Estimates also show that AUSFTA is associated with a reduction in trade between Australia and the United States.


Social Interaction Systems is the culmination of a half century of work in the field of social psychology by Robert Freed Bales, a pioneer at the Department of Social Relations at Harvard University. Led by Talcott Parsons, Gordon W. Allport, Henry A. Murray, and Clyde M. Kluckhohn, the Harvard Project was intended to establish an integrative framework for social psychology, one based on the interaction process, augmented by value content analysis. Bales sees this approach as a personal involvement that goes far beyond the classical experimental approach to the study of groups. This paperback edition now makes the book available for text use and personal libraries. Bales developed Symlog, which stands for systematic multiple level observation of groups. The Symlog Consulting Group approach was worldwide as well as interactive. It created a data bank that made possible a search for general laws of human interaction far beyond anything thus far known. In his daring search for universal features, Bales redefines the fundamental boundaries of the field, and in so doing establishes criteria for the behavior and values of leaders and followers. Bales offers a new "field theory," an appreciation of the multiple contexts in which people live. Bales does not aim to eradicate differences, but to understand them. In this sense, the values inherent in any interaction situation permit the psychologist to appreciate the sources of polarization as they actually exist: between conservative and liberal, individualistic and authoritarian, libertarian and communitarian. Bales repeatedly emphasizes that the mental processes of individuals and their social interactions take place in systematic contexts which can be measured. Hence they permit explanation and prediction of behavior in a more exact way than in past traditions. Bales has offered a pioneering work that has the potential to move us into a new theoretical epoch no less than a new century. His work holds out the promise of synthesis and support for psychologists, sociologists, and all who work with groups and organizations of all kinds.


This study explores the possible influence of the media on teenagers' constructions of gendered identities, with a specific focus on drinking alcohol and engaging in sexual/romantic relationships. Understanding the factors underlying alcohol consumption and sexual activity in this age group is an important public health priority. Teenagers in 'western' countries are drinking more alcohol than ever before and these drinking habits may be associated with risky behaviour, such as unprotected sex, and with morbidity and mortality. In comparison to other west European nations, the UK demonstrates a poor history of sexual health in teenagers, with the highest levels of teenage pregnancy and the second-highest level of abortions in women under the age of 20. Approximately half of all sexually transmitted infections diagnosed in the UK in 2009 were seen in the under-25s. Research also suggests that the mass media influence teenagers' behaviours, including drinking alcohol and sexual practices.

The question about the influence of the media is complex. There are two opposing theoretical positions which purport to explain the influence of the media: the 'media as powerful' versus the 'media audience as powerful'. This study adopts a theoretical approach which accommodates both of these: the 'influence of presumed media influence' theory (Milkie, 1999). A contentious issue is how the media is understood by teenagers to influence their alcohol consumption and their sexual/romantic relationships. This thesis has sought to address these issues by answering the following research questions:

1: Is the media integrated into the lives of teenage boys and girls?

2: How do teenagers' understandings of gender-appropriate alcohol-use relate to media portrayals of alcohol use?

3: How do teenagers' understandings of gender-appropriate engagement in sexual/romantic relationships relate to media portrayals of sexual/romantic relationships?

4: Is Milkie's (1999) 'influence of presumed media influence' theory a useful way to understand the media's position in teenagers' lives, and specifically their understandings of gender-appropriate alcohol use, and of romantic and sexual relationships?

5: How are teenagers' understandings of gender-appropriate behaviours with regards to drinking alcohol and sexual/romantic relationships used in the construction of their gendered identities?

Fieldwork was conducted with teenagers aged 13-16 years, specifically in Edinburgh and in Ayrshire. The main sample comprised 25 semi-structured group discussions with 11 follow-up individual interviews, during which participants were asked to reflect on, and interpret, images from popular British television programmes that portrayed instances of alcohol use and sexual/romantic relationships. This method was intended both to prompt discussion on the process of media influence and to allow the participants to reflect on similar situations in their own lives.

The research found that the mass media does shape teenagers' perceptions and expectations of drinking alcohol and engaging in sexual/romantic relationships; and in doing so shapes their gendered identities. Importantly, the research confirmed Milkie's 'influence of presumed media influence' theory that resolved the apparently incompatible 'powerful media' versus 'powerful audience' approaches to media influence. This suggests that media influence might be all the stronger for not being readily recognised or acknowledged as being influential.

Media were more influential for teenagers' understandings of gender-appropriate engagement in sexual/romantic relationships than they were for teenagers' understandings of gender-appropriate drinking. The reason that media portrayals of drinking were considered to be only a minor influence among other stronger influences such as peers and family may be that these activities are more public. Sexual behaviour is less public therefore teenagers rely more on media to shape their images of what is considered to be appropriate behaviour.

Sexual behaviour and drinking alcohol were intertwined. Many participants talked of how sexual negotiation and activities were often accompanied by drinking. Being drunk, or, importantly, pretending to be drunk, may be understood as a process that is useful for teenagers when trying out perceived gender-appropriate identities as they engage in their relationships. As with alcohol, romantic and sexual relationships are acted out in a particular way which is informed by discourses which specify gender-appropriate behaviour, attitudes and roles (and with the help of alcohol itself, which acts as a social 'lubricant') and in doing so is a component of the project of identity construction.

The implication of this research is that existing concern about the influence of the media should be concentrated on the media portrayals of behaviours that are less public, such as sexual/romantic relationships, rather than media portrayals of behaviours that are more public, such as drinking alcohol.


Construction monitoring in bridge construction and reinforcement is an essential part of the reconstruction project. Monitoring the linear deflection and stress of the bridge make it possible to solve problems in time, and to ensure consistent with the design [1]. According to the background of Da Xi He No. 3 bridge reinforcement project and combined with the design scheme of reinforcement and reconstruction, this paper expounds the construction monitoring technology and effect on the linear and stress


A novel method for the estimation of the distance of a sound source from binaural speech signals is proposed. The method relies on several statistical features extracted from such signals and their binaural cues. Firstly, the standard deviation of the difference of the magnitude spectra of the left and right binaural signals is used as a feature for this method. In addition, an extended set of additional statistical features that can improve distance detection is extracted from an auditory front-end which models the peripheral processing of the human auditory system. The method incorporates the above features into two classification frameworks based on Gaussian mixture models and Support Vector Machines and the relative merits of those frameworks are evaluated. The proposed method achieves distance detection when tested in various acoustical environments and performs well in unknown environments. Its performance is also compared to an existing binaural distance detection method.


