Recent reports indicate that of the over 25,000 bridges in Iowa, slightly over 7,000 (29%) are either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. While many of these bridges may be strengthened or rehabilitated, some simply need to be replaced. Before implementing one of these options, one should consider performing a diagnostic load test on the structure to more accurately assess its load carrying capacity. Frequently, diagnostic load tests reveal strength and serviceability characteristics that exceed the predicted codified parameters. Usually, codified parameters are very conservative in predicting lateral load distribution characteristics and the influence of other structural attributes. As a result, the predicted rating factors are typically conservative. In cases where theoretical calculations show a structural deficiency, it may be very beneficial to apply a "tool" that utilizes a more accurate theoretical model which incorporates field-test data. At a minimum, this approach results in more accurate load ratings and many times results in increased rating factors. Bridge Diagnostics, Inc. (BDI) developed hardware and software that are specially designed for performing bridge ratings based on data obtained from physical testing. To evaluate the BDI system, the research team performed diagnostic load tests on seven "typical" bridge structures: three steel-girder bridges with concrete decks, two concrete slab bridges, and two steel-girder bridges with timber decks. In addition, a steel-girder bridge with a concrete deck previously tested and modeled by BDI was investigated for model verification purposes. The tests were performed by attaching strain transducers on the bridges at critical locations to measure strains resulting from truck loading positioned at various locations on the bridge. The field test results were used to develop and validate analytical rating models. Based on the experimental and analytical results, it was determined that bridge tests could be conducted relatively easy, that accurate models could be generated with the BDI software, and that the load ratings, in general, were greater than the ratings, obtained using the codified LFD Method (according to AASHTO Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges).


Filling a gap in the literature for a practical approach to the topic, this book is unique in including a whole section of case studies presenting a wide range of applications from polymerization reactors and bioreactors, to distillation column and complex fluid catalytic cracking units. A section of general tuning guidelines of MPC is also present.These thus aid readers in facilitating the implementation of MPC in process engineering and automation. At the same time many theoretical, computational and implementation aspects of model-based control are explained, with a look at both linear and nonlinear model predictive control. Each chapter presents details related to the modeling of the process as well as the implementation of different model-based control approaches, and there is also a discussion of both the dynamic behaviour and the economics of industrial processes and plants. The book is unique in the broad coverage of different model based control strategies and in the variety of applications presented. A special merit of the book is in the included library of dynamic models of several industrially relevant processes, which can be used by both the industrial and academic community to study and implement advanced control strategies.


The ability to use words to refer to the world is vital to the communicative power of human language. In particular, the anaphoric use of words to refer to previously mentioned concepts (antecedents) allows dialogue to be coherent and meaningful. Psycholinguistic theory posits that anaphor comprehension involves reactivating a memory representation of the antecedent. Whereas this implies the involvement of recognition memory, the neural processes for reference resolution are largely unknown. Here, we report time-frequency analysis of four EEG experiments to reveal the increased coupling of functional neural systems associated with referentially coherent expressions compared to referentially ambiguous expressions. Despite varying in modality, language, and type of referential expression, all experiments showed larger gamma-band power for coherence compared to ambiguity. Beamformer analysis in high-density Experiment 4 localised this increase to posterior parietal cortex around 400-600 ms after anaphor-onset and to frontal-temporal cortex around 500-1000 ms. We argue that the observed gamma-band power increases reflect successful referential binding and resolution, which links incoming information to antecedents through an interaction between the brain's recognition memory networks and frontal-temporal language network. We integrate these findings with previous results from patient and neuroimaging studies, and outline a nascent cortico-hippocampal theory of reference.


The rainbow revolutions in Georgia and Ukraine drew inspiration from, and were oriented toward,Western values and norms. One of the most important objectives driving the new wave of post-Soviet transition has been the desire to join Euro-Atlantic structures. The goal of becoming an EU member is no longer limited to foreign policy declarations but forms a key component of the domestic reform agendas of these states. The unexpected dynamism of democratization and reform emerging from Eastern Europe has put pressure on Western policymakers to develop solutions that go beyond the agenda of an EU enlargement limited to 27 or 28 member states, partnership and cooperation with Russia, and a Neighborhood Policy driven by "everything but institutions" (Romano Prodi). The French and Dutch rejections of the European Constitution appear to signal that the "deepening"and "widening"of the EU have reached their limits for the time being. The European Neighborhood Policy is an important step forward, but it is not sufficient to guide democratic developments in countries that desire a concrete prospect for EU membership, including Ukraine, Georgia, and in the future even Belarus.

Ukraine's Orange Revolution once again demonstrated Putin's failure to influence the post-Soviet integration space through personal networks, direct pressure, and economic dependency. At the same time, Russia remains an important actor in Europe as a whole. For the first time, Russia and the EU face the common challenge of shaping overlapping integration spaces between Russia's old neighborhood or "near abroad" and the EU's new neighborhood. Eastern Europe's "return to Europe" has been driven by individual Eastern European states themselves, together with some of the new EU member states, such as Poland, Lithuania and Slovakia. But all of these efforts will be of limited relevance without support from Berlin. Focusing on Germany's potential role in elaborating and implementing a new Ostpolitik raises key analytical questions: What is Germany's potential impact on a new Ostpolitik, and what German interests and actors would be involved? In considering this new foreign policy agenda, one must focus on the current state of affairs as well as on the strategic concepts that will shape future policy. This paper examines the potential impact of German foreign policy toward Eastern Europe and provides a critical assessment of other national and international actors involved.


This essay focuses on the racial and sexual politics undergirding interracial relationships between men of color and white women. Alexie and Tomine's works reveal how legal and cinematic histories of interracial romance continue to shape ethnic men's sense of individual and community identity. An example of comparative ethnic-studies scholarship, this essay explores how minority subjects in the US are shaped by distinct racial logics. Alexie's collection reflects the influence of the cinematic tropes of the Western and the history of US government attempts to weaken tribal ties on contemporary Native American male characters. Tomine's graphic novel reveals the racial and sexual conventions of mainstream pornography and the individualist logic of the model minority myth on Asian-American men. Both authors suggest that queerness functions as an alternative ethical relation between parties, one grounded in equality rather than domination and relatively free of the visual logic of racialization.


Social organization among human foragers is characterized by a three-generational system of resource provisioning within families, long-term pair-bonding between men and women, high levels of cooperation between kin and non-kin, and relatively egalitarian social relationships. In this paper, we suggest that these core features of human sociality result from the learning- and skill-intensive human foraging niche, which is distinguished by a late age-peak in caloric production, high complementarity between male and female inputs to offspring viability, high gains to cooperation in production and risk-reduction, and a lack of economically defensible resources. We present an explanatory framework for understanding variation in social organization across human societies, highlighting the interactive effects of four key ecological and economic variables: (i) the role of skill in resource production; (ii) the degree of complementarity in male and female inputs into production; (iii) economies of scale in cooperative production and competition; and (iv) the economic defensibility of physical inputs into production. Finally, we apply this framework to understanding variation in social and political organization across foraging, horticulturalist, pastoralist and agriculturalist societies.


This master thesis is an empirical research study designed to examine the possible moderating effect of personality traits on the relationship between risk domains and business model adaptation. Different theories of risk predict opposite firm and individual behaviour in domains of potential loss and domains of potential gain. It is hypothesised that one of the variables that moderate the relationship, and thereby explains how contradictory theories are supported by various studies, is individual leader personality traits. 134 Norwegian leaders participated in a survey to measure personality traits and an experiment to test for inclination to adapt the business model in different scenarios of risk. Results indicate that there is little support for most of the hypotheses predicting personality to significantly impact the way leaders make business model adaptation decisions. However, leader Emotionality was significantly related to low risk-taking in the domain of potential gain. As business model adaptation can be a source of sustained competitive advantage and value creation, the findings have exciting theoretical and practical implications. The findings indicate that there are meaningful applications of personality tests in theory and practice. Deliberate recruitment strategies when recruiting leaders and top management team members may help firms better facilitate business model adaptation, and result in long-term survival.


Notwithstanding the unsurpassed planning efforts, municipalities nationally seem to be losing their battle in pursuit of sustainable development. South African municipalities find themselves confronted with a harsh reality and that is that after 12 years of legislated Integrated Development Planning (IDP), poverty remains widespread and persists alongside affluence, while inequalities are increasing. The mechanism of service delivery in municipalities is hampered by bureaucratic settings within Local Government and the ambiguity attached to some of the projects. The service and infrastructural developments targeted for the poor, and the involvement of communities in the affairs of the Local Government might be seen as a partial panacea for poverty alleviation in South Africa, however the capacity of Local Governments to effectively carry out this developmental challenge assigned to them might be a new twist in the developmental challenge facing Local Governments in South Africa. The commonly-employed approach to local development to the challenges of co-ordinating and integrating efforts has revealed clear evidence of the usefulness of sustainable local development which helps to promote effective planning methods based on a multi-sectorial approach to poverty reduction and community development for an integrated local development planning process. The literature review contained in this research indicates that in South Africa the implementation of the IDP at Local Government level impacts upon by the Performance Management System (PMS). This research which has been grounded within the positivist paradigm, evaluates the IDP as a performance management system at Ugu District Municipality. Interviews were conducted amongst employees of the Ugu District Municipality and the community served by the municipality to evaluate the extent to which the IDP is used as a tool to deliver sustainable development.


