Abstract This cross sectional study examined patients' perceptions of professional support regarding use of psychotropic medication in a specialist mental health care setting. The aims were to evaluate reliability and validity of the MedSupport inventory, and investigate possible associations between MedSupport scores and patient characteristics. A cross-sectional study was performed. The patients completed the MedSupport, a newly developed self-reported 6 item questionnaire on a Likert scale ranged 1 to 5 (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree), and the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire. Diagnosis and treatment information were obtained at the clinical visits and from patient records. Among the 992 patients recruited, 567 patients (57%) used psychotropic medications, and 514 (91%) of these completed the MedSupport and were included in the study. The MedSupport showed an adequate internal consistency (Cronbach alpha.87; 95% CI.86–89) and a convergent validity toward the available variables. The MedSupport mean score was 3.8 (standard deviation.9, median 3.8). Increasing age and the experience of stronger needs for psychotropic medication were associated with perception of more support to cope with medication, whereas higher concern toward use of psychotropic medication was associated with perception of less support. Patients diagnosed with behavioral and emotional disorders, onset in childhood and adolescence perceived more support than patients with Mood disorders. The MedSupport inventory was suitable for assessing the patients' perceived support from health care service regarding their medication. Awareness of differences in patients' perceptions might enable the service to provide special measures for patients who perceive insufficient medication support.


About the Editors. List of Contributors. Foreword. Acknowledgements. 1 Introduction (Richard Haigh and Dilanthi Amaratunga). 1.1 A global challenge. 1.2 Why focus upon the built environment? 1.3 Resilience in the built environment. 1.4 Disasters as a window of opportunity. 1.5 Structure of the book. 2 Capacity Development for Post-Disaster Reconstruction of the Built Environment (Kanchana Ginige and Dilanthi Amaratunga). 2.1 Introduction. 2.2 Capacity needs for post-disaster reconstruction. 2.3 Capacity gaps in post-disaster reconstruction. 2.4 Capacity development framework. 2.5 Summary. 3 Capacity of the Construction Industry for Post-Disaster Reconstruction: Post-Tsunami Sri Lanka (Krisanthi Seneviratne). 3.1 Introduction. 3.2 Impact of tsunami. 3.3 Disaster risk management. 3.4 Role of the construction sector in post-disaster recovery. 3.5 Post-tsunami Sri Lanka: the role of the Sri Lankan construction industry. 3.6 Capacity of the construction industry in post-tsunami reconstruction. 3.7 Summary. 4 Resourcing for Post-Disaster Reconstruction: A Longitudinal Case Study Following the 2008 Earthquake in China (Yan Chang, SuzanneWilkinson, Regan Potangaroa and Erica Seville). 4.1 Introduction. 4.2 The impact of the 2008Wenchuan earthquake. 4.3 Wenchuan earthquake reconstruction process. 4.4 Resourcing forWenchuan earthquake reconstruction. 4.5 Key resourcing problems and solutions adopted by the Chinese reconstruction teams. 4.6 Summary. 5 Empowerment in Disaster Response and Reconstruction: Role ofWomen (Nirooja Thurairajah). 5.1 Introduction. 5.2 The concept of empowerment. 5.3 Women's empowerment. 5.4 Women in a post-disaster setting. 5.5 Women's empowerment in post-disaster reconstruction. 5.6 Summary. 6 Community-Based Post-Disaster Housing Reconstruction: Examples from Indonesia (Taufika Ophiyandri). 6.1 Introduction. 6.2 Disaster vulnerability. 6.3 National policy. 6.4 Community participation in reconstruction. 6.5 Community-based reconstruction practices. 6.6 Summary. 7 Stakeholder Consultation in the Reconstruction Process (Nuwani Siriwardena and Richard Haigh). 7.1 Introduction. 7.2 Defining stakeholders. 7.3 Stakeholders and post-disaster reconstruction. 7.4 Classifying stakeholders. 7.5 Expectation gaps in post-disaster housing reconstruction. 7.6 Developing a stakeholder engagement strategy. 7.7 Summary. 8 ProjectManagement of Disaster Reconstruction (Udayangani Kulatunga). 8.1 Introduction. 8.2 Procurement and contract management. 8.3 Sourcing of labour, material and equipment. 8.4 Resource management. 8.5 Quality control. 8.6 Financing. 8.7 Governance. 8.8 Disaster risk reduction. 8.9 Summary. 9 Legislation for Effective Post-Disaster Reconstruction: Cases fromNew Zealand (James Olabode Rotimi, SuzanneWilkinson and Dean Myburgh). 9.1 Introduction. 9.2 Recovery and reconstruction. 9.3 Legislative and regulatory considerations post disaster. 9.4 Improving recovery through legislation. 9.5 Impediments to post-disaster reconstruction: the New Zealand Building Act (BA) 2004. 9.6 New Zealand Case Study 1: Manawatu-Wanganui Floods, 2004. 9.7 New Zealand Case Study 2: Matata (Bay of Plenty) Floods, 2005. 9.8 Lessons for post-disaster legislation changes. 9.9 Summary. 10 Conflict, Post Conflict and Post-Conflict Reconstruction: Exploring the Associated Challenges (Krisanthi Seneviratne and Dilanthi Amaratunga). 10.1 Introduction. 10.2 Conflicts. 10.3 Conflict circle. 10.4 Post conflict. 10.5 Post-conflict reconstruction. 10.6 Summary. 11 Private Construction Sector Engagement in Post-Disaster Reconstruction (Richard Sutton and Richard Haigh). 11.1 Introduction. 11.2 Challenges in post-disaster reconstruction. 11.3 What is the role of the private sector? 11.4 Business and humanitarian collaborations. 11.5 Corporate social responsibility. 11.6 Encouraging private sector participation. 11.7 Integrating private construction sector support for post-disaster reconstruction. 11.8 Summary. 12 KnowledgeManagement Practices and Systems Integration (Chaminda Pathirage). 12.1 Introduction. 12.2 Disaster management cycle. 12.3 Knowledge management in disaster management context. 12.4 Sharing and transferring disaster management knowledge. 12.5 Case studies of good practices and lessons learned. 12.6 Capacity enhancing and knowledge strategies: the ISLAND project. 12.7 Summary. 13 Restoration ofMajor Infrastructure and Rehabilitation of Communities (Kaushal Keraminiyage). 13.1 Introduction. 13.2 Impact of disasters on infrastructure. 13.3 Impact of the failure of infrastructure in disaster-affected communities and infrastructure interdependencies. 13.4 Post-disaster infrastructure reconstruction and restoring major infrastructure. 13.5 Post-disaster infrastructure reconstruction for improved quality of life. 13.6 Summary. 14 Sustainable Post-DisasterWasteManagement: Construction and Demolition Debris (Gayani Karunasena). 14.1 Introduction. 14.2 Construction and demolition debris management in post-disaster situations. 14.3 C&D debris management. 14.4 C&D debris management and sustainability. 14.5 Summary. 15 Linking Reconstruction to Sustainable Socio-Economic Development (Roshani Palliyaguru and Dilanthi Amaratunga). 15.1 Introduction. 15.2 Post-disaster reconstruction as a window of opportunity for development. 15.3 Millennium development goals as a framework of action for sustainable socio-economic development and infrastructure reconstruction. 15.4 Post-disaster infrastructure reconstruction as a sustainable socio-economic development strategy. 15.5 Summary. 16 Disaster Risk Reduction and its Relationship with Sustainable Development (Kanchana Ginige). 16.1 Introduction. 16.2 Disasters: a result of poor development. 16.3 Disasters: a barrier for development. 16.4 Disaster risk reduction for sustainable development and vice versa. 16.5 Summary. 17 Conclusion (Richard Haigh and Dilanthi Amaratunga). Reference. Index.