Cryopreservation of embryos is an important technique in the whole MOET program, which could help improve the transportation of genetic material across South Africa and globally. This trial evaluated the survival rate of goat embryos following transfer with cryopreserved Boer goat embryos. Twenty-seven multiparous Boer goat recipients were synchronized with CIDR for 16 days and injected with 300 IU of eCG at CIDR withdrawal. The recipients were allocated into 3 groups (n = 9). Group 1 received fresh embryos; Group 2 received slow frozen embryos; and Group 3 received vitrified embryos. Expanded blastocysts used were surgically collected from donors superovulated with pFSH on 7 following AI. Two blastocysts were transferred laparoscopically to the uterine horn ipsilateral to functional CL. A pregnancy rate of 85.7% (6) was obtained following the transfer of fresh embryos and tended to be better than in the does receiving slow frozen and vitrified embryos, (n = 4; 50.0% and n = 3; 37.5% does pregnant, respectively) with no significant differences. The kidding rate of the recipient does declined to 57.0% (4) and 25.0% (2) for fresh and slow frozen groups, respectively. The embryo survival rate of 35.7% (n = 5) for fresh, 25.0% (n = 4) for conventional slow freezing and 31.3% (n = 5) for vitrification was obtained and was not affected by the number of CL present on the respective ovaries at the time of embryo transfer. Although the pregnancy rate following the transfer of fresh embryos was satisfactory, the embryo survival rate following the transfer of fresh or cryopreserved embryos tended to be lower. The authors acknowledge the University of the Free State for financial and facility support and National Research Foundation (Thuthuka) for financial support for conducting this trial.


The Western Cape Province of south Africa has the worst multifactorial crime problem in the country. It has the fastest growing crime rate in many crime categories, such as rape and gun-related incidents. the experiences of the youth after a violent physical incident are unclear. the purpose of this article is to describe the experiences of youth victims attending a community health centre in the Cape Flats. A phenomenological, exploratory, descriptive, and contextual design was followed in this study. this study explored and described the lived experiences of youth victims of physical violence in terms of the support they received in a natural setting at a community health centre in the Cape Flats. Purposive sampling was used for the study, and data saturation determined the size of the sample. eight participants who visited a health care centre for followup treatment were selected. Data was analysed using Creswell's six steps of open coding. Main themes that emerged from the data analysis included: (1) violent incidents that had a negative impact on the participant; (2) participants applied defence mechanisms to deal with their trauma; (3) and participants experienced care and support either negatively or positively. A recommendation of this article is the implementation of an in-service training programme to the nurses who care for the youth after violent physical incidents.


Non-negative Matrix Factorization (NMF) is a well established tool for audio analysis. However, it is not well suited for learning on weakly labeled data, i.e. data where the exact timestamp of the sound of interest is not known. In this paper we propose a novel extension to NMF, that allows it to extract meaningful representations from weakly labeled audio data. Recently, a constraint on the activation matrix was proposed to adapt for learning on weak labels. To further improve the method we propose to add an orthogonality regularizer of the dictionary in the cost function of NMF. In that way we obtain appropriate dictionaries for the sounds of interest and background sounds from weakly labeled data. We demonstrate that the proposed Orthogonality-Regularized Masked NMF (ORM-NMF) can be used for Audio Event Detection of rare events and evaluate the method on the development data from Task2 of DCASE2017 Challenge.


As the amount of information increase, the need for automatic textsimplication also increase. There are some strategies for doing thatand this thesis has studied two basic synonym replacement strategies.The rst one is called word length and is about always choosinga shorter synonym if it is possible. The second one is called wordfrequency and is about always choosing a more frequent synonym if itis possible. Three dierent versions of them were tried. The rst onewas about just choosing the shortest or most frequent synonym. Thesecond was about only choosing a synonym if it was extremely shorteror more frequent. The last was about only choosing a synonym if itmet the requirements for being replaced and was on synonym level 5.Statistical analysis of the data revealed no signicant dierence. Butsmall trends showed that always choosing a more frequent synonymthat is of level 5 seemed to make the text a bit easier.


On April 25, 2010, The New York Times published an article by Robert D. Kaplan entitled "For Greece's economy, geography was destiny". Following principles set out in his earlier writings, such as "The Revenge of Geography" (2009), Kaplan argues that Greece's budget deficit, its poor economic performance, lack of transparency and abundant corruption, all result from its geography. Greece, he says, "...is where the historically underdeveloped worlds of the Mediterranean and the Balkans overlap and this has huge implications for its politics and economy". R. Kaplan, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, and a national correspondent for the Atlantic, is well know to HG readers (see among others the responses to "The Revenge of Geography" by J. Morrissey, S. Dalby, G. Kearns and G. Toal, published in vol.2, no.2, 2008, pp. 33-51), and thus his NYT article could be overlooked, as it does not say anything new. We could ignore Kaplan's views as overly-simplistic, were they not part of a wider school of neo-conservative geopolitics and part of the dominant views of the European elites.


Bonding agents play a crucial role in the effective sealing and retention of resin-based composite restorations, which have been increasingly placed and replaced by dentists in many countries around the world. In fact, direct adhesive restoration with composite resins has become the procedure of choice for the treatment of anterior and posterior teeth. However, long-term durability of those restorations may be compromised due to progressive loss of the integrity of adhesive interfaces. This means that no adhesive strategy is free from technique sensitivity. The specificity and proportion of different constitutive molecules, the interaction between them and substrates can differ greatly from one class of adhesive system to another, which can affect bond quality. Protocol simplification has been an inevitable trend that has boosted the use of self-etching and universal systems in adhesive dentistry.