The spectroscopy of the ZrF radical, produced by a laser ablation-molecular beam experimental setup, has been investigated for the first time using a two-color two-photon (1 + 1') REMPI scheme and time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry detection. The region of intense bands 400-470 nm has been studied, based upon the first spectroscopic observations of the isovalent ZrCl radical by Carroll and Daly. The overall spectrum observed is complex. However, simultaneous and individual ion detection of the five naturally occurring isotopologues of ZrF has provided a crucial means of identifying band origins and characterization via the isotopic shift, δ(iso), of the numerous vibronic transitions recorded. Hence, five (0-0) transitions, of which only two were free of overlap with other transitions, have been identified. The most intense (0-0) transition at 23113 cm(-1) presented an unambiguously characteristic RQP rotational structure. From rotational contour simulations of the observed spectra, the nature of the ground electronic state is found to be unambiguously of (2)Δ symmetry, leading to the assignment of this band as (0-0) (2)Δ ← X(2)Δ at 23113 cm(-1). A set of transitions (1-0) (2)Δ ← X(2)Δ at 22105 cm(-1) and (2-0) (2)Φ ← X(2)Δ at 22944 cm(-1) involving the X(2)Δ state has also been identified and analyzed. Furthermore, a second series of transitions with lesser intensity has also been related to the long-lived metastable (4)Σ(-) state: (3-0) (4)Π(-1/2) ← (4)Σ(-) at 21801 cm(-1), (2-0) (4)Π(-1/2) ← (4)Σ(-) at 21285 cm(-1) and (2-0) (4)Σ(-) ← (4)Σ(-) at 23568 cm(-1). These spectroscopic assignments are supported by MRCI ab initio calculations, performed using the MOLPRO quantum chemistry package, and show that the low-lying excited states of the ZrF radical are the (4)Σ(-) and (4)Φ states lying at 2383 and 4179 cm(-1) respectively above the ground X(2)Δ state. The difference in the nature of ground state and ordering of the first electronic states with TiF (X(4)Φ)(2-4) and ZrCl,(5) respectively, is examined in terms of the ligand field theory (LFT)(7) applied to diatomic molecules. These results give a precise description of the electronic structure of the low lying electronic states of the ZrF transition metal radical.


This study uses sequences from four genes, which are involved in the formation of the type III secretion apparatus, to determine the role of horizontal gene transfer in the evolution of virulence genes for the enterobacterial plant pathogens. Sequences of Erwinia, Brenneria, Pectobacterium, Dickeya and Pantoea were compared (a) with one another, (b) with sequences of enterobacterial animal pathogens, and (c) with sequences of plant pathogenic gamma and beta proteobacteria, to evaluate probable paths of lateral exchange leading to the current distribution of virulence determinants among these micro-organisms. Phylogenies were reconstructed based on hrcC, hrcR, hrcJ and hrcV gene sequences using parsimony and maximum-likelihood algorithms. Virulence gene phylogenies were also compared with several housekeeping gene loci in order to evaluate patterns of lateral versus vertical acquisition. The resulting phylogenies suggest that multiple horizontal gene transfer events have occurred both within and among the enterobacterial plant pathogens and plant pathogenic gamma and beta proteobacteria. hrcJ sequences are the most similar, exhibiting anywhere from 2 to 50 % variation at the nucleotide level, with the highest degree of variation present between plant and animal pathogen sequences. hrcV sequences are conserved among plant and animal pathogens at the N terminus. The C-terminal domain is conserved only among the enterobacterial plant pathogens, as are the hrcC and hrcR sequences. Additionally, hrcJ and hrcV sequence phylogenies suggest that at least some type III secretion system virulence genes from enterobacterial plant pathogens are related more closely to those of the genus Pseudomonas, a conclusion neither supported nor refuted by hrcC or hrcR.


The state-owned Indian natural gas sector has been slowly moving towards deregulation for close to a decade. However, rather than wholly introducing free market forces into the existing state-managed sector, India has developed a separate, almost entirely decontrolled gas market alongside the existing sector. The major challenge to complete gas sector reform that remains is how to transition gas users from the state-managed sector to the free market. This paper explains the origins of this hybrid market and its likely evolution. The fertilizer and electricity sectors, which account for most gas consumption in India, are reviewed in detail. In both, while interlocking political forces have prevented full transition of the sector to the free gas market, some users have already made the transition. In electricity, parts of the sector, such as private power plants, are already shifting private gas supplies on their own because private gas, while more costly, is much more reliable. The ultimate viability of private gas in electricity and fertilizer production will depend on reforms within the offtaking industries.


For high blockage ribs with large heat transfer areas, commonly used in small gas turbine blades, the rib heat transfer is a significant portion of the overall heat transfer in the cooling passages. Three staggered 45° rib geometries corresponding to blockage ratios of 0.133, 0.167 and 0.25 were tested in a square channel for pitch-to-height ratios of 5, 8.5 and 10, and for two distinct thermal boundary conditions of heated and unheated channel walls. Comparisons were made between the surface averaged heat transfer coefficients and friction factors for 45° ribs, and 90° ribs reported previously. Heat transfer coefficients of the furthest upstream rib and that of a typical rib located in the middle of the rib-roughened region were also compared. It was concluded that: a) For the geometries tested, the rib average heat transfer coefficient was much higher than that for the area between the ribs. b) Except for two cases corresponding to the highest blockage ribs mounted at pitch-to-height ratios of 8.5 and 10 for which the heat transfer results of 45° ribs were very close to those of 90° ribs, 45° ribs produced higher heat transfer coefficients than 90° ribs. c) At pitch-to-height ratios of 8.5 and 10, all 45° ribs produced lower friction factors than 90° ribs. However, when they were brought closer to each other (S/e=5), they produced higher friction factors than 90° ribs. d) Heat transfer coefficients for the two smaller rib geometries (e/Dh=0.133 and 0.167) did not vary significantly with the pitch-to-height ratio in the range tested. However, the heat transfer coefficient for the high blockage rib geometry increased significantly as the ribs were brought closer to each other. e) Under otherwise identical conditions, ribs in the furthest upstream position produced lower heat transfer coefficients than those in the midstream position. f) Rib thermal performance decreased with the rib blockage ratio. For both angles of attack, the smallest rib geometry in the midstream position and at a pitch-to-height ratio of 10 had the highest thermal performance, and the highest blockage rib in the furthest upstream position produced the lowest thermal performance.Copyright © 1996 by ASME


Purified nuclei retaining a high degree of ultrastructural integrity were isolated by conventional centrifugation techniques. The cytoplasmic surface of these nuclei was iodinated using lactoperoxidase immobilized onto giant Sepharose beads; thus the outer nuclear membrane and the cytoplasmic surface of nuclear pore complexes were selectively labelled. Pore complexes in association with a fibrous lamina were isolated from these nuclei by removal of the nucleoplasm and extraction with Triton X-100. The chemical composition of the pore-lamina fraction was 93.6% protein, 6% RNA, 0.4% phospholipid. The labelling suggests that major polypeptides N1 (70 000) and N2 (67 000) and more than 10 other more minor polypeptides, ranging from 33 000 to 200 000 mol. wt, as being components of the nuclear pore complex. Polypeptide N3 (58 000) is shown to be present only on the nucleoplasmic face of nuclear envelopes, probably in the fibrous lamina.


ABSTRACTBackground: Current guidelines recommend hydroxyurea (HU) as frontline therapy for patients with high-risk essential thrombocythemia (ET) to prevent thrombosis. However, little is known about the impact of HU on thrombosis or survival among these patients in the real-world setting.

PATIENTS AND METHODS
A retrospective cohort study was conducted of older adults (aged ≥66 years) diagnosed with ET from 2007 through 2013 using the linked SEER-Medicare database. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to assess the effect of HU on overall survival, and multivariable competing risk models were used to assess the effect of HU on the occurrence of thrombotic events.

RESULTS
Of 1,010 patients, 745 (73.8%) received HU. Treatment with HU was associated with a significantly lower risk of death (hazard ratio [HR], 0.52; 95% CI, 0.43-0.64; P<.01). Every 10% increase in HU proportion of days covered was associated with a 12% decreased risk of death (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.86-0.91; P<.01). Compared with nonusers, HU users also had a significantly lower risk of thrombotic events (HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.41-0.64; P<.01).

CONCLUSIONS
Although underused in our study population, HU was associated with a reduced incidence of thrombotic events and improved overall survival in older patients with ET.


Energy levels of the first monolayer are manipulated at donor/acceptor interfaces in planar heterojunction organic photovoltaics by using molecular self-organization. A "cascade" energy landscape allows thermal-activation-free charge generation by photoirradiation, destabilizes the energy of the interfacial charge-transfer state, and suppresses bimolecular charge recombination, resulting in a higher open-circuit voltage and fill factor.


Landraces are traditional crop varieties that often have special adaptations to the farming environment in which they have evolved and are therefore a valuable source of useful traits for plant breeders. In most agriculturally advanced countries, landraces of the main crops have generally been superseded by modern varieties. An exception to this in the United Kingdom is the cultivation on the Scottish archipelagos of Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides of three cereal landraces: bere, a 6-row barley (Hordeum vulgare), small oat (Avena strigosa) and Hebridean rye (Secale cereale). Our study focused on trends in their cultivation and use over the past 20 years. In the Outer Hebrides, a mixture of all three has continued to be grown on more than 200ha for feed because of its tolerance of nutrient-deficient sandy soils. Future cultivation is threatened, however, by damage from geese and deer, especially to fields used for seed production. In Orkney and Shetland, only bere and small oat are grown, and always as sole crops. The area of bere has increased in Orkney, from about 10ha in 2004 to almost 75ha in 2020 and has been driven by two supply chains producing bere for milling and malting. However, small oat in Orkney, and both small oat and, especially bere, in Shetland have been grown by very few farmers since 2018 and are at serious risk of being lost from cultivation. We discuss these results in the context of measures to support greater on-farm cultivation of these landraces.