The purpose of this doctoral dissertation and the research presented herein is to test and refine a general method of observing, capturing, describing and comparing subjective viewpoints on entertainment value. Of particular interest and equally important is the effort to provide a theoretical foundation for the conceptualization, operationalization, and empirical testing of the entertainment value concept, adopting the perspective of those experiencing performance-based and screen-based entertainment. This dissertation is also a crossover study between and among amusement, recreation, entertaining experiences, audience research, and events and live performances. Results will be integrated into the broader study of entertainment, where the core phenomenon under investigation is the entertainment experience. Entertainment value is a multi-faceted concept, widely used but poorly, or at least not effectively, operationalized for use in scholarly and commercial research. It is proposed herein that entertainment value refers to the type of value that screen-based products and live performances yield to those who experience these generic forms of entertainment. Entertainment value is perceived consumer value, experiential and subjective, a multi-dimensional concept and construct intrinsic to the entertainment experience. In three complementary studies, respondents are grouped based on shared subjective experiences resulting from the consumption of three different kinds of innovative entertainment products: a) an animated, short documentary film, b) one episode a described video television comedy; and c) a live cultural performance. In an innovative way, Stephenson's Q Methodology (1953) and Typology of Consumer Value proposed by Morris Holbrook (1999) are adopted, tested and refined to empirically identify, describe and compare the subjective viewpoints of those who experience entertainment. The Q Methodology allowed for a rich description of a range of entertainment experiences from almost three hundred respondents. Interpretation of subjective reactions and self-reports, and the differences among these viewpoints, have been facilitated by and pointed to corresponding types of perceived entertainment value. In this sense, Holbrook's (1999) typology for consumer value proved useful, by complementing in a number of ways the design and implementation of this exploratory research with Q methodology.


Dr A. L. Harris said that he and Dr D. J. Fettes have worked in the Dalradian rocks to the northeast of the area that Dr Roberts has described. Between Aber-foyle and Dunkeld the Highland Boundary Fault appears to lie markedly oblique to the axial trace of the Aberfoyle Anticline (synform). Hence it is of interest that, in contrast, in Dr Roberts' area this axial trace lies approximately parallel to the Highland Border between Abeffoyle and Arran. Can one confidently follow the axial trace of the Aberfoyle Anticline through this ground and to what extent are the stratigraphical formations, within which it lies, of value in mapping its course? During fieldwork for the I.G.S. in preparation for the provisional edition of the Cowal (29) Sheet (1971) Dr G. C. Clark and the speaker recorded near Rothesay slaty cleavage which faces up across cross-laminated beds. This observation suggests that in that district the early structures have been affected by later folds in a manner comparable to that noted at Callander, where slates occupy the core of a secondary synform around which the primary slaty cleavage is bent. The Author stated in reply that there were difficulties in the following the axial trace of the Aberfoyle Anticline from Aberfoyle to Arran. However, since the Beinn Bheila Schists were inverted at their contact with the Dunoon Phyllites, and since the rocks southeast of the Dunoon Phyllites appear to be right way up, at least overall, it seems reasonable to locate the axial trace


Taxonomic and stratigraphic revision of Lower Cretaceous cicatricose spores from Patagonia. 2. Genera Cicatricosisporites Potonie & Gelletich and Ruffordiaspora Dettmann & Clifford. Nine species of the genus Cicatricosisporites and five species of the genus Ruffordiaspora were found in several surface and subsurface sections of Lower Cretaceous sediments from the Austral Basin, Patagonia, Argentina. Two new species: Cicatricosisporites pramparoana and Ruffordiaspora cardielensis, are described, while 5 species: Cicatricosisporites cf. C. hallei, C. minutaestriatus, C. venustus, Ruffordiaspora cf. R. crassiterminatus nov. comb. and R. ludbrookiae are mentioned for the first time in Argentina. In view of the similarities that may be found between some species, and in order to facilitate comparisons and determinations, the main characters for each taxon here considered are resumed in a table. It is concluded that during the Lower Cretaceous spores of the family Anemiaceae were frequent components of pollen assemblages from the Austral Basin. Three groups of species studied are recognized: 1) species that are present in all stages of the Lower Cretaceous (Cicatricosisporites annulatus, C. cuneiformis, C. hughesii, C. sp. 2, Ruffordiaspora australiensis, R. ludbrookiae and R. ticoensis), 2) species that are found only in Aptian and Albian deposits (Cicatricosisporites cf. C. hallei, C. pramparoana and Ruffordiaspora cardielensis), and 3) species present excusively in albian sediments (Cicatricosisporites venustus, C. minutaestriatus and Ruffordiaspora cf. R. crassiterminatus).


