Users are storing ever-increasing amounts of information digitally, driven by many factors including government regulations and the public's desire to digitally record their personal histories. Unfortunately, many of the security mechanisms that modern systems rely upon, such as encryption, are poorly suited for storing data for indefinitely long periods of time; it is very difficult to manage keys and update cryptosystems to provide secrecy through encryption over periods of decades. Worse, an adversary who can compromise an archive need only wait for cryptanalysis techniques to catch up to the encryption algorithm used at the time of the compromise in order to obtain "secure" data. To address these concerns, we have developed POTSHARDS, an archival storage system that provides long-term security for data with very long lifetimes without using encryption. Secrecy is achieved by using unconditionally secure secret splitting and spreading the resulting shares across separately managed archives. Providing availability and data recovery in such a system can be difficult; thus, we use a new technique, approximate pointers, in conjunction with secure distributed RAID techniques to provide availability and reliability across independent archives. To validate our design, we developed a prototype POTSHARDS implementation. In addition to providing us with an experimental testbed, this prototype helped us to understand the design issues that must be addressed in order to maximize security.


With its focus on embracing creativity, personal history, originality, and the freedom to pick and choose aspects from any distinct 'style' - and with no 'rules', 'commandments', or lengthy lists of 'don'ts', "I Love Your Style" is a must-read for budding fashionistas, or anyone who finds herself frustrated in front of the mirror each morning. The former muse and creative director for designer label Tuleh, and author of the blog "In Her Eyes" for "Men's Vogue" online, Amanda Brooks is a lifelong fashion chameleon with an unerring eye for the elements of personal style. Smart, glamorous, media-savvy and remarkably practical, Amanda has spent her entire life constructing a unique, eclectic and intimately personal sense of style. With classic roots, bohemian flair, a taste for designer luxuries, and a love for bargains everywhere, Amanda has looked to every imaginable source of fashion inspiration - from high-fashion runways and magazines, to thrift stores and classic movies, to her neighbors in downtown New York and old family photo albums. In "I Love Your Style", Amanda helps women of all ages begin to cull through the frighteningly vast world of fashion, from its staid basics to its trendiest moments.


Based on recent high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations over the 1160-1360 Å wavelength region, we have discovered that HD 37903 (the illuminating star of the bright reflection nebula NGC 2023 in Orion) exhibits a rich spectrum of vibrationally excited interstellar H2 absorption. We have identified a total of over 500 H2 lines arising from various rotational levels (as high as J = 13) in all 14 excited vibrational states of the ground electronic state. Prior to this study, the only published UV absorption measurements of vibrationally excited interstellar H2 consisted of two weak lines toward the star ζ Ophiuchi. In terms of abundance, the v = 3 J = 1 H2 column density toward HD 37903 is over 200 times greater than that toward ζ Oph. Overall, the populations of the excited H2 rovibrational states toward HD 37903 exhibit a nonthermal distribution that is consistent with the UV fluorescent excitation of dense (nH ≈ 104 cm-3) molecular gas located about 0.5 pc from the B1.5 V star. We contrast these results with those provided by near-IR H2 emission-line studies of NGC 2023 and discuss opportunities for future UV observations of vibrationally excited H2 toward HD 37903 and other sight lines.


This article aims to compare three distinct grammatical and conversational patterns of code-switching, which it tentatively links to three different South African ethnoracial labels: White, Coloured and Black. It forms a continuation of a previous article in which correlations were established between Afrikaans-English code-switching patterns and White and Coloured ethnicities. The typological framework used is derived from Muysken, and the hypotheses are based on his predictions as to which type of grammatical CS (i.e. insertional, alternational, congruent lexicalisation) will dominate in which linguistic and sociolinguistic settings. Apart from strengthening the idea of a correlation between patterns of language variation and ethnicity in general, the article explores the theoretical possibility of specific social factors overriding linguistic constraints in determining the grammatical form of CS patterns. In this regard, it will be shown that – on account of specific social factors underlying ethnicity – CS between two typologically unrelated languages, namely Sesotho and English, can exhibit more marks of congruent lexicalization than CS between two typologically related languages, namely Afrikaans and English, while – from the point of view of linguistic constraints – insertional/alternational CS would be expected in the former language pair and congruent lexicalization in the latter. That finding will be placed against the background of different pragmatic norms regulating the conversational use of CS within the Black Sesotho-speaking community (which we will describe as 'language mixing' in Auer's sense) and within the Afrikaans speech community (which in the case of Whites we will describe as tending more towards 'language alternation' in Auer's sense, and in the case of Coloureds as occupying an intermediate position between language alternation and language mixing). The summary of findings on grammatical and conversational CS patterns across ethnic samples will finally be placed against the background of ethnicity and its specific definition in the South African context.


Background Teacher preparation for critical special education and inclusive education is premised on the ways in which dominant schooling discourses have unfairly positioned students with disabilities and their families. The hope of such teacher preparation programs is that through careful socialization into anti-oppressive discourses, teacher candidates will develop the capacity to go forth into troubled schooling systems and actively work against practices that perpetuate norms of dis/ability. Fundamental to such conceptualizations of teacher preparation is the presumption of teacher agency as a prerequisite for working toward equity in schools. Departing from conceptions of agency as a stable internal property that can be transported across contexts, I adopt a situated notion of agency to disclose teachers' activities at the confluence of multiple schooling discourses. I deploy the framework of Holland and Lave to both unravel the local and enduring struggles that inform the discursive contexts in which efforts toward inclusion are made and disclose the cultural forms that emerge from the authoring of educators in the project of inclusion. Research Questions I reviewed the data generated at four different sites from 2006 to 2011 during the implementation of separate studies that I conducted to investigate inclusive practices. Those inquiries broadly examined how schooling/classroom conditions produce (in) equitable opportunities for students with disabilities. For this project, I re-examined the same data to ask the following questions: What are the particular conflicts and struggles that characterize the engagement of school practitioners seeking to implement inclusively oriented practices? Specifically, how do local discourses/conflicts within schools inform the production of specific forms of inclusive practice? Research Design All of the studies were ethnographically oriented and privileged a narrative exploration of participant experiences. Sources of data included participant observations and semistructured interviews. Additional data sources across sites included student work samples, school newsletters, electronic communication with participants, and informal exchanges with students and teachers in the classrooms. Each of the studies that were included in the cross-case analysis within this project was subject to separate and complete data analysis followed by a series of qualitatively written products reflecting the particular questions that guided each study. For this project, data were re-examined inductively with deliberate attention to the framework suggested by Holland and Lave. Conclusions Teacher education discourses that privilege a politics of polarity (inclusion vs. exclusion) may be insufficient to meet the complicated demands of enabling inclusivity in practice. I draw on the inevitable entanglement of diverse commitments within educators' practices to suggest that inclusion as an act of deferring may be a helpful complement to those efforts. A pedagogy of deferral privileges the pragmatic negotiation with local and widely circulating discourses while upholding long-term commitments such as the disruption of norms of ability.


Stratum intermedium is a transient and subtle epithelial structure closely associated with inner dental epithelium in tooth germs. Little is known about its development and roles. To facilitate analysis, we used bovine tooth germs, predicting that they may contain a more conspicuous stratum intermedium. Indeed, early bell stage bovine tooth germs already displayed an obvious stratum intermedium with a typical multilayered organization and flanking the enamel knot. Strikingly, with further development, the cuspally located stratum intermedium underwent thinning and involution, whereas a multilayered stratum intermedium formed at successive sites along the cusp‐to‐cervix axis of odontogenesis. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry showed that stratum intermedium produces the signaling molecule Sonic hedgehog (Shh). Maximal Shh expression was invariably seen in its thickest multilayered portions. Shh was also produced by inner dental epithelium; expression was not constant but varied with development and cytodifferentiation of ameloblasts along the cusp‐to‐cervix axis. Interestingly, maximal Shh expression in inner dental epithelium did not coincide with that in stratum intermedium. Both stratum intermedium and inner dental epithelium expressed the Shh receptor Patched2 (Ptch2), an indication of autocrine signaling loops. Shh protein, but not RNA, was present in underlying dental mesenchyme, probably resulting from gradual diffusion from epithelial layers and reflecting paracrine loops of action. To analyze the regulation of Shh expression, epithelial and mesenchymal layers were separated and maintained in organ culture. Shh expression decreased over time, but was maintained in unoperated specimens. Our data show for the first time that stratum intermedium is a highly regulated and Shh‐expressing structure. Given its dynamic and apparently interactive properties, stratum intermedium may help orchestrate progression of odontogenesis from cusp to cervix. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.


Data-driven models are subject to model errors due to limited and noisy training data. Key to the application of such models in safety-critical domains is the quantification of their model error. Gaussian processes provide such a measure and uniform error bounds have been derived, which allow safe control based on these models. However, existing error bounds require restrictive assumptions. In this paper, we employ the Gaussian process distribution and continuity arguments to derive a novel uniform error bound under weaker assumptions. Furthermore, we demonstrate how this distribution can be used to derive probabilistic Lipschitz constants and analyze the asymptotic behavior of our bound. Finally, we derive safety conditions for the control of unknown dynamical systems based on Gaussian process models and evaluate them in simulations of a robotic manipulator.