Abstract. The remote atmosphere over the Amazon can be similar to oceanic regions in terms of aerosol conditions and cloud type formations. This is especially true during the wet season. The main aerosol-related disturbances over the Amazon have both natural sources, such as dust transport from Africa, and anthropogenic sources, such as biomass burning or urban pollution. The present work considers the impacts of the latter on the microphysical properties of warm-phase clouds by analysing observations of the interactions between the Manaus pollution plume and its surroundings, as part of the GoAmazon2014/5 Experiment. The analysed period corresponds to the wet season (specifically from February to March 2014 and corresponding to the first Intensive Operating Period (IOP1) of GoAmazon2014/5). The droplet size distributions reported are in the range 1 µm ≤ D ≤ 50 µm in order to capture the processes leading up to the precipitation formation. The wet season largely presents a clean background atmosphere characterized by frequent rain showers. As such, the contrast between background clouds and those affected by the Manaus pollution can be observed and detailed. The focus is on the characteristics of the initial microphysical properties in cumulus clouds predominantly at their early stages. The pollution-affected clouds are found to have smaller effective diameters and higher droplet number concentrations. The differences range from 10 to 40 % for the effective diameter and are as high as 1000 % for droplet concentration for the same vertical levels. The growth rates of droplets with altitude are slower for pollution-affected clouds (2.90 compared to 5.59 µm km−1), as explained by the absence of bigger droplets at the onset of cloud development. Clouds under background conditions have higher concentrations of larger droplets (> 20 µm) near the cloud base, which would contribute significantly to the growth rates through the collision–coalescence process. The overall shape of the droplet size distribution (DSD) does not appear to be predominantly determined by updraught strength, especially beyond the 20 µm range. The aerosol conditions play a major role in that case. However, the updraughts modulate the DSD concentrations and are responsible for the vertical transport of water in the cloud. The larger droplets found in background clouds are associated with weak water vapour competition and a bimodal distribution of droplet sizes in the lower levels of the cloud, which enables an earlier initiation of the collision–coalescence process. This study shows that the pollution produced by Manaus significantly affects warm-phase microphysical properties of the surrounding clouds by changing the initial DSD formation. The corresponding effects on ice-phase processes and precipitation formation will be the focus of future endeavours.


The pharmacognostic and phytochemical investigations on the leaf, stem bark, and fruit of Zanthoxylum armatum were carried out. Macroscopic study of leaf, stem bark, and fruit of Z. armatum revealed some of the characteristic features like size, shape, color, odor and taste of the crude drug. Distinguishing fragments were identified from the powder drug. Leaf, bark, and fruit powder of this plant have higher values of total, acid insoluble, and water soluble ash as compared to the powder of this plant exhausted with ethanol and n- hexane. Extraction values in methanol were highest for leaves (20.10%) and fruit (11%), while bark showed highest value in chloroform (8.5%). The extractive values varied among other parts with different solvents. Fluorescence analysis of the Z. Armatum leaf, stem bark, and fruit powder with various reagents showed characteristic coloration at day and under UV light. Quantitative phytochemical screening revealed the presence of many bioactive constituents in leaves, such as alkaloids (15.60±0.10 mg/g), sterols (71.60±0.10mg/g), saponins (21.57±0.12mg/g), tannins (34.43±0.21mg/g), phenols (11.66±0.33mg/g) and flavonoids (13.68±0.66mg/g). Alkaloids (19.60±0.10mg/g), sterols (33.83±0.29mg/g), saponins (14.78±0.10mg/g), tannins (28.62±0.13mg/g), phenols (16.48±1.33mg/g) and flavonoids (18.33±1.22mg/g) were reported form the bark, while fruits were reported to have alkaloids (25.07±0.21mg/g), sterols (164.92±0.14mg/g), saponins (28.60±0.10mg/g), tannins (35.5±0.5mg/g), phenols (21.68±0.44mg/g) and flavonoids (22.8±1.33mg/g). Z. armatum is an important medicinal plant, traditionally used for various ailments. This study will be helpful in the future pharmacognostic standardization of this important plant.


During the operation of hydrodynamically lubricated devices a fully formulated lubricant has the ability to form layers at the surfaces. A friction modifier's task is to adjust the interaction between lubricant and the surface so that friction is lowered. An antiwear additive creates a protective layer on the surface and this definitely influence the performance of the lubricated device. To gain fundamental understanding, models that address the modified liquid – solid interaction due to the formation of layers, but also models that may be used to study the effects of layers already formed on the contacting surfaces are required. In this paper, two non-Newtonian lubricant rheology models that may be used to simulate reacted layers resembling those created by lubricant additives are adopted for the simulation of the piston ring – cylinder liner lubrication problem. The possibility of layer to layer interaction, which is likely to occur in the convex conjunction between the ring and the liner, is considered and this extends the models found in the literature. The effects induced by this type of layering are studied by using a modified Reynolds' equation where the coefficients have been corrected with factors that accounts for the layer properties. This enables, effectively, studies of layers resembling those created by lubricant additives during the operation of the lubricated conjunction between a piston ring and a cylinder liner.


Peer counseling is counseling assistance which provided by peers who have been given training to be peer counselors, so that they can provide assistance both individually and groups. Guidance assistance is given to friends who have problems or who has various obstacles in the development of their personality. Peer counselors will provide positive reinforcement because peers have a large influence on individual behavior changes. The purpose of this service is to provide training to students who are given the authority as peer counselors in MTs Darussalam Taman and MTs Muhammadiyah 1 Taman to improving the effectiveness of teacher counseling guidance services. The steps in this service are: First, make observations to each school which is the aim to get an overview of the object, its includes the profile of the school, the number of students, the availability of counseling guidance staff, and information about student problems. Second, collaborating with counseling and classroom teacher teachers, selecting 30 students from grades VII and VIII in each school to become peer counselors. Third, conducting peer counselor training with lecture, question and answer, role play and simulation methods. Fourth, the concelor counseling follows up with mentoring and evaluating, the counseling process carried out by peer counselors. The results of this service are the increasing effectiveness of counseling services through peer counselors in Darussalam Taman MTs and MTs 1 Muhammadiyah Taman.


Physical characteristics of flocs formed by new polymeric inorganic coagulant, polysilicato-iron coagulant (PSI) were investigated using kaolinite clay suspended water as test water. Floc density was determined by measuring floc settling velocity and spherical equivalent floc diameter. The floc density function proposed by Tambo and Watanabe could be applied to PSI. Flocs formed by PSI showed higher floc density than those formed by alum at the same floc size. Floc size distribution after the rapid mixing was also determined. PSI could produce well-grown flocs at the stirring speed of 300 rpm. Stirring at 300 rpm for 7 minutes, residual turbidity after 15 minute sedimentation became lower than rapid mixing at 120 rpm for 5 minutes followed by slow mixing at 40 rpm for 25 minutes. Flocs formed by PSI was much stronger than those formed by alum. Using the data obtained, the design parameters of flocculator by use of PSI were estimated following Tambo and Watanabe's procedure. According to the estimation, it was suggested that rapid mixing process alone can make well-grown flocs and slow mixing process, which is essential for the conventional water purification system using aluminium coagulants, can be eliminated by use of PSI.


The evolution of the Andrew File System (AFS) into a wide-area distributed file system has encouraged collaboration and information dissemination on a much broader scale than ever before. In this paper. we examine AFS as a provider of wide-area file services to over 80 organizations around the world. We discuss usage characteristics of AFS derived from empirical measurements of the system, and from user responses to a questionnaire. Our observations indicate that AFS provides robust and efficient data access in its current configuration. thus confirming its viability as a design point for wide-area distributed file systems.


Aims Educating physicians in the procedural as well as cognitive skills of information technology (IT)-mediated medication management could be one of the missing links for the improvement of patient safety. We aimed to compose a framework of tasks that need to be addressed to optimize medication management in outpatient care. Methods Formal task analysis: decomposition of a complex task into a set of subtasks. First, we obtained a general description of the medication management process from exploratory interviews. Secondly, we interviewed experts in-depth to further define tasks and subtasks. Setting: Outpatient care in different fields of medicine in six teaching and academic medical centres in the Netherlands and the United States. Participants: 20 experts. Tasks were divided up into procedural, cognitive and macrocognitive tasks and categorized into the three components of dynamic decision making. Results The medication management process consists of three components: (i) reviewing the medication situation; (ii) composing a treatment plan; and (iii) accomplishing and communicating a treatment and surveillance plan. Subtasks include multiple cognitive tasks such as composing a list of current medications and evaluating the reliability of sources, and procedural tasks such as documenting current medication. The identified macrocognitive tasks were: planning, integration of IT in workflow, managing uncertainties and responsibilities, and problem detection. Conclusions All identified procedural, cognitive and macrocognitive skills should be included when designing education for IT-mediated medication management. The resulting framework supports the design of educational interventions to improve IT-mediated medication management in outpatient care.