This essay explores the intersection of racism, racial embodiment theory and the recent hostility aimed at immigrants and foreigners in the United States, especially the targeting of people of Latin American descent and Latino/as. Anti-immigrant and anti-foreigner sentiment is racist. It is the embodiment of racial privilege for those who wield it and the materiality of racial difference for those it is used against. This manifestation of racial privilege and difference rests upon a redrawing of the color line that is meant towards preserving exclusive categories of political membership. The charge of racism, however, is elided by the fact that this hostility takes the form of a specious embracement of law and lawfulness. "Illegal" in this sense not only captures the actions of those who enter the United States through clandestine or informal means, but, in light of the history of immigration and citizen- ship law, the term operates as a racial trope that designates non-white status, thus marginalizing and alienating certain immigrants from ongoing nation-formation processes. I explain the source for anti-immigrant hostility in the United States, which I take to be connected to the longevity of white normativity as the basis for American identity. I then critically assess how the idea of national belonging is crucial to the perpetuation of white-ways-of-being, especially when citizenship has historically been a venue for the embodiment of racial and even colonial privilege. I conclude by posing several questions about the nature of racial identities and racism that suggest new avenues for further research on racial embodiment in a "postracial" era.


Objective of the thesis was the creation of two entries for the Classification Plan of the Giunta Regionale Toscana: no. 17 - Education, Job Training, and 19 - Sport and recreational activities. Those entries were created according to the rules of the National Working Group for the Filing plan. The thesis is made of two parts: an introductive one explaining the value and the function of the Filing Plan through the comparison of different experiences; a practical part explaining the schema with a guide detailing the method adopted.


Singapore had fallen. American and Filipino troops were in bitter retreat on the Bataan peninsula. The whole of Southeast Asia appeared open to the Japanese. Time magazine put it plainly, if melodramatically, on February 23, 1942, "this was the worst week of the war. The nation took one great trip-hammer blow after another--vast, numbing shocks. It was a worse week for the U.S. than the fall of France; it was the worst week of the century. Such a week had not come to the U.S. since the blackest days of the Civil War.... Now, as in 1864, the fate of the nation was plainly in the balance. Now, as in 1864, only immediate and sustained miracles of effort and speed could tip the scales in the nation's favor."(1) Yet less than one year later, the tide had turned so surely that ultimate Allied victory could not be in doubt. Japanese advances were blunted in the Pacific, allowing President Roosevelt's Europe-first strategy to be put in motion. This was not the result of logistical "miracles," whether immediate or sustained. The pipeline for development and production of the simplest weapons system is more than the matter of a year. Although one cannot discount the importance of Soviet forces confronting the bulk of Nazi arms or British heroism in both the air and the desert, the course of conflict had changed so irrevocably by the beginning of 1943 because the potential of American might was already being brought to bear. This mobilization of resources was not initiated on December 8, 1941. It resulted from the close cooperation, starting in 1938, of a very small number of military and civilian leaders in Washington and the timely, if calculated, willingness of the president who had assembled them to follow their counsel. Foremost among them was Army Chief of Staff General George C. Marshall. His relationships with Harry L. Hopkins, Henry Morgenthau Jr., and, after June 1940, Henry L. Stimson were pivotal to Marshall's access to the White House. Although Marshall was the principal strategic architect of America's contribution to Allied victory in World War II, the influence of the others waned as that victory was achieved. The always frail Hopkins died in 1946. After Pearl Harbor, Stimson and Morgenthau fell out, the climax of their discord Morgenthau's doomed plan for a postwar Germany denuded of industry. Stimson's health also declined during the war. Already seventy-two when he returned to Washington in 1940, he died in 1950. It remains a remarkable achievement that four men so dissimilar in backgrounds, temperament, and experience worked so effectively together during the critical period prior to American entry into the war. It seems even more remarkable if one accepts the prevailing view of Franklin D. Roosevelt's peculiar administrative style. The memoirs of Roosevelt's associates are replete with examples. Vice President Henry A. Wallace, even before he was dumped in 1944, noted that Roosevelt "looks in one direction and rows the other with utmost skill."(2) Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, who called Roosevelt "the most complicated human being I ever knew," compared the president to a creative artist who "begins his picture without a clear idea of what he intends to paint ... and then, as he paints, his plan evolves out of the material he is painting."(3) Even so circumspect an observer as Stimson wrote after nearly three years of working with Roosevelt, "The President is the poorest administrator I have ever worked under.... He is not a good chooser of men and does not know how to use them in coordination."(4) Roosevelt once advised Morgenthau, "Never let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." As presidential speechwriter Sam Rosenman put it, Roosevelt placed everything on a "personal contact" basis, with few commitments on paper to anyone.(5) The familiar litany stresses Roosevelt's reluctance to lay down clear lines of authority, even within his cabinet. Responsibilities overlapped, with power contested rather than consigned. …


A prominent increase in atmospheric CO, at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary, ca. 55 Ma, led to the warmest Earth of the Cenozoic for similar to 100 k.y. High-resolution studies of continental flood-plain sediment records across this boundary can provide crucial information on how the hydrological cycle responds to rapidly changing CO2. Here we show from continental records across the Paleocene-Eocene boundary in the Spanish Pyrenees, a subtropical paleosetting, that during the early, most intense phase of CO2 rise, normal, semiarid coastal plains with few river channels of 10-200 m width were abruptly replaced by a vast conglomeratic braid plain, covering at least 500 km(2) and most likely more than 2000 km(2). This braid plain is interpreted as the proximal parts of a megafan. Carbonate nodules in the megafan deposits attest to seasonally dry periods and together with megafan development imply a dramatic increase in seasonal rain and an increased intra-annual humidity gradient. The megafan formed over a few thousand years to similar to 10 k.y. directly after the Paleocene-Eocene boundary. Only repeated severe floods and rainstorms could have contributed the water energy required to transport the enormous amounts of large boulders and gravel of the megafan during this short time span. The findings represent evidence for considerable changes in regional hydrological cycles following greenhouse gas emissions. (Less)


Background: Bombax ceiba is a famous plant used extensively in traditional medicine for various diseases. However, data pertaining to its effects at CNS level is limited. Objective: To analyze the anti-anxiety potential of ethanolic extracts of Bombax ceiba leaves on rats using the elevated plus maze protocol. Materials and Methods: Five groups containing six rats each were treated with respective drugs.Control rats were treated with 0.5ml of 10% ethanol i.p. (negative control). Single treatments of diazepam (2mg/kg i.p) were used as a positive control and varied levels of ethanolic extracts of Bombax ceiba leaves (150 mg/kg, 250 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg, i.p.) were applied to other groups. The index of anxiety was measured by observing the entry and time duration in the open arm of the EPM. Results: Extract at 400 mg/kg significantly increased the time duration and number of entries into the open arm which was statistically significant (p value <0.05) when compared to the control group (ethanol). Diazepam showed the most significant results when compared to other groups (p<0.0005). Extracts at 150 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg demonstrated negligible results that were statistically insignificant. Conclusion: The results indicate the anti-anxiety potential of Bombax ceiba leaves at higher concentration. Further studies are required to analyze the implicated phytochemicals and the mechanism at cellular level.