We study the impact of post-election ethnic violence in Kenya on the wheat and maize market in Mombasa and find empirical evidence that for these food markets, there is no impact on prices following violence. Using a data set of a flour producing firm, we identify the degree of persistence in prices and quantities by means of techniques based on long memory and long range dependence. Prices are found to be highly persistent in both wheat and maize flour, with orders of integration which are around one or even above one. On the contrary, quantities, though also persistent, appear to be fractionally integrated, with orders of integration in the interval (0, 0.5) pointing towards stationarity, long memory and mean reverting behaviour. Violence is associated with an insignificant increase in prices of both products and a significant decrease in quantities. An external validity check on the impact of post-election ethnic violence on food prices in Nigeria yields consistent results.


NEW STUDENT GETS OLD TEACHER The bad news is that Cara Landry is the new kid at Denton Elementary School. The worse news is that her teacher, Mr. Larson, would rather read the paper and drink coffee than teach his students anything. So Cara decides to give Mr. Larson something else to read -- her own newspaper, "The Landry News." Before she knows it, the whole fifth-grade class is in on the project. But then the principal finds a copy of "The Landry News, " with unexpected results. Tomorrow's headline: Will Cara's newspaper cost Mr. Larson his job?


We analyze the second-moment properties of the components of international capital flows and their relationship to business cycle variables (output, investment, and the real interest rate) in 22 industrial and emerging countries. Total inward flows are procyclical with respect to all three macro variables. Net outward flows are countercyclical with respect to output and investment in most industrial and emerging countries. Disaggregated inward flows positively comove with output in industrial countries and with investment and the real interest rate in the G7 economies. Inward foreign direct investment is the only non-procyclical type of inward capital flows (with respect to output) in the developing economies. Formal statistical tests based on nonparametric bootstrap techniques detect significant variance increases in all G7 countries' disaggregated capital flows over exogenous and endogenously estimated breaks.


Industrial visual machine inspection system uses template or feature matching
methods to locate or inspect parts or pattern on parts. These algorithms could not
compensate for the change or variation on the inspected parts dynamically. Such
problem was faced by a multinational semiconductor manufacturer. Therefore a
study was conducted to introduce a new algorithm to inspect integrated circuit
package markings. The main intend of the system was to verify if the marking can be
read by humans. Algorithms that the current process uses however, was not capable
in handling mark variations that was introduced by the marking process. A neural
network based pattern recognition system was implemented and tested on images
resembling the parts variations. Feature extraction was made simple by sectioning the region of interest (ROI)
on the image into a specified (by the user) number of sections. The ratio of object
pixels to the entire area of each section is calculated and used as an input into a
feedforward neural network. Error-back propagation algorithm was used to train the
network. The objective was to test the robustness of the network in handling pattern
variations as well as the feasibility of implementing it on the production floor in
tetms of execution speed.
Two separate programme modules were written in C++; one for feature
extraction and another for neural networks classifier. The feature extraction module
was tested for its speed using various ROI sizes. The time taken for processing was
round to be almost linearly related to the ROJ size and not at all effected by the
number of sections. The minimum ROJ setting (200 X 200 pixels) was considerably
slower at 5 5ms compared to what was required - 20ms. The neural networks
c1assifier was very successful in classifying 1 3 different image patterns by learning
from 4 training patterns. The classifier also clocked an average speed of 9.6ms
which makes it feasible to implement it on the production floor. As a final say, it can
be concluded that by carefully surveying the choices of hardware and software and its
appropriate combination, this system can be seriously considered for implementation
on the semiconductor production floor.


The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the impact the NCAA's 2011 9 Credit Rule would have on football academic advising strategies. The legislation requires players to earn nine credit hours in every fall term or be suspended for the first four games the following season. For this study, a survey was distributed to Football Academic Advisors at NCAA Division I institutions. Subjects were asked if the 9 Credit Rule has changed their advising strategies regarding: at-risk students, incoming freshmen, clustering and the use of elective credits. The subjects were also able to provide open ended responses regarding strategies they plan to implement to help students from becoming ineligible. According to the data, due to the 9 Credit Rule, 69.4% of responding advisors planned to change their advising strategies for all student athletes. Additional results specified that 83.1% of the respondents were more likely to change their advising strategy when dealing with at-risk student athletes. Additionally, 73.1% of the responding advisors indicated they were more likely to change their advising strategy for incoming freshmen. Over 58% of the responding academic advisors stated they were more likely to use elective credits earlier in a student-athletes' career and 60.6% would be more likely to cluster student athletes into specific majors. The responses indicated that, on average, 6.1student athletes/program would have been affected by the rule if the legislation had been enacted in 2010. One respondent went so far as to surmise that 30% of their student athletes would be ineligible for the first four games of the following year. The NCAA's 9 Credit Rule has the potential to impact numerous athletic departments across the United States. Knowledge and awareness of the implemented legislation is the first step for football academic advisors in the monitoring of their student-athletes. Additional studies will be necessary to determine if the legislation has caused major changes in academic advising for football players including an increase in the clustering of student-athletes in specific academic majors.

 Key words: Extracurricular activities, human resource management, mixed methods approach, physical education, volunteer.


Th is contribution introduces the collection of texts in this special section of Migration and Society exploring contemporary patterns of im/mobility between Africa and Europe. It proposes an ontological-epistemological framework for investigating present-day movements via three core dimensions: (1) a focus on im/mobility explores the intertwinement of mobility and stasis in the context of biographical and migratory pathways and thus goes beyond a binary approach to migration; (2) an existential and dialogical-ethnographic approach zooms in on individual experiences of im/mobility and shows that the personal-experiential is not apolitical, but represents a realm of everyday struggles and quests for a good life; and (3) a genealogical-historical dimension explores present-day migratory quests through their embeddedness within legacies of (post)colonial power relations and interconnections and thus counteracts the hegemonic image of immigration from Afri ca as having no history and legitimacy.