This Article examines the technique of converting non-deductible savings into deductible insurance premiums. This savings conversion mechanism is generally labeled "captive insurance," but as this Article explains, the issue extends beyond the use of related insurance subsidiaries to include insurance contracts that are, in substance, designer investment contracts. This Article explores how moving away from reliance on a particular definition of insurance and towards normative income tax principles provides a clearer path for policing the boundary between savings and insurance contracts for income tax purposes. The governing principle is straightforward: a deduction for an insurance premium should not be allowed until there is a decline in value. The presence of related parties or various timing certainties alters the likelihood that the coverage purchased through captive structures consists of annual, discrete contracts whose value declines during each formal insurance term. Because of the difficulty in implementing the ideal solution—economic valuations that take into account various probabilities and relationships—this Article proposes three bright-line rule categories that could be used to separate deductible from nondeductible property insurance premiums.


Purpose of reviewTo review the current literature on prenatal diagnosis of cervicofacial anomalies that may require neonatal intervention or that require prenatal counseling by a maternal-fetal medicine team and otolaryngology, head and neck surgery. Recent findingsUltrasound and MRI imaging are complementary in the prenatal diagnosis of fetal anomalies that may present with the need for the head and neck surgeon to assist with airway management at delivery or that require prenatal counseling. Team approaches to delivery of at-risk infants have improved and there is more experience with the ex-utero intrapartum treatment (EXIT) procedure. The importance of planning and simulation for EXIT is essential prior to delivery. Future directions include in-utero gene therapy and fetal surgery. SummaryAdvances in detection and treatment of fetuses at risk for airway obstruction at birth and for accurate diagnosis of facial clefting will allow teams to continue to improve outcomes for these infants. Increased experience of such teams will allow refinement of protocols and indices for decision making regarding which fetuses will need treatment on placental support and which will do well with traditional delivery with treatment teams on standby. This will allow improved risk profiles for both mother and child.


Li–air batteries have drawn considerable attention due to their high energy density and promising implementation in long-range electric vehicle and wearable electronic devices. Nevertheless, safety concerns, mainly derived from the use of flammable organic liquid electrolytes, have become a major bottleneck to the strategically crucial applications of Li–air batteries. Polymer electrolytes with non-toxicity, low vapor pressure, and non-flammable properties provide a feasible solution to safety issues through the replacement of organic liquid electrolytes, although fundamental understanding of polymer electrolytes for Li–air batteries is still insufficient. Accordingly, substantial research efforts have been devoted to achieving next-generation solid-state Li–air batteries with polymer electrolytes. Herein, we provide a specific review on the development of polymer electrolytes for Li–O2 (air) batteries, from comprehensive insight to emerging horizons, especially in understanding the underpinning chemistry and electrochemistry that govern the properties of polymer electrolytes for the solid-state lithium–air batteries. The discussion will highlight the recent progress in and challenges associated with polymer electrolytes for Li–O2 (air) batteries, as well as corresponding strategic perspectives.


The heritage of medieval hagiography, the diverse and voluminous literature devoted to saints, was much more important in nineteenth-century Russia than is often recognized. Although scholars have treated examples of the influence of hagiographic writing on a few prominent Russian writers, Margaret Ziolkowski is the first to describe the vast extent of its impact. Some of the authors she discusses are Kondratii Ryleev, Aleksandr Bestuzhev-Marlinskii, Fedor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Nikolai Leskov, Gleb Uspenskii, Dmitrii Merezhkovskii, and Maksimilian Voloshin. Such writers were often exposed to saints' lives at an early age, and these stories left a deep impression to be dealt with later, whether favorably or otherwise.Professor Ziolkowski identifies and analyzes the most common usages of hagiographic material by Russian writers, as well as the variety of purposes that inspired this exploitation of their cultural past. Tolstoy, for instance, employed hagiographic sources to attack the organized church and the institution of monasticism. Individual chapters treat the influence of hagiography on the poetry of the Decembrists, reworkings of specific hagiographic legends or tales, and the application of hagiographic conventions and features to contemporary characters and situations.Originally published in 1988.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.


Renewable energy is becoming very important as a way to mitigate climate change and promote job creation. Colombia is not excluded from this reality, being a country with huge renewable resources and the challenge to give employment to thousands or rebels, signing the peace process. This paper studies the potential effects of the new regulation to promote the development of renewable energy technologies in Colombia. Two incentives are analyzed: tax deductions on the investment and accelerated depreciation on assets. The work also establishes a methodology to include the effects of tax incentives in the calculation of the Levelized Cost Of Electricity (LCOE). The results show up to 20% reduction in the LCOE; unfortunately, the regulation restricts small or new business to apply for all incentives. For this reason, two complementary mechanisms (granting five years as grace period for loan repayment and lower discount rate as subsidy from the government) are proposed in order to allow small business ventures such as forest biomass projects apply to incentives. As a result, 30% reduction in the LCOE is obtained for photovoltaics (PV) and 15% for forest biomass; being the last one a great opportunity in Colombia because of the huge amount of biomass resources and its potential to create new job opportunities.


In 2008, trading restrictions prohibited short selling in nearly 800 U.S. financial stocks with a market value of $1.5 trillion. These measures were quickly adopted abroad and were still being implemented as recently as August 2011. Despite the massive scope, global reach, and continued use of restrictions, outcomes are not well documented or fully understood.This article examines the trading ban and documents four important findings: (1) Trading restrictions stabilized falling prices for most (75%), but not all securities. (2) Price stabilization due solely to TARP is ruled out. (3) Cross-sectional return differences provide further evidence on the relationship between institutional ownership and short sale constraints. Firms with low institutional ownership, low short interest, small market cap, and those traded on the Nasdaq were least affected by the ban. (4) Sharp declines (-40%) in short interest contributed to less informative prices. Overall, results indicate trading restrictions stabilized price but were less effective for securities previously constrained by other factors.Further, benefits from price stabilizing activities were offset by less informative prices.


BACKGROUND
Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms have recently raised the interest as a possible thrombophilic factors.

AIMS
We aimed to assess the frequency of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and A1298C polymorphisms in idiopathic venous thromboembolism (VTE) in a Romanian population and the associated risk of VTE.

STUDY DESIGN
We performed a case-control transversal study including 90 patients diagnosed with VTE and 75 sex- and age-matched controls.

METHODS
MTHFR C677T and A1298C polymorphisms were detected using PCR-RFLP method.

RESULTS
The homozygous MTHFR 677TT genotype, present in 18.8% of patients with VTE versus 6.6% of controls, was significantly associated with VTE (p= 0.021, OR= 3.26, 95%CI (1.141-9.313)). The heterozygous MTHFR A1298C genotype, presenting the highest prevalence in the VTE group (34.4%) as well as in controls (37.3%), was not associated with VTE (p=0.7). No associations were found for heterozygous MTHFR C677T (with a frequency of 32.2% in VTE and 37.3% in controls, p=0.492), respective homozygous MTHFR A1298C genotype (with a frequency of 1.1% in VTE and 2.6% in controls, p=0.456).

CONCLUSION
Among MTHFR polymorphisms, only homozygosity for MTHFR 677TT may be considered a risk factor for VTE; the MTHFR A1298C polymorphism is not significantly associated with an increased risk of VTE.


Labor informality accounts for nearly 40% of the labor force in Latin America. While a more traditional view sees this phenomenon as a consequence of barriers to mobility resulting from poorly designed labor regulations, recent work provides evidence that individuals choose informal jobs based on their comparative advantage. In this paper, I develop a dynamic life-cycle model estimated with rich Chilean longitudinal data, in which individuals jointly decide on their schooling and labor participation, to investigate the extent to which comparative advantage drives participation in informal labor markets. I find that human capital accumulation and preferences for job amenities explain up to 72% of transitions between the informal and the formal sector while labor market segmentation accounts for 28%. These barriers to mobility are decreasing in education. These results are largely driven by heterogeneous preferences and returns to skills across sectors. For example, more educated individuals assign a higher relative importance to non-wage benefits, particularly in formal jobs, while less educated individuals value more monetary rewards; high ability workers are more productive in the formal sector, while low ability workers are more productive in the informal sector; and unlike labor market experience acquired in informal activities, experience acquired in formal jobs is transferable across sectors. Finally, using the model to simulate the effects of a 20% wage subsidy in formal jobs for young workers, I find that individuals react to labor market expectations and their decisions are persistent. The subsidy would decrease the incentives to informality for both targeted groups and younger workers, while the reduction in informality rates as a consequence of the policy would remain persistent for all the life-cycle.


support vector machine, SVM, speaker identification, speaker verification, KL divergence, Kullback-Leibler divergence, probabilistic distance kernels, multimedia One major SVM weakness has been the use of generic kernel functions to compute distances among data points. Polynomial, linear, and Gaussian are typical examples. They do not take full advantage of the inherent probability distributions of the data. Focusing on audio speaker identification and verification, we propose to explore the use of novel kernel functions that take full advantage of good probabilistic and descriptive models of audio data. We explore the use of generative speaker identification models such as Gaussian Mixture Models and derive a kernel distance based on the Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence between generative models. In effect our approach combines the best of both generative and discriminative methods. Our results show that these new kernels perform as well as baseline GMM classifiers and outperform generic kernel based SVM's in both speaker identification and verification on two different audio databases.