The historian Caroline Walker Bynum, who solicited and organized this set of five case studies, explains in her introduction to them that their intent is to bypass the currently popular and unsupported claim that the humanities have practical relevance and, instead, to offer ruminative descriptions of what happens when teachers and students meet to discuss texts and objects. She explains that the essays report in detail on five individual classes in five very different academic settings, in the hope of helping to turn the international anglophone conversation about humanistic education away from utilitarian, presentist, all-inclusive claims and toward a demonstration of what the humanities do in practice.


Flow in hydropower tunnels is characterized by a high Reynolds number and often very rough rock walls. Due to the roughness of the walls, the flow in the tunnel is highly disturbed, resulting in large fluctuations of velocity and pressure in both time and space. Erosion problems and even partial collapse of tunnel walls are in some cases believed to be caused by hydraulic jacking from large flow induced pressure fluctuations. The objective of this work is to investigate the effects of the rough walls on the pressure variations in time and space over the rock surfaces. Pressure measurement experiments were performed in a 10 m long Plexiglas tunnel where one of the smooth walls was replaced with a rough surface. The rough surface was created from a down-scaled (1:10) laser scanned wall of a hydraulic tunnel. The differential pressure was measured at the smooth surface between points placed at the start and end of the first four 2 m sections of the channel. 10 gauge pressure sensors where flush mounted on the rough surface; these sensors measure the magnitude and the fluctuations of the pressure on the rough surface. The measurements showed significant spatial variation of the pressure on the surface. For example, sensors placed on protruding roughness elements showed low gauge pressure but high fluctuations. The differential pressure indicated a head loss through the tunnel that was almost four times higher than a theoretical smooth channel.


Memristors have the potential to not only replace conventional memory, but also to open up new design possibilities because they store 1s and 0s as resistances rather than voltages. A memristor architecture that has attracted interest for its versatility and ease of integration with existing CMOS technologies is the crossbar array. In this paper, I modify the MAD scheme to create the MADX scheme for performing basic logic operations within a crossbar array. Then, I compare this scheme against two of the most well-known schemes, MAGIC and IMPLY. In the case study of a full-adder, both a one-bit and an 8-bit version, the MADX scheme achieves lower latency and substantially lower area requirements than both MAGIC and IMPLY. This is because it is more flexible about storing output values than either, does not destroy input values unlike IMPLY, and has more basic operations. In particular, it has XOR, which neither IMPLY nor MAGIC have and is useful for addition.


Since a democratic dispensation in South Africa in 1994, the country has been immersed in processes of social, economic, political, and educational transfonnation aimed at entrenching principles of social justice and inclusion by foregrounding issues of equity, redress, quality education for all, equality of opportunity, and non-discrimination. The purpose of the current study was to listen to how teachers position themselves within socially constructed discourses of disability and inclusion in a mainstream setting that has integrated disabled learners. It further attempted to address the challenge of understanding ways in which teachers' constructions of their experiences of inclusion of disabled learners shape their professional lives, beliefs, and practices; and to interrogate contradictions, contestations and tensions embedded in these dominant discourses. In essence, the study sought to analyze the interactional dynamics of inclusion and exclusion. The research was conducted within a qualitative research paradigm, and took the fonn of a small-scale case study. The data collection techniques included in-depth semi-structured interviews, nonparticipant observations, and document analysis. Findings of the study revealed that teachers positioned themselves within discursive limits of dominant discourses. This was evident in how they constructed disabled learners as not meeting some pre-established standard of the discourse of nonnalcy. There was also evidence of policy-practice tensions in the voices of teachers regarding support provision and delivery of a 'curriculum for all'. It can be concluded that although significant steps had been taken to include disabled learners, most of these arrangements were still located within the limits of dominant discourses of deficiency, deficit and pathology. The findings point to the fact that, in essence, the education system does not examine the ideological, political, and economic "needs" of learners with disability within the context of inclusion. This supports the arguments put forth by Sayed (2002) that inclusion and exclusion are not simply bipolar processes. Inclusion in itself presents problems of co-option and control and does not imply that people are not excluded. The act of inclusion begs the question of what the included have become included in, on whose tenns, and what new exclusions the act of inclusion presents for them.


Continuous Stirred-Tank Reactors (CSTR) are technological plants often used in the chemical or biochemical industry for the production of various types of chemicals. These systems are very complex from the control point-of-view mainly because of their nonlinearity. Controlling such processes by means of conventional methods that use controllers with fixed parameters; often produces bad or even, unacceptable results. This is the right field for so-called "modern" control methods like Robust, Predictive, and Adaptive Control. The control method used in this work is a hybrid adaptive control where the originally nonlinear system is represented by the external linear model whose parameters are recursively identified during the control phase. The pole-placement method with a spectral factorization and two degrees-of-freedom (2DOF) control configuration used in the control synthesis in order satisfy the basic control requirements, for instance: stability, reference signal tracking and disturbance attenuation. Moreover, the resulting controller obtained from the polynomial synthesis is easily programmable and be implemented in control computers. All of the proposed methods were tested by simulations on a mathematical model of an isothermal CSTR, with a complex reaction inside. The results so obtained, demonstrate the applicability of this control method for these kinds of processes. The team used the MATLAB simulation program in this research.


The adoption of the Sustainable Supply Chain Management practices by companies in the private sector of Egypt aids to achieve its sustainable development strategy: Egypt Vision 2030, which aligns with the seventeen SDGs launched by the United Nations in 2015. There is a trade-off between sustainable development and economy. The trade-off lies between the benefits that result from adopting environmental, social or resilient practices by companies, versus the costs incurred due to conducting these practices. The research problem is that companies in Egypt regard sustainable practices as a burden to their profitability and continuity. In addition to that, companies do not link application of Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) practices with their performance. The hypothesis tests whether or not there is a significant impact for applying Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) practices on the company's performance measures. The research studies the impact of this application on the economic, environmental and operational performance of these companies. A survey tool is designed to collect the data from managers and employees in the supply chain departments of companies that are listed on the Egyptian corporate responsibility index (S&P/ EGX ESG Index) and the sample is expanded by including their market peer companies in the EGX100.  Keywords: Egypt, Sustainable Supply Chain Management, Green Supply Chain Management, Social Sustainability, Resilient Supply Chain, Performance


Background Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) is directly responsible for 100,000 deaths annually. Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) on admission is considered a poor prognostic factor in these patients, though existing evidence of its significance in predicting mortality in hemodynamically stable patients is still unclear. We attempted to clarify this association by doing a retrospective review. Methods We retrospectively reviewed electronic medical records of hemodynamically stable patients older than 18 years of age with APE who were admitted to a tertiary care hospital in rural Upstate New York from July 2014 to July 2016. One hundred thirty-four patients were reviewed in two groups: patients who presented with computed tomography (CT) or echocardiographic evidence of RVD, and those without RVD. To identify differences in mortality between the two groups, the Chi-square/Fisher's exact test and t-tests were used. All variables with P < 0.2 in the initial analysis were included in a stepwise multivariable logistic regression model to predict RVD. Results No statistically significant difference was found in 30-day mortality between the groups (7.8% in RVD and 5.3% in no RVD, P = 0.563). The overall prevalence of RVD was found to be 57% (77/134). Troponin elevation (53.2% in RVD group vs. 19.3 in the no RVD group with P < 0.01) and central location of thrombus (53.1% vs. 32.1% with P = 0.016) were more prevalent in RVD group. A marginally significant difference was found in length of hospital stay among those with RVD versus no RVD (7.13 days vs. 5.46 days; P = 0.061). The multivariable analysis shows that the odds of RVD were greater for patients with elevated troponin levels (odds ratio = 7.8). Conclusion There was no difference in 30-day mortality in hemodynamically stable patients with APE having RVD compared to patients with no RVD. On the basis of this study, we do not suggest the routine use of systemic fibrinolysis in hemodynamically stable patients with radiographic evidence of RVD alone.


Item response theory parameters have to be estimated, and because of the estimation process, they do have uncertainty in them. In most large-scale testing programs, the parameters are stored in item banks, and automated test assembly algorithms are applied to assemble operational test forms. These algorithms treat item parameters as fixed values, and uncertainty is not taken into account. As a consequence, resulting tests might be off target or less informative than expected. In this article, the process of parameter estimation is described to provide insight into the causes of uncertainty in the item parameters. The consequences of uncertainty are studied. Besides, an alternative automated test assembly algorithm is presented that is robust against uncertainties in the data. Several numerical examples demonstrate the performance of the robust test assembly algorithm, and illustrate the consequences of not taking this uncertainty into account. Finally, some recommendations about the use of robust test assembly and some directions for further research are given.


Millions around the world got a first-hand look at what it was like to be in Tacloban while it was pummeled by Supertyphoon Haiyan9s winds and then flooded by its surge, thanks to on-the-scene video captured by Josh Morgerman and his storm-chasing colleagues. Morgerman went further, returning to the region several months later to interview survivors and document patterns of wind damage to trees and buildings. His results will help scientists interpret satellite observations of the storm.


When the U.N. General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses in 1997, it took a decisive step in recognizing the important role that transboundary ground water resources play in human progress and development. In so doing, it also acknowledged the need to establish principles of law governing this "invisible" but valuable natural resource. Transboundary ground water historically has been neglected in treaties, ignored in projects with international implications, and cursorily misunderstood in much of legal discourse. While the Convention provides substantial clarification on the status of ground water under international law, it also leaves considerable gaps and generates confusion about the types of aquifers that fall within the scope of the treaty. A close review of the scope and definitions of the treaty reveals that the Convention's focus on surface water overshadows its ground water cousin and excludes many of the world's aquifers. Focusing on the scope and definitions, this article critically examines the treatment of ground water under the Convention from a hydrogeological perspective. Using six science-based aquifer models with transboundary implications (representing the majority of transboundary aquifers presently known in nature), the analysis identifies the types of aquifers that are included within the scope of the Convention and assess the rationale for excluding other aquifer types. The article also considers the special case of non-recharging aquifers.