During 2018, Queensland net fishery operators participated in a survey that documented the relative importance of behavioural and economic factors that influence whether sharks are retained or not. 121 commercial net fishers were interviewed, spanning the diversity of net fishery operations in Queensland waters (Gulf of Carpentaria and east coast). Results suggest that discarding sharks (live or dead) is common practice in Queensland's net fisheries with 76% of fishers responding that they don't keep a lot or all of the sharks that they catch. A key finding of the survey was that a combination of regulatory and market forces dictate whether fishers keep sharks. When sharks are retained, 80% of fishers indicated the market is the reason for keeping sharks with 28% of fishers saying sharks are important to their business. Overall, the results of this survey suggest that the policy changes enacted in January 2018 which made the reporting of shark catch more difficult, may have encouraged net fishers to discard more sharks. New tools currently being developed by Fisheries Queensland (such as a commercial fishing app, Species Identification tools, and vessel tracking) should simplify future reporting requirements. A follow-up survey, conducted after the introduction of these new tools, would be informative.


If we look at the etymological structure of the word interference, we would have to go back to a construct that defines it as a sum of the two Latin words inter (in between) and ferio (to strike), but with a particular attention to the meaning of the word ferio being interpreted principally as to wound . Albeit perhaps etymologically incorrect, it may be preferable to think of the word interference as a composite of inter (in between) and the Latin verb fero (to carry), which would bring forward the idea of interference as a contribution brought in the middle of two arguments, two ideas, two constructs. It is important to acknowledge the etymological root of a word not in order to develop a sterile academic exercise, but in order to clarify the ideological under - pinnings of arguments that are then summed up and characterized by a word.


During the New England Air Quality Study (NEAQS) in the summer of 2004, airborne measurements were made of the major inorganic ions and the water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) of the submicron (PM 1.0 ) aerosol. These and ancillary data are used to describe the overall aerosol chemical characteristics encountered during the study. Fine particle mass was estimated from particle volume and a calculated density based on measured particle composition. Fine particle organic matter (OM) was estimated from WSOC and a mass balance analysis. The aerosol over the northeastern United States (U.S.) and Canada was predominantly sulfate and associated ammonium, and organic components, although in unique plumes additional ionic components were also periodically above detection limits. In power generation regions, and especially in the Ohio River Valley region, the aerosol tended to be predominantly sulfate (~60% μg μg −1 ) and apparently acidic, based on an excess of measured anions compared to cations. In all other regions where sulfate concentrations were lower and a smaller fraction of overall mass, the cations and anions were balanced suggesting a more neutral aerosol. In contrast, the WSOC and estimated OM were more spatially uniform and the fraction of OM relative to PM mass was largely influenced by sources of sulfate. The study median OM mass fraction was 40%. Throughout the study region, sulfate and organic aerosol mass were highest near the surface and decreased rapidly with increasing altitude. The relative fraction of organic mass to sulfate was similar throughout all altitudes within the boundary layer (altitude less than 2.5 km), but was significantly higher at altitude layers in the free troposphere (above 2.5 km). A number of distinct biomass burning plumes from fires in Alaska and the Yukon were periodically intercepted, mostly at altitudes between 3 and 4 km. These plumes were associated with highest aerosol concentrations of the study and were largely comprised of organic aerosol components (~60%).


A new multiscale modeling approach based on mechanics of structure genome (MSG) has been proposed to analyze honeycomb sandwich structures. On the one hand, MSG can be used to homogenize a honeycomb core as a homogeneous solid to get effective elastic properties without various boundary conditions (BCs). The results are compared with those obtained by using finite element (FE) based numerical homogenization method and analytical formulas. Then a though-the-thickness constitutive modeling can be conducted by MSG to model the whole honeycomb sandwich structure as a laminate for equivalent plate properties (MSG two-step). On the other hand, MSG can directly give constitutive modeling of the whole honeycomb sandwich structure as an equivalent plate to obtain the equivalent plate properties (MSG direct). The numerical case shows that the equivalent plate properties provided by MSG direct are more accurate than traditional approach when compared with the direct numerical simulation (DNS) and much more efficient than the DNS.


In recent years, the number of attempts to use digital audio and video evidence in litigation in civil and criminal proceedings has increased. Technical progress makes editing and changing music, film and picture recordings much easier, faster and better. The methods of digital sampling differ from the conventional pirated copy in that using a sample involves extensive changes and editing of the original work. Different digital sampling methods make the technical analysis and the legal classification more difficult. Targeted analysis methods can clearly identify a case of sampling and belong to the main field of forensic analysis. If persuasive evidence of an unauthorized use of sampling cannot be produced, the proof is useless in the legal process. Labelling technologies that are applied correctly make an important contribution to the effective detection of unauthorised sound sampling. There are hardly any holistic approaches that integrate the problem of sound sampling into the fields of analysis, identification, and labelling. In combination with specific technical protective mechanisms against sampling, an unauthorised use of samples protected by copyrights can be prevented or reduced. Using and sampling somebody else's piece of music or video can be a copyright infringement. The copyright and the neighbouring rights of performing artists and the neighbouring rights of phonogram producers are affected by the consequences of illegal sampling. Part 1 of the article introduces the problems of digital audio sampling, Part 2 describes the typical manifestations of sampling, Part 3 illustrates various analytical procedures for the detection of audio sampling and Part 4 shows the identification by labelling strategies.


Objective To determine whether a short course of traditional acupuncture improves longer term outcomes for patients with persistent non-specific low back pain in primary care. Design Pragmatic, open, randomised controlled trial. Setting Three private acupuncture clinics and 18 general practices in York, England. Participants 241 adults aged 18-65 with non-specific low back pain of 4-52 weeks' duration. Interventions 10 individualised acupuncture treatments from one of six qualified acupuncturists (160 patients) or usual care only (81 patients). Main outcome measures The primary outcome was SF-36 bodily pain, measured at 12 and 24 months. Other outcomes included reported use of analgesics, scores on the Oswestry pain disability index, safety, and patient satisfaction. Results 39 general practitioners referred 289 patients of whom 241 were randomised. At 12 months average SF-36 pain scores increased by 33.2 to 64.0 in the acupuncture group and by 27.9 to 58.3 in the control group. Adjusting for baseline score and for any clustering by acupuncturist, the estimated intervention effect was 5.6 points (95% confidence interval − 0.2 to 11.4) at 12 months (n = 213) and 8.0 points (2.8 to 13.2) at 24 months (n = 182). The magnitude of the difference between the groups was about 10%-15% of the final pain score in the control group. Functional disability was not improved. No serious or life threatening events were reported. Conclusions Weak evidence was found of an effect of acupuncture on persistent non-specific low back pain at 12 months, but stronger evidence of a small benefit at 24 months. Referral to a qualified traditional acupuncturist for a short course of treatment seems safe and acceptable to patients with low back pain. Trial registration ISRCTN80764175.