Over the past decade, the development of macromolecular drugs based on peptides, proteins and nucleic acids has increased the interest in microparticulate drug delivery, i.e., the delivery of drug systems in the nanometer and micrometer ranges. However, little is known so far about the effect that microparticulate systems have on various tissues after administration. Additionally, the knowledge of mechanisms responsible for the uptake and transport of microparticles across the human intestine is incomplete and requires further investigation to improve both the safety profiles and the efficiency of these drug delivery systems.This thesis is comprised of two parts. The first one investigates gene expression responses obtained from DNA arrays in local and distal tissues after microparticulate drug delivery. The second part focuses on the mechanisms responsible for the transport of microparticles across epithelial cells lining the intestine.The results presented in the first part demonstrated that gene expression analysis offers a detailed picture of the tissue responses after intramuscular or pulmonary administration of microparticulate drug delivery systems compared to the traditional techniques used for such evaluations. In addition, DNA arrays provided a useful and sensitive tool for the initial characterization and evaluation of both local and distal tissue responses, making it possible to distinguish between gene expression patterns related to each studied delivery system.The results presented in the second part demonstrated that the surface properties of the microparticle were important for the extent of transport across an in vitro model of the follicle-associated epithelium (FAE), comprised of intestinal epithelial cells specialized in particle transport (M cells). Another important finding was that the enteropathogen bacterium, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, induced microparticle transport across the normal intestinal epithelium, represented by Caco-2 cells and excised human ileal tissue. This transport was most probably mediated by an increased capacity for macropinocytosis in the epithelial cells.


Load system is an important device of hybrid excavator test bed. According to technical requirements of 6 tons hybrid excavator test bed, technique parameters of load system was analyzed and hydraulic load system design scheme based on relief valve was determined. Fundamental diagram of hydraulic load system was designed and working process of load system was introduced. Based on AMESim software, numerical simulation model of hydraulic load system was established. With simulation research, maximum load power and typical load power of load system were simulated. Simulation results show that the hydraulic load system can meet design requirements. Prototype of hydraulic load system was developed and load experiment tests were carried out. Experimental results show that the hydraulic load system can be used to develop hybrid excavator performance test.


An Object-Oriented Libraryfor Real-Time Processing of NASDAQ Order Book Data
Data mining for extremely data-intensive applications (big data)presents a number of challenges to the computer programmerbeyond the typical issues of numerical accuracy, algorithm speed, and stability. The specific data-intensive application we consider in this paper is an object-oriented library intended to efficiently construct and maintain the order books for the daily flow of stock market information on the NASDAQ stock exchange. We develop and optimize this library using the Microsoft .NET 4.0 productivity framework.


The number of people in need as a result of Yemen's conflict continues to rise, but the international aid response has failed to keep up. International donors should immediately commit to fully funding the Yemen Humanitarian Response Plan. As the tables in this briefing show, some donor governments are pulling their weight, while others are not. Aid alone, however, cannot solve Yemen's crisis or put the country back on its feet. All sides and their international backers should stop the de-facto blockade and the conflict that are pushing Yemen towards famine.


Chronic liver diseases remains as one of the most serious health problems worldwide. Chronic liver disease involves a wide range of liver pathologies that include fatty liver, hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis,and hepatocellular carcinoma. Since ancient times herbal medicines have been used for various diseases. In the recent decades an increasing number of herbal products, including medicinal herbs and phytochemicals, have been used for treating a variety of diseases worldwide. Thereby, numerous medicinal herbs and phytochemicals have been used as complementary and alternative treatments for chronic liver diseases. Thus, the present review explores the current knowledge of the herbal medicine silymarin in treating chronic liver diseases and on its flaws which need to be overcome in future studies.


Ecosystems and their services are key to humans. One if not the main methods to obtain a monetary value of cultural ecosystem services is the contingent valuation method. This thesis sets out to contest predominant assumptions of how to design contingent valuation study surveys intended for monetary valuation of non-good values by using the Vitberget forest region in Skelleftea in Sweden as a case study. Specifically, I tested the assumption that survey design and length is influencing the outcome of the estimated monetary value of the ecosystem services. The thesis is presented in six chapters: the first chapter introduces relevant concepts and methods. The focus is placed upon the concept of ecosystem services and the contingent valuation method. The second chapter presents the applied methodology used in the case study as well as it focuses on the experiment design and data analysis – person to person interviews in the field were held in order to execute the contingent valuation exercise. The third chapter presents the results, which show that there is no linear relationship between survey design and monetary evaluations. Longer or more complex survey versions don't produce better results than shorter, less complex survey versions. The total estimated value for cultural ecosystem services of the study region is 21.969.738 SEK per year. The fourth chapter forms the discussion, which lead to the conclusion that predominant opinions about survey design regarding contingent valuation studies can be contested. In the last chapter an outlook for future research is presented as well as recommendations for practitioners are made. Future research should build on the good base of this study regarding survey design and contingent valuation. Practitioners should aim for simplified surveys with maximized sample size to improve value for money.


In addition to requiring subjective culpability, criminal offenses typically involve two objective features: action and harm. In the paradigmatic case, both features are present, but criminal law also allows for liability where either of them is absent. Rules governing omission liability enable punishment where the offender performs no act, while rules defining inchoate crimes (such as attempt) impose liability where the offender causes no harm. In different ways, these two sets of rules establish the minimum threshold of objective conduct-to use the classic term, the minimum actus reus-required for criminal liability.The absolute floor for a criminal actus reus, then, would be defined by the intersection of these two sets of rules. The prospect of liability for inchoate omissions, involving no act and no harm, exists at the frontier of the state's authority to criminalize conduct and, whether allowed or rejected, effectively determines the outer boundaries of that authority. Accordingly, inchoate-omission liability raises fundamental issues about the nature and proper scope of criminal law.This article considers those issues, asking whether criminal punishment for harmless inaction is legally possible, empirically observable, or normatively desirable and, perhaps surprisingly, answering all three of these questions in the affirmative. However unlikely or dubious the legal math may seem, it turns out that zero action plus zero harm can, does, and should sometimes add up to a crime.


Aims. Recent observations have challenged our understanding of rotational mixing in massive stars by revealing a population of fast-rotating objects with apparently normal surface nitrogen abundances. However, several questions have arisen because of a number of issues, which have rendered a reinvestigation necessary; these issues include the presence of numerous upper limits for the nitrogen abundance, unknown multiplicity status, and a mix of stars with different physical properties, such as their mass and evolutionary state, which are known to control the amount of rotational mixing. Methods. We have carefully selected a large sample of bright, fast-rotating early-type stars of our Galaxy (40 objects with spectral types between B0.5 and O4). Their high-quality, high-resolution optical spectra were then analysed with the stellar atmosphere modelling codes DETAIL/SURFACE or CMFGEN, depending on the temperature of the target. Several internal and external checks were performed to validate our methods; notably, we compared our results with literature data for some well-known objects, studied the effect of gravity darkening, or confronted the results provided by the two codes for stars amenable to both analyses. Furthermore, we studied the radial velocities of the stars to assess their binarity. Results. This first part of our study presents our methods and provides the derived stellar parameters, He, CNO abundances, and the multiplicity status of every star of the sample. It is the first time that He and CNO abundances of such a large number of Galactic massive fast rotators are determined in a homogeneous way.


Zircon is a tetragonal crystal and records different episode(s) of geology in external morphology and internal textures. Factors affecting the shape of the zircon crystals are the composition, possibly the temperature of the crystallization and water content in magma. The zircon typology of the Ghaleh-Dezh granite mostly introduces the fields P5 in classification of Pupin (1990), therefore, show mantle source for the granite. The dominant morphology of the zircon grains reveals a strong dominance of {100} prisms and {101} pyramids over {110} prisms and {211} pyramids. The dominant morphology shows high alkalinity, the temperature of crystallization about 850 oC and dry alkalic nature for the granite. Absent of hydrozircon overgrowth indicate dry magma. Also, the Zr saturation temperature based on zircon solubility reflects a mean temperature of 835 °C. All of information is corresponded by petrography and geochemical evidences and also with a-type granitic magma that has mantle and crust sources.


SMEs contribute considerably to the national GDP and to private sector employment, but they struggle to gain access to the funding needed to support business sustainability and growth. Venture capital provides the necessary funding, but SMEs lack understanding of the business value curve utilised by financiers to gauge the risk-reward characteristics of an investment. Strategies need to convey how the business model will evolve in order to deliver on the strategic intent. A framework is proposed through which SMEs can develop a strategy aligned with investor requirements. As a case study, the framework is applied to the local tooling sector.