The Current study revealed the natural occurrence of toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins production in grains in Saudi Arabia. Samples of yellow corn, white rice and red corn grains were collected from different local markets. Three fungal isolates were isolated from the examined corn grains using PDA media. The toxigenic Alternaria spp. was the most prominent fungi in yellow corn grains, white rice and red corn grains. Three Alternaria spp. isolated were identified using molecular characterization of ACTTS gene. DNA genome of the three Alternaria spp isolates (namely AWR; AYC and ARC which corresponds to isolates from white rice, yellow corn, red corn) was used as a template for PCR to amplify ACTTS gene. Partially sequenced ACTTS gene was amplified using a specific primer set to confirm its identity, phylogenetic relationships between the three isolates as well as determination of the corresponding antigenic determinants. The epitope prediction analysis demonstrated that there were 5, 6 and 5 epitopes whose score were above 0.90 in AWR, AYC and ARC, respectively. Interestingly, there were great variations in the epitope sequences among the three isolates except for the epitope, VYGASTATGTLAVQ. This work led to molecular identification of three Alternaria spp. using ACTTS gene and the unique antigenic determinants that could be used for design of a broad spectrum antibody for rapid detection of Alternaria spp. in foods.


The Australasian Nutrition Care Day Survey (ANCDS) reported two-in-five patients in Australian and New Zealand hospitals consume ≤50% of the offered food. The ANCDS found a significant association between poor food intake and increased in-hospital mortality after controlling for confounders (nutritional status, age, disease type and severity)1. Evidence for the effectiveness of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) in hospital patients eating poorly is lacking. An exploratory study was conducted in respiratory, neurology and orthopaedic wards of an Australian hospital. At baseline, 24-hour food intake (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, 100% of offered meals) was evaluated for patients hospitalised for ≥2 days and not under dietetic review. Patients consuming ≤50% of offered meals due to nutrition-impact symptoms were referred to ward dietitians for MNT with food intake re-evaluated on day-7. 184 patients were observed over four weeks. Sixty-two patients (34%) consumed ≤50% of the offered meals. Simple interventions (feeding/menu assistance, diet texture modifications) improved intake to ≥75% in 30 patients who did not require further MNT. Of the 32 patients referred for MNT, baseline and day-7 data were available for 20 patients (68±17years, 65% females, BMI: 22±5kg/m2, median energy, protein intake: 2250kJ, 25g respectively). On day-7, 17 participants (85%) demonstrated significantly higher consumption (4300kJ, 53g; p<0.01). Three participants demonstrated no improvement due to ongoing nutrition-impact symptoms. "Percentage food intake" was a quick tool to identify patients in whom simple interventions could enhance intake. MNT was associated with improved dietary intake in hospital patients. Further research is needed to establish a causal relationship.


BACKGROUND
Fluorine influences many processes occurring in the organism. Controversies over the evaluation of the biological effects of this substance are due to a small difference between tolerable and toxic fluorine doses. One of the main mechanisms of the fluorine toxic action is its ability to induce oxidative stress via reactive oxygen species generation and antioxidant defense system impairment. It is important to evaluate possible interactions between fluorine and other substances that may increase or decrease its toxicity.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The study lasted for 35 days. Twenty-four rats were divided into 4 groups: the control, with sodium fluoride (NaF) in the diet, with sodium fluoride, methionine and vitamin E (NaF+M+E) in the diet, with sodium fluoride and vitamin E (NaF+E) in the diet. The biochemical analysis conducted in animal liver homogenates included determination of activities of: total superoxide dismutase (t-SOD), superoxide dismutase with copper and zinc (CuZnSOD), superoxide dismutase with manganese (MnSOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and the malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration.

RESULTS
The activities of CuZn- SOD, GPX, CAT and MDA concentration were changed significantly. There were no differences in the activities of t-SOD, MnSOD, GR and GST among the experiment.

CONCLUSIONS
In the conducted experiment, the run-out of enzymatic protection of liver by decreasing of the activities of antioxidant enzymes (CAT and GPX) and increasing the MDA concentration in NaF group was observed. The addition of vitamin E and methionine does not significantly stimulate the enzymatic antioxidant system, however, it causes of MDA concentration decreases. Med Pr 2018;69(4):403–412


I. Introduction Since the enactment of the Federal Magistrates Act (Act)(1) in 1968, United States magistrate judges have assumed many of the duties and responsibilities of district judges.(2) Magistrate judges are often called upon, for example, to rule on discovery and suppression of evidence motions, issue reports and recommendations on dispositive motions, adjudicate petty offenses and misdemeanor cases, and even, with the consent of the parties, preside over the trial of civil actions.(3) It is no exaggeration to say, as the Supreme Court recently did, that "`the role of the magistrate in today's federal judicial system is nothing less than indispensable.'"(4) The Act authorizes a magistrate judge, upon designation by the district judge,(5) "to hear and determine any pretrial matter" except for eight enumerated exceptions.(6) Rule 72 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (Rule), which implements the Act,(7) similarly authorizes magistrate judges to "hear and determine" any "[n]ondispositive" civil matter.(8) Upon properly filed objections,(9) such determinations are subject to review by the district court under a clearly erroneous or contrary to law standard.(10) Magistrate judges do not have the authority, under the Act or Rule 72, to hear and determine dispositive matters.(11) Instead, they must make recommendations to the district judge for disposition.(12) These recommendations are subject to de novo review by the district judge, with no deference to the magistrate judge's recommendation.(13) In recent years, a disagreement has arisen in the courts over whether magistrate judges have jurisdiction to hear and determine motions for sanctions or, instead, must make recommendations for disposition to the district judge.(14) Four circuits -- the Second, Fifth, Ninth, and Tenth -- all have held that magistrate judges can enter sanctions orders.(15) More recently, the Sixth and Seventh Circuits have disagreed and held that magistrate judges are limited to recommending the disposition of sanctions motions.(16) The courts of appeals also have disagreed on the related, threshold issue of whether a postjudgment sanctions ruling based on pretrial conduct is even a "pretrial matter" subject to review by a magistrate judge under the Act or Rule 72.(17) Resolution of these related issues is important for at least two reasons. First, either a magistrate judge or a district judge must decide each of the thousands of motions, including sanctions motions, filed each year.18 If magistrate judges can decide these motions, subject only to review under a clearly erroneous or contrary to law standard, the workload of district judges will be reduced significantly, leaving them free to turn their attention to other important matters, including trials.(19) The second reason this issue is significant is that the narrow reading of magistrate judge jurisdiction by the Sixth and Seventh Circuits runs counter to congressional expansion of this jurisdiction since enactment of the Act in 1968.(20) This tendency toward restricting jurisdiction, if unchallenged, could pose even greater concerns for the already overtaxed federal district courts.(21) This Article first examines the history and operation of the Act and Rule 72.(22) Second, it analyzes the prevalence of sanctions motions and the conflicting case law on whether magistrate judges have jurisdiction to enter orders regarding such motions.(23) Finally, the Article concludes that the text of the Act and Rule 72, the legislative history of the Act and Rule 72, practical considerations, and policy grounds all support the proposal that magistrate judges have jurisdiction to enter sanctions orders.(24) II. History and Operation of the Federal Magistrates Act and Rule 72 A. History of the Federal Magistrates Act In 1968, Congress enacted the Federal Magistrates Act to replace the outdated United States commissioner system(25) and to free district judges for more important tasks, including presiding over trials. …


High-altitude parking orbits could provide resiliency to the military space infrastructure by providing redundancy in key assets, allowing for rapid reconstitution of underperforming satellites. When analyzing trajectories in a high-altitude regime, two-body models of Keplerian motion become less accurate since the gravitational effects of other bodies are no longer negligible. To provide a higher fidelity model of the dynamics in a high-altitude regime, a multiple-body model can be used. In the Earth-Moon system, a spacecraft operating in the high-altitude regime can be modeled with three-body dynamics. With certain simplifying assumptions, the model is called the circular-restricted three-body problem (CR3BP). The CR3BP provides unique dynamics that could be exploited to provide beneficial trajectories unavailable and unobservable in a lower-order model. The tradeoff for using this higher-order model is there is no closed-form analytical solution and the dynamics are chaotic. Methods to search for optimal trajectories within the CR3BP are analyzed to determine viability in rapid mission development. A direct orthogonal collocation pseudospectral method is utilized to generate fueland timeoptimal trajectories within the CR3BP. These results are compared to benchmarks from two-body dynamics, such as Hohmann transfers. Numerical approaches to finding optimal solutions are highly dependent on initial guesses to converge on candidate optimal solutions. To compound this issue, the chaotic dynamics in the CR3BP mean small variations in the initial conditions could lead to wildly varying trajectories. The results from the current research provide a methodology to establish a framework for rapid mission development in a dynamical environment, which may be essential to maintain space superiority and responsiveness.