The multi-robot path planning problem has been extensively studied for the cases of flying and driving vehicles. However, path planning for the case of vehicles that can both fly and drive has not yet been considered. Driving robots, while stable and energy efficient, are limited to mostly flat terrain. Quadcopters, on the other hand, are agile and highly mobile but have low energy efficiency and limited battery life. Combining a quadcopter with a driving mechanism presents a path planning challenge by enabling the selection of paths based off of both time and energy consumption. In this paper, we introduce a framework for multi-robot path planning for a swarm of flying-and-driving vehicles. By putting a lightweight driving platform on a quadcopter, we create a robust vehicle with an energy efficient driving mode and an agile flight mode. We extend two algorithms, priority planning with Safe Interval Path Planning and a multi-commodity network flow ILP, to accommodate multimodal locomotion, and we show that these algorithms can indeed plan collision-free paths for flying-and-driving vehicles on 3D graphs. Finally, we demonstrate that our system is able to plan paths and control the motions of 8 of our vehicles in a miniature town.


Purpose: The present study explored tendencies of the world's countries—at individual and scientific development levels—toward publishing in APC-funded open access journals. Design/Methodology/Approach: Using a bibliometric method, it studied OA and NOA articles issued in Springer and Elsevier's APC journals during 2007–2011. The data were gathered using a wide number of sources including Sherpa/Romeo, Springer Author-mapper, Science Direct, Google, and journals' websites. Findings : The Netherlands, Norway, and Poland ranked highest in terms of their OA shares. This can be attributed to the financial resources allocated to publication in general, and publishing in OA journals in particular, by the countries. All developed countries and a large number of scientifically lagging and developing nations were found to publish OA articles in the APC journals. The OA papers have been exponentially growing across all the countries' scientific groups annually. Although the advanced nations published the lion's share of the OA-APC papers and exhibited the highest growth, the underdeveloped groups have been displaying high OA growth rates. Practical Implications: Given the reliance of the APC model on authors' affluence and motivation, its affordability and sustainability have been challenged. This communication helps understand how countries at different scientific development and thus wealth levels contribute to the model. Originality/Value: This is the first study conducted at macro level clarifying countries' contribution to the APC model—at individual and scientific-development levels—as the ultimate result of the interaction between authors' willingness, the model affordability, and publishers and funding agencies' support.


Abstract Two sedimentary profiles, at 18 km and at 125 km from the Rhône River mouth were selected to study the steps of glauconitization inside green (glaucony) grains, in a temperate marine environment. The proximal site is characterized by a greater content of alpine minerals (chlorite, illite) than the distal one. In the proximal site, pellets at a younger level demonstrate a largely inherited mineral composition. In the older level, representing the most advanced stage of glauconitization, there is a mixed-layer glauconite-nontronite (G-N) phase with 20% glauconite-80% nontronite in dark green grains. In the distal site, more evolved glaucony has up to 92% glauconite in the G-N. In spite of this difference, the glauconitization process developed similarly in the two sites. The relatively low Fe content in the mud-matrix does not reflect the concentration of this element inside the grains. During diagenesis, most of the inherited minerals disappear, making way for neoformed mixed-layer glauconite-nontronite.


This PhD by published work is a submission of a body of work completed within a period of four years. This narrative aims to offer a coherent context for my PhD journey, however, it also acknowledges that my ideologies, my epistemology leaks throughout this portfolio of evidence. The questions I have posed, the theorists I have chosen, what I report, and how I report my evidence are all 'saturated by the leakages of mischievous lubricant and debris of autobiographical hauntings' (Derrida cited in Boyne 1990, 1). Whilst proof is absolute and incontestable, the evidence presented in the portfolio allows for personal and professional subjectivities, what Bray et al, (2000) refer to as 'meaning making' through 'cycles of action and reflection' (90). The theme of Education for Sustainability is woven throughout the publications, and whilst there is a swathe of literature related to ESD, this body of work is unique in its attempt to acknowledge the synthesis between learning for ESD within higher education and the pedagogies associated with early childhood education and the developing research area of Early Childhood Education for Sustainability. The peer reviewed publications have been circulated within various communities of practice bringing the research area of Early Childhood Education for Sustainability into the higher education arena. With the 2030 agenda validating the importance of new ways of thinking and doing (UNESCO, 2015), the publications note the need for reflexivity which is reinforced by an uncertainty of the future (Jickling and Sterling, 2017). Core texts have been written and accessed by students on a BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies programme and publications capture place based and project based pedagogies to enable critical thinking as 'an agential and political act' (Hunter et al 2018, 50) and in terms of sustainability education, the critical thinking must activate students to reach beyond a skill set of reason and argument, to a more intentional uncovering of taken for granted understandings and 'ways of knowing' the world. Methodological considerations include conversational and discourse analytic methods which are inherently reflexive (Flick, 2011), Participatory action research and critical and visual methodologies are also represented. The sustainable practices noted in the publications may also provoke early childhood students and educators to think and act differently, not only about sustainability concerns, but also early childhood pedagogy and philosophy and critical pedagogies within higher education.


Global competition and the rise of structural unemployment during the 1980s and 1990s increased the demand for flexibility at labor markets. Since the early1990s, Greece following the directives of the European Union, gradually adopted reforms to ease the use of flexible forms of employment. This paper maps the recent evolution of flexible employment in Greece and makes an innovative empirical analysis of the employers' opinion about the impact of flexible working on their businesses during the crisis. The analysis is based upon a questionnaire through which the problem is investigated with the help of the statistical software R. To compare the sub-samples and in order to test any potential differences between them, we applied the Χ2 (chi square) analysis. We used a sample of almost 1000 respondents, drawn from the Greek SME sector, during the period October – December 2018. The results of our research seem to confirm the related findings of earlier studies. Our descriptive analysis shows that the impact of flexible working forms on entrepreneurship in Greece is ambiguous. In particular, it is concluded that flexible working forms has not contributed to human resource management. On the contrary, it seems that flexible working can reduce labor and insurance costs.