The purpose of this thesis is to examine two of American modernism's more successful authors, and the unconventional pairing of two of their more recognized characters, in an attempt to provide a new regionalist argument for the rejection of socially created local values when those values are transferred across imagined regional lines. Chapter I presents the argument based on research in American regionalism, American modernism, and criticism of the mass market culture that developed at the turn of the twentieth-century. Chapter II examines William Faulkner's Quentin Compson and his role as a mobile narrative that moves from the South of Faulkner's Mississippi in The Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom! to Cambridge, MA through close readings of both novels in conjunction with recent and traditional criticism of both Faulkner and Quentin. Chapter III examines Sinclair Lewis's Martin Arrowsmith and his role as a mobile narrative that represents a group of politicized American values, and the effects of his travels through different regions within the text of Arrowsmith. The result of this thesis will be to expose a critical approach to modern regionalism that has not been effectively used to its fullest potential in literary scholarship of the past.


The main thrust of the article is to distinguish between four types of IT sourcing decision: total outsourcing; multiple‐supplier sourcing; joint venture/strategic alliance sourcing; and insourcing. To illustrate each type, detailed case histories are used that analyse the reasons why specific IT sourcing decisions were adopted. Here, we consider total outsourcing at the London Stock Exchange; multiple‐supplier sourcing at ICI plc; joint venture project sourcing at CRESTCo Ltd; and insourcing at the Royal Bank of Scotland. The trend towards outsourcing is increasing in all industrial and commercial sectors. However, client organizations need to become more aware of some of the pitfalls, particularly in respect of large‐scale outsourcing deals to single or multiple suppliers. This is because the move to IT outsourcing engenders the need to develop new capabilities and skills to manage complex commercial contracts. We therefore conclude that, while many IT outsourcing contracts followed rationalization, cost‐cutting and disappointing results from in‐house IT provision, short‐termism and current uncertainties over market, business and political conditions pose problems for many organizations in deciding future outsourcing arrangements.


As more and more of our data is stored remotely, accessing that data wherever and whenever it is needed is a critical concern. More concerning is managing the databanks and storage space necessary to enable cloud systems.Resource Management of Mobile Cloud Computing Networks and Environments reports on the latest advances in the development of computationally intensive and cloud-based applications. Covering a wide range of problems, solutions, and perspectives, this book is a scholarly resource for specialists and end-users alike making use of the latest cloud technologies.


Almost everything that is written or said about the use of information technology within archaeology relates to hardware and applications and there is a general poverty of (published) material which considers the implications of the application and use of these tools on the way that the discipline of archaeology is practised. Although we are generally comfortable with the idea that technology has changed the way we live our everyday lives, and the ever-increasing pace of that change, for some reason there appears to be a general reluctance to consider that such changes and the pace of these changes may also impact on archaeology. This paper proposes that computer-using archaeologists have for too long ignored a critical area of research: the consequences of the new information and communication technologies we use. Archaeologists point with justifiable pride to the tradition of self-critical analysis of new ideas and methodological changes within the subject. Archaeologists question their data, their methodologies, their theories, their conclusions, the very basis of their subject, yet it appears that archaeology operates within a "bubble", somehow immune to the consequences of the new technologies that are more and more a part of both the world around us and of archaeology itself. Furthermore, archaeologists are accustomed to theorising about technological changes in the past (ranging from new flint technologies, bronze and iron working, the evolution of the plough, developments in literacy, and so on), and may bring new perspectives to contemporary analysis of the technological world around us.


Due to the complex structure and the great variability of printed circuit boards (PCBs), an accurate analysis of their material composition and consequently an efficient recycling is currently hardly possible. Facing these problems, we proposed an automated PCB recycling system with a core component for the information retrieval. As a first step towards automated recycling based on a comprehensive analysis of PCBs, the segmentation of surface-mounted devices (SMDs) was presented in this paper. Inspired by the technical background of SMDs, they were divided into two main groups: 1. small devices, such as resistors, capacitors, and 2. integrated circuits (ICs). Then assembly print-based segmentation and color distribution-based segmentation were carried out for the two groups respectively. In comparison to device template-based and solder joint-based approaches, our approach is more flexible and more reliable with respect to the variability of devices and the erosion or soiling of solder joints. As confirmed by the evaluation, satisfying results were obtained. The approach was also evaluated for different imaging conditions so that improved performance can be achieved using appropriate imaging settings.


Background: Globally, nearly 3 billion people rely on solid fuels for cooking and heating, the vast majority residing in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The resulting household air pollution (HAP) is a leading environmental risk factor, accounting for an estimated 1.6 million premature deaths annually. Previous interventions of cleaner stoves have often failed to reduce exposure to levels that produce meaningful health improvements. There have been no multicountry field trials with liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) stoves, likely the cleanest scalable intervention. Objective: This paper describes the design and methods of an ongoing randomized controlled trial (RCT) of LPG stove and fuel distribution in 3,200 households in 4 LMICs (India, Guatemala, Peru, and Rwanda). Methods: We are enrolling 800 pregnant women at each of the 4 international research centers from households using biomass fuels. We are randomly assigning households to receive LPG stoves, an 18-month supply of free LPG, and behavioral reinforcements to the control arm. The mother is being followed along with her child until the child is 1 year old. Older adult women (40 to <80 years of age) living in the same households are also enrolled and followed during the same period. Primary health outcomes are low birth weight, severe pneumonia incidence, stunting in the child, and high blood pressure (BP) in the older adult woman. Secondary health outcomes are also being assessed. We are assessing stove and fuel use, conducting repeated personal and kitchen exposure assessments of fine particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5μm (PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO), and black carbon (BC), and collecting dried blood spots (DBS) and urinary samples for biomarker analysis. Enrollment and data collection began in May 2018 and will continue through August 2021. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02944682). Conclusions: This study will provide evidence to inform national and global policies on scaling up LPG stove use among vulnerable populations. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP6407


Toolbox for Time Delay Systems implemented in the Matlab system. The toolbox is used to solve the problem of uncertain time delay using the D-K iteration and algebraic approach. The algebraic approach represents a new technique for solving problems arising in the robust control. It combines the structured singular value, algebraic theory and algorithm of global optimization solving remaining issues in structured singular value framework. The algorithm of global optimization can be alternated with direct search methods such as Nelder-Mead simplex method giving solutions for problems with one local extreme. As a global optimization method, Differential Migration is used, which proved to be reliable in solving this type of problems. The D-K iteration represents a standard method in the structured singular value theory. The results obtained from the D-K iteration are compared with the algebraic approach.