This paper describes about the design methodology for reducing router power consumption with the aid of RTL clock gating technique. It causes inactive clocked elements to have clock gating logic (automatically by using cadence tool) which reduces power consumption on those elements to zero when the values stored by those elements are not changing. This technique allows a variety of features such as easily configurable, automatically implemented clock gating which allows maximal reduction in power requirements with minimal designer involvement and software involvement. In this paper, source code was written in Verilog (Hardware Descriptive language) and it was synthesized in Xilinx 9.1i version, simulated in Modelsim 6.6 version and clock gating was applied by using Cadence.


Abstract. The proposition that the rate of tropical cyclogenesis increases with the size of the "warm pool" is tested by comparing the seasonal variation of the warm pool area with the seasonality of the number of tropical cyclones. An analysis based on empirical data from the Northern Hemisphere is presented, where the warm pool associated with tropical cyclone activity is defined as the area, A, enclosed by the 26.5°C SST isotherm. Similar analysis was applied to the temperature weighted area AT with similar results. An intriguing non-linear relationship of high statistical significance was found between the temperature weighted area in the North Atlantic and the North-West Pacific on the one hand and the number of cyclones, N, in the same ocean basin on the other, but this pattern was not found over the North Indian Ocean. A simple statistical model was developed, based on the historical relationship between N and A. The simple model was then validated against independent inter-annual variations in the seasonal cyclone counts in the North Atlantic, but the correlation was not statistically significant in the North-West Pacific. No correlation, however, was found between N and A in the North Indian Ocean. A non-linear relationship between the cyclone number and temperature weighted area may in some ocean basins explain both why there has not been any linear trend in the number of cyclones over time as well as the recent upturn in the number of Atlantic hurricanes. The results also suggest that the notion of the number of tropical cyclones being insensitive to the area A is a misconception.


The tremendous success of machine learning algorithms at image recognition tasks in recent years intersects with a time of dramatically increased use of electronic medical records and diagnostic imaging. This review introduces the machine learning algorithms as applied to medical image analysis, focusing on convolutional neural networks, and emphasizing clinical aspects of the field. The advantage of machine learning in an era of medical big data is that significant hierarchal relationships within the data can be discovered algorithmically without laborious hand-crafting of features. We cover key research areas and applications of medical image classification, localization, detection, segmentation, and registration. We conclude by discussing research obstacles, emerging trends, and possible future directions.


The first observing run of Advanced LIGO spanned 4 months, from 12 September 2015 to 19 January 2016, during which gravitational waves were directly detected from two binary black hole systems, namely GW150914 and GW151226. Confident detection of gravitational waves requires an understanding of instrumental transients and artifacts that can reduce the sensitivity of a search. Studies of the quality of the detector data yield insights into the cause of instrumental artifacts and data quality vetoes specific to a search are produced to mitigate the effects of problematic data. In this paper, the systematic removal of noisy data from analysis time is shown to improve the sensitivity of searches for compact binary coalescences. The output of the PyCBC pipeline, which is a python-based code package used to search for gravitational wave signals from compact binary coalescences, is used as a metric for improvement. GW150914 was a loud enough signal that removing noisy data did not improve its significance. However, the removal of data with excess noise decreased the false alarm rate of GW151226 by more than two orders of magnitude, from 1 in 770 yr to less than 1 in 186 000 yr.


Abstract Background. The Late Effects Normal Tissue/Subjective Objective Management Analytic (LENT/SOMA) system for grading of side effects after radiotherapy was proposed several years ago. Only a few studies have previously been performed on the validity of the LENT/SOMA. The aim of the present study was to validate the LENT/SOMA scoring system for recto-anal side effects after treatment for prostate cancer in a randomized trial. Material and methods. A total of 875 patients with locally advanced prostate cancer were randomized to either hormonal treatment alone or hormonal treatment plus radiotherapy in the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group 7 (SPCG-7) study. At least three years after treatment was started, the 178 patients that were randomized at St. Olavs Hospital were approached. One hundred and three patients of these accepted inclusion. The side effects according to LENT/SOMA were graded by oncologist and nurse. In addition, side effects were graded according to the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (EORTC/RTOG) toxicity scale and patient-reported health-related quality of life (HRQOL) questionnaires. Content/face validity, sensitivity and inter-rater reliability of the LENT/SOMA tables for rectum were analyzed. Results. Content/face analysis of LENT/SOMA revealed serious problems. Significant correlations (Spearman's rho > 0.4) were found between three of 15 LENT/SOMA items and similar HRQOL items. LENT/SOMA score made it possible to detect significant differences between the two groups of patients (p < 0.001), EORTC/RTOG toxicity score did not (p = 0.138). Inter-rater reliability was acceptable. Conclusions. LENT/SOMA scoring system for recto-anal side effects after radiotherapy for prostate cancer displays serious difficulties in the present study. Replacement of LENT/SOMA tables for rectum by a combination of patient-reported HRQOL questionnaires, clinical examination and objective physiological measurements might be called for.


The introduction of Drug Courts and other problem-solving courts has brought significant change to the American criminal justice system. This change has required lawyers working in these courts to re-examine their role and to re-consider and re-calibrate the nature of their interactions and relationships with their clients and all of the other actors in the system. This Article looks beyond the rhetorically charged debate that has marked these changes and offers instead a close examination of the actual experience of lawyers, judges, and most importantly, defendant-participants, in these courts. This examination demonstrates that many of the traditional values embedded in the role of lawyer for the accused have a central place within these new-model courts, provided lawyers are prepared to adapt the forms of practice through which they pursue those values. This Article urges clinical law teachers to play a leading role in transcending this debate and preparing modern law students for this increasingly important method of practice. In doing so, the Article highlights those aspects of the clinical pedagogical tradition that are best-suited to the new type of practice as well as the ways in which problem-solving court will require clinical teachers to adapt and stretch to a degree similar to the practitioners already confronting these challenges.


BACKGROUND
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection of the cornea is a leading cause of blindness in occidental countries and a common recurrent manifestation of it is the immune stromal keratitis (ISK). However, it is not known whether active viral replication occurs during the acute phase of the disease, because isolation of the virus by conventional culture techniques has not been accomplished.

AIM
To establish the presence of HSV in patients with ISK.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Fourteen corneal swabbing samples, from active diseased eyes of patients with clinical diagnosis of ISK, were submitted to Herpchek and PCR for the identification of HSV antigens and genome.

RESULTS
All ISK samples were negative by both techniques.

CONCLUSIONS
It was not possible to identify HSV antigens nor their genome by the methodology used. It is likely that, they can't be detected in corneal superficial layers or probably there is no viral replication at this stage of the disease, so antiviral therapy should be reconsidered.


Background Pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGLs) are rare but potentially harmful tumors that can vary in their clinical presentation. Tumors may be found due to signs and symptoms, as part of a hereditary syndrome or following an imaging procedure. Objective To investigate potential differences in clinical presentation between PPGLs discovered by imaging (iPPGLs), symptomatic cases (sPPGLs) and those diagnosed during follow-up because of earlier disease/known hereditary mutations (fPPGL). Design Prospective study protocol, which has enrolled patients from six European centers with confirmed PPGLs. Data were analyzed from 235 patients (37 iPPGLs, 36 sPPGLs, 27% fPPGLs) and compared for tumor volume, biochemical profile, mutation status, presence of metastases and self-reported symptoms. iPPGL patients were diagnosed at a significantly higher age than fPPGLs (P < 0.001), found to have larger tumors (P = 0.003) and higher metanephrine and normetanephrine levels at diagnosis (P = 0.021). Significantly lower than in sPPGL, there was a relevant number of self-reported symptoms in iPPGL (2.9 vs 4.3 symptoms, P < 0.001). In 16.2% of iPPGL, mutations in susceptibility genes were detected, although this proportion was lower than that in fPPGL (60.9%) and sPPGL (21.5%). Patients with PPGLs detected by imaging were older, have higher tumor volume and more excessive hormonal secretion in comparison to those found as part of a surveillance program. Presence of typical symptoms indicates that in a relevant proportion of those patients, the PPGL diagnosis had been delayed. Précis Pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma discovered by imaging are often symptomatic and carry a significant proportion of germline mutations in susceptibility genes.


'Would this misery go on forever? Was there no escape? And yet she was every bit as good as all those other women who led happy lives!' When Emma Rouault marries Charles Bovary she imagines she will pass into the life of luxury and passion that she reads about in sentimental novels and women's magazines. But Charles is a dull country doctor, and provincial life is very different from the romantic excitement for which she yearns. In her quest to realize her dreams she takes a lover, and begins a devastating spiral into deceit and despair. Flaubert's novel scandalized its readers when it was first published in 1857, and it remains unsurpassed in its unveiling of character and society. In this new translation Margaret Mauldon perfectly captures the tone that makes Flaubert's style so distinct and admired. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.


A long noncoding RNA regulates dendritic cell differentiation and function. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression, but whether they are important regulators of the immune system is poorly understood. Wang et al. identify a lncRNA expressed exclusively in human dendritic cells (DC), called lnc-DC, that is required for optimal DC differentiation from human monocytes and that regulates DC activation of T cells. Lnc-DC interacts with the transcription factor STAT3, which is also required for DC development and function, to prevent interaction with and to block dephosphorylation by tyrosine phosphatase SHP1. P. Wang, Y. Xue, Y. Han, L. Lin, C. Wu, S. Xu, Z. Jiang, J. Xu, Q. Liu, X. Cao, The STAT3-binding long noncoding RNA lnc-DC controls human dendritic cell differentiation. Science 344, 310–313 (2014). [Abstract] [Full Text]


A simple catalyst-free and solvent-free method for the hydroboration of various aldehydes bearing a wide array of electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups was developed. Unlike aldehydes, the addition of boranes to ketones is less efficient and is thus advantageous for the chemoselective reduction of the former ones. It is suggested that the described transformation proceeds with the formation of Lewis acid–base adducts, which facilitates further hydroboration.