The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of rural women's knowledge of coronary heart disease risk factors, current health promoting behaviors, and perceived barriers and benefits to health promoting behaviors. The research questions posed were: What is the coronary heart disease knowldge of women living in rural areas; are women in a rural western state engaged in health promoting behaviors; and what benefits and barriers to health promoting behaviors do rural women perceive related to diet and exercise? The Health Promotion Model served as the guiding framework for this study. This descriptive study utilized a non-random convenience sample of women living in non-metropolitan or non-core counties in Northwest Montana seeking healthcare at one of four designated clinics. Inclusion criteria included female gender, age 21-55 years olds, premenopausal status, ability to read and write English, and residence within a designated non-metropolitan county. The following instruments were used to collect data: Coronary Heart Disease Knowledge Tool for Women, Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II, Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale, and Healthy Eating Benefits and Barriers Scale. The sample (n = 25) population was predominantly white and non-Hispanic. The average Coronary Heart Disease Knowledge Test for Women score was 71% with a range of scores from 40%-80%. Health promoting behaviors were ranked in the following order from most to least practiced: interpersonal relations, spiritual growth, nutrition, stress management, physical activity, and health responsibility. The sample perceived moderately high benefits to exercise and healthy eating and moderately low barriers to exercise and healthy eating. Findings from this study support a need for healthcare providers to discuss heart disease risk factors with their premenopausal clients and to encourage participation in health promoting behaviors, especially those ranked lowest, physical activity and health responsibility. Research is needed with a larger population to better understand the relationship between heart disease knowledge, health promoting behaviors, and perceived barriers and benefits to healthy eating and exercise in rural dwelling women.


The demands to improve the visibility quality of the captured images in extremes
lighting conditions have emerged increasingly important in digital image processing.
The extremes conditions are when there is lack of reasonable lightnings termed as
underexposed and too much of light termed as overexposed. The popular
enhancement technique currently used is the contrast enhancement through contrast
stretching, histogram equalization, homomorphic filtering and contrast adjustment.
The adjustments are to transform the less useful images to more meaningful images
when the post image processing operations are carried out. This thesis is motivated to
deal with the problems concerning image capturing in these two extremes conditions.
The sigmoid function is used to adjust the contrast with two controlling parameters.
The parameters adjust the contrast locally and globally. The gamma function is
commonly used to correct the non-linear error in the images due to the camera lenses. This thesis combines the functions' properties and developed a hybrid
algorithm to improve the quality of the poorly captured images by adjusting the
contrast and compensating the gamma error. The sigmoid and gamma function are
coded in MATLAB 6.0 in which testes are made over the selected images. The
sample images are taken using different type of cameras transformed to grayscaled
input images. The luminosities of the surroundings are also measured using a light
meter.
The derivations of the parameters' ranges are done by calculating the root mean
square error or the standard deviation. The suggested ranges are used in the hybrid
system which has two variants, Variant I and Variant 11. The first variant, combines
the sigmoid function inside the gamma compensation function while the second
variant combines the gamma compensation function inside the sigmoid function.
Based on the test results, the proposed algorithm significantly improves the contrast
of the images. For the underexposed image samples, the percentages of the intensity
lesser than 0.1 decreases as more of the intensities reside at higher values. For the
overexposed image samples, the percentages of intensity greater than 0.9 decreases
as more of the intensities reside at lower values. With the suggested range deduced,
the images are contrast enhanced with the reduction of percentage of pixels residing
he intensity less than 0.1 and greater than 0.9.
The comparative analyses are made by comparing the suggested hybrid system with
the existing adaptive homomorphic filtering, adaptive histogram equalization and
adaptive contrast enhancement.


The scattering of propagating waves from an abruptly terminated single-mode-fiber waveguide is investigated analytically by means of an integral equation. Weak-guidance conditions on the fiber guide are assumed to formulate the corresponding boundary value problem, and then a Neumann-series iterative solution is developed to solve the basic integral equation. The reflection coefficients of the propagating waves and the radiation patterns of the diffracted waves are also computed. Numerical results are presented for several abruptly terminated fiber guides.


We report the results of clean intermittent self-catheterisation (CISC) in 172 adults (68 male, 104 female). Seven patients were unable or unwilling to master the technique and 145 still remain on CISC, representing a total experience of 6981 patient-months. Ten patients required readmission: 5 for retraining and 5 for complications (average hospital stay 2.4 days); 123/163 patients catheterised themselves every 3 to 4 h and 92 were continent on CISC; of the 107 patients incontinent prior to starting CISC, 101 were improved; 70 patients had no infections whilst on CISC, the mean infection rate being 1 per 14 patient-months; 29% of patients experienced persistent urethral bleeding; 156/163 patients were satisfied or very satisfied with CISC and 140 found the technique easy or very easy; 76 patients had never visited their GP for a urinary problem whilst using CISC and the mean rate was 1 visit per 8 patient-months. CISC is an easily learnt technique that is safe and acceptable to patients, and one which places few extra burdens on hospital or community resources.


Because of the extensive computational burden and perhaps a lack of awareness of existing methods, rigorous uncertainty analyses are rarely conducted for variable‐density flow and transport models. For this reason, a recently developed null‐space Monte Carlo (NSMC) method for quantifying prediction uncertainty was tested for a synthetic saltwater intrusion model patterned after the Henry problem. Saltwater intrusion caused by a reduction in fresh groundwater discharge was simulated for 1000 randomly generated hydraulic conductivity distributions, representing a mildly heterogeneous aquifer. From these 1000 simulations, the hydraulic conductivity distribution giving rise to the most extreme case of saltwater intrusion was selected and was assumed to represent the "true" system. Head and salinity values from this true model were then extracted and used as observations for subsequent model calibration. Random noise was added to the observations to approximate realistic field conditions. The NSMC method was used to calculate 1000 calibration‐constrained parameter fields. If the dimensionality of the solution space was set appropriately, the estimated uncertainty range from the NSMC analysis encompassed the truth. Several variants of the method were implemented to investigate their effect on the efficiency of the NSMC method. Reducing the dimensionality of the null‐space for the processing of the random parameter sets did not result in any significant gains in efficiency and compromised the ability of the NSMC method to encompass the true prediction value. The addition of intrapilot point heterogeneity to the NSMC process was also tested. According to a variogram comparison, this provided the same scale of heterogeneity that was used to generate the truth. However, incorporation of intrapilot point variability did not make a noticeable difference to the uncertainty of the prediction. With this higher level of heterogeneity, however, the computational burden of generating calibration‐constrained parameter fields approximately doubled. Predictive uncertainty variance computed through the NSMC method was compared with that computed through linear analysis. The results were in good agreement, with the NSMC method estimate showing a slightly smaller range of prediction uncertainty than was calculated by the linear method.