Alumina supported cobalt (Co) catalysts are the preferred choice for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) when using natural gas as raw material, which is the case of Qatar. It is thus of economical interest to find ways of increasing activity and/or selectivity of these catalysts. One way of modifying catalytic activity, consists of transformation of the active Co phase crystallites. A shift from the abundance of the face-centered cubic (fcc) Co to hexagonal-close packed (hcp) Co phase has been found to increase catalyst activity [1]. This can be accomplished through the carbidization-reduction step with Co carbide as an intermediate. The catalyst was prepared by incipient wetness impregnation of alumina support (15% Co/Al₂O₃). Its fcc form was obtained by reducing calcined catalyst in pure hydrogen at 375°C for 10 h. The hcp form was subsequently prepared by carbidization with pure CO for 14 h at 220°C, followed by reduction in pure hydrogen at 220 or 250°C for 9 h. The catalyst was tested in a fixed-bed reactor at 220°C, 20 bar, H₂/CO ratio of 2 and a space velocity of 3.5 NL/g-cat/h. The figure shows thermogravimetric results during the first reduction step which decreases weight of the sample due to the Co(II,III) → Co⁰ transformation and weight gain during the carbidization step. After 14 h of carbidization, the stoichiometric Co₂C amount is obtained. Temperature programmed hydrogenation and oxidation of this sample showed evidence for the presence of Co₂C and absence of free carbon. CO conversion during FTS decreased from 59% (H₂ reduction) to 55% or 48% after carbidization-reduction pretreatment (at 220 and 250°C respectively); suggesting the need for future studies on alternative reduction/carbidization conditions. Methane selectivity increased from 8% for H₂ reduced catalyst to 11% after both carbidization-reduction pretreatments, probably due to presence of surface and/or bulk carbides. [1] Karaca H. et al. Journal of Catalysis 277 (2011) 14.


Graft polymerization initiated by diperiodatocuprate(III) complex (Cu(III)) initiator was found to be an effective and convenient method for graft polymerization of vinyl monomers onto macroporous polyacrylamide gels, the so-called cryogels (pAAm-cryogels). The effect of time, temperature, monomer and initiator concentration during the graft polymerization in aqueous and aqueous-organic media was studied. The graft polymerization of water-soluble monomers as [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]-trimethylammonium chloride, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, N-isopropylacrylamide, and N,N-dimethylacrylamide proceeds with higher grafting yield in aqueous medium, as compared with that in aqueous-organic media. Graft polymerization in aqueous-organic media such as water-DMSO solutions allows grafting of water-insoluble monomers such as glycidyl methacrylate and N-tert-butylacrylamide with high grafting degrees of 100 and 410%, respectively. It was found that the deposition of initiator on the pore surface of cryogels promoted graft polymerization by facilitating the formation of the redox couple Cu(III)-acrylamide group.


We evaluate a comprehensive activation program in Norway targeted at hard-to-employ social assistance claimants with reduced work capacity. The program offers a combination of tailored rehabilitation, training and job practice, and a generous, stable, and non-means-tested benefit. Its main aims are to mitigate poverty and subsequently promote self-supporting employment. Our evaluation strategy exploits a geographically staggered program introduction, and the causal effects are identified on the basis of changes in employment prospects that coincide with local program implementation in a way that correlates with the predicted probability of becoming a participant. We find that the program raised employment prospects considerably.


CD25-targeted near-infrared photoimmunotherapy depletes Tregs and promotes tumor regression. Photobombing Tregs T regulatory cells, or Tregs for short, are immunosuppressive cells that not only suppress excess inflammation but also interfere with anticancer immunity. Sato et al. developed a way to selectively deplete Tregs in tumors to promote antitumor effects while minimizing the risk of autoimmunity. To achieve this goal, the authors used a method termed near-infrared photoimmunotherapy, where part of an antibody that recognizes Tregs is fused to a light-sensitive dye, and shining near-infrared light on the tumor activates the antibody and triggers killing of the Tregs. Mice subjected to this treatment not only killed the targeted tumor but also could even destroy untreated tumors of the same type located in other parts of the body, suggesting the potential for treatment of metastatic disease. Current immunotherapies for cancer seek to modulate the balance among different immune cell populations, thereby promoting antitumor immune responses. However, because these are systemic therapies, they often cause treatment-limiting autoimmune adverse effects. It would be ideal to manipulate the balance between suppressor and effector cells within the tumor without disturbing homeostasis elsewhere in the body. CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are well-known immunosuppressor cells that play a key role in tumor immunoevasion and have been the target of systemic immunotherapies. We used CD25-targeted near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) to selectively deplete Tregs, thus activating CD8 T and natural killer cells and restoring local antitumor immunity. This not only resulted in regression of the treated tumor but also induced responses in separate untreated tumors of the same cell line derivation. We conclude that CD25-targeted NIR-PIT causes spatially selective depletion of Tregs, thereby providing an alternative approach to cancer immunotherapy.


A forested headwater watershed in West Virginia was monitored to examine changes to in-stream turbidity following the construction of a 0.92 km (0.57 mi) haul road. Due to the design of the study, most of the sediment that entered the stream following road construction was known to result from the stream crossings and approaches to the crossings. Stream-water samples collected daily and sequentially during storm fl ow from 1999 through 2005 were used to interpret the effects of stream-crossing construction on turbidity and suspended-sediment concentrations (SSC). Daily and storm fl ow turbidity and SSC values increased as a result of the construction. Average sediment loads (kg per storm) and total annualized sediment loads (kg per year) also increased signi fi cantly, both by a factor of about 1.8. Sediment delivery to the stream was caused by mechanical introduction of soil during stream-crossing culvert installation and fi ll-slope construction in the crossing approaches, and by erosion of those areas due to delays in vegetation re-establishment. Inputs from stream-crossing construction affected the overall sediment regime of the stream; the turbidity-discharge hysteresis changed from the normal clockwise pattern to a counter-clockwise pattern for about seven months. As the crossing fi lls and approach fi ll slopes became re-vegetated, they stabilized, and annualized sediment loads declined. However, at the end of the study, sediment exports remained above pre-disturbance levels.


This research offers an analysis of social practices and discourses at work in the assessment of Media Studies students following the OCR AS specification produced for 'Curriculum 2000', in its first examination session - January 2001. The purpose of the research is not to scrutinise the accuracy of such assessment, or its value, but to raise questions about subject identity at the institutional level represented by an awarding body. In particular, the intention is to investigate further issues about assessment as a social practice raised by Nick Peim in his analysis of the cultural politics of English teaching. In addition the thesis sets out to 'test' his suggestion that Media Studies might offer an alternative to the cultural problems he identifies within the practices of 'Subject English.' The method adopted is discursive and theoretical, applying critical discourse analysis, phenomenology and deconstruction. The writers whose ideas and ways of thinking about discourse, language and pedagogy are most significantly 'applied' to data acquired through the research are Michel Foucault and Basil Bernstein. The conclusions drawn offer a response to Peim's suggestions, and raise more questions about subject identity for Media teachers to consider. In particular, the data analysed lends itself to an analysis of the assumptions, logical inconsistencies and oppositions set up by 'Subject Media' and to a discussion about the relationship between a subject's 'spirit' and the reality of its assessment practices. As such it provides a 'micro' analysis of the boundaries placed around academic and vocational ways of learning, and seeks to question such categories.


This report is concerned with archaeological excavations in the south-central interior of British Columbia, in the vicinity of Kamloops. The principal results of the research are the description and incorporation of new archaeological data into a cultural-historical synthesis for the Kamloops locality. The purpose of the first section is to introduce the objectives of the research, the area investigated, previous archaeology, and the list of archaeological units utilized to interpret the new data. The ultimate research objective is the reconstruction of the culture history for the Kamloops locality. Since at the outset of the research, the prehistory was very little known, the immediate research objective was to sample a selection of sites to determine their cultural content and temporal range. As the funding for field research was directed towards salvage of threatened sites, the sites chosen were, for the most part, those in the greatest immediate danger of destruction. I n the reconstruction of the culture history for the locality, the archaeological features and materials are described in detail, and a sequence of archaeological units is devised. This sequence is then compared to cultural sequences for other localities in the Interior Plateau of British Columbia. The research area is termed the Kamloops locality, the definition of locality being an archaeological unit "...small enough to permit the working assumption of complete cultural homogeneity at any given time" (Willey and Phillips 1958:18). The Kamloops locality has as its focal point the confluence of the North and South Thompson Rivers. It extends along the river valleys eastwards to Monte Creek, northwards to Rayleigh, and westwards to the shores of Lake Kamloops. Figure 1 shows the location in southcentral British Columbia of the Kamloops and other archaeological localities mentioned in the text. The Thompson Plateau is a gently rolling upland of low relief ranging from 1200 to 1500 metres above sea level, with only occasional mountain peak elevations of above 1800 metres (Holland 1964:71). It is the most deeply dissected section of the Interior Plateau, as evidenced by the South Thompson River Valley. It is steeply incised, averaging 3.5 km in width, and whose floor ranges from 600 to 1200 metres below the plateau level (Fulton 1967:1; Tipper 1971 :11).


Transplantation experiments in the C57BL/KaLwRij mouse model of idiopathic paraproteinemia (IP) showed that an IP-producing clone can be further propagated in young, lethally irradiated mice and also equally as well in nonirradiated recipients by a bone marrow and/or spleen cell transfer. The latency period before the original paraprotein was detected in the sera of recipients varied in different experiments between 1 and 9 months after transplantation. With subsequent transplantations, the "take" frequency gradually decreased. Propagation of IP for three to four generations seems to be the final limit. In comparison to age-matched control groups, no substantial influence of the transplanted IP on the survival of the recipients was observed. In contrast, transplantation of cells from mice with a B cell lymphoma or a myeloma led to continuous propagation of the malignancy, with a high "take" frequency, progressive development of the paraproteinemia, and a shortened survival time of the recipients. These findings indicate that IP represents in its final stage in the aging C57BL mice an intrinsic cellular defect within the affected B cell clone, which is, however, different from that found in B cell malignancies.


Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate philanthropic practices in the US wine industry, as prior research on charitable giving by wine industry participants is limited. Earlier studies on corporate philanthropy are inconclusive about the direction and the degree of community philanthropy on organizational effectiveness. There are also notable research gaps, including the lack of research into philanthropy in small businesses and the dominance of US studies.

Design/methodology/approach
This paper reviews the literature on corporate social responsibility and philanthropy, presents a series of propositions and a theoretical model, sets forth a research schema to investigate to what extent philanthropic activities are motivated by altruistic as well as strategic considerations across the global wine industry and reports preliminary findings from a sample of 100 US wine producers.

Findings
In brief, 99 per cent of the wine businesses surveyed significantly engaged in altruistic behavior in their local communities, primarily helped local charities, donated at the median 150 cases each year, and those activities represented about 1 per cent of pre-tax profits, comparable to or above giving by other participants in other industries.

Research limitations/implications
As survey data were self-reported, empirical proof has yet to be obtained to support or refute the findings of this investigation. Comparisons to philanthropic practices in other wine regions of the world are not yet completed.

Practical implications
Wine producers pursue community stewardship and maintain good corporate citizenship to create direct benefits apart from economic growth or jobs, but future research is needed to ascertain whether motivations are primarily altruistic or strategic.

Social implications
Communities embrace the presence of wine businesses to foster job creation and economic activity, but remain uncertain about the other community benefits.

Originality/value
This exploratory paper fills a major gap in understanding with respect to examining motives for giving and expected outcomes by wine industry participants.


Aims: To explore if the term equity was applied and how measures for addressing social inequalities in health and reducing inequity were communicated in selected Nordic documents concerning public health. Methods: Documents from Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden were collected and analysed by Nordic authors. Data included material from websites of ministries and authorities responsible for public health issues, with primary focus on steering documents, action programmes, and reports from 2001 until spring 2013. Results: Most strategies applied in Danish, Finnish, and Swedish documents focused on the population in general but paid special attention to vulnerable groups. The latest Danish and Finnish documents communicate a clearer commitment to address social inequalities in health. They emphasise the social gradient and the need to address the social determinants in order to improve the position of disadvantaged groups. Norwegian authorities have paid increasing attention to inequity/social inequalities in health and initiated a new law in 2012 which aims to address the social gradient in a more clear way than seen elsewhere in the Nordic countries. Conclusions: In the Nordic countries, redistribution by means of universal welfare policies is historically viewed as a vital mechanism to improve the situation of vulnerable groups and level the social gradient. To establish the concept of equity as a strong concern and a core value within health promotion, it is important to be aware how policies can contribute to enable reduction of social health differences.


ABSTRACT This article describes a museum-based urban teacher-residency (UTR) program's approach to building subject-specific content knowledge and research experience in Earth Science teacher candidates. In the museum-based program, graduate-level science courses and research experiences are designed and implemented specifically for the UTR by active Earth and Space research scientists that account for almost half of the program's faculty. Because these courses and research experiences are designed specifically for the teacher candidates, they are different from many science courses and research experiences available to preservice teachers in a university setting. At the same time, the museum-based program is the only UTR, to our knowledge, to incorporate such a rigorous science curriculum, and this article considers some possible advantages and disadvantages of the program's approach. Because the museum-based program's science curriculum is balanced against the educational coursework and teaching residencies that necessarily form the program's backbone, the museum's approach to strengthening the teacher candidate's science background may also inform the faculty and administration of other UTRs in cases in which one of their program goals is to further expand their teacher candidate's content knowledge and practical subject matter experience.


During periods of activity, sweat glands produce pressures associated with osmotic effects to drive liquid to the surface of the skin. The magnitudes of these pressures may provide insights into physiological health, the intensity of physical exertion, psychological stress factors and/other information of interest, yet they are currently unknown due to absence of means for non-invasive measurement. This paper introduces a thin, soft wearable microfluidic system that mounts onto the surface of the skin to enable precise and routine measurements of secretory fluidic pressures generated at the surface of the skin by eccrine sweat glands (surface SPSG, or s-SPSG) at nearly any location on the body. These platforms incorporate an arrayed collection of unit cells each of which includes an opening to the skin, an inlet through which sweat can flow, a capillary bursting valve (CBV) with a unique bursting pressure (BP), a corresponding microreservoir to receive sweat and an outlet to the surrounding ambient to allow release of backpressure. The BPs systematically span the physiologically relevant range, to enable a measurement precision approximately defined by the ratio of the range to the number of unit cells. Human studies demonstrate measurements of s-SPSG under different conditions, from various regions of the body. Average values in healthy young adults lie between 2.4 and 2.9 kPa. Sweat associated with vigorous exercise have s-SPSGs that are somewhat higher than those associated with sedentary activity. For all conditions, the forearm and lower back tend to yield the highest and lowest s-SPSGs, respectively.


Despite the existence of numerous hypotheses about what factors influence protesters' choice of armed vs. unarmed struggle tactics, today there is a dearth of global, quantitative cross-national studies aimed at identifying the reasons why revolutions take a violent vs. a non-violent form. The article attempts to fill one of the gaps existing here by conducting a crossnational analysis of the relationship between education and the type of revolutionary action. Based on the existing literature, the authors document several mechanisms that nudge educated people to choose unarmed forms of protest. In particular, education makes people more receptive to liberal-democratic valu es (including recognition and respect for the rights of others), promotes the development of tolerance and a culture of peaceful discussion, as well as increases human capital, which, on the one hand, makes it possible to successfully use non-violent instruments to defend one's interests, and, on the other hand, increases the relative costs of participating in armed uprisings. Hence, the authors put forward a hypothesis, according to which in countries with a higher percentage of the population with formal education, the likelihood of armed revolutionary uprisings will decrease. The analysis of 387 revolutionary events that took place in the world from 1950 to 2019 conducted via cross-tabulation, correlation and regression methods, fully confirms the hypothesis: high level of education is indeed a strong and significant predictor of the unarmed nature of revolutionary upheavals. The correlation is especially high between the proportion of revolutionary events and the average number of years of schooling (in the logged form), which approaches the level of functional depen dence. Therefore, the factor of education has the maximum influence on the nature of revolutionary uprisings precisely in the early stages of modernization.


Background: The paper compares and contrasts the policy context of teacher training for vocational educators (VETT) in Scotland and England and locates this in its European setting. It explores the wider socio-economic context, one that emphasises lifelong learning, competitiveness and social justice. Purpose: In particular, it addresses the UK Coalition government's orientation to vocational teacher education and the way in which this impacts upon VETT in the two home nations. Sources of evidence: It draws on a small-scale illuminative case study of teacher educators in England and Scotland. Main argument: It explores the limits and possibilities for the development of radical and critical practices embedded in VETT policy and practice.


Steroidogenesis in teleost fish, as in other vertebrate groups, is mediated by the activation of adenylate cyclase. For the present studies, calcium ionophore A23187 and either phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) or 1-oleoyl-2-acetylglycerol (OAG) were used to investigate the possible roles that changes in intracellular calcium content and protein kinase C activation play in steroid production by goldfish preovulatory ovarian follicles incubated in vitro. While ineffective alone, PMA (1.6-400 nM) and OAG (25-100 micrograms/ml) exhibited classical synergism with A23187 (1.0-10 microM), leading to increased testosterone production. The magnitude of these responses was at least tenfold lower than that obtained with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), forskolin, or dibutyryl cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate. Testosterone production stimulated by hCG and forskolin was blocked by addition of PMA but not OAG. Unlike PMA, the inactive phorbol ester 4 alpha-phorbol 12,13-dideconate did not influence basal or stimulated testosterone production. A23187 had a biphasic effect on stimulated testosterone production: a dosage of 0.25 or 1.0 microM potentiated the action of submaximally effective dosages of hCG or forskolin on testosterone production; a higher dosage of 4 microM inhibited stimulated testosterone production by up to 50%. In conclusion, these studies suggest that, in addition to the adenylate cyclase second messenger system, changes in intracellular calcium and activation of protein kinase C may modulate steroidogenesis in goldfish ovarian follicles.


The dissertation "Labour Market Flexibility between Risk and Opportunity for Gender Equality – Analyses of Self-employment, Part-time Work, and Job Autonomy" addresses the main research question: Is flexibility the key to a less gendered labour market, or does it rather foster more traditional roles and gender inequality? In four empirical studies, different aspects in life were investigated in order to gain a holistic understanding of gender inequalities related to flexibility at work: the division of housework between couples, the work-life conflict, gender earning gaps and the transition to retirement. Going beyond previous research on gender inequalities at the labour market which often concentrated on part-time work, this dissertation expands the investigation to three different forms of flexibility. Besides part-time work, self-employment and working time flexibility are researched in a comparative fashion to get a multifaceted view on gender issues with regard to flexibilization of labour markets. Results were interpreted taking the institutional context in Germany into account, partly in direct comparison to other countries. Five main conclusions can be drawn: (1) Work flexibility might be a necessary tool for better outcomes in one field, while it simultaneously limits successful outcomes in another field. To give an example, while part-time work is related to a lower work-life conflict, it is also strongly related to lower earnings. (2) Different forms of flexibility are related to contrary results. While self-employment is related to low gender gaps at the top of the earning distribution, part-time work is related to high gaps at the top. (3) Even the same form of flexibility can be related to higher and lower gender inequality with regard to one outcome depending on different subgroups of individuals. While self-employment can be a chance for high earnings to some women, most self-employed women have rather low earnings. (4) The same form of flexibility can be related to different outcomes for men and women. While autonomy at work is related to less housework for men, this is not the case for women, which leads to significant gender difference. (5) Flexible work can have opposing outcomes in different countries. Long part-time periods are related to later retirement in Sweden but earlier exits in Denmark. Depending on the pension system, part-time work might lead to high accumulated losses and a need to continue working in one country but not in others.