Although the concepts of "voting stock" and "voting power" are pervasive throughout the Code, until recently, courts, commentators and the Service have devoted minimal energy to demystifying the confusion surrounding the definition of voting stock and even less to expanding upon the methodology of computing voting power. Recent developments, however, may prompt practitioners to take a second look at these terms. While a 1995 decision by the Tax Court adds little to the existing body of authority with respect to the determination of the owner of voting stock, the Service's analysis of the voting power requirement in a 1994 private letter ruling sheds new light on the method of computing voting power. This article reviews and analyzes the current state of the law concerning the voting stock and voting power requirements in two areas of the tax law: section 368(c), which defines the level of stock ownership in a corporation that a taxpayer must possess in order to qualify for many forms of tax-free reorganizations, and section 1504(a), which requires a corporation attempting to form an "affiliated group" with a subsidiary corporation to own an amount of voting stock in the subsidiary having a specified level of voting power. Part II of this article briefly explains the statutory requirements of both section 368(c) and section 1504(a). Part III reviews the case law and administrative precedents that have shaped the definition of voting stock and attempts to distinguish the ownership requirement of section 368(c) from the direct ownership requirement of section 1504(a). Accordingly, part III of this article also analyzes the Tax Court's most recent decision regarding the meaning of the term "direct ownership." Part IV examines the mechanical test developed by the courts and the Service for computing the voting power inherent in the stock of a corporation, explores ways in which taxpayers have attempted to manipulate a corporation's capital structure in order to satisfy the control requirement of section 368(c), and discusses the Service's latest pronouncement regarding the use of this mechanical test in measuring voting power. Finally, this article highlights the remaining ambiguities that continue to create uncertainty for taxpayers with regard to the voting stock definition and the voting power formula.


Considering the declining number of bankruptcy filings, and increasing out-of-court negotiations and debt reorganisations, we argue in favour of penalising firms for becoming sufficiently close to bankruptcy that they have questionable going-concern status. Thus, we propose a definition of financial distress contingent upon firms' earnings, financial expenses, market value and operating cash flow. Subsequently, we investigate the role of tail risk measures (Value-at-risk and Expected Shortfall) in aggravating likelihood of financial distress. Our results show that longer horizon (three- and five-year) tail risk measures contributes positively toward firms' likelihood of experiencing financial distress.


Orientation: Traditionalists view group interventions from three perspectives: singletons, dyads and whole groups. The focus of this research was on interventions from the third perspective, that of the whole group, using a systems psychodynamic stance. Research purpose: The purpose of the research was to use group-as-a-whole to study individual behaviour in organisations. Motivation for the study: Team research and practice is not on a par with the complexities that teams actually experience. Traditional group interventions use humanistic and functionalistic paradigms that do not consider the unconscious functioning of groups. Interventions that use the system psychodynamic paradigm could address these dynamics because they study behaviour of individual group members in the context of the group-as-a-whole. Research design, approach and method: The researcher conducted action research in a publishing company. He used purposive sampling and analysed the data using qualitative content analysis. Main findings: The researcher found that the group-as-a-whole partly explains the behaviour of team members and that intervening from this perspective could improve negative relationships. Practical/managerial implications: Managers can use interventions that use the groupas- a-whole concept as a diagnostic intervention to study and possibly change the complex behavioural issues that team members experience. Contribution/value-add: The findings give one an understanding of the behaviour of individual group members when one views it from a systems psychodynamic stance. Furthermore, the researcher proposes a group diagnostic intervention that will allow some of the root causes of poor interpersonal behaviour to surface and group members to diagnose and take ownership of their own behaviour.


Increasingly, criminologists have made reference to Mary Douglas's writings on risk. Less frequently is it noted that Douglas's work on risk is dependent upon a more fundamental classificatory scheme, what she calls grid-group theory. This theory measures cultural biases in terms of their level of prescriptiveness of norms (grid) and affiliation between individuals (group). This theory gives four distinctive cultural types, each of which has distinctive attitudes to risk, crime and blame. These types reflect the institutional relations of a particular collectivity within a society. This paper maps contemporary debates on the transformation of punishments onto grid-group theory and argues that criminological theorizing has effectively restricted itself to only two of Douglas's four cultural types. Expanding the parameters of the debate would not only allow a more accurate representation of what is going on, but may also tentatively sketch a map toward a more optimistic future.


Fungal infections create a significant risk to pediatric lung transplant recipients. However, no international consensus guidelines exist for fungal infection prevention strategies. It was the aim to describe the current strategies of antifungal prophylaxis in pediatric lung transplant centers. A self‐administered, web‐based survey on current practices to prevent fungal infection was circulated to centers within the IPLTC. Twenty‐one (88%) IPLTC centers participated, predominantly from Europe and the US. More than 50% of respondents perform adult and pediatric lung transplant operations. Twenty‐four percent use universal prophylaxis, 28% give prophylaxis to all patients but stratify the antifungal coverage based on pretransplant risk, and 48% target prophylaxis to only the children with CF or pretransplantation fungal colonization. Commonly, centers aim to target Aspergillus and Candida infection. Monotherapy with either voriconazole or inhaled amphotericin B is used in the majority of centers. Institutions utilize prophylactic therapy for variable time periods (40% 3–6 months; 30% ≥12 months). Alternative drugs were prescribed for lack of tolerance, toxicity, or positive surveillance culture. TDM (itraconazole/voriconazole) was used in 86% of centers. The survey revealed a wide range of antifungal prophylaxis strategies as current international practice in pediatric lung transplant recipients.