The semienclosed western Mediterranean Sea has proven to be a useful location to evaluate surface heat flux estimates. In the past the directly measured average oceanic heat transport from the Atlantic into the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar of similar to 5.2 +/- 1.3 W m(-2) has been compared to estimates of the average heat flux across the surface of the Mediterranean Sea. On long timescales both should closely balance each other. By using a monthly temperature climatology of the western Mediterranean Sea we offer the possibility to extend the comparison to the seasonal timescale. This gives additional information with which different surface heat flux data sets can be evaluated. The seasonal heat content changes of the western Mediterranean and the advective exchange of heat through the Straits of Gibraltar and Sicily are estimated on the basis of a new extensive hydrographic data set and of published values for the volume transports. To demonstrate the method, a limited number of surface heat flux data sets are compared with the oceanographically calculated counterpart. The comparison reveals that some heat fluxes do not only agree well for the long-term averages but also for the seasonal timescale, whereas others show larger deviations. The remaining rms discrepancies of +/-10.2 W m(-2) for the best heat flux data set are smaller than the uncertainty of the oceanographic estimate and of a reasonable magnitude compared to the uncertainty of the long-term average of similar to 5 W m(-2).


It is with great pleasure that the editorial staff of the Journal of Endovascular Resuscitation and Trauma Management (JEVTM) welcomes your review of – and participation in - our exciting new endeavor. This initial release of JEVTM represents the beginning of the first medical journal specifically dedicated to the examination of endovascular applications as tools for resuscitation, hemorrhage control and definitive trauma management. It is an ambitious undertaking, but one who's time has come. Why is now the right time for the initiation of JEVTM? The answer to this question involves an examination of several key concepts. These include the emergence of new technologies, changing clinical practices and a growing body of multi-disciplinary innovators dedicated to the exploration and study of an expanding set of endovascular capabilities. Emerging Technologies
The past several decades have born witness to an evolution in endovascular technologies. While many of these innovations were initially developed with the treatment of atherosclerotic and aneurysmal vascular disease pathologies in mind, the applications for hemorrhage control and vascular injury management were quickly appreciated. Endovascular balloons, known to potentially improve outcomes from ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms, are now increasingly utilized as tools for bleeding control from non-compressible sites following trauma. Angio-embolization has become a mainstay of treatment capabilities for both pelvic and solid organ injury at most busy trauma centers. Endovascular stent grafts have emerged as the acute treatment of choice for blunt thoracic aortic injuries. Additionally, other endovascular adjuncts, including extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and intra-aortic balloon pump devices, continue to evolve as tools of modern resuscitation. Initially, many of these advances were achieved using devices that were largely designed for the management of chronic vascular disease. Increasingly, however, devices and capabilities are being engineered to specifically optimize their utilization for victims of trauma and other patients in need of resuscitative salvage. Continued engineering advancements and efforts to define optimal clinical utilization of these devices will require a platform for reporting and critical review. It is our hope that JEVTM will serve as an effective vehicle for this study.Changing Practices
With the increasing inclusion of endovascular capabilities in algorithms for hemorrhage control, resuscitation and trauma management other questions regarding practice have emerged. What provider is best suited to employ these technologies? How should they be trained? What expertise is required? The answer to these questions have not been well elucidated, even as the use of endovascular technologies continues to grow. Beyond the type of providers that should be involved, there also remain questions about the optimal care environment in which these technologies should be delivered. Is a hybrid-operating suite the optimal environment? How much imaging capability is really required? Can some of these capabilities safely be brought to the pre-hospital care environment? These questions are matters of active investigation that require a venue like JEVTM for examination.A multi-disciplinary collaboration
The foundation for the creation of JEVTM can be traced to discussions that culminated in the February 2017 Endovascular Hybrid and Trauma Management Meeting in Orebro, Sweden. This gathering, sponsored by the University of Orebro, brought together thought leaders from nations throughout Europe, North America and Asia. Their diversity in geographic representation was second only to their diversity of training backgrounds. Interventional radiologists, emergency medicine physicians and surgeons (vascular, trauma and acute care) shared their clinical experiences with not only each other – but also a large group of translational scientists working diligently to provide important foundational data for next steps in endovascular applications. In the context of this excellent exchange, many of these multi-disciplinary participants discussed work that had been presented at prestigious meetings and had been published in a wide array of medical journals scattered across a variety of disciplines. It became apparent, however, that there was a need for a platform that might serve as a common ground for this diverse group of providers striving to advance the safe and effective use of endovascular technologies in resuscitation and trauma management. It is our hope that the Journal of Endovascular Resuscitation and Trauma Management serves as that needed platform.


ABSTRACT Recent developments in European security have shown the growing need for a better understanding of the security dynamics on the European continent. This article presents an analysis of differing Russian and European perceptions of European security in general, and concerning the crisis in Ukraine in particular. As much of the literature on these issues has been normatively driven, we aim to provide an impartial presentation and analysis of the dominant Russian and EU discourses. This we see as essential for investigating the potential for constructive dialogue between Russia and the EU. If simplistic assumptions about the motivations and intentions of other actors take hold in the public debate and policy analyses, the main actors may be drawn into a logic that is ultimately dangerous or counterproductive. With this article we offer a modest contribution towards discouraging such a development in Russia–EU relations. After presenting an analysis of the differing EU and Russian perceptions, we discuss the potential for dialogue between such different worldviews, and reflect on potential implications for European security. As the article shows, there are tendencies of a certain adjustment in the Union's approach that may make a partial rapprochement between the two sides more likely.


ProsocialLearn is a digital pro-social games platform. ProsocialLearn consortium aims at delivering a series of disruptive innovations for the production and distribution of pro-social digital games that engage children (7-10 years old), as well as stimulate technology transfer from the games industry to the educational sector. ProsocialLearn will foster the creation of a new market for digital games aimed at increasing social inclusion and academic performance, as well as a distribution channel to deliver these games to children and teachers in European schools. In addition to provide a proven pro-social methodology to design digital games the ProsocialLearn platform makes available a series of application programming interface (APIs), which game developers can use to integrate many of the ProsocialLearn functions into their games, including emotion and engagement monitoring, in-game achievements, games ed on Prosocial Learning Objectives(PLOs) , micro-transactions, etc.