The paper deals with the study and experimental evaluation of the influence of process parameters determining the resulting mechanical properties of the components after additive production using the 1.4404 (316L) stainless steel SLM method. The determining process parameters that have been investigated are laser power, scanning speed and layer creation strategy. These parameters fundamentally affect the microstructure and macrostructure of components created by the SLM method, therefore, they have been subjected to closer examination. The results then determined the ideal set of parameters according to the assessment criteria - tensile test, porosity and roughness of the surface. Experiments were performed on the Renishaw AM400 and therefore the results and recommendations are directly related to this particular machine.


In 1832, the Supreme Court held that states could not extend their laws into Indian country, but over the years the Court has allowed greater and greater state incursions. The Court now recognizes two partial barriers to state power in Indian country: first, any state law that infringes on tribal sovereignty is barred; second, any state law that is preempted by federal law is also barred. Nonetheless, the Court has not clearly identified the sources of constitutional power underlying either of these barriers to state power. This Article argues that each barrier to state power springs from, and should be reviewed under, separate clauses of the federal Constitution. The barrier based on infringement of tribal sovereignty should be analyzed under the dormant Indian commerce clause; the barrier based on preemption by federal law should be analyzed under the supremacy clause. Because the Court has failed to identify the constitutional foundations of the two barriers, it has confused the barriers and merged them both into analogous balancing tests.


Gaze direction and the facial expression of emotion are the two most important facial cues in non-verbal communication. This research involves three eye tracking experiments to investigate the joint effects of facial expression (neutral/happy) and gaze direction (direct/averted) of models on websites on visual attention among American and Chinese participants. They reveal that among both cultures a gaze cue primes initial attention to the product or brand and show that positive affect from the happy expression when a model looks at the viewer carries over to the product or brand. For American participants, a model that looks at the viewer with a happy expression draws more attention to the brand, while for Chinese participants a model that looks at the product with a happy expression draws more attention to the brand. These differences are explained from a cultural difference in using the eyes and mouth as cues to recognize and interpret smiles in Asian and Western cultures, respectively. Further, the match in ethnicity between a model and the viewer exacerbated the attention effects of facial expression.


Introduction: Hospital information system is comprehensive software aiming to integrate patient information in order to send and exchange information between departments and other medical centers, based on, Since according to the users' needs, some changes such as modifications, improvements or conformity to changes in the organization are applied and also some requirements and performance characteristics are added in these systems so they should be constantly assessed and ranked. The aim of this research is to rank hospital information systems. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in 2013. Research population included hospital information systems of the country. The sample size comprised 16 companies. Data were collected from check lists which included information related to research purposes, and its validity was confirmed by experts. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and SPSS software. Results: In the overall rating of hospital information systems, "Rayavran" with 72.7% ranked the highest and "BuAli designers" with 47.1% ranked the lowest. In rating functional requirements, only three softwares were efficient. Most of these systems were efficient regarding technical requirements and the ability to use the capabilities of the vendor of the systems, and most hospital information systems were inefficient in improving the quality of patient care. Conclusion: In general, hospital information systems in Iran had a moderate performance regarding the studied requirements which requires system managers and designers` consideration and attention.


The prevalence of Mental Health Concerns (MHC) among parents whose children are accessing services from a mental health outpatient center was explored, along with what helps and hinders the coping of those parents identified as having diagnosed or suspected MHC. Participants were selected based on interviews with their child's mental health clinician who identified 71% of the selected families as having at least one parent with diagnosed or suspected MHC. Semi-structured phone interviews with 28 participants in those families were then conducted. Given the diversity and problem with language depicting mental illness, MHC was the rubric adopted for this paper as it was believed to be less of a problematic label. A qualitative research design provided a deeper understanding into the resources that parents utilize to help them cope, the challenges that make it more difficult for them to do well, and the supports they wish they had. There was a high correlation between clinician perception and participant self-report in indicating the presence of MHC. Resources revealed as helpful to parent coping included the assistance of counselling and medical professionals, community and family supports, and medication. Hindrances to parent coping included lack of finances, parenting stress, and difficulties related to MHC. Parents wished there were more services and supports available across professional and community domains. Findings may provide insight for family centered, integrative program ideas and supports that will increase family coping when both parents and children are dealing with MHC.


Firms face significant risk when they adopt digital supply chain systems to transact and coordinate with their partners. Drawn upon modular systems theory, this study proposes that system modularity mitigates the risk of adopting digital supply chain systems and therefore motivates firms to digitize more of their supply chain operations. The study also theorizes how the risk-mitigating effect of system modularity can be enhanced by the allocation of decision rights to the IT unit. The main logic is that IT managers with more domain IT knowledge can better utilize their knowledge in decision making to achieve effective system modularity. We tested these theoretical propositions using a survey study of Chinese companies and found empirical support. We also found that the allocation of decision rights to the IT unit does not directly mitigate the perceived risk of digital supply chain system, which highlights the role of decision allocation to the IT unit as a key moderator in risk mitigation. The study generates theoretical and practical implications on how IT governance and system modularity may jointly mitigate risk and foster supply chain digitization.


Stress-laminated timber bridges were first introduced in the United States in the late 1980s. Since that time, the concept of stress-laminating has received a great deal of attention and hundreds of bridges have been built. Most of these bridges are located on rural low-volume roads. To evaluate the performance of stress-laminated bridges, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory, implemented a nationwide bridge monitoring program in 1988 that was subsequently expanded in 1992 to include a cooperative program with the Federal Highway Administration. This paper presents a summary of monitoring results and observations obtained through that program for stress-laminated bridges that have been continuously monitored for 2 years or more. Included are discussions related to bridge construction, moisture content, stressing-bar force, vertical creep, load test behavior, and condition evaluation. Based on the monitoring program results, performance of stress-laminated timber bridges is generally satisfactory, although observed performance can be improved in several areas.


In today's competitive world the quality of the user experience offered to customers is increasingly a key differentiator in the marketplace. Customers are complicated and businesses are built upon stereotypes of ordinary people and their everyday lives and ambitions. A limited understanding of the experience that customers desire when interacting with products or services can lead to market failure or poor growth through lack of cohesion and direction at a strategic level. The aim of this toolkit is to help entrepreneurs and businesses to understand how to create a sustainable User Experience Vision that captures the desired experience of end users and enables the formation of a User Experience Roadmap towards future business development.This toolkit is based on design tools developed within the LEEDR (Low Effort Energy Demand Reduction) project and has been further developed within the Hothouse project. Both are joint ventures between designers, engineers, and social scientists at Loughborough University, UK. We are happy for you to use, share and adapt this toolkit in any way that you see fit, as long as appropriate credit is given and that you provide us with some feedback on how you have used it.If you want to make best use of this toolkit, then how about a creative workshop facilitated by User Experience Design experts from Loughborough University? If this sounds of interest, please get in contact. We are happy to travel and experienced in supporting any size from the single entrepreneur upwards. TOOLKIT GOALS:Guide entrepreneurs through the process of crafting a sustainable UX Vision against which to align their business strategy.Explore, discuss, and capture who their customers are, and define the real experience that customers want when engaging with an entrepreneurial business' products or services.Use practical tools and templates to guide future business strategy.


A key claim of current theoretical analyses of the memory impairments associated with amnesia is that certain distinct forms of learning and memory are spared. Supporting this claim, B. J. Knowlton and L R. Squire found that amnesic patients and controls were indistinguishable in their ability to learn about and classify strings of letters generated from a finite-state grammar, but that the amnesics were impaired at recognizing the training strings. We show, first, that this pattern of results is predicted by a single-system connectionist model of artificial grammar learning (AGL) in which amnesia is simulated by a reduced learning rate. We then show in two experiments that a counterintuitive assumption of this model, that classification and recognition are functionally identical in AGL, is correct. In three further simulation studies, we demonstrate that the model also reproduces another type of dissociation, namely between recognition memory and repetition priming. We conclude that the performance of amnesic patients in memory tasks is better understood in terms of a nonselective, rather than a selective, memory deficit.


Background An understanding of the epidemiology of shoulder dislocation/subluxation in rugby union players could help develop targeted prevention programmes and treatment. We performed a multiyear epidemiological survey of shoulder dislocation/subluxation in a large cohort of rugby players. Methods A descriptive epidemiological study was performed prospectively for five playing seasons (2008–2013) in all players licensed in the French Rugby Union. Rugby players were categorised into five groups by age. The player and the team physician reported the injury to the club insurance company if it occurred during training or a match. The goals of the study were to define the rate, type and causes of shoulder dislocation/subluxation. Results 88 044 injuries were reported, including 1345 (1.5%) episodes of dislocation/subluxation in 1317 men and 28 women, mean age 22.5±5.9 years. About 10/10 000 men and 5/10 000 women reported an episode of shoulder dislocation/subluxation per season, including 83/10 000 senior professionals, 17/10 000 senior amateurs, 21/10 000 juniors, 12/10 000 cadets and <1/10 000 rugby school players. Shoulder dislocation/subluxation was significantly more frequent in senior and junior players (p<0.001). Injuries mainly occurred during a match (66%) in the middle of the season (44%). The most frequent playing position was forwards (56%) and the main mechanism was tackling (69%). When reported, the history of recurrence was found in 66% of injured players, fractures in 22% and acromioclavicular injury in 6.7%. Nerve injury was associated with shoulder dislocation in 6% of cases. Conclusions Senior professionals and junior male forward rugby players with a history of shoulder dislocation/subluxation should receive special attention from sports medicine professionals and orthopaedic surgeons.