Abstract Organic colloids are involved in the early calcification of the modern siliceous sponge Spheciospongia vesparium (Lamarck, 1815) from the Great Bahama Bank. Electron microscopy and in situ fluorescence microspectometry studies indicate that colloids attached within or onto a collagen network promote the precipitation of aragonite crystals in these sponges. Calcification occurs within those portions of the sponge that are buried in the sediment, preferentially in regions of agglutinated sediment particles, with sponge connective tissue being subjected to necrosis and significant degradation of the extracellular collagen matrix. The dismantling of collagen bundles leads to collagen scaffolds, which act as a sorbent and have significant adhesive effects for ions and/or organic colloids. Bacteria and other microorganisms support tissue degradation, but neither act as a substrate for aragonite precipitation or are present in significant numbers at calcification sites. This process of early calcification may explain the origin of fossil calcified siliceous sponges ("sponge mummies" and "tuberoids") as well as the occurrence of patchy calcified sponge materials, thereby calling into question the commonly accepted idea that pelletoidal texture associated with these fossil sponges indicates that bacteria are directly responsible for the calcification.


Abstract Objectives: Suboptimal treatment as a result of lack of basic skills in anaesthesia and resuscitation contributes significantly to the continuing increase in anaesthetic-related maternal deaths in South Africa. This study aimed to determine the number of doctors providing obstetric anaesthesia at district and regional hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, their level of experience and caseload, and to identify specific groups that could be targeted for support and training. Design: This was a prospective open cohort observational study of obstetric anaesthetic services in KwaZulu-Natal, which considered the human resources, caseloads and the experience of doctors. Setting and subjects: Two separate questionnaires, directed independently to medical managers and doctors providing operative obstetric services, were sent to 48 district and regional hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal. One third of the hospitals, selected by stratified randomisation, were visited to improve response rates. Outcome measures: Medical managers were asked for caseload and staffing data. Doctors were asked for details of their qualifications, experience and their current workload. Results: Thirty-eight (a 79% response rate) medical managers and 266 doctors (an estimated response rate of 65%) completed questionnaires. Community service medical officers (CSMOs) at rural district hospitals constituted 27% of fulltime staff. CSMOs at all responding district hospitals were expected to provide obstetric anaesthesia independently. Foreign medical graduates provided obstetric anaesthesia in 71% (27/38) of hospitals and constituted 27% of full-time staff at rural district hospitals. Twenty-four doctors (all foreign-trained) reported no anaesthesia training during their internship. District hospitals were more reliant on part-time (sessional) appointments. Fifty-eight per cent of all (22/38) hospitals reported that a number of sessional appointments provided obstetric anaesthesia. In October 2010, 58% (22/38 active during the month) of sessional appointments at district-level hospitals administered only one obstetric anaesthetic, whereas all 15 sessional appointments who were active at regional level administered two or more. Only 24% of responding doctors had more than five years' experience in their current employment. Only 3% of responding doctors working in rural hospitals had a Diploma in Anaesthesia, compared to 26% in urban hospitals. Only one doctor with more than five years of employment history and a Diploma in Anaesthesia worked at district level. Conclusion: This study highlights the lack of training and experience of doctors in obstetric anaesthesia and documents workload patterns at district hospitals. It also identifies specific target groups for future support and training.


We propose a new method and optical instrumentation for mouse brain imaging based on extended-focus optical coherence microscopy. This in vivo imaging technique allows the evaluation of the cytoarchitecture at cellular level and the circulation system dynamics in three dimensions. This minimally invasive and non-contact approach is performed without the application of contrasting agents. The optical design achieved a resolution of 2.2 μm over a distance of 800 μm, which was sufficient to obtain a detailed three-dimensional image of a wild-type mouse's brain down to the layer III of the cortex. Intrinsically contrasted microvessels and structures similar to the bodies of neurons were distinguishable.


The Electrical/Electronics Technology curriculum is designed to provide training for persons interested in the installation and maintenance of electrical/electronic systems found in residential, commercial, and industrial facilities... The Electrical/E Authoritative resources available via the Web


Radiocarbon-dated samples show that the Connecticut coast has submerged about 9 feet in the last 3000 years and about 33 feet in the last 7000 years. The rate of submergence is similar to rates reported from other coasts. The finding strengthens the hypothesis that a worldwide postglacial rise of sea level is the cause.


Presented in this article is a case study of Black students' enrollment, persistence, and graduation at Cityville University, an urban commuter institution. We combine quantitative data from the University's Office of Institutional Research and the U.S. Department of Education with qualitative insights gathered in interviews with students, faculty, and administrators. We then use tenets, theses, and propositions from Critical Race Theory to analyze structural problems that undermine persistence and degree completion, sense of belonging, and academic achievement for Cityville's Black undergraduates.


Physics is often regarded as the most fundamental natural science. In its modern guise, it is concerned with matter, energy, and their interrelation over time and through space. Experimental physics deals with observations and measurements of the smallest and greatest dimensions of the universe. This blends with theoretical physics, which develops abstract mathematical models to explain experimental findings, proffering speculative possibilities concerning the workings of physical systems. As experimental technologies develop, so the overlap between experimental and theoretical physics increases; previously abstract and speculative models become empirically testable. While the possibility of reducing the other natural sciences to physics without remainder is now credible only among the most hardened of materialists, modern physics remains the quintessential science of nature (physis). It apparently delivers fundamental and comprehensive knowledge of the cosmos, from the subatomic quantum realm to the furthest reaches of space and time.


Concrete-polymer materials represent a relatively new technology in the construction industry. In some cases polymers are combined with portland cement concrete and, in other cases, polymers are used as the aggregate binder replacing portland cement mortar. There are three basic types of concrete-polymer materials. Polymer concrete (PC) is a composite material formed by polymerizing a monomer and aggregate mixture. Polymer portland cement concrete (PPCC), sometimes referred to as polymer modified concrete, is a premixed material in which either a monomer or polymer is added to a fresh concrete mixture. Polymer-impregnated concrete (PIC) is a hydrated portland cement concrete.


Control software and wireless sensors designed for closed-loop, monitoring and control of IT equipment's inlet air temperatures in datacenters were evaluated and tested while other datacenter cooling best practices were implemented. The controls software and hardware along with each best practice were installed sequentially and evaluated using a measurement and verification procedure between each measure. The results show that the overall project eliminates 475,239 kWh per year, which is 21.3percent of the baseline energy consumption of the data center. The total project, including the best practices will save $42,772 per year and cost $134,057 yielding a simple payback of 3.1 years. However, the control system alone eliminates 59.6percent of the baseline energy used to move air in the datacenter and 13.6percent of the baseline cooling energy, which is 15.2percent of the baseline energy consumption (see Project Approach, Task 1, below, for additional information) while keeping temperatures substantially within the limits recommended by ASHRAE. Savings attributed to the control system are $30,564 per year with a cost $56,824 for a simple payback of 1.9 years.


[Summary of the book containing this chapter:] The Handbook of Interior Architecture and Design offers a compelling collection of original essays that seek to examine the shifting role of interior architecture and interior design, and their importance and meaning within the contemporary world.
Interior architecture and interior design are disciplines that span a complexity of ideas, ranging from human behaviour and anthropology to history and the technology of the future.
Approaches to designing the interior are in a constant state of flux, reflecting and adapting to the changing systems of history, culture and politics. It is this process that allows interior design to be used as evidence for identifying patterns of consumption, gender, identity and social issues.
The Handbook of Interior Architecture and Design provides a pioneering overview of the ideas and arrangements within the two disciplines that make them such important platforms from which to study the way humans interact with the space around them.
Covering a wide range of thought and research, the book enables the reader to investigate fully the changing face of interior architecture and interior design, while offering questions about their future trajectory.


Capital Markets Union (CMU) is an overarching term used to describe a number of possible measures aimed at diversifying and integrating European capital markets to support economic growth and stability. This paper examines the mechanisms through which CMU could help to achieve these objectives, namely better matching of savers and borrowers and improved private-sector risk sharing, and identifies potential reform areas. In doing so, it gives consideration to the implications of greater financial diversification and integration for financial stability. The paper concludes that CMU proposals will need to be targeted at both savers and borrowers and that economic and financial stability will be better served if funds are directed towards investments less prone to capital flight during stress, including equities.