OBJECTIVES
We aimed to investigate the status of oxidant and antioxidants during attack period (AP) and attack free periods (AFP) in Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients.

METHODS
Measured the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl (PC), glutathione (GSH) and antioxidant vitamins (A,C and E) as well as the activities of catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in serum and whole blood of FMF patients in FMF-AP and FMF-AFP.

RESULTS
Levels of MDA and PC were found significantly higher (p <0.05) both in serum and whole blood of FMF-AP group compared with other groups. The CAT and GSH-Px activities in FMF-AP group were found markedly lower (p <0.05) comparing to HC group. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of antioxidant vitamin levels.

CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrated increased oxidative stress in patients with FMF during AP. Investigations are needed to establish the effect of antioxidant supplementation on FMF attack frequency and severity. We also suggest that these increased MDA and PC levels and decreased antioxidants may be used as supportive markers to differentiate AP from AFP. These conclusions need to be validated in further multicenter studies with high number of FMF patients.


Small business entrepreneurship is an indicator of market competitiveness and minimal risk both market and systemic. This paper analyses the political, economic, and societal conditions in seven emerging European economies including Russia (EEE7) - Belarus, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Ukraine - in order to assess the state of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) following the onset of the global economic crisis. We identify the specific challenges, both systemic institutional ones and those due to the knock-on effects of the crisis, facing small businesses in these countries. We then draw conclusions about the ability of SMEs to help bring about recovery and sustain the growth of their respective economies and perhaps that of the region as a whole. Implications for the role of entrepreneurial capitalism contributing to the economic growth and market sustainability of small geographically contiguous countries located between larger regions and region states in other parts of the world are discussed.


Food insecurity and income poverty are rampant in Sub-Saharan Africa. Thirty-one percent of children under the age of five are malnourished and some 72 percent of the population lives on less than US$2 day. Forty-one percent lives on less than US$1 day. The impoverished and hungry are concentrated disproportionately in rural areas and rely mainly on the consumption and sale of agricultural produce for their food and income. Africa has experienced increasing dependency on food imports that its countries cannot afford. Yet an estimated 700,000 hectares of arable land in Africa remains uncultivated. It is land that could become productive through small-scale irrigation using basic technology to draw on small-water resources, such as tube wells, and dambos. The technologies can be applied to cultivate smallholder plots of up to five hectares. Employing them will enable up to 4 million low-income households to intensify agricultural production and increase productivity. Small-scale irrigation can increase agricultural productivity and production, thus contributing to economic growth in rural areas and increased well-being among small holder farmers. Its potential to increase and stabilize food supply is especially important in light of the ongoing food crisis, and especially in Africa. Expanding the use of small-scale irrigation requires farmers to have access to financial services. The many constraints and obstacles that rural financial institutions in Africa confront must be purposefully navigated if financial services are to fulfill this role. Effectively tailoring financial services and products to support irrigation in different settings and among different client groups will be essential to success. Carefully targeting grant funding to the very poorest subsistence farmers and clearly separating it from lending will be likewise be critical to the sustainability of these financial services.


Abstract A highly controversial issue in global biogeochemistry is the regulation of terrestrial carbon (C) sequestration by soil nitrogen (N) availability. This controversy translates into great uncertainty in predicting future global terrestrial C sequestration. We propose a new framework that centers on the concept of progressive N limitation (PNL) for studying the interactions between C and N in terrestrial ecosystems. In PNL, available soil N becomes increasingly limiting as C and N are sequestered in long-lived plant biomass and soil organic matter. Our analysis focuses on the role of PNL in regulating ecosystem responses to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration, but the concept applies to any perturbation that initially causes C and N to accumulate in organic forms. This article examines conditions under which PNL may or may not constrain net primary production and C sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems. While the PNL-centered framework has the potential to explain diverse experimental results and to help researchers integrate models and data, direct tests of the PNL hypothesis remain a great challenge to the research community.


Objective Increasing evidence suggests that intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is associated with long-term morbidities, including respiratory outcomes. The relationship between IUGR and lung function has been studied in adults, but few studies have investigated childhood respiratory outcomes and it is unclear if catch-up growth in these children influences lung function. We investigated the hypothesis that lung function differs in 8- to 9-year-old children born at term between those that were within normal weight bands and those that had growth retardation. Additionally, in the growth-retarded group, we investigated if lung function differed between those who did and those who did not show weight catch up. Design The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children birth cohort. Participants The 5770 Caucasian singleton births of 37 weeks or longer gestation who had lung function assessed at 8–9 years. We classified 576 infants as IUGR as their gestation-appropriate birthweight fell below the 10th centile. This group was compared with those 3462 non-IUGR infants whose birthweights fell between the 20th and 80th centiles. Main outcome measure and results The non-IUGR infants had significantly better lung function at 8–9 years of age than those with IUGR. The differences between the standardised (z) lung function values, adjusted for sex, gestation, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and social class, and 95% CI were FEV1: −0.198 (−0.294 to −0.102); FVC: −0.131 (−0.227 to −0.036); FEF 25–75: −0.149 (−0.246 to −0.053). The groups had similar respiratory symptoms. Catch-up growth for weight was defined as an increase in z score of at least 0.67 between birth and ages 8–9 years. For the IUGR children, 430 caught up and 146 did not. All spirometry measurements were higher in IUGR children who experienced catch-up growth than in those without, although the differences were not statistically significant. Both groups remained significantly lower than control subjects. Growth-retarded asymmetric and symmetric children had similar lung function. Conclusion We concluded that IUGR is associated with poorer lung function at 8–9 years of age compared with control children. Although the differences were not statistically significant, spirometry was higher in children who showed weight catch-up growth, but remained significantly lower than in the control children.