Background: Norovirus is a leading cause of outbreaks of acute infectious gastroenteritis worldwide, yet its transmissibility within households and associated risk factors remain unknown in developing countries. Methods: Household, demographic, and clinical data were collected from a semi-urban area in south China where an outbreak occurred in the winter of 2014. Using a Bayesian modeling framework, we assessed the transmissibility and potential risk modifiers in both urban and rural households. Results: In urban apartment buildings, the secondary attack rates were 84% (95% credible interval [CI] = 60%, 96%) among households of size two and 29% (95% CI = 9.6%, 53%) in larger households. In the rural village, secondary attack rate estimates were lower than the urban setting, 13% (0.51%, 54%) for households of size two and 7.3% (0.38%, 27%) for larger households. Males were 31% (95% CI = 3%, 50%) less susceptible to the disease than female. Water disinfection with chlorine was estimated to reduce environmental risk of infection by 60% (95% CI = 26%, 82%), and case isolation was estimated to reduce person-to-person transmission by 65% (95% CI = 15%, 93%). Nausea and vomiting were not associated with household transmission. Conclusions: Norovirus is highly contagious within households, in particular in small households in urban communities. Our results suggest that water disinfection and case isolation are associated with reduction of outbreaks in resource-limited communities.


Current vaccination against Streptococcus pneumoniae uses vaccines based on capsular polysaccharides from selected serotypes and has led to nonvaccine serotype replacement disease. We have investigated an alternative serotype-independent approach, using multiple-antigen vaccines (MAV) prepared from S. pneumoniae TIGR4 lysates enriched for surface proteins by a chromatography step after culture under conditions that induce expression of heat shock proteins (Hsp; thought to be immune adjuvants). ABSTRACT Current vaccination against Streptococcus pneumoniae uses vaccines based on capsular polysaccharides from selected serotypes and has led to nonvaccine serotype replacement disease. We have investigated an alternative serotype-independent approach, using multiple-antigen vaccines (MAV) prepared from S. pneumoniae TIGR4 lysates enriched for surface proteins by a chromatography step after culture under conditions that induce expression of heat shock proteins (Hsp; thought to be immune adjuvants). Proteomics and immunoblot analyses demonstrated that, compared to standard bacterial lysates, MAV was enriched with Hsps and contained several recognized protective protein antigens, including pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) and pneumolysin (Ply). Vaccination of rodents with MAV induced robust antibody responses to multiple serotypes, including nonpneumococcal conjugate vaccine serotypes. Homologous and heterologous strains of S. pneumoniae were opsonized after incubation in sera from vaccinated rodents. In mouse models, active vaccination with MAV significantly protected against pneumonia, while passive transfer of rabbit serum from MAV-vaccinated rabbits significantly protected against sepsis caused by both homologous and heterologous S. pneumoniae strains. Direct comparison of MAV preparations made with or without the heat shock step showed no clear differences in protein antigen content and antigenicity, suggesting that the chromatography step rather than Hsp induction improved MAV antigenicity. Overall, these data suggest that the MAV approach may provide serotype-independent protection against S. pneumoniae.


Adapted behaviour and shifting ranges of species -- a result of recent climate warming? G.-R. Walther. Terrestrial ecosystem responses to climate changes in the Antarctic P. Convey. Climate change and ice breeding pinnipeds B.P. Kelly. Detection of range shifts: General methodological issues and case studies using butterflies C. Parmesan. Climate and recent range changes in butterflies J.K. Hill, et al. Expansion of Mediterranean Odonata in Germany and Europe -- consequences of climatic changes J. Ott. Phytophenological trends in different seasons, regions and altitudes in Switzerland C. Defila, B. Clot. Plant phenological changes A. Menzel, N. Estrella. High summits of the Alps in a changing climate H. Pauli, et al. Evergreen broad-leaved species as indicators for climate change G.-R. Walther, et al. The expansion of thermophilic plants in the Iberian Peninsula as a sign of climatic change E.S. Vesperinas, et al. Climate change and coastal flora D. Metzing, A. Gerlach. Sizing the Impact: Coral reef ecosystems as early casualties of climate change O. Hoegh-Guldberg. Fingerprints of climate changes on the photosynthetic apparatus' behaviour, monitored by the JIP-test M. Tsimilli-Michael, R. Strasser. Did recent climatic shifts affect productivity of grass-dominated vegetation in southern Switzerland? A. Stampfli. Responses of some Austrian glacier foreland plants to experimentally changed microclimatic conditions B. Erschbamer. Reliability and effectiveness of Ellenberg's indices in checking flora and vegetation changes induced by climatic variations S. Pignatti, et al. Fingerprints of climate change -- concluding remarks Ch. Korner, G.-R. Walther. Index.


There is a strong belief among individuals in scientific, medical, and lay industries (e.g., surgeons, educators, athletes, musicians, and psychiatrists) that imagery can help us improve performance in variety of tasks and situations. The theories that seek to motivate potentially beneficial effects of imagining propose that imagery improves processes late in the stream of information processing. For example, the leading hypotheses propose imagery trains stimulus-response mapping or even simply improves motor control. The present study examined the untested hypothesis that imagery can improve the operation of visual attention, allowing for more efficient selection of task-relevant objects in a visual scene. We designed a task in which we could pit instances of imagery against instances of practicing the same task with visual input. We found that subjects were faster even after a single instance of imagining searching for a target in a visual search array, compared to when they had actually practiced the task with visual input. Recordings of brain activity demonstrate that the electrophysiological measure of focusing attention on the potential target items increased in lockstep with the speeding of subjects' behavioral responses to the target objects. These neural data demonstrate that imagery training improves the focusing of attention better than practicing the same task with visual input. Using a variant of the paradigm we developed we show that imagery can also induce greater interference than simple task practice, demonstrating the downside of this potent training technique. Next, we replicated the findings and provide a more precise parametric manipulation of the amount of imagined practice to completely characterize the nature of this new phenomenon. Finally, we determine the source of the superiority of imagery over vision. We show that imagining performing the task is superior to actual practice due to memory representations of the task-irrelevant items accumulating during actual practice. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2015.