The Jurassic Boroujerd Granitoid Complex in western Iran mainly consists of quartz diorite, granodiorite and monzogranite, which are intrusive into Jurassic phyllites and mica schists. The south-eastern part of the complex (Nezamabad region) is cut by NW-SE trending quartz-tourmaline veins of a few centimetres to 1.5 m in thickness, which contains sulfide and scheelite mineralization. Tourmaline forms one of the most abundant and widespread minerals in the hydrothermal veins and it also occurs as an accessory secondary mineral in the quartz diorite wall rocks. This study of tourmaline was undertaken to help distinguish the source of mineralizing fluids in the Nezamabad district. Chemically, tourmaline corresponds to intermediate schorl-dravite, with Fe/(Fe + Mg) ratios of 0.32 to 0.55. The tourmalines from quartz diorite differ from vein tourmalines in having lower Al, lower Fe/(Fe + Mg), and higher Ti and Ca contents. Many of the tourmalines, particularly from the veins, are optically zoned and show systematic core-rim chemical variations (higher Ti, lower Al in cores). The total range in δ 11 B values of Nezamabad tourmalines is from about -2 to -12 %o, whereby the quartz diorite-hosted tourmalines have generally lower δ 11 B values (-7 to -12 ‰) than vein tourmalines (-2 to -10 %o). This difference can be explained by a fall in temperature on the order of 150 °C from the veins to the wall rocks. No significant isotopic differences between core and rim of zoned grains or between barren and mineralized veins were found. On the basis of the tourmaline isotopic composition and mineralization temperatures from published fluid inclusion data, the calculated δ 11 B values of the hydrothermal fluids at Nezamabad were -5 to +5 ‰. The occurrence of tourmaline in the Nezamabad district, its chemical characteristics and δ 11 B values are consistent with a boron source derived from the regional metavolcanic and clastic metasedimentary rocks. A magmatic source of boron is permitted by the B-isotope data but can be ruled out because of the low whole-rock B contents of the quartz diorite and the restriction of tourmaline within it to alteration zones near the hydrothermal veins.


Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms (IPMNs) are intraductal mucin-producing cystic neoplasms of the pancreas. Most of these neoplasms are benign but chances of malignant transformation need to be ruled out. These neoplasms have usually been reported from the Wirsung's duct or its branches. IPMN arising from the the Santorini's duct is a rare condition. Such tumors originating from the Santorini's duct are usually associated with incomplete type of pancreatic divisum. IPMNs associated with complete pancreatic divisum have rarely been reported. Imaging techniques including CT scan and MRCP and fluid analysis enabled by SpyGlass pancreatoscopy are the key to diagnosis of IPMN. Treatment usually comprises surgical resection and prognosis depends on malignant changes and lymph node status.


The policy gradient approach is a flexible and powerful reinforcement learning method particularly for problems with continuous actions such as robot control. A common challenge is how to reduce the variance of policy gradient estimates for reliable policy updates. In this letter, we combine the following three ideas and give a highly effective policy gradient method: (1) policy gradients with parameter-based exploration, a recently proposed policy search method with low variance of gradient estimates; (2) an importance sampling technique, which allows us to reuse previously gathered data in a consistent way; and (3) an optimal baseline, which minimizes the variance of gradient estimates with their unbiasedness being maintained. For the proposed method, we give a theoretical analysis of the variance of gradient estimates and show its usefulness through extensive experiments.


This paper investigates a reliable design approach for reinforced concrete panels subjected to the combined action of in-plane shear and out-of-plane bending moments, which develop in webs of boxgirder bridges and similar structures. Neglecting this interaction is not consistent with the actual structural behaviour at failure and can potentially lead to an insufficient design. Existing design approaches (based on the rigid-plastic stress field (RPSF) method) account for this interaction by reducing the shear strength as a function of the transverse moment and predict a substantial reduction of the shear strength. The proposed multi-layered elastic-plastic stress field (ML-EPSF) approach represents an equilibrium solution (satisfying the static and kinematic theorem of the theory of plasticity) with larger shear strength, especially in presence of small transverse moments. The ML-EPSF model confirms the basic principle of the RPSF interaction models, but shows that its underlying hypotheses are however very conservative and might need some adjustments.


Sparsely settled mountain areas of the world, such as Colorado's Front Range, give an impression of wild, untouched, and unchanging nature. Yet in many cases mountain rivers that appear to be pristine natural systems actually have been impaired as a result of human activities. In this timely and accessible book, Ellen Wohl documents two hundred years of land-use patterns on the Front Range and their wide-ranging effects on river ecosystems. If we hope to manage river resources effectively and preserve functioning river ecosystems, the author warns, we must recognize how beaver trapping, placer mining, timber harvesting, flow regulation, road and railroad construction, recreation, cattle grazing, and other human activities have impaired rivers, and continue to do so. The rivers of the Colorado Front Range are representative of mountain rivers throughout the world: land-use patterns affecting their form and function are little-recognized or understood. This book fills an important gap with a clear and comprehensive explanation of how rivers are changed by human activity and includes a generous selection of striking historical and contemporary photographs, maps, and diagrams.


Research shows that there are many factors that can influence the operation of a "Reporting Culture" within organisations, ranging from the attitudes to the workers, to the methodology implemented, to the managerial attitudes within the organisation (Reason, 1998). Understanding and modelling these factors may help develop an optimum reporting system. Historically, research has focused on the concept of "Near Miss Reporting" which is based on the idea of identifying the "bottom" of the safety triangle concept put forward in Heinrich (1941) which suggests that for each accident there are dozens of near misses, and identifying these near misses will hopefully allow faults, errors, design problems to be assessed and mitigated before they can allow an accident to develop. Reporting near misses is a key factor in a proactive Reporting Culture. Before any improvement strategy for the reporting culture or system can be developed an organization should be able to understand its current practices and the key influencing factors around them. Therefore in the current paper we start by presenting a model based on a real world case study developed to highlight areas where improvements can be made. Concurrently, a model of best practice is also to be developed as a terms of comparison with the current practice to help generate recommendations to improve reporting. The model could also potentially allow any new practice to be assessed before it is tested in the real world. The mapping of current practices was based on a number of semi-structured interviews with both managerial staff and the day-to-day staff in a pharmaceutical company. This was undertaken to determine the culture within the organisation, the reporting process, the factors that influence the reporting culture, etc. The data from these interviews allowed the drafting of a model detailing the reporting process and structure within the organisation. In modelling these processes a software tool called SCOPE was used to create a visual model of the main reporting tasks and the actors and equipment involved. The tool also facilitated the mapping out of relationships between actors, managers, resources, information systems, KPIs etc. Those relationships and the factors that than can influence these entities can then be analysed using a preliminary hazard analysis and an information-mapping module within the tool. The expected benefit of the work is the improvement of reporting practices in the organisation and the validation of the factors influencing reporting.


The Antarctic Ice Sheet is a significant component of the Earth System, modulating Earth's sea level and climate. Present day and projected ice mass losses from Antarctica are of paramount concern to human populations in low-lying communities around the world. Ocean freshening from future ice discharge events also has the potential to destabilise global climate patterns. Over 40 years of satellite observations have tracked changes in ice mass, extent and thickness in Antarctica. However, ice sheets respond on timescales that range from annual to millennial, and a geologic perspective is needed to fully understand ice sheet response on timescales longer than a few decades. This research seeks to provide an improved understanding of Antarcticas future by constraining its past. I focus on one of the largest outlet glaciers in Antarctica, the David Glacier/Drygalski Ice Tongue system which drains the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, dissects the Transantarctic Mountains and discharges into the Ross Sea. I seek to answer two questions; (1) what is the timing and nature of David Glacier thinning since the Last Glacial Maximum approximately 20,000 years ago, and (2) what physical processes were responsible for the observed thinning? I answer these questions by mapping the terrestrial and marine geomorphology along the former margins and seaward extension of David Glacier, and by using surface exposure dating of bedrock and glacial erratics to constrain the timing of glacier thinning. I then use a numerical flowline model to identify the processes that drove glacier thinning and retreat. Surface exposure ages from bedrock and glacial erratics at field sites both upstream and downstream of the modern grounding line reveal that David Glacier thinned for two millennia during the mid-Holocene. Near the coast, this thinning occurred at ∼6.5 kya at a rapid rate of up to 2 m/yr. Upstream from the grounding line, the thinning was more gradual but occurred simultaneously with thinning downstream. The timing of glacial thinning at David Glacier correlates with thinning events at other glaciers in the region and is consistent with offshore marine geological records. To identify the mechanisms responsible for the observed thinning of David Glacier, I conduct numerical model sensitivity experiments along a 1,600 km flowline, extending from the ice sheet interior to the continental shelf edge in the western Ross Sea. Offshore, the glacier flowline follows the Drygalski Trough, where it crosses numerous grounding zone wedges of various sizes. The flowline and prescribed ice shelf width is guided by the orientation and distribution of mega-scale glacial lineations as well as overall sea floor bathymetry. I explore the response of a stable, expanded David Glacier to the effects of increasing sub-ice shelf melt rates, and decreasing lateral buttressing which may have occurred as grounded ice in the Ross Sea migrated southward of the David Glacier. These forcings were also combined to explore potential feedbacks associated with Marine Ice Sheet Instability. This modelling demonstrates that David Glacier likely underwent rapid thinning over a period of ∼500 years as the grounding line retreated to a prominent sill at the mouth of David Fjord. After a period of ∼ 5 ka of stability, a second period of grounding line retreat in the model leads to the glacier reaching its modern configuration. This simulated two-phase grounding line retreat compares well with onshore geologically constrained thinning events at two sites (Mt. Kring and Hughes Bluff), both in terms of timing and rates of past glacier thinning. This retreat pattern can be forced by either increased ice shelf melting or reduced buttressing, but when combined, lower melt rates and less lateral buttressing is required to match onshore geologic constraints. Together, the findings in this thesis provide new data to constrain the past behaviour of a significant portion of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet and critical insights into the mechanisms that control ice sheet thinning and retreat. Incorporation of these constraints and improved understanding of the underlying mechanisms driving glacier thinning and grounding line retreat will ultimately improve continental scale ice sheet models which are used to project the future behaviour of the Antarctic Ice Sheet and its influence on global sea level.