Background:
Patient safety in healthcare organisations received global attention following the Institute of Medicine's release of its hallmark report "To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System", where it was estimated that 44,000–98,000 patients die annually in US hospitals as a result of errors in care. Similar rates of error and avoidable harm have been reported in different research studies in many modern health systems across the world. "Safety Culture" has been identified as a key element of healthcare organisations' ability to learn from errors and reduce preventable harm to patients resulting from health care. The perceived importance of safety culture in improving patient safety and its impact on patient outcomes has led to a growing interest in the assessment of safety culture in healthcare organisations. The use of safety climate questionnaires is one of the most popular methods for assessing safety culture. These questionnaires are thought to help in measuring healthcare workers' perceptions of the prevailing safety culture or "safety climate" in their organisations. Since no surveys of safety climate have been conducted at public hospitals in the state of Kuwait, nor are valid or reliable survey instruments available, this thesis aimed to investigate patient safety climate in public hospitals in Kuwait.
The main objectives of the study were:
1. To identify an existing safety climate tools to be employed in my PhD thesis.
2. To test the psychometric properties of the identified tool in a sample of Kuwaiti public hospitals.
3. To provide a measure of the prevailing safety climate in Kuwaiti public hospitals.
4. To explore with key stakeholders the main findings of the safety climate survey and identify the potential barriers and facilitators to safety improvement initiatives in Kuwaiti public hospitals.
Based on the overall findings, a series of recommendations are made for clinical leaders, policy makers and others to consider and a conceptual model informing a systems' based approach to safety culture theory and practice is proposed for future research.
Methods:
A multi-method, triangulated approach including both quantitative and qualitative methods was adopted for the study. There were four phases of the research: A systematic review of published literature on safety climate tools used in acute hospital settings was carried out using seven electronic databases, with manual searches of bibliographies of included papers and key journals. A suitable tool was identified. A cross-sectional survey of 1,511 healthcare staff in three public hospitals was conducted for two purposes: Firstly, to assess the psychometric properties of the identified tool and develop an optimum model for assessing safety climate in Kuwaiti hospitals. Secondly, to provide an assessment of the current state of safety climate in Kuwaiti hospitals. Finally, interviews with key personnel were conducted to extend the examination of the survey findings and provide a rounded picture of the current state of safety climate in Kuwaiti public hospitals.
Results:
The search strategy identified 3,576 potential papers. Of these, eighty-eight papers were reviewed, with five studies meeting the inclusion criteria. Three out of five studies, covering three tools, were rated as 'good' quality papers and reported more robust psychometric properties. The Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPSC) was selected as the most appropriate for my PhD thesis (in terms of usability, applicability and psychometric properties), and was pilot tested with minor modifications. A modified version of the HSOPSC was used to conduct the survey using a sample of healthcare staff with an 87% (n=1,310) response rate. Results of psychometric evaluation, including exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, reliability and correlation analysis, showed an optimal model of eight factors and 22 safety climate items. General evaluation of the prevailing safety climate amongst the workforce in acute hospital settings was conducted. The dimensions "Teamwork within units" (84%), "organisational learning-continuous improvement" (82%), "supervisor/manager expectations and actions promoting safety" (77%) and "management support for patient safety" (74%) were identified as strongly positive areas for the three hospitals. The dimensions "Non-punitive response to error" (34%), "communication openness" (47%) and "frequency of event reporting" (50%) were identified as areas in need of improvement. Building on the survey findings, interviews with key stakeholders added rich insight into hospital employees' perceptions on safety and allowed exploration of emerging issues in more detail. The research findings of my PhD thesis, and of the literature informed the design of a preliminary framework that aims to extend the examination of the construct of safety climate beyond the domains and items that typically inform safety climate theory to include system wide factors which potentially influence the prevailing safety culture/climate.
Conclusions:
This is the first validation study of a Standardised safety climate measure in a Kuwaiti healthcare setting. The study assessed the psychometric properties of the HSOPSC questionnaire and constructed an optimal model for assessing patient safety climate in Kuwaiti hospitals. It highlighted important patient safety and staff wellbeing concerns to inform organisational and national learning, and provided a baseline for measuring patient safety climate in Kuwaiti hospitals. As such, my PhD thesis raises and emphasizes the critical importance of appropriate validation of safety climate questionnaires before extending their usage in different countries or healthcare contexts. It provided new knowledge about areas of strength and weakness in safety climate with the potential to drive local improvements in Kuwaiti public hospitals.
It is recommended that future investigations of patient safety culture and climate combine both quantitative and qualitative approaches and adopt a system wide approach to inform safety climate theory and questionnaire development, leading to stronger frameworks guiding safety culture research and practice.


The most effective countermeasure for radioiodine contamination of milk is to provide dairy animals with uncontaminated feed, with the added advantage that it will be effective for other radionuclides in the fallout. Another effective response is to process the milk into storable dairy products for an appropriate length of time to allow for physical decay. The use of additives given to ruminants to reduce radioiodine in milk is an alternative countermeasure which could be effective. Stable iodine administration is a practically feasible option which has the potential to reduce radioiodine levels in milk by at most a factor of three. Stable iodine supplementation should be at sufficiently high rates to be effective (and at least 1 g d-1 for dairy cows), particularly for ruminants already receiving high amounts of iodine in the diet. Currently available data are inadequate to recommend a suitable stable iodine administration rate for different species of ruminants. Other compounds, such as perchlorate and thiocyanate, also reduce the transfer to radioiodine to milk (and thyroid). Some of these compounds seem to be potentially equally as effective as stable iodine. However, currently there is inadequate information on their effectiveness and possible toxicity to both ruminants and humans for these compounds to be considered as suitable countermeasure additives.


Recent work has shown that reinforcement learning (RL) is a promising approach to control dynamical systems described by partial differential equations (PDE). This paper shows how to use RL to tackle more general PDE control problems that have continuous high-dimensional action spaces with spatial relationship among action dimensions. In particular, we propose the concept of action descriptors, which encode regularities among spatially-extended action dimensions and enable the agent to control high-dimensional action PDEs. We provide theoretical evidence suggesting that this approach can be more sample efficient compared to a conventional approach that treats each action dimension separately and does not explicitly exploit the spatial regularity of the action space. The action descriptor approach is then used within the deep deterministic policy gradient algorithm. Experiments on two PDE control problems, with up to 256-dimensional continuous actions, show the advantage of the proposed approach over the conventional one.


There seems to be broad social consensus that racial diversity is generally a good thing. Disagreements tend to focus on the constraints we should observe in bringing such diversity about. Evaluating the justification of such constraints requires understanding the kind of good that racial diversity is supposed to constitute. In this article, I draw on concepts familiar from philosophical discussions in value theory to analyze the value of racial diversity on the one hand and that of colorblindness on the other. Using several opinions from Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 to stake out some of the central positions, I argue first that the value of racial diversity is conditional or extrinsic, not intrinsic, but that we have both instrumental and non-instrumental reasons to regard it as something worth caring about. I further argue that the constraint of colorblindness is, strictly speaking, orthogonal to the value of racial diversity, because what colorblindness opposes is selecting for diversity, not diversity itself. The two values come into opposition, of course, in circumstances where such selection is the only feasible way of bringing diversity about. I consider the case for adhering to the constraint of colorblindness in such circumstances. I contend that the strongest positive argument for a deontological conception of colorblindness - viz., that it expresses a constitutional principle of equal respect - is obsolete. I further suggest that the strongest negative argument - viz., that selecting for diversity expresses disrespect for persons - ignores the possibility that such selection measures, when adopted in response to unjust social conditions, might more plausibly be regarded as an expression of a commitment to substantive principles of equality.


A common European bond would yield a common European Monetary Union risk free rate. We present tentative estimates of this common risk free for the European Monetary Union countries from 2004 to 2009 using variables motivated by a theoretical portfolio selection model. First, we analyze the determinants of EMU sovereign yield spreads and find significant effects of the credit quality, macro, correlation, and liquidity variables. However, their effects are different before and after the current financial crisis, being stronger in the latter period. Robustness tests with different data frequencies, benchmarks, liquidity variables, cross section regressions and balanced panels confirm the initial results. We propose four different estimates of the common risk free rate and show that, in most cases, this common rate could imply savings in borrowing costs for all the countries involved.


Transition managers no longer just do transition management. The role had been broadening for some time, as new applications were found for the specialist skills transition managers had developed. Late in 2003, the gradual evolution became, for some, a transformation. The catalyst for this transformation was the large number of investors waking up in the morning to find their investment managers the subject of unwelcome headlines. Swift action was the order of the day. This article will explain how a transition manager is able to act as an interim portfolio manager, providing flexible solutions rather than applying a standardized transition product to every situation.


This outstanding volume combines the perspectives of managers, sociologists, and scholars of business ethics in order to analyze the social role of business in society. The authors discuss the organizational dynamics and dimensions of corporate social policies and the ways in which organizational policies are interpreted and evaluated by outside groups. They also develop and apply an integrated conceptual model in a case study of the Community Reinvestment Act and present the responses of selected Boston area banks to the study. Instead of accepting the reductionism of perspectives and polarization along disiplinary lines that have characterized research in the field, the authors focus on the need to explore the role of business in the larger society from a variety of viewpoints within a unified conceptual model.


News reporting has seen a shift toward fast-paced online reporting in new sources such as social media. Web Search engines that support a news vertical have historically relied upon articles published by major newswire providers when serving news-related queries. In this paper, we investigate to what extent real-time content from newswire, blogs, Twitter and Wikipedia sources are useful to return to the user in the current fast-paced news search setting. In particular, we perform a detailed user study using the emerging medium of crowdsourcing to determine when and where integrating news-related content from these various sources can better serve the user's news need. We sampled approximately 300 news-related search queries using Google Trends and Bitly data in real-time for two time periods. For these queries, we have crowdsourced workers compare Web search rankings for each, with similar rankings integrating real-time news content from sources such as Twitter or the blogosphere. Our results show that users exhibited a preference for rankings integrating newswire articles for only half of our queries, indicating that relying solely on newswire providers for news-related content is now insufficient. Moreover, our results show that users preferred rankings that integrate tweets more often than those that integrate newswire articles, showing the potential of using social media to better serve news queries.