Travelling fear: the railway disaster as a topos of modern fiction. If we want to trace the antecedents of the anxieties and fears generated by communication systems, we should first recognize a continuity between transport and communication (Abruzzese, 2003), and we should therefore inspect the history of transportation technologies. That said, the image of the shipwreck emerges, it does not matter if the shipwreck is wanted by men or by an evil fate. It is the central topos of many stories and ballads since the dawn of navigation, and it finds its counterpart in industrial modernity in the railway disaster. The railway disaster, an unavoidable possibility since the birth of the railway (Schivelbusch, 1988), is a topic little or nothing considered in the social sciences; on the contrary, the railway disaster is a topos. This topos was variously explored by literature and cinematography, since Charles Dickens, subject to post-traumatic stress syndrome for having himself been involved in a derailment in 1865, poured out his anxieties in The Signal-Man (1982), and Emile Zola made a train wreck the expected conclusion of his Human Beast (2013). And if the railway disaster is uncanny, disturbing for its unexpected arrival, especially for the unsuspecting traveler, its spectacularity has made it a perfect climax for cinematographic works ranging from the famous Cassandra Crossing (Cosmatos, 2008) to Wagon Lits with Murders (Hiller, 1977) and Hugo Cabret (Scorsese, 2012), the latter reinterpreting two really happened incidents. In the present work, it is our intention to trace some relevant uses of the topos of the railway disaster in literature and cinematography, highlighting its efficiency as a trigger of that perturbing feeling that remains one of the most relevant characteristics of modern narratives.


The presence of refugees in Germany and the challenges their integration poses have preoccupied the public for the past two years. According to the latest data of the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), many more people in Germany were concerned about migration and xenophobia last year than in 2013. The additional representative results of the Barometer of Public Opinion on Refugees in Germany in 2016 and the current SOEP wave also indicated that respondents see more risks than opportunities in the refugee migration to Germany. At the same time, around one-third of the population said they had actively supported refugees in the form of monetary or material donations; around ten percent had helped out on site, for example by accompanying refugees to appointments at authorities or language instruction. People with a higher level of formal education and a history of volunteering were more likely to assist actively on site in the integration of refugees. In the course of the year, however, the number of respondents who expressed their intention to become active in the future decreased.


The story of Noah's flood is one of the best-loved and most often retold biblical tales, the inspiration for numerous children's books and toys, novels, and even films. Whether as allusion, archetype, or literal presence-the American landscape is peppered with 'recreations' of the ark-the story of Noah's animals and the ark resonates throughout American culture and the world. While most think of Noah's ark as a dramatic myth, others are consumed by the quest for geological and archeological proof that the flood really occurred. Persistent rumors of a large vessel on the mountain of Ararat in Turkey, for instance, have led many pilgrims and explorers over the centuries to visit that fabled peak. Recent finds suggest that there may have been a catastrophic flood on the shores of the Black Sea some 7,600 years ago. Is this then the reality behind the ancient tale of Noah? More to the point, why does it matter? What does the story of the Flood mean to us and why does it so stir the collective imagination? When the Great Abyss Opened examines the history of our attempts to understand the Flood, from medieval Jewish and Christian speculation about the physical details of the ark to contemporary efforts to link it to scientific findings. Unraveling the mythical dimensions of the parallel Mesopotamian flood stories and their deeper social and psychological significance, J. David Pleins also considers the story's positive uses in theology and moral instruction. Noah's tale, however, has also been invoked as a means of justifying exclusion, racism, and anti-homosexual views. Pro-slavery advocates, for example, used the story of Noah's Curse on Ham's son Canaan to rationalize the enslavement of Africans. Throughout this expansive and lively book, Pleins sheds new light on our continuing attempts to understand this ancient primal myth. Noah's Flood, he contends, offers a unique case study that illuminates the timeless and timely question of how fact and faith relate.


Here I seek to explore the cosmopolitan foundations of the idea of human rights. The argument begins by considering the popularity of the idea of human rights in a globalized and fast-moving commodified and digital culture. At this point I consider whether the idea of human rights might be considered to be a modern utopia similar to the role that art and nature played in the Romantic movements of the 19th century. Further, I defend human rights against those who simply see it as a form of neoliberalism or as largely ineffective against the power of the state. At this point I investigate some of the Durkheimian work within cultural sociology that has sought to investigate human rights as a form of moral community. The main problem with this view is that it has little to say about human freedom. However, viewed through a cultural lens, the global spread of human rights is connected to the idea of human dignity. While there is never likely to be a global consensus on this term, it does retain an important philosophical anchoring in Kantian ideas. More recently this debate has been revived by the critical reception of the work of Agamben and his idea of 'bare life'. If human rights can indeed be connected to the struggle for a dignified and meaningful life, then the idea of 'bare life' remains an important conceptual advance. However, by considering the work and legacy of Du Bois, Gilroy and others, we can also see how the term dignity might take on other meanings in different settings. Finally, I argue that the idea of dignity and human rights could yet provide an important focus for resistance against the imperatives of capital and state in these neoliberal times.


Receiving information on child's disease or disability is a very difficult and often traumatic experience for the parents. Researchers investigating this issue indicate an array of negative parental emotional reactions such as: a sense of loss, loneliness, shock, mutual blaming, uncertainty, anxiety. Early intervention, understood as interdisciplinary services provided by physiotherapists, doctors, pedagogues, psychologists, and other specialists in the first years of child's life, is equally needed by both children themselves and their parents, who, owing to the provided education and support, mature to the role of a parent-caretaker-therapist. The paper will address the results of a research conducted among parents of children with rare genetic diseases. The respondents shared their experiences associated with early intervention, assessed the quality of the received support as well as its effects on the child and the family. The study was conducted based on qualitative research methodology. I conducted narrative interviews with the mothers and fathers of children affected by rare chromosomal disorders. The analysis of narration focused on the experiences associated with implemented or non-implemented early intervention. Some of the parents of children with rare chromosomal syndromes had no opportunity to participate in early intervention; respondents in this group complained about specialists ignoring the reported problems and described disease symptoms as well as being involved in a "therapeutic pursuit" for a long time. The other group included parents participating in early intervention programmes. The experience of a rare disease increased their need to expand their knowledge on the disease and treatment options, which certainly presented a