The paper proposes a data-driven approach to air-to-ground channel estimation in a millimeter-wave wireless network on an unmanned aerial vehicle. Unlike traditional centralized learning methods that are specific to certain geographical areas and inappropriate for others, we propose a generalized model that uses Federated Learning (FL) for channel estimation and can predict the air-to-ground path loss between a low-altitude platform and a terrestrial terminal. To this end, our proposed FL-based Generative Adversarial Network (FL-GAN) is designed to function as a generative data model that can learn different types of data distributions and generate realistic patterns from the same distributions without requiring prior data analysis before the training phase. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed model, we evaluate its performance using Kullback-Leibler divergence (KL), and Wasserstein distance between the synthetic data distribution generated by the model and the actual data distribution. We also compare the proposed technique with other generative models, such as FL-Variational Autoencoder (FL-VAE) and stand-alone VAE and GAN models. The results of the study show that the synthetic data generated by FL-GAN has the highest similarity in distribution with the real data. This shows the effectiveness of the proposed approach in generating data-driven channel models that can be used in different regions.


This paper aims at providing a conceptual distinction between banking and insurance with regard to systemic regulation. It discusses key differences and similarities as to how both sectors interact with the financial system. Insurers interact as financial intermediaries and through financial market investments, but do not share the features of banking that give rise to particular systemic risk in that sector, such as the institutional interconnectedness through the interbank market, the maturity transformation combined with leverage, the prevalence of liquidity risk and the operation of the payment system. The paper also draws attention to three salient features in insurance that need to be taken account in systemic regulation: the quasi-absence of leverage, the fundamentally different role of capital and the 'built-in bail-in' of a significant part of insurance liabilities through policy-holder participation. Based on these considerations, the paper argues that if certain activities were to give rise to concerns about systemic risk in the case of insurers, regulatory responses other than capital surcharges may be more appropriate.


Background: Considering the increasing rate of infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), reliable, accurate, and rapid testing for the detection of MRSA is essential for both initiation of antimicrobial therapy and infection control measures. Materials and Methods: Fifty clinical isolates of S. aureus from patients with bacteremia were confirmed bacteriologically and subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing, followed by the detection of methicillin resistance by oxacillin and cefoxitin disc diffusion methods, oxacillin agar screen test, and direct cefoxitin disc diffusion method from blood culture bottles. Results: On comparing the methods under study, 36% MRSA were detected by disc diffusion methods, whereas 44% and 46% were detected by oxacillin agar screen and direct cefoxitin disc diffusion blood culture, respectively. Conclusions: The emergence of MRSA underscores the need for programs to prevent the spread of antimicrobial-resistant organisms and control the use of antimicrobial drugs in health-care settings.


Clinical education is an intrinsic part of most allied health educational programs. However, conceptual models differ as to what constitutes quality for clinical experiences. As a relatively new allied health care field, athletic training education is adapting in order to meet the needs of a changing health care environment. Recent initiatives for clinical education mark the change from a quantitative (hours of exposure) approach, to one emphasizing quality (mastery over time). However, in this transition from fieldbased to curriculum emphasis, the coherence between different aspects of the educational process have weakened. This paper presents a background of clinical education in athletic training and presents a model for allied health education that offers distinct didactic, clinical, and field experience components.


Vertical spatial sensitivity and effective depth of exploration (de) of low‐induction‐number (LIN) instruments over a layered soil were evaluated using a complete numerical solution to Maxwell's equations. Previous studies using approximate mathematical solutions predicted a vertical spatial sensitivity for instruments operating under LIN conditions that, for a given transmitter–receiver coil separation (s), coil orientation, and transmitter frequency, should depend solely on depth below the land surface. When not operating under LIN conditions, vertical spatial sensitivity and de also depend on apparent soil electrical conductivity (σa) and therefore the induction number (β). In this new evaluation, we determined the range of σa and β values for which the LIN conditions hold and how de changes when they do not. Two‐layer soil models were simulated with both horizontal (HCP) and vertical (VCP) coplanar coil orientations. Soil layers were given electrical conductivity values ranging from 0.1 to 200 mS m−1 As expected, de decreased as σa increased. Only the least electrically conductive soil produced the de expected when operating under LIN conditions. For the VCP orientation, this was 1.6s, decreasing to 0.8s in the most electrically conductive soil. For the HCP orientation, de decreased from 0.76s to 0.51s Differences between this and previous studies are attributed to inadequate representation of skin‐depth effect and scattering at interfaces between layers. When using LIN instruments to identify depth to water tables, interfaces between soil layers, and variations in salt or moisture content, it is important to consider the dependence of de on σa


The list of applications classified as safety critical is growing due to emerging contexts such as the Internet of Things that touch the everyday activities of millions of people through smart devices like home automation systems and connected vehicles. These consumer products require high reliability but must be priced competitively. Traditional system development strategies are costly, in part, because traditional verification activities find only a small percentage of defects early in a project and because when discovered late in the development life cycle their repair requires changes to dependent code as well. Our development approach leverages early system architecture knowledge to jump start an architecture-centric development strategy that iteratively establishes traceability among the requirements, architecture, and verification artifacts. A virtual integration strategy makes the current state of the system under development available for analysis early in the product development life cycle. The approach is implemented using the Architecture Analysis and Design Language (AADL) embodied in the Open Source AADL Tool Environment (OSATE). The Architecture-Led Incremental System Assurance (ALISA) toolkit, the latest contribution of our team at the Software Engineering Institute, builds on AADL to provide the constructs and tools for an engineer to specify the integrated system, and to define verification activities that ensure satisfaction of the specification. The results from using the languages and techniques in pilot projects have shown very large cost and time savings, important to holding down costs for consumer-level Internet of Things systems. In this paper we focus on the architecture-led development process and illustrate the support given by ALISA.


Settlement and early juvenile stages are considered a bottleneck in the Life history of many epibenthic organisms because of high predation mortality. Nursery habitats may play an important role in mitigating settlement and post-settlement mortality by providing refuge from predation. We examined these relationships in postlarvae and early juvenile stages of the shore crab Carcinus maenas L. in laboratory and field tethering experiments. We studied habitat and size related habitat mortality using postlarvae and young juvenile crabs as prey, and various predators, including juvenile conspecifics, in several habitats common in shallow (0 to 1 m) soft bottom nursery areas on the Swedish west coast. Settling mortality was high in open sand (80 to 90%), whereas a significant habitat refuge was obtained in mussel beds, eelgrass and filamentous green algae, the latter yielding the lowest mortality (13 to 14%). Small differences in structural complexity of ephemeral macroalgae dramatically affected predation mortality of first instar crabs, with a significant refuge obtained only in algae of medium complexity. Predation rate on tethered crabs in the field was high (52 to 67%) only on the smallest crabs (<5 mm carapace width, CW), which obtained a significant refuge in the eelgrass habitat compared to open sand. Mortality for larger crabs (5 to 25 mm CW) was low (<10%) and similar in sand and eelgrass habitats. Our results indicate that predation is an important process that can create a bottleneck for juvenile shore crab populations during settlement and early juvenile stages, mediated by the availability of nursery habitats. Postlarvae obtained refuge from predation in several different habitats, suggesting that the recruitment of juvenile shore crabs will be less affected by temporal and spatial variation of any single habitat type. The strong size refuge for crabs larger than 4 mm CW indicates that key predators are small. We suggest that cannibalistic juveniles, which caused predation rates similar to or higher than all other investigated predators, are dominant predators on settling postlarvae and young juvenile crabs in nursery areas. We further propose that habitat- and size-specific predation by small epibenthic predators are an important selective force in habitat selection by postlarvae and ontogenetic shifts in habitat use by juveniles.