The soft-bottom macrobenthos of Bahia San Julian intertidal was surveyed to identify infaunal assemblages and analyze their relationships with the main environmental factors determining species distribution. Four seasonal surveys (summer, autumn, winter and spring) were performed in the middle and lower intertidal levels at seven sampling stations established on both sides of an urban sewage discharge point, and water and sediment variables were measured. To explore possible spatial variations in the community, environmental and biological data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate statistics. Community composition varied with intertidal level, sediment characteristics and distance to sewage discharge site. In sediment with high mud content, the community was characterized by Darina solenoides, Mysella patagona , Eteone sculpta, Scolecolepides uncinatus and Capitella sp., in the middle intertidal, and was characterized by M. patagona and Ampelisca sp. in the lower intertidal. In sediment with dominance of fine sand, the community was characterized by Aricidea sp. at both intertidal levels. Near the effluent discharge site, the community was largely dominated by M. patagona . Intertidal level and sediment particle size are the main factors determining the composition of benthic assemblages in the study area. Sewage discharge also affects the composition of the infaunal community, possibly as a result of the contribution of particulate organic matter in suspension that stimulates the populations of detritus feeders.


This paper describes a distributed software architecture designed to manage, in an integrated way, interoperable Smart-Grid networks. It has been designed to address the fact of having massive deployments of AMI, DA, and HAN devices (meters, concentrators, sensors) from multiple vendor technologies, which must be accessed through several communications networks. This network management system is used to deliver the service configurations to the Smart-Grid, retrieve data measurements, and monitor network availability. The proposed architecture is based on autonomous, intelligent, cooperative, distributed agents. The intelligence is achieved by means of data ontology definitions and rule-engines. Data ontologies are retrieved from the different reference data models (smart-grid, communications, proprietary and other models). Each agent is able to specialize in an autonomous way by means of rule sets and the specific data models. Agents are reactive to external events and communicate by means of an event-based real-time middleware. This middleware provides a structured distributed event-bus. Using this architecture, it is possible to monitor the whole network status, deliver complex service definitions to the smart-meters, upgrade device and service configurations, and retrieve measurements with security. In addition, as the intelligence is distributed in agents, it is possible to segregate the different functional roles in the service, associating them to the corresponding agents. This architecture has already been tested on huge device deployments.


Lowering the lactose content of milk in vivo has two potential benefits: to develop milk products for lactose intolerant people (Delmont, 1983) and to produce a more concentrated milk, reducing milk storage volume and milking frequency without affecting the overall fat and protein yields. Lactose synthesis in the lactating mammary gland results from the interaction of α-lactalbumin (α-la) with a Golgian UDP-galactosyltransferase (EC 18.104.22.168), and it has been suggested that lactose and α-la contents are directly related (Fitzgerald et al. 1970). Evidence that α-la is the only protein responsible for the in vivo induction of lactose synthesis came recently from knock-out experiments of the relevant gene (Stinnakre et al. 1994; Stacey et al. 1995), which disrupt lactation, as lactose-deprived milk of α-la-deficient mice is highly viscous. However, although the lactose, fat and protein contents of the milk were found to be directly related to the quantity of α-la present (Stinnakre et al. 1994), only in mice homozygous for the α-la null allele was there a significant alteration of milk concentration (Stacey et al. 1995). Stacey et al. (1995) also demonstrated that human α-la could substitute for its mouse counterpart via homologous recombination. In the present study, we report the generation of transgenic mice producing only bovine α-la by back-crossing animals from four independent bovine α-la transgenic lines with α-la-deficient mice. Our work confirms that foreign α-la can substitute for the mouse protein and suggests a negative correlation between the α-la content and protein and fat concentrations in milk.


The epidemiological and clinical features of primary herpes simplex virus ocular infection in 108 patients were studied. Of these, 69 (64%) were aged 15 or over and only eight (7%) were under the age of 5. Associated upper respiratory tract infection was found in 38 (35%) patients and systemic disorders such as mild malaise, fever, and aching in 34 (31%) patients. Common symptoms were redness, watering, discharge, itching, irritation, and lid swelling, whereas pain, photophobia, lid vesicles and ulcers, and blurred vision were less frequent. The major signs consisted of vesicles and ulcers on the lids, papillary responses which were more severe in the upper lid conjunctiva, follicles which were more common in the lower lid conjunctiva, fine and coarse epithelial punctate keratitis, and subepithelial punctate keratitis. Dendritic ulcers and disciform keratitis were found in 16 (15%) and two (2%) patients respectively. The clinical forms of primary herpes simplex virus ocular infection varied. Moderate or severe disease was observed in 41 (38%) and 16 (15%) patients respectively. In eight (7%) patients the disease presented as an acute follicular conjunctivitis without characteristic lid or corneal lesions. A chronic blepharoconjunctivitis which lasted for months developed in 16 (15%) patients. The epidemiological and clinical features in our patients were compared with features of the disease reported previously.


Effectively using shared-memory multiprocessors requires substantial programming effort. We present the programming language COOL (Concurrent Object-Oriented Language), which was designed to exploit coarse-grained parallelism at the task level in shared-memory multiprocessors. COOL's primary design goals are efficiency and expressiveness. By efficiency we mean that the language constructs should be efficient to implement and a program should not have to pay for features it does not use. By expressiveness, we imply that the program should flexibly support different concurrency patterns, thereby allowing various decompositions of a problem. COOL emphasizes the integration of concurrency and synchronization with data abstraction to ease the task of creating modular and efficient parallel programs. It is an extension of C++, which was chosen because it supports abstract data type definitions and is widely used.<<ETX>>


Education is something that is very important in modern society, both in terms of political, economic, and health. Interest is one of the main factors for success in the study. Interests spawned spontaneous attention that enables the creation of The concentration for a long time.The learning result is a maximum measure that has been reached by students after learning activities during the specified time. The interest in health studies program, especially in medical studies program continues to growth. Great interest has a variety of factors. This study was made to get the overview of interest and student achievement of the second semester class of Medical Faculty, University of Sam Ratulangi. This study is used descriptive methods. When collecting data is using RMIB (Rothwell Miller Interest Blank) questionnaires to get an idea of the interest and the learning achievement of the students from the second semester class of Medical Faculty, University of Sam Ratulangi. The results overview shows the interest and learning achievement (50%) of students interested in the medical with a good GPA (Grade Point Average) with the results (69.2%) of students get  high GPA, (30.8%) of students get moderate GPA, and none of them obtain low GPA. It can be concluded that not all students of the second semester class of Medical Faculty, University of Sam Ratulangi interested in medical studies program, but the GPA they get still good.