The debate on the applicability of Fair Value Accounting has resurfaced after the Global Financial Crisis. This study contributes to this debate by empirically comparing the effects when the fair value changes of financial instruments disclosed in the notes are considered in the primary financial statements. The study's sample is four major Australian banks and four of the largest American banks and covers the period from 2005 to 2010. The results show that  Comprehensive Income of the sample banks is extremely negatively affected by fair value changes. Shareholders' Equity is also negatively affected, although the effects are not material. These findings indicate that, from a market value perspective, the underlying performance and risks of commercial banks are not properly reflected in the financial statements. By contrast, as a consequence of high holdings of regulatory capital, fair value changes do not trigger violations of Tier 1 Capital Ratio and Total Capital Ratio. Similar results are found for American banks when capital injections from the Troubled Assets Relief Programme are excluded.


On January 29±30, 1997, prolonged steady-state effusion of lava from Pu'u'O'o was briefly disrupted by shallow extension beneath Napau Crater, 1±4 km uprift of the active Kilauea vent. A 23-h-long eruption (episode 54) ensued from fissures that were overlapping or en echelon with eruptive fissures formed during episode 1 in 1983 and those of earlier rift zone eruptions in 1963 and 1968. Combined geophysical and petrologic data for the 1994±1999 eruptive interval, including episode 54, reveal a variety of shallow magmatic conditions that persist in association with prolonged rift zone eruption. Near-vent lava samples document a significant range in composition, temperature and crystallinity of pre-eruptive magma. As supported by phenocryst±liquid relations and Kilauea mineral thermometers established herein, the rift zone extension that led to episode 54 resulted in mixture of near-cotectic magma with discrete magma bodies cooled to 1100 C. Mixing models indicate that magmas isolated beneath Napau Crater since 1963 and 1968 constituted 32±65% of the hybrid mixtures erupted during episode 54. Geophysical measurements support passive displacement of open-system magma along the active east rift conduit into closed-system rift-reservoirs along a shallow zone of extension. Geophysical and petrologic data for early episode 55 document the gradual flushing of episode 54 related magma during magmatic recharge of the edifice.


From abstract: Environmental geochemical investigations took place in
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (WRST), Alaska,
between 1994 and 1997. Areas studied include the historic
Kennecott stratabound copper mines and mill area; the historic
mines and mill in the Bremner district, where gold was produced
from polymetallic veins; the sporadically active gold
placer mines at Gold Hill; the undisturbed, unmined porphyry
copper-molybdenum deposits at Orange Hill and Bond Creek;
and the historic mines and mill at Nabesna, where gold-bearing
iron skarn deposits were exploited. The cooperative study
between the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park
Service focused on identifying and characterizing geochemical
signatures associated with these mineralized areas. Sample
media included surface water, bedload sediment, rock, mine
waste, and mill tailings samples.


SUITABILITY OF THE NIST SHOP DATA MODEL AS A NEUTRAL FILE FORMAT FOR SIMULATION Gregory Brent Harward School of Technology Masters of Science Due to the successful application in internet related fields, Extensible Markup Language (XML) and its related technologies are being explored as a revolutionary software file format technology used to provide increased interoperability in the discrete-event simulation (DES) arena. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed an XML-based information model (XSD) called the Shop Data Model (SDM), which is used to describe the contents of a neutral file format (NFF) that is being promoted as a means to make manufacturing simulation technology more accessible to a larger group of potential customers. Using a two step process, this thesis evaluates the NIST SDM information model in terms of its ability to encapsulate the informational requirements of one vendor's simulation model information conceptually and syntactically in order to determine its ability to serve as an NFF for the DES industry. ProModel Corporation, a leading software vendor in the DES industry since 1988, serves as the test case for this evaluation. The first step in this evaluation is to map the contents of ProModel's information model over to an XML schema file (XSD). Next, the contents of this new XSD file are categorized and compared to the SDM information model in order to evaluate compatibility. After performing this comparison, observations are made in relation to the challenges that simulation vendors might encounter when implementing the proposed NIST SDM. Two groups of limitations are encountered which cause the NIST SDM to support less than a third of the ProModel XSD elements. These two groups of limitations are: paradigm differences between the two information models and limitations posed due to the incomplete status of the NIST SDM specification. Despite these limitations, this thesis shows by comparison that XML technology does not pose any limitation which would invalidate its ability to syntactically represent a common information model or associated XML NFF. While only 28% of the ProModel element are currently supported by the SDM, appropriate changes to the SDM would allow the information model to serve as a foundation upon which a common information model and neutral file format for the DES industry could be built using XML technologies.


A thesis submitted to the College of Engineering in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science, 2009


With two simple experiments we investigate the overlooked influence of handshape similarity for processing numerical information conveyed on the hands. In most finger-counting sequences there is a tight relationship between the number of fingers raised and the numerical value represented. This creates a possible confound where numbers closer to each other are also represented by handshapes that are more similar. By using the ASL number signs we are able to dissociate between the two variables orthogonally. First, we test the effect of handshape similarity in a same/different judgment task in a group of hearing non-signers and then test the interference of handshape in a number judgment task in a group of native ASL signers. Our results show an effect of handshape similarity and its interaction with numerical value even in the group of native signers for whom these handshapes are linguistic symbols and not a learning tool for acquiring numerical concepts. Because prior studies have never considered handshape similarity, these results open new directions for understanding the relationship between finger-based counting, internal hand representations and numerical proficiency.


THE RISE of China will undoubtedly be one of the great dramas of the twenty-first century. China's extraordinary economic growth and active diplomacy are already transforming East Asia, and future decades will see even greater increases in Chinese power and influence. But exactly how this drama will play out is an open question. Will China overthrow the existing order or become a part of it? And what, if any thing, can the United States do to maintain its position as China rises? Some observers believe that the American era is coming to an end, as the Western-oriented world order is replaced by one increasingly dominated by the East. The historian Niall Ferguson has written that the bloody twentieth century witnessed "the descent of the West" and "a reorientation of the world" toward the East. Realists go on to note that as China gets more powerfiul and the United States' position erodes, two things are likely to happen: China will try to use its growing influence to reshape the rules and institutions of the international system to better serve its interests, and other states in the system especially the declining hegemon-will start to see China as a growing security threat. The result of these developments, they predict, will be tension, distrust, and conflict, the typical features of a power transition.


This article addresses the question of whether a distinctive Islamic public administration exists. Three arguments are made to demonstrate that it has a long and distinct history, although sharing commonalities with some Western traditions. The first is an historical argument that Islamic states and empires, drawing in part on long-standing, and sometimes quite sophisticated, bureaucratic practices in the region, developed a complex and highly functional public administration long before it appeared in Europe. The second argument examines the underlying principles of good governance and administration from the Qur'an and Sunnah, focusing on those aspects most relevant to the senior civil service, its development over time into a sophisticated and highly successful vizierate structure while governed by conceptions of social welfare and the development of the individual. The third section examines the contemporary empirical argument of Islamic public-administration systems and practices, focusing on four aspects that have received the most attention recently: organisational culture, human-resource management, policy and decision-making, and public-sector leadership. Finally, the article concludes with a comparison of key features of an Islamic public administration with those of some Western systems, focusing on the greater similarity the Islamic has with traditional public-administration mandarin and the contrasting nature both have with the New Public Management neoliberal managerialism.


Abstract Self-related processing, reflecting the evaluation of environmental signals with regard to personal relevance, is fundamental for decision-making and subsequent behavioral responses. While self-related processing has already been investigated in several domains, one important domain, the sexual domain, has been spared so far. Recent imaging studies suggest that self-related processing in different domains involves common regions in medial orbitofrontal and prefrontal cortex, the so-called ventral cortical midline structures (CMS). However, the same regions have also been implicated in sexual arousal, especially with regard to emotional processing in sexual arousal. Therefore it remains unclear whether this involvement of ventral cortical midline regions reflects emotional processing in sexual arousal or associated self-relatedness. We here report data from a parametric event-related fMRI study that investigated the neural correlates of self-related processing in sexual arousal, using erotic pictures from the International Affective Picture System. It was found that self-related activity associated with sexual arousal showed neural activity in ventral CMS regions such as the venteromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) and the perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (PACC), while self-related activity not associated with sexual arousal showed neural activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC). Our study indicates that self-relatedness may be considered a crucial component in sexual arousal that is mediated by neural activity in ventral cortical midline structures.


We present a mesh-based, interpolatory method for interactively creating artist-directed inbetweens from arbitrary sets of 2D drawing shapes without rigging. To enable artistic freedom of expression we remove prior restrictions on the range of possible changes between shapes; we support interpolation with extreme deformation and unrestricted topology change. To do this, we extend discrete variational interpolation by introducing a consistent multimesh structure over drawings, a Comesh Optimization algorithm that optimizes our multimesh for both intra- and inter-mesh quality, and a new shape-space energy that efficiently supports arbitrary changes and can prevent artwork overlap when desired. Our multimesh encodes specified correspondences that guide interpolation paths between shapes. With these correspondences, an efficient local-global minimization of our energy interpolates n-way between drawing shapes to create inbetweens. Our Comesh Optimization enables artifact-free minimization by building consistent meshes across drawings that improve both the quality of per-mesh energy discretization and inter-mesh mapping distortions, while guaranteeing a single, compatible triangulation. We implement our method in a test-bed interpolation system that allows interactive creation and editing of animations from sparse key drawings with arbitrary topology and shape change.


Recognition of coastal and estuarine waters as a part of the overall water resources of a nation is a development that became evident only in quite recent years in the United States. To a significant degree it is associated with an aroused public concern for the quality of something currently described loosely as "the environemnt" — a concern which initially reached a critical mass in about the year 1969. To be sure, the oceans have always fascinated men of all sorts from adventurers to scientists, but the emergence of a broad public interest in the quality of ocean water, particularly in the coastal zone, is the result of several factors, not all of which are scientifically defensible. One such factor is the notion that the oceans are teeming with life which may well become man's final source of food when he has overwhelmed by sheer numbers the physical and biological carrying capacity of the land. Such an estimate of the potential of the sea seems to have been obtained by multiplying the volume of the oceans by the biomass concentration typical of the continental shelves. That it is a vast exaggeration in no way detracts from its potential to energize public reaction. However, the truth that aquatic life is most abundant in the coastal zones, and the prospect that man must manage this zone in a better manner if that life is to continue to contribute to his well being, only makes it the more important that the quality of coastal waters be a matter of concern and of purposeful management. To this end a considerable degree of public overestimation of the role of the sea in sustaining human life is a force that can be harnessed to productive programs of intelligent action. In fact, an appreciable amount of purely emotional concern for such catchwords as "ecosystems," "endangered species," "habitat,1,1 etc. can be tolerated and often used productively without any debating of its validity as long as it does not impose a serious constraint upon society without generating any corresponding benefit to either man or his fellow creatures.


angladesh continues to be one of the 57 countries with a serious shortage of trained doctors, paramedics, nurses and midwives despite attempt for increased production in the recent years. Village doctors, a group of informally trained practitioners of modern medicines and drugs, are the dominant health care providers in rural areas. Recognizing the importance of their role in the face of serious shortage of trained health care providers, icddr,b has previously tested interventions to improve the quality of their services – especially training on acceptable practice and the creation of a franchise called ShasthyaSena (health soldier). But training alone met with limited success, as the incentives to sell inappropriate medicines and drugs were too strong. To continue to shift these incentives and to improve the quality of services, icddr,b has been testing an mHealth intervention that linked ShasthyaSenas to qualified physicians through a call centre. This brief documents the successes and challenges faced during the first year of implementation of the mHealth intervention.


Purpose: To operationally conceptualize physical literacy (PL) for application in the United States, using a modified Delphi approach, with PL academics. Methods: A sequential, mixed methods, modified Delphi research design was employed, consisting of three phases: (a) literature analysis, (b) Delphi Survey I (22 participants), and (c) Delphi Survey II (18 participants). Data were analyzed using qualitative coding and descriptive frequency statistics. Results: PL academics' conceptions of PL suggested a multidimensional, noncontextual, personal, holistic learning process. Qualitative analysis generated two themes: (a) "PL is" and (b) "PL is not." Quantitative results aligned with the qualitative findings. PL concepts that achieved unanimous agreement were (a) application of knowledge to physical activity (PA), (b) value of PA, (c) autonomous participation in PA, (d) enjoyment of PA, and (e) ability to participate in PA independently. Discussion/Conclusion: PL was operationalized as an autonomous applicati...


The article argues on the basis of a case from the 1560s in Danzig that prior to the formulation of the legal concept of neutrality by Hugo Grotius, there was a practice of neutrality. It was expressed in various terms and manners. This practice pertained to both cities and states, and the case discloses the first documented instance when the Netherlands explicitly strove for neutrality also by legal means. The choice for neutrality was rooted in political and economic interests and as such had advantages, but it was also fraught with difficulties. The analysis shows that the actual extent of neutrality depended on the acceptance (or lack thereof) of the warring parties. Also, by excluding the possibilities of the use of violence or economic means of pressure like blockades, neutrals were limited to diplomacy and law during conflicts. This lay the ground for the development of a legal concept of neutrality.


Problem. In December of 1981 the Norwegian government suddenly opened the possibility of Community Radio in Norway. This was a rather drastic decision since the country had had a government-sponsored radio monopoly for almost fifty years. All at once, Christian denominations and other organizations in selected areas all over the country were able to present their message on radio broadcasts. The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Norway was taken by surprise when the government radio monopoly was suddenly dissolved. It had not applied for permission to start broadcasting and had done little preparation for such a media development. Several other Christian denominations had been preparing for this eventuality for a number of years and were able to start broadcasting shortly after government permissions were granted. Later, a number of Seventh-day Adventist congregations were able to buy air-time from organizations which had already received permission. In September of 1984, a number of Seventh-day Adventist congregations received official permissions to start broadcasting on Community Radio in Norway. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to develop a strategy for a local Seventh-day Adventist ministry on Community Radio in Norway, and to suggest formats of radio broadcasts that might be used in such a ministry. Furthermore, the writer investigated the enormous problem of secularism, which is challenging the Christian community in Western Europe. Guidelines were suggested which might help the Christian broadcaster reach the increasingly larger secular part of the European population. The study suggests the following conclusions: 1. It is important for the Christian broadcaster to start with his target audience, to do research and develop a strategy to reach his target audience. 2. The Christian broadcaster should be aware of the advantages and disadvantages of radio. The medium of radio is particularly useful in the early stages of evangelism. It is an effective medium for building awareness and influencing change. 3. The wide-spread secularism in Norway poses a real challenge to the Christian community, but study shows that secular people can be more easily reached on the basis of felt needs. 4. One cannot conclude that one format of religious radio broadcasting is better than another. It is all a matter of what target audience one is trying to reach. The format should be regarded as a vehicle that can help the Christian broadcaster reach his target audience.


The Supreme Court in Jaffee v. Redmond announced a federal testimonial privilege protecting communications between a psychotherapist and his patient in federal court. However, in footnote 19 of the opinion, the Court noted that there may be times where the privilege must "give way," such as when "disclosure" of the statements made in therapy is necessary to protect an intended victim of the patient. Nonetheless, commentators have argued against an exception to the privilege when the statements made to the therapist indicate that a target is in danger, and some courts have rejected such a "dangerous patient exception" to the psychotherapist-patient privilege. This Article takes an opposing view and argues for an exception to be applied in limited circumstances that is narrower than the dangerous patient exception – a "criminal threat exception."This Article will demonstrate that, where courts refuse to acknowledge an exception to the psychotherapist-patient privilege where the patient's threatening statement is in itself a crime, the federal courts are rendered "occasional instruments of injustice," as Justice Scalia warned in his dissent in Jaffee. Moreover, the rationale behind Jaffe's creation of the psychotherapist-patient privilege – that society's interest in the mental health of the citizenry outweighs society's interest in the search for the truth in court – does not hold true where the statement that a patient makes to his therapist is in itself a crime, specifically a threat against a federal official. Congress has criminalized threats against public officials for several reasons: not only to protect the target from the threat being carried out, but also to protect the official from the fear of the violence and from the disruption that that fear engenders. That fear and disruption inhibits the free and fair functioning of government. Thus, in the case of a threat against a public official, the public's need for the evidence is elevated; The need for a criminal threat exception exceeds the costs. Therefore, a narrow exception to the psychotherapist-patient privilege should be acknowledged under those circumstances. .


Given the pursuit of long-term decarbonisation targets, future power systems face the task of integrating the renewable power and providing flexible backup production capacity. Due to its general ability to be dispatched, hydropower offers unique features and a backup production option not to be neglected, especially when taking the flexibility potential of multireservoir systems into account. Adequate hydropower representations are a necessity when analysing future power markets and aggregation methods are crucial for overcoming computational challenges. However, a major issue is that the aggregation must not be a too flexible representation. In a first step, a novel equivalent hydro system model implementation including a possibility to integrate pumping capacity and appropriate handling of multiple water paths (hydraulic coupling) by making use of an ex-ante optimisation is proposed. In a second step, a clustered equivalent hydro system model implementation employing k-means clustering is presented. A comparison of both aggregation approaches against the detailed reference system shows that both aggregated model variants yield significant reductions in computation time while keeping an adequate level of accuracy for a highly decarbonised power system scenario in Europe. The aggregation methods can easily be applied in different model types and may also be helpful in the stochastic case.


The aim of this research is to determine of transmission risk level of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF) endemic area in District of Bone, Municipal of Palopo, and Municipal of Makassar, South Sulawesi Province. Study held in May-June 2015 to 100 households by systematically sampling method in three highest local healthcare center work area in each endemic in District of Bone (Watampone), Municipal of Palopo (Wara), and Municipal of Makassar (Mangasa), South Sulawesi Province. Data analyzed to show the indicators of DHF surveillance (House Index, Container Index, and Breteau Index) and density figure. Data served with the number of larva in each inspected container, percentage and distribution of containers. Free larvae index values of three local healthcare center were Watampone: 53%, Wara: 54%, and Mangasa: 68%. The highest container indices values were local healthcare center of Watampone (17.78%), Wara (17.71%) and Mangasa (15.47%) respectively. According to HI, CI and BI, density figure calculation, the study areas were categorized as moderate to high risk to DHF and the Maya Index indicate the moderate risk to DHF transmission. Density figure of household water containers were moderate to high. Stronger campaign, door to door case detection and educating persuasive efforts concerning DHF case is important to be done in order to awaken the community awareness including stake holder to contribute to solve on DHF problem.


Who needs expensive, old-fashioned office software? Now, you can do everything online, free, with Google Docs! Experts Steve and Nancy Holzner offer simple, step-by-step instructions and great insider tips for making the most of Googles powerful online word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation tools. Youll get started fast... learn how to create and format professional-quality documents of all kinds... collaborate with colleagues to build better proposals and presentations... use advanced tools like revision history, templates, and charts... discover Google Docs latest features and shortcuts... and a whole lot more! No matter what kind of documents you create, this book can help you do the job better, faster, and more efficiently... and youll never pay for office software again! Youll Learn How To Get your free Google account and set up iGoogle for instant access to your documents Upload and use the documents youve already created with Microsoft Office Use Google Spreadsheet to create charts to display spreadsheet data Master Google Docs easy, powerful document-editing and formatting tools Insert images into your documents and presentations Share documents securely with your colleagues Back up your documents offline and edit them when you dont have an Internet connection Steven Holzner, former contributing editor at PC Magazine, is author of 108 computer books that have sold more than 2.5 million copies. His most recent Pearson book is Facebook Marketing. Nancy Holzner writes and edits technology books from her home in central New York state. Her recent publications include books on Intuit QuickBase and Zoho. Nancy has also worked as a medievalist, a high school teacher, and a corporate trainer. CATEGORY: Productivity Suites COVERS: Google Docs USER LEVEL: Beginning-Intermediate


BACKGROUND
Amodiaquine has been widely used to treat malaria. Due to reports of fatal adverse drug reactions, discontinuation or modification of its use has been suggested.

OBJECTIVES
The objective of this review was to assess the effects of amodiaquine for treating malaria.

SEARCH STRATEGY
We searched the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group trials register and Medline. We also contacted researchers in the field and drug companies.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomised and quasi-randomised trials comparing amodiaquine with other treatment for uncomplicated malarial infections in adults and children.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Both reviewers independently extracted data and assessed trial quality.

MAIN RESULTS
Forty trials were included. Allocation was adequately concealed in three trials. Amodiaquine was more effective than chloroquine for parasite clearance. The combined results of parasite clearance at seven days from 24 trials was 83% for amodiaquine and 56% for chloroquine (odds ratio 4.29, 95% confidence interval 3.51 to 5.24). The odds ratio for parasite clearance at 14 days was 6.00, 95% confidence interval 4.38 to 8.21. Amodiaquine and sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine showed similar results for parasite clearance on day seven, but sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine appeared to be more effective on day 14 and 28. No significant difference for adverse events was observed between amodiaquine and chloroquine and sulfadoxine/pyrimethamine. Reported adverse effects were minor or moderate, not life threatening.

REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS
There is some evidence to support the continued use of amodiaquine in the treatment of uncomplicated malaria, although drug resistance should be considered. Monitoring for toxicity should also continue.


Triblock copolymers were polymerised by the ring-opening reaction of D,L-lactide in the presence of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), with number-average molecular weight (Mn) of 1500 and 2050 g/mol, using Sn(Oct)2 as a catalyst. The influences of the reaction time, the ratio of PEG and Poly(D,L-lactic acid) (PLA), and PEG types on structure and sol-gel phase transition of PLA-PEG-PLA triblock copolymers were investigated. Optimal polymerisation parameters were obtained, such as reaction time of 18 hours, a catalyst amount of 1.3%, and PEG/PLA ratio of 1/1.7, PEG (Mn=1500); the efficiency of the triblock synthesis was 42.3%. The properties of PLA-PEG-PLA copolymers were evaluated by analytical methods such as proton nuclear magnetic resonance H1NMR spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and the sol-gel state transition at varying temperature. The results show that the triblock was successfully synthesised and its hydrogel had capability of the sol-gel state transition when the temperature changed. The PLA-PEG-PLA copolymer in aqueous solution is a thermo-sensitive hydrogel that can be used for drug and protein delivery systems or triblock denaturation applications for commercial purposes.


The local elections on 18 May 2011 will be among the most important and interesting elections in South Africa since 1994, as the ANC and the DA join battle for control of the country's municipalities. Enjoying massive support from the electorate, the ANC has been consistently formidable at election time, but recently has been losing some ground in by-elections. Across the country, the party also faces growing pressure from communities demanding better service delivery and accountable government. The growing trend in recent years for public protests to turn violent is worrying.


This article reports on the outcomes of an action research project on gender and science education carried out in two upper secondary schools in Sweden. The article focuses on how student voices draw on wider societal discourses when they talk about what it means to be natural science students at the beginning of the twenty‐first century. The article is divided into four sections. The first briefly describes the Swedish secondary school system, and identifies discourses of schooling and natural science in Swedish society. The second section contextualises the schools where the action research took place, concentrating in particular on the student focus groups. It further describes the methods used, the identification of themes from the students' discussion, and the analysis of student voices in the light of societal discourses. The third section explores and analyses the issues raised in the focus groups, and these are further discussed in the final section where new insights are provided, at an individual as well as a more general level. Overall, the article draws attention to the importance of student 'voices' and of the student perspective in discourses of science, gender and education.


Abstract Ediacaran fronds at Spaniard's Bay on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland exhibit exquisite, three-dimensional preservation with morphological features less than 0.05 mm in width visible on the best preserved specimens. Most of the nearly 100 specimens are juvenile rangeomorphs, an extinct Ediacaran clade that numerically dominated the early evolution of complex multicellular life. Spaniard's Bay rangeomorphs are characterized by cm-scale architectural elements exhibiting self-similar branching over several fractal scales that were used as modules in construction of larger structures. Four taxa of rangeomorph fronds are present – Avalofractus abaculus n. gen. et sp., Beothukis mistakensis Brasier and Antcliffe, Trepassia wardae (Narbonne and Gehling), and Charnia cf. C. masoni Ford. All of these taxa exhibit an alternate array of primary rangeomorph branches that pass off a central stalk or furrow that marks the midline of the petalodium. Avalofractus is remarkably self similar over at least four fractal scales, with each scale represented by double-sided rangeomorph elements that were constrained only at their attachment point with the higher-order branch and thus were free to rotate and pivot relative to other branches. Beothukis is similar in organization, but its primary branches show only one side of a typical rangeomorph element, probably due to longitudinal branch folding, and the position of the individual branches was moderately constrained. Trepassia shows only single-sided branches with both primary and secondary branches emanating from a central stalk or furrow; primary branches were capable of minor pivoting as reflected in bundles of secondary branches. Charnia shows only single-sided primary branches that branch from a zigzag central furrow and that were firmly constrained relative to each. This sequence provides a developmental linkage between Rangea-type and Charnia-type rangeomorphs. Avalonian assemblages show a wide array of rangeomorph constructions, but later Ediacaran assemblages contain a lower diversity of rangeomorphs represented mainly by well-constrained forms.


INTRODUCTION: Coaches must carefully monitor their athletes' acute responses during intensified training camps in the lead up to competition as appropriate training dose is required to optimise performance potential while reducing the risk of developing non-functional overreaching. The session-RPE (sRPE) method has been widely used in training load quantification for various types of training across multiple sports, as determined by multiplying a sessional rating of perceived exertion (RPE: Borg category-ratio 10 [CR-10]) by the session duration (minutes). To date, no studies have quantified training load or periodisation profiles in elite badminton players during Olympic competition. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to 1) quantify training load of elite badminton players during an intensified training camp and Olympic competition using the sRPE method; and 2) describe periodisation strategies employed by Indonesian Olympic coaches.

METHODS: Ten Olympic badminton players' (male: n=5 and female: n=5) competing in six events (Men's Singles [MS]; Women's singles [WS]; Men's doubles [MD]; Women's doubles [WD]; Mixed doubles [XD1* and XD2]) completed a 9-day intensified training camp (ITC; Sau Paulo, Brazil) immediately followed by Olympic Games competition (OGC; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) over 6–9 days, with each event having their own coach. Player characteristics for male and female players were, respectively: mean age 28.4 yrs (SD, 2.8) and 28.4 yrs (SD, 1.5); height 180.0 cm (SD, 6.4) and 164.4 cm (SD, 2.9); weight 79.1 kg (SD, 6.6) and 60.0 kg (SD, 5.5). Athletes were of elite level comprising of Olympic Games Medallists (2008 Gold and Silver); current World and Asian Champions. Quantification of the training load (AU) was performed by the sRPE method for every training session/match during the ITC and OGC. Players were asked 30 min after each session/match to ensure that their RPE referred to the intensity of the whole activity rather than the most recent activity intensity. A two-way ANOVA was used to determine any significant changes during the training/competition periods. Statistical analyses were performed using a SPSS (Version 22.0; Chicago, IL). Alpha was set at p<0.05. Data are presented as mean ± SD with Delta percent change in training load relative to the previous day training load. The example profile presented is that of XD1*, Olympic Gold medallists.

RESULTS: Training loads between male and female during the ITC were significantly higher (p<0.001) compared to OGC, respectively (ITC: 999 ± 375 and 1004 ± 407 AU; and OGC: 723 ± 252 and 745 ± 245 AU). No differences were observed between male and female players or event across the training/competition period. A clear difference in the periodisation strategy of daily training load dose was evident for the six coaches during the OGC. The profile of XD1* clearly represented a repeat step-type reduction in training load over the OGC (Day 2: –25%; Day 3: –24% Day 4: +36%; Day 5: –33%; Day 6: –32%; Day 7: –25%; Day 8: +50%; Day 9: –15%; Day 10: –11%).

DISCUSSION: As expected, training load for ITC was significantly higher than OGC, however individual players' training loads did not differentiate from each other. Differences in the six coaches' periodisation strategy were evident during the OGC. Daily training load profiles for coaches of XD1* and XD2 employed a step-type reduction over 3-days, followed by an increased training dose on day 4. This profile was repeated twice over the remaining days of the OGC. In contrast, coaches of MS and WS displayed an exponential reduction. Alternatively, coaches of MD and WD employed a combination of a step-type/exponential reduction.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: The sRPE method enabled the training load quantification and determination of periodisation models in elite badminton players during an ITC and OGC. As acute training responses are directly linked to the magnitude of daily change in training load, coaches must consider the importance of the desired daily training load in meeting the periodisation model, thereby optimising the athletes' performance potential.


The purpose of this study is to conduct basic research on development of game interface for the elderly by verifying the difference in user experience based on the type of interface. The methodology of playtest combining experimental research and survey was applied with subjects of elderly users consisting of 47 men and 48 women being ages 60 and up. The effects of user experience between natural user interface and the pad-type interface were compared and analyzed through repeated measure MANOVA in terms of emotional response, ease of use and flow. The NUI game showed higher emotional responses such as pleasure and dominance. On the other hand, there was no difference in arousal. The NUI game also presented higher ease of use in the process of game play and it also had higher autotelic experience, action-awareness merging, sense of control and ambiguous feedback experience. These results may contribute to the development of serious game and natural user interface for the elderly by empirically identifying the effects of user experience on NUI.


Non-indigenous species (hereafter NIS) have long been recognized as adversely affecting habitats they invade. While many of their documented ecological impacts have been to specific species, namely prey, they may impact whole food webs. Both vertebrate and invertebrate NIS have been present in the Columbia River since the mid 1800's. The New Zealand mudsnail, (Potamopyrgus antipodarum, hereafter NZMS) was first reported in the Columbia River Estuary in 1995. This typically freshwater NIS invaded Youngs Bay, a shallow embayment within the Columbia River estuary system, and has proliferated within this benthic community. To date, there have been no inquiries into the impact of NZMS on the food web in a brackish water estuary within the United States. To identify community-level impacts by the invasive NZMS, an ecological census of the benthic communities of Youngs and Cathlamet Bays (reference site) was conducted, including comprehensive sampling of vertebrates and benthic invertebrates from these two brackish water systems. Stable isotope analysis (SIA) from these two systems is being utilized to identify trophic level food web relationships. 50% of one common estuarine fish, the Pacific staghorn sculpin (Leptocottus armatus) were found to contain NZMS in their guts. Furthermore, I have found densities reaching 15,711 snails/m sampled. These results indicate NZMS in Youngs Bay may affect higher trophic levels.


We document a strong effect of pension and insurance company (P&I) assets on the long end of the yield curve. Using data from 26 countries, the yield spread between 30-year and 10-year government bond yields is negatively related to the ratio of pension assets (in funded and private pension and life insurance arrangements) to GDP, suggesting that preferred-habitat demand by the P&I sector for long-dated assets drives the long end of the yield curve. We draw on changes in regulations in several European countries between 2008 and 2013 to provide well-identified evidence on the effect of the P&I sector on yields and to show that P&I demand is in part driven by hedging linked to the regulatory discount curve. When regulators reduce the dependence of the regulatory discount curve on a particular security, P&I demand for the security falls and its yield increases. These effects extend beyond long government bonds. Our results suggest that pension discount rules can have a destabilizing impact on bond markets that reverses once rules are changed.


Optical imaging of voltage indicators based on green fluorescent proteins (FPs) or archaerhodopsin has emerged as a powerful approach for detecting the activity of many individual neurons with high spatial and temporal resolution. Relative to green FP-based voltage indicators, a bright red-shifted FP-based voltage indicator has the intrinsic advantages of lower phototoxicity, lower autofluorescent background, and compatibility with blue-light-excitable channelrhodopsins. Here, we report a bright red fluorescent voltage indicator (fluorescent indicator for voltage imaging red; FlicR1) with properties that are comparable to the best available green indicators. To develop FlicR1, we used directed protein evolution and rational engineering to screen libraries of thousands of variants. FlicR1 faithfully reports single action potentials (∼3% ΔF/F) and tracks electrically driven voltage oscillations at 100 Hz in dissociated Sprague Dawley rat hippocampal neurons in single trial recordings. Furthermore, FlicR1 can be easily imaged with wide-field fluorescence microscopy. We demonstrate that FlicR1 can be used in conjunction with a blue-shifted channelrhodopsin for all-optical electrophysiology, although blue light photoactivation of the FlicR1 chromophore presents a challenge for applications that require spatially overlapping yellow and blue excitation. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Fluorescent-protein-based voltage indicators enable imaging of the electrical activity of many genetically targeted neurons with high spatial and temporal resolution. Here, we describe the engineering of a bright red fluorescent protein-based voltage indicator designated as FlicR1 (fluorescent indicator for voltage imaging red). FlicR1 has sufficient speed and sensitivity to report single action potentials and voltage fluctuations at frequencies up to 100 Hz in single-trial recordings with wide-field microscopy. Because it is excitable with yellow light, FlicR1 can be used in conjunction with blue-light-activated optogenetic actuators. However, spatially distinct patterns of optogenetic activation and voltage imaging are required to avoid fluorescence artifacts due to photoactivation of the FlicR1 chromophore.


Bitcoin falls dramatically short of the scale provided by banks for payments. Its ledger grow by the addition of blocks of ∼ 2000 transaction every 10 minutes. Intuitively, one would expect that increasing the block capacity would solve this scaling problem. However, we show that increasing the block capacity would be futile. We analyze strategic interactions of miners, who are heterogeneous in their power over block addition, and users, who are heterogeneous in the value of their transactions, using a game-theoretic model. We show that a capacity increase can facilitate large miners to tacitly collude artificially reversing back the capacity via strategically adding partially filled blocks in order to extract economic rents. This strategic partial filling crowds out low value payments. Collusion is sustained if the smallest colluding miner has a share of block addition power above a lower bound. We provide empirical evidence of such strategic partial filling of blocks
by large miners of Bitcoin.

We show that a protocol design intervention can breach the lower bound and eliminate collusion. However, this also makes the system less secure. On the one hand, collusion crowds out low-value payments; on the other hand, if collusion is suppressed, security threatens high-value payments. Thus its untenable to include range of payments with vastly different outside options, willingness to bear security risk and delay onto a single chain. Thus, we show economic limits to the scalability of Bitcoin. Under these economic limits, collusive rent extraction acts an effective mechanism to invest in platform security and build responsiveness to demand shocks. These traits are otherwise hard to attain in dis-intermediated setting owing to the high cost of consensus. We discuss recommendations to public Blockchain designers.


An observer's just discriminable difference in depth is a function of his interocular distance, his threshold difference in binocular parallax, and the observation distance. Magnification devices consisting of lenses and/or prisms will change the threshold of depth resolution because the latter now depends on the optical properties of the device as well as on the observer's characteristics. An equation has been derived expressing this change in linear threshold of depth resolution as a function of the lens and prism power of the device, the separation of the components of the device from the eye, the observer's interocular distance, and the object distance. Free choice of the optical properties of such magnifiers is, however, restricted since these properties must permit a clear retinal image of the object to be formed simultaneously on the foveas of both of the observer's eyes. In general, plus lenses and base-in prisms will enhance the depth resolution and this points to the use of such devices in tasks demanding high depth resolution at close observation distances, as, for example, in surgery or inspection of surface defects.An experimental determination of the change in linear depth resolution produced by a binocular magnifier showed close agreement with the theoretical prediction.


The paper examines the questions of which fiscal (public expenditure and taxation) options work in terms of poverty reduction, and how they can be made implementable in practice. The point of departure is that although the poor, acting on their own, are politically weak, nonetheless there are ways in which they can make themselves essential to the elite, and this in combination with relevant policies and institutions has enabled poverty, in some countries and regions, to fall dramatically. Yet others have been excluded from this process. Our review identifies the following areas of policy and institutional development as requiring further exploration and testing through the life of the RPC: (1) The distributional impact of public expenditure and taxation, with emphasis on the sectors of agriculture and social protection, and on the instruments of input subsidy and 'progressive' export taxation; (2) The politics of forming pro-poor coalitions, with emphasis on reforms of distributive justice as an instrument for achieving this; (3) The politics of escaping from the low-tax trap, with emphasis on the role of aid donors. Within each of these territories, an agenda for future research is specified.


Different point mutations in the nucleolar protein fibrillarin (Nop1p in Saccharomyces cerevisiae) can inhibit different steps in ribosome synthesis. A screen for mutations that are synthetically lethal (sl) with the nop1-5 allele, which inhibits pre-rRNA processing, identified NOP56. An independent sl mutation screen with nop1-3, which inhibits pre-rRNA methylation, identified a mutation in NOP58. Strikingly, Nop56p and Nop58p are highly homologous (45% identity). Both proteins were found to be essential and localized to the nucleolus. A temperature-sensitive lethal mutant allele, nop56-2, inhibited many steps in pre-rRNA processing, particularly on the pathway of 25S/5.8S rRNA synthesis, and led to defects in 60S subunit assembly. Epitope-tagged constructs show that both Nop56p and Nop58p are associated with Noplp in complexes, Nop56p and Nop1p exhibiting a stoichiometric association. These physical interactions presumably underlie the observed sl phenotypes. Well-conserved homologs are present in a range of organisms, including humans (52% identity between human hNop56p and yeast Nop56p), suggesting that these complexes have been conserved in evolution.


A cross-sectional sero-epidemological study was conducted in two districts of the Bench Maji Zone, Southwestern Ethiopia between November 2007 and February 2008 with the objective of determining the seroprevalence of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in cattle and identifying the potential risk factors associated with the disease. Sera samples were collected from a total of 273 cattle in 98 herds. The sera were submitted to the National Veterinary Institute (NVI), Debre zeit, Ethiopia for screening using the 3ABC-ELISA. The overall seroprevalence of FMD was 12.08% (n=273). Significantly higher seroprevalence (20%) was recorded in the Surma district compared to the Semen Bench district (5.88%). Peasant associations (equivalent to villages in a district) had prevalence rates of 25, 20, 15, 8.16, 5.66 and 3.92% for Kibish, Tulgit, Koka, Aman, Mizan and Temenja-yasz respectively. From the various risk factors analyzed peasant associations, cross boundary movement and herd size were seen to be statistically associated (p<0.05) with the seroprevalence of FMD. There was no significant variation in seroprevalence among sex, age and herd type. The result of the present study showed that FMD is an important cattle disease in the study area. Thus, an appropriate control strategy has to be designed and applied which could involve regulation of transboundary cattle movement and vaccination using the circulating virus strain.

 Key words: Bench Maji zone, cattle, FMD, risk factors, sero-epidemiology.


The aim of this report was to identify the crime risks which will arise between 2007-09 out of the environment in which Australians use information and communications technologies. The aim of this report was to identify the crime risks which will arise over the next two years (2007-09) out of the environment in which Australians use information and communications technologies. In identifying future risk areas, particular focus is placed on the impact these will have for law enforcement, the need for additional resources, law reform, development of cooperative arrangements between Australian and overseas public and private sector organisations, and development of public information and educational resources to minimise the risk of widespread harm to the community. The report begins by identifying developments that will take place over the next two years that will be likely to facilitate technology-enabled crime. These include: changes arising from globalisation of business and the emergence of new economies in China and India; developments in digitisation of information, especially relating to the widespread use of broadband services and mobile and wireless technologies; the evolution of electronic payment systems, especially those being used in connection with online gambling and auctions; and changes in the use governments make of technology to allow members of the public to conduct transactions with government agencies securely and even to aloe participation in democracy online. These, and other developments, create not only benefits for the community but also risks. This report identifies the most likely areas in which opportunities for illegality may arise including fraud, identity-related crime, computer vandalism, theft of information, dissemination of objectionable material online, and risks of organised crime and terrorism. The implications for these developments are then assessed in terms of their impact for policing, policy making and legislation.


The complementary Monte Carlo and series expansions methods of computer simulations have been described to investigate the critical behaviour of the Ashkin-Teller model in three dimensions. In the first method the invariance of the ratio of the square of the second moment of the order parameter to its fourth moment in the critical region has been exploited and some critical points on the phase boundaries have been calculated in the regions where the continuous transitions are expected. The continuity of the order parameter on the critical lines is verified by a finite size scaling analysis. Large-scale simulations have been performed on SGI Power Challenge XL and L supercomputers using the 64-bit random number generator. The numerically generated series expansions method is described for which the effective algorithm for generation of graphs starting from polygons and based on collapsing the unlinked vertices, is introduced. The new feature of our algorithm is that for each graph we introduce new links between unlinked vertices and we decorate bonds with new vertices, so that more complex graphs in an early stage of the graph generation procedure are obtained. The resulting set of graphs enables the application of the series expansions method and achievement of the precision of allocation of points on the phase diagram comparable to the precision of the Monte Carlo method, i.e. at least 3 decimal digits.


Parents' perceptions of their child's behavior may differ for mothers and fathers. Differences in parental perception may also be apparent in cases of special needs adoptive families with high demands of their child for time, interventions and attention. This paper examines the differences in mother-child and father-child interactions, child behavior as reported by mothers, and fathers and changes in both after participation in an intervention program. Results suggest notable differences between mothers' and fathers' parent-child interaction scores and reports of child behavior. In addition, interaction scores and behavior reports showed some correlations. Finally, there seemed to be notable differences in the trends for the Child Behavior Checklist compared to the two attachment measures (Randolph Attachment Disorder Questionnaire and Beech Brook Attachment Disorder Checklist). Several possible explanations for mother and father differences are discussed.


The present paper reports on our observations on the ovule structure of autonomous obligatory apomicts. We analyzed two triploid species of Taraxacum: T. udum, T. alatum and two triploid species of Chondrilla: Ch. juncea, Ch. brevirostris. The ovules of all studied species show a structure typical for the members of Asteraceae. One basal ovule develops into an inferior and unilocular ovary. The ovule is anatropous, tenuinucellate and unitegmic. Structural changes were observed in the ovule at the time of the embryo sac maturation. The innermost layer of integument develops into an endothelium surrounding the female gametophyte. Moreover, considerable modifications occurred in the integumentary cell layers adjacent to the endothelium. These cells show signs of programmed cell death and their walls begin to thicken. Histological analysis revealed that the prominent thick cell walls were rich in pectins. Layers of thick-walled cells formed a special storage tissue which, most likely, is an additional source of nutrients necessary for the proper nourishment of a female gametophyte and then of a proembryo.


We present a sample of 824 solar and late-type stars with X-ray luminosities and rotation periods. This is used to study the relationship between rotation and stellar activity and derive a new estimate of the convective turnover time. From an unbiased subset of this sample the power-law slope of the unsaturated regime, LX/Lbol∝Roβ, is fit as β = −2.70 ± 0.13. This is inconsistent with the canonical β = −2 slope to a confidence of 5σ, and argues for an additional term in the dynamo number equation. From a simple scaling analysis this implies ΔΩ/Ω∝Ω0.7, i.e., the differential rotation of solar-type stars gradually declines as they spin down. Supersaturation is observed for the fastest rotators in our sample and its parametric dependencies are explored. Significant correlations are found with both the corotation radius and the excess polar updraft, the latter theory providing a stronger dependence and being supported by other observations. We estimate mass-dependent empirical thresholds for saturation and supersaturation and map out three regimes of coronal emission. Late F-type stars are shown never to pass through the saturated regime, passing straight from supersaturated to unsaturated X-ray emission. The theoretical threshold for coronal stripping is shown to be significantly different from the empirical saturation threshold (Ro < 0.13), suggesting it is not responsible. Instead we suggest that a different dynamo configuration is at work in stars with saturated coronal emission. This is supported by a correlation between the empirical saturation threshold and the time when stars transition between convective and interface sequences in rotational spin-down models.


We analyze the stability and magnetic properties of infinite zigzag atomic chains of a large number of late third-, fourth-, and fifth-row transition-metal atoms, as well as of the group-IV elements Si, Ge, Sn, and Pb. We find that zigzag chains of third- and fourth-row elements are not stable, while those made of Si, Ge, Sn, Pb, W, Os, Ir, Pt, and Au are. These results correlate well with known data in mechanically controllable break-junction experiments (MCBJEs). We therefore conjecture that the stability of an infinite chain is at least a necessary condition for the formation of a finite-sized one in MCBJEs. We therefore predict that Sn and Os, and possibly W and Pb chains, may be found in those experiments. We also find that the bonds in Hg chains are extremely soft. We finally show that the magnetic moments and anisotropies of Ir and Pt chains show a nontrivial behavior.


OBJECTIVE
A longitudinal analysis was used to explore the relationship between diagnosis of serious mental illness and subsequent new diagnoses of HIV.

METHODS
Logistic regression was used to predict HIV/AIDS diagnoses in 2002–2004 among Medicaid beneficiaries in eight states (N=6,417,676) who were without HIV in 2001. Results for beneficiaries with and without serious mental illness, a substance use disorder, and psychiatric comorbidities in 2001 were compared.

RESULTS
After controlling for substance abuse or dependence and other factors, the analyses indicated that the odds of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses among beneficiaries with or without serious mental illness did not differ significantly. Compared with beneficiaries without a substance use disorder or serious mental illness, individuals with a substance use disorder but without serious mental illness were 3.1 times (OR=3.13, p<.001) more likely, and those with both substance abuse or dependence and serious mental illness were 2.1 times (OR=2.09, p<.001) more likely, to receive a new HIV diagnosis in 2002–2004. However, people with serious mental illness but without a substance use disorder in 2001 were 23% less likely (OR=.77, p<.001) than people without serious mental illness or a substance use disorder in 2001 to receive a new HIV diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS
After substance abuse or dependence was controlled for longitudinally, little independent association between serious mental illness and the risk of new HIV diagnoses was found. HIV-prevention services for low-income individuals should be delivered to all persons with serious mental illness, but especially those with comorbid substance use disorders.


The theory behind lean philosophy is to create more value with less. Effective lean management enables organisations to exceed customer expectations while reducing costs. Despite the fact that numerous practices and approaches are used in the process of implementing lean philosophy and reducing waste within supply chain systems, little effort has been directed into assessing the leanness level of distribution and its impact on overall performance. Given the vital role of distribution units within supply chains, this research aims to develop a comprehensive lean assessment framework that integrates a selected set of statistical, analytical, and mathematical techniques in order to assess the 'leanness' level in the distribution business. Due to the limited number of published articles in the area of lean distribution, there are no clear definitions of the underlying factors and practices. Therefore, the primary phase of the proposed framework addresses the identification of lean distribution dimensional structure and practices. The other two phases of the framework discuss the development of a structured model for lean distribution and address the process to find a quantitative lean index for benchmarking lean implementation in distribution centres. Integrating the three phases provides the decision makers with an indicator of performance, subject to applying various lean practices. Incorporating the findings of a survey that sent to 700 distribution businesses in Ireland along with value stream mapping, modelling, simulation, and data envelopment analysis, has given the framework strength in the assessment of leanness. Research outcomes show that lean distribution consists of five key dimensions; workforce management, item replenishment, customers, transportation, and process quality. Lean practices associated with these dimensions are mainly focused on enhancing the communication channels with customers, simplifying the distribution networks structure, people participating in problem solving and a continuous improvement process, and increasing the reliability and efficiency of the distribution operations. The final output of the framework is two key leanness indices; one is set to measure the tactical leanness level, while the second index represents the leanness at the operational level. Both indices can effectively be used in evaluating the lean implementation process and conducting a benchmarking process based on the leanness level.


Filters are integral components in all wireless communication systems, and their function is to permit predefined band of frequencies into the system and reject all other signals. The ever-growing demand in the use of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum for new applications has resulted in the need for high performance microwave filters with strict requirements on both inband and out-of-band characteristics. High selectivity, high rejection, low loss and extremely wide spurious-free performance are required for both transmitter and receiver channels. In addition, these devices need to be highly compact, easy to integrate within transceivers and should be amenable to low cost manufacturing. High selectivity is essential to enable the guard band between adjacent channels to be reduced thus improving the efficiency of the RF spectrum and hence increasing the capacity of the system. A low insertion-loss, high return-loss and small group-delay in the passband are necessary to minimize signal degradation. A wide stopband is necessary to suppress spurious passbands outside the filter's bandwidth that may allow spurious emissions from modulation process (harmonic, parasitic, intermodulation and frequency conversion products) and interfere with other systems. The EMC Directive 89/336/EEC mandates that all electronic equipment must comply with the applicable EN specification for EMI.

This thesis presents the research work that has resulted in the development of innovative and compact microstrip bandpass filters that fulfil the above stringent requirements for wireless communication systems. In fact, the proposed highly compact planar microstrip filters provide an alternative solution for existing and next generation of wireless communications systems. In particular, the proposed filters exhibit a low-loss and quasi-elliptic function response that is normally only possible with filter designs using waveguides and high temperature superconductors. The selectivity of the filters has been improved by inserting a pair of transmission zeros between the passband edges, and implementing notched rejection bands in the filter's frequency response to widen its stopband performance. The filter structures have been analysed theoretically and modelled by using Keysight Technologies' Advanced Design System (ADS™) and Momentum® software.

The dissertation is essentially composed of four main sections. In the first section, several compact and quasi-elliptic function bandpass filter structures are proposed and theoretically analysed. Selectivity and stopband performance of these filters is enhanced by loading the input and output feed-lines with inductive stubs that introduce transmission zeros at specified frequencies in the filter's frequency response. This technique is shown to provide a sharp 3-dB roll-off and steep selectivity skirt with high out-of-band rejection over a wide frequency span. In addition, the 3-dB fractional bandwidth of the filters is shown to be controllable by manipulating the filter's geometric parameters.

Traditional microwave bandpass filters are designed using quarter-wavelength distributed transmission-line resonators that are either end-coupled or side-coupled. The sharpness of the filter response is determined by the number of resonators employed which degrades the filter's passband loss performance. This results in a filter with a significantly larger footprint which precludes miniaturization. To circumvent these drawbacks the second section describes the development of a novel and compact wideband bandpass filter with the desired characteristics. The quasi-elliptic function filter comprises open-loop resonators that are coupled to each other using a stub loaded resonator. The proposed filter is shown to achieve a wideband 3-dB fractional bandwidth of 23% with much better loss performance, sharp skirt selectivity and very wide rejection bandwidth.

The third section describes the investigation of novel ultra-wideband (UWB) microstrip bandpass filter designs. Parametric study enabled the optimization of the filter's performance which was verified through practical measurements. The proposed filters meet the stringent characteristics required by modern communications systems, i.e. the filters are highly compact and miniature even when fabricated on a low dielectric constant substrate, possess a sharp quasi-elliptic function bandpass response with low passband insertion-loss, and ultra-wide stopband performance.

With the rapid development of multi-band operation in modern and next generation wireless communication systems, there is a great demand for single frequency discriminating devices that can operate over multiple frequency bands to facilitate miniaturization. These multi-band bandpass filters need to be physically small, have low insertion-loss, high return-loss, and excellent selectivity. In the fourth section two miniature microstrip dual-band and triple-band bandpass filter designs are explored. A detailed parametric study was conducted to fully understand how the geometric parameters of the filters affected their performance. The optimized filters were fabricated and measured to validate their performance.


One of the most important divisions in studies of premixed gaseous combustion is that between the theoretically much favoured laminar flames, and the more commonly observed case of turbulent burning. Laminar premixed flames clearly represent much simpler cases for theoretical and numerical study. Conversely experimental investigations are much simpler in the case of turbulent combustion due to the inherent instability of laminar fluid flows. One mechanism which can effect the transition from laminar to turbulent combustion is baroclinicity (i. e. the non-alignment of pressure and density gradients). A laminar deflagration, or slow flame, may be thought of as a reaction front which propagates at a low Mach number and whose associated pressure field is therefore close to uniformity. On the other hand, very steep density gradients are associated with the rapid temperature increase due to the exothermic chemical reaction. (Note that a typical deflagration thickness is of the order of 1 mm, and densities may decrease by factors of between five and ten in going from unburnt to burnt gas.) Externally induced pressure disturbances, which are almost universally present in practical combustion systems, can introduce a baroclinic effect whenever a steep pressure gradient interacts with a flame front in such a way that the former is misaligned with the density gradient associated with the latter. The differential acceleration of fluid elements can produce significant rotational motion and, if this field of vorticity is sufficiently strong, a laminar flame front may be broken up and the transition to turbulent burning may result. This scenario was clearly demonstrated in an experiment done by Markstein (1963) that involved the double passage of a large amplitude planar pressure signal across an expanding spherical flame bubble in a shock tube. The laminar flame front was completely obliterated, and the evolution to fine grain turbulent combustion was revealed. In the current paper we report on numerical simulations of a number of similar experiments. Although we are here restricted to two space dimensions and cannot therefore investigate fully turbulent behaviour, these simulations do reveal qualitatively similar behaviour to that found in the early stages of the Markstein experiment. It has been possible to repeat the simulations for a variety of different flames, so that the effects of the various processes (in particular the chemical reaction and the ther-moviscous diffusion) can be assessed. Attention is also given to the question of the grid dependency of the numerical solutions obtained.


Under the threat of global warming it is vital to determine the impact that future changes in climate may have on the environment and to what extent any adverse effects can be mitigated. In this research an assessment was carried out on the impact that climate trends may have on soil erosion and contaminant transport in India and examined the potential for top soil management practices to improve or maintain soil quality. Historical rainfall data from 50-135 years and extreme temperature data for 103 years were analysed and long term trends were assessed for various aspects of Indian climates using suitable statistical techniques. Results indicated that intra-region variability for extreme monsoon seasonal rainfall is large and mostly exhibited a negative tendency leading to increasing frequency and magnitude of monsoon rainfall deficit and decreasing frequency and magnitude of monsoon rainfall excess everywhere in India except in the peninsular Indian region. This is further exacerbated by increased and more variable extreme temperatures. Intra-region rainfall variability in India is linked to the pacific Southern Oscillation, where the associations of monsoon drought and El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the regions near to coast are greatest. 50years high resolution daily gridded rainfall data was analysed to set up certain indices for the extreme daily rainfalls to assess their changes for the six gridded regions of Kerala, the extreme south western state of India where monsoon rainfall initiates every year. This was also done for two study sites, namely Bhoj wetland area of west central India and Sukinda chromite mining site of central north east India. Significant decrease was found in monsoon and spring rainfall extremes and increase in winter and autumn rainfall extremes in Kerala that would affect the tendency of change in seasonal total rainfall as well. Decrease in monsoon rainfall in Kerala also indicate that monsoon rainfall is decreasing in India as a whole, increased occurrence of floods is expected in winter and autumn seasons, together with water scarcity are expected to be felt both in spring and monsoon seasons with a delaying monsoon onset in Kerala. Soil erosion studies were conducted for two northern most gridded regions of Kerala as an extended work of the related MPhil study, and contaminant transport with eroded sediments was looked at for the Bhoj and Sukinda sites using RUSLE2 model software and other suitable numerical methods. It was found that soil erosion depended on a complex interaction of climate, soil properties, topography, and cover management. An assessment on extreme climate patterns for Bhoj and Sukinda showed an increasing tendency of seasonal and annual rainfall extremes and temperatures leading to an increasing pattern of soil erosion at both the sites. However, a certain consensus was difficult to reach because of the complex interaction of climate and soil carbon that is a very important deciding factor for soil erosion potential. Vegetative cover and plant residue was found providing essential soil nutrients, enhancing soil properties and retarding rainfall impact on bare top soil leading to reduction of soil erosion. Therefore, a soil erosion and contaminant transport prevention plan should take care of the top soil such that it is not kept bare especially when rainfall intensity is high in a given year. This work as a whole has highlighted the importance of regional climatological analysis with the large scale spatial averages especially at local decision making level, which is very useful for the broad scenarios such as climatological and ecological risk management.


A 62-year-old male transferred to a hospital emergency room mentioned that he had drunk a liquor extract from 'Pokeberry' (Phytolacca americana). The liquor was summited, dehydrobrownine and delphatine, which were found in plants of the genus Delphinium, were detected via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS). High-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight/mass spectrometry (QTOF/MS) can be used for toxicant identification without reference materials, and the exact mass of the target compound and MSMS fragmentation and isotope ratios can be obtained. Based on this integrated information, a comparison of the chemical structure and fragment ions can be used to identify target compounds. From liquid chromatography-QTOF/MS (LC-QTOF/MS) analysis, delsoline, delphinine, 14-acetylbrowniine, dihydrogadesine, and neoline were identified. These diterpenoid alkaloids are wellknown for intoxicating herbivorous livestock in North America, but this was the first intoxication case by genus Delphinium plants in South Korea. Through this study, LC-QTOF/MS was proven as an effective method for addressing intoxication cases in the absence of reference materials. The experience, knowledge, and analytical methods obtained in this study are a great asset for solving other potential natural phytotoxin intoxication cases.


Objective: We compared the correlation between serum Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) with D-Dimer, fibrinogen and thromboelastogram in order to investigate the effects of VEGF on deep venous thrombosis in the perioperative period of elderly fracture patients.
Methods: 68 elderly fracture patients that had undergone surgery were divided into two groups according to whether they were diagnosed with deep venous thrombosis in the perioperative period or not. We used the ELISA assay to detect the VEGF, D-Dimer and fibrinogen levels before the operation and 1 d, 5 d and 10 d post-operation. Thromboelastogram of patients before operation and after operation were recorded and further statistical analysis was conducted.
Results: The serum VEGF levels in the thrombosis group and non-thrombosis group both increased first and then decreased post-operation. After the operation at each of the different time points, the thrombosis group showed significant higher levels of serum VEGF compared to the non-thrombosis group (p<0.05). Serum VEGF levels in the thrombosis group increased significantly after operation and its peak level was higher than that of the non-thrombosis group. In addition, VEGF levels in the thrombosis group after the operation were positively correlated with the D-Dimer and fibrinogen content (R2=0.892, p<0.05; R2=0.921, p<0.05). However, for non-thrombosis group, the positive correlations between VEGF levels and the content of D-Dimer and fibrinogen were relatively weak (R2=0.634, p<0.05; R2=0.611, p<0.05).
Conclusion: VEGF levels have a certain relationship with the D-Dimer and fibrinogen content in the formation of deep venous thrombosis in elderly patients with fracture. This relationship indicates the changing of blood coagulation state and fibrinolysis process in the formation of deep venous thrombosis. The up-regulated expression of VEGF, to some extent, will guide the treatment process and prognosis of deep venous thrombosis.


Abstract : This paper describes a decentralized consistency protocol for survivable storage that exploits data versioning within storage-nodes. Versioning enables the protocol to efficiently provide linearizability and wait-freedom of read and write operations to erasure-coded data in asynchronous environments with Byzantine failures of clients and servers. Exploiting versioning storage-nodes, the protocol shifts most work to clients. Reads occur in a single round-trip unless clients observe concurrency or write failures. Measurements of a storage system using this protocol show that the protocol scales well with the number of failures tolerated, and that it outperforms a highly-tuned instance of Byzantine-tolerant state machine replication.


Many scientists and organisations have recognised the power and importance of "Data-driven Science" where existing data is a primary resource in scientific research. In some communities (astronomy, particle physics, and some biosciences) this type of work flourishes and the primary challenges are technical - size, complexity, metadata, automation, etc. In many fields however, and almost all multidisciplinary endeavours the major obstacle is
finding scattered, heterogeneous data. Many of the data first occur in scholarly publications and, while they can be interpreted and understood in low volume by humans, are poorly presented for re-use by machines. As an example, over 1 million new chemical compounds are published yearly, but are scattered through hundreds or thousands of journals.
In principle this could be solved by robotic indexing and the use of search engines. In chemistry, for example, we have developed text-mining techniques which can recognise as chemicals over 80% of terms in mainstream publications, and identify a similar percentage.
Our tools could rapidly index the scientific chemical web and add significant semantic value.
The biggest problem, however, is that many publishers forbid or obstruct this activity. Most chemistry journals are closed and thereby immediately inaccessible to many. Even for subscribers there are usually lengthy licences which are fuzzy and difficult even for experts to interpret.
There is an imbedded fear of offending publishers' conditions either because of breaking copyright (even unintentionally) or being cut off by the publishers machinery (anecdotally very common).
Many publishers specifically forbid robotic indexing.
The problem is solved for any "Open Access" publisher that adopts the
spirit of the BBB declarations. Taken logically BBB requires that all content can be indexed and downloaded without permission.
Unfortunately many publishers use "Open Access" but decorate their web site with additional licence conditions which are logically and ethically incompatible. The label "Open Access" is a weak tool when describing
access to, and re-use of, data. I and others have promoted the term "Open Data" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_data and references therein) to describe the need to consider data as a critical resource which needs
political and legal activity. The use of Creative/Science Commons
licences is extremely valuable but will need refinement as the principles of Open Access and Open Source do not translate automatically to data.
I shall give demonstrations of Open Data resources and outline some of the issues that the scholarly community must address rapidly if we are not to be impoverished by the "land grabbers" in the digital dataverse. We need a radical rethink of conventional information protection and need to be braver and more outspoken.


Many theories and models attempt to explain the mechanisms underlying human behavior. In order to maintain an overview of the many aspects involved in communication campaigns, social marketing, and behavior change, the Swiss Federal Office for Public Health has created a metamodel of the impact of its campaigns. This metamodel does not claim to contribute any new findings to behavioral research. Its purpose is primarily to summarize the current state of research in the field in a comprehensive and comprehensible way, with reference to a range of relevant communications, social marketing, and behavior change theories. Dimensions addressed include strategy, processes, and impact, with the final dimension demonstrating the possible ranges of impact from individual to societal and from information to behavior. Social marketers and campaign planners may find this model useful as a planning and evaluation tool for campaigns, programs, or interventions that seek to increase awareness or change behavior. Its focus lies on communication campaigns, while also indicating the limits of campaign efficacy. It makes it clear that campaigns are most effective at the early stages of the behavioral change process, such as capturing attention, while other interventions are more effective at later stages.


Abstract The separation of implementation from policy has been diffused as 'agencification' around the world. It is considered an organisational reform based on new public management (NPM). The semi-autonomous public organisations executing policy are set up and are given a greater flexibility in operations in exchange for strengthening accountability for results. The central government of Japan also adopted the organisational reform in which agencies were called independent administrative institutions (IAIs). The reform intends not only to make the public service more transparent but to improve efficiency and quality of services through separating the implementing functions from the policy units, ministries and departments. It is assumed that flexibility in operations and result orientation would improve organisational performance through a feedback instrument of evaluating results into the budget other than an incentive mechanism. This article investigates whether the intended objectives have been accomplished. The specific focus is on the impacts on the budgetary system in terms of performance. The analysis shows that in Japanese agencies, ex-post performance information has not been fed into the budget process. Also the actual outcomes are explained by an incremental funding system, technical problems in measurement of results (performance measurement) and bureaucratic motivation through adopting a principal agent model.


Abstract Language policy texts, talk and practices are situated in specific sociocultural contexts, yet they also seem to move across time and social space: an official text drafted in governmental chambers may be discussed in teachers' professional development and instantiated in classroom practice. Drawing on linguistic anthropological work showing how communicative signs circulate among contexts to constitute such phenomena as culture and identity (Agha 2007; Agha and Wortham 2005; Urban 2001; Wortham 2005), this article offers an account of language policy implementation as a constellation of communicative events connected to each other through their use of the same cultural forms. These chains of communicative events link people together as they become first receivers and then senders of some message (Agha 2007), in this case messages about what it means to be a Guarani speaker. Drawing on data from an ethnographic study of language policy in Paraguay, where all schoolchildren are to learn in both official languages, Spanish and Guarani, I trace two widely circulating images of the Guarani speaker as they appear in policy text, in educators' talk about policy and in practice as one way to make salient connections between texts and actors' interpretations of policy at various levels. Analysis reveals that educators bring to their appropriation of policy a meaning of the Guarani speaker that is not evident in policy text alone.


Drag performance is and continues to be intimately linked to queer communities. This thesis explores drag performances and queer communities in contemporary London. It argues that
these performances offer fertile sites for the emergence and sustenance of queer communities, focusing on the work of twelve performers in contemporary London. Starting
from the understanding that homophobic and transphobic violence is increasingly prevalent in the context of this study, it describes and theorises drag performance and its relation to
the practice of queer communities both in response to and regardless of this violence. Overall, this thesis proposes that drag and the spaces in which these performances happen facilitate queer communities and as such are connected to queer modes of survival. There has been a resurgence in drag performance in the UK both as a result of and a resistance
to the rise in popularity of RuPaul's Drag Race (World of Wonder, 2009). As a result of this show, drag performers and performances are being seen and understood on an international scale. This inquiry, however, argues for the importance of drag as live performance in bars, pubs and clubs, despite and because of the increase of these kinds of queer venues closing in major cities in the UK. As a way of theorising these performances, this thesis proposes a 'queer-side eye' as an overarching methodological framework and tactic that recognises the complex and contingent ways in which the researcher is imbricated in the research. A queer side-eye is also a physical position in the world and describes not only a way of looking or watching – and being looked at – but also a playful attitude and position characterised by the acerbic wit of
drag performers. The tactic is constructed through field notes made from extensive observations. It is also connected to ideas of queering knowledge explored by Halberstam (2012) and Munoz (2009), queer autoethnography proposed and practiced by Adams and Holman Jones (2008 & 2014) and Holman Jones and Harris (2019), and other modes of producing alternative knowledge in academic practice. Alongside the significant new insights that a structure of a queer side-eye offers for the study
of queer performance forms, this thesis argues for the importance of queer venues and drag performance in the context of homophobia and transphobia in contemporary London and beyond, arguing that drag performance offers queer forms of survival.


Parallel-hole collimators are the most widely used collimators in clinical SPECT imaging. However the performances of these collimators are limited in terms of efficiency and resolution, 0.01% and 1cm at 10cm distance from the detector face, respectively. Simultaneous optimisation is not possible due to existence of a fundamental trade-off between resolution and efficiency. Hence an alternative method of increasing efficiency without compromising resolution is necessary. Slit-slat collimator provides a better alternative to parallel-hole, due to their magnification power. The aim and objectives of this PhD work was to design and optimise a clinical brain SPECT system based on slit-slat collimation and a novel detector with silicon drift diodes (SDDs) readout providing 1mm intrinsic resolution. The system efficiency can be improved by increasing the number of slits, however as the number of slits increases, so does the multiplexing, which is the overlapping of the projections on the detector plane. We hypothesize that the reconstruction of multiplexed (MX) projections can be improved by addition of non-MX projections. We have proved this using simulation and shown that a gain in signal to noise ratio (SNR) (25.5%) corresponding to 43% reduction in acquisition time was achievable when non-MX projections were available. Several novel system designs that utilise the SDDs technology with mixed degrees of multiplexing have been evaluated. To enable experimental validation of the simulation work, a prototype slit-slat collimator was designed and built for a conventional gamma camera. Full calibration of the system was performed, the efficiency and resolution profiles were measured and studies of point sources, Jaszczak and Striatal phantoms were completed. The results of these studies confirmed the potential for multiplexing to improve image quality when used in conjunction with non-multiplexed projections with a maximum gain in SNR equivalent to of 50.6%.


To aid assessments of the impact of climate change on water related activities in the case study regions (CSRs) of the EC-funded project SWURVE, estimates of uncertainty in climate model data need to be developed. This paper compares two methods for estimating uncertainty in annual surface temperature and precipitation for the period 2070–2099. Both combine probability distribution functions for global temperature increase and for scaling variables (i.e. the change in regional temperature/precipitation per degree of global annual average temperature change) to produce a probability distribution for regional temperature and precipitation. The methods differ in terms of the distribution used for the respective probability distribution function. For scaling variables, the first method assumes a uniform distribution, whilst the second method assumes a normal distribution. For the probability distribution function of global annual average temperature change, the first method uses a uniform distribution and the second uses a log-normal approximation to a distribution derived from Wigley and Raper, 2001. Although the methods give somewhat different ranges of change, they agree on how temperature and precipitation in each of the CSRs are likely to change relative to each other. For annual surface temperature, both methods predict increases in all CSRs, although somewhat less so for NW England (5th and 95th percentiles vary between 1.1–1.9°C to 3.8–5.7°C) and about 1.7–3.1°C to 5.3–8.6°C for the others. For precipitation, most probability distributions (except for NW England) show predominantly decreasing precipitation, particularly so for the Iberian CSR (5th and 95th percentiles vary from –29.3 to –44% to –9.6 to –4%).


The Scriptores Historiae Augustae, or Historia Augusta, is a collection of biographies of Roman emperors, heirs, and claimants from Hadrian to Numerianus (117 284 CE). The work, which is modeled on Suetonius, purports to be written by six different authors and quotes documents and public records extensively. Since we possess no continuous account of the emperors of the second and third centuries, the Historia Augusta has naturally attracted keen attention. In the last century it has also generated the gravest suspicions. Present opinion holds that the whole is the work of a single author (who lived in the time of Theodosius) and contains much that is plagiarism and even downright forgery. The Loeb Classical Library edition of the Historia Augusta is in three volumes.


We develop a theory of volumetric density estimation which generalizes prior photon point (0D) and beam (1D) approaches to a broader class of estimators using "nD" samples along photon and/or camera subpaths. Volumetric photon mapping performs density estimation by point sampling propagation distances within the medium and performing density estimation over the generated points (0D). Beam-based (1D) approaches consider the expected value of this distance sampling process along the last camera and/or light subpath segments. Our theory shows how to replace propagation distance sampling steps across multiple bounces to form higher-dimensional samples such as photon planes (2D), photon volumes (3D), their camera path equivalents, and beyond. We perform a theoretical error analysis which reveals that in scenarios where beams already outperform points, each additional dimension of nD samples compounds these benefits further. Moreover, each additional sample dimension reduces the required dimensionality of the blurring needed for density estimation, allowing us to formulate, for the first time, fully unbiased forms of volumetric photon mapping. We demonstrate practical implementations of several of the new estimators our theory predicts, including both biased and unbiased variants, and show that they outperform state-of-the-art beam-based volumetric photon mapping by a factor of 2.4--40×.


To further increase the efficiency of multijunction thin‐film silicon (TF‐Si) solar cells, it is crucial for the front electrode to have a good transparency and conduction, to provide efficient light trapping for each subcell, and to ensure a suitable morphology for the growth of high‐quality silicon layers. Here, we present the implementation of highly transparent modulated surface textured (MST) front electrodes as light‐trapping structures in multijunction TF‐Si solar cells. The MST substrates comprise a micro‐textured glass, a thin layer of hydrogenated indium oxide (IOH), and a sub‐micron nano‐textured ZnO layer grown by low‐pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD ZnO). The bilayer IOH/LPCVD ZnO stack guarantees efficient light in‐coupling and light trapping for the top amorphous silicon (a‐Si:H) solar cell while minimizing the parasitic absorption losses. The crater‐shaped micro‐textured glass provides both efficient light trapping in the red and infrared wavelength range and a suitable morphology for the growth of high‐quality nanocrystalline silicon (nc‐Si:H) layers. Thanks to the efficient light trapping for the individual subcells and suitable morphology for the growth of high‐quality silicon layers, multijunction solar cells deposited on MST substrates have a higher efficiency than those on single‐textured state‐of‐the‐art LPCVD ZnO substrates. Efficiencies of 14.8% (initial) and 12.5% (stable) have been achieved for a‐Si:H/nc‐Si:H tandem solar cells with the MST front electrode, surpassing efficiencies obtained on state‐of‐the‐art LPCVD ZnO, thereby highlighting the high potential of MST front electrodes for high‐efficiency multijunction solar cells. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


BACKGROUND
Thromboelastometry (ROTEM(®)) might be useful to detect intraoperative coagulation disorders early in major paediatric surgery. This observational trial compares this technique to standard coagulation tests.

METHODS
Intraoperative blood sampling was obtained in children undergoing elective major surgery. At each time point, standard coagulation tests [activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), prothrombin time (PT), and fibrinogen level] and ROTEM(®) analyses (InTEM, ExTEM, and FibTEM) were performed simultaneously by trained hospital laboratory staff.

RESULTS
A total of 288 blood samples from 50 subjects were analysed. While there was a poor correlation between PT and aPTT to ExTEM clotting time (CT) and InTEM CT, respectively, a good correlation was detected between PT and aPTT to clot formation time, and a very good correlation between fibrinogen level and FibTEM assay (r=0.882, P<0.001). Notably, 64% of PT and 94% of aPTT measurements were outside the reference range, while impaired CT was observed in 13% and 6.3%, respectively. Standard coagulation test results were available after a median of 53 min [inter-quartile range (IQR): 45-63 min], whereas 10 min values of ROTEM(®) results were available online after 23 min (IQR: 21-24 min).

CONCLUSIONS
PT and aPTT cannot be interchangeably used with ROTEM(®) CT. Based on the results of ROTEM(®), recommended thresholds for PT and aPTT might overestimate the need for coagulation therapy. A good correlation was found between the fibrinogen level and the FibTEM assay. In addition, ROTEM(®) offered faster turnaround times.


This study explores the impact of Corporate Governance (CG) attributes on risk disclosure for a sample of Jordanian listed firms. The study employs two types of disclosure (voluntary and mandatory) and analyzed the firms' annual reports for the period of 2008-2015 to extract risk-related disclosure information and CG variables. The study utilizes the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression to carry out the current investigation. The findings indicate that CG attributes (including board size and independent board (non-executive directors), the separation of duties and audit committee meetings) have a statistically positive impact on Voluntary Risk Disclosure (VRD), while this was not the case with the managerial ownership attribute. Further, the results reveal that independent directors have had a significantly positive influence on Mandatory Risk Disclosure (MRD), and audit committee size has had a positive significant, effect on MRD. Finally, the findings show that leverage and profitability are among the determining factors of RD. The results suggest that firms' managers, which exhibit greater compliance with mandatory regulations, have a greater propensity to publish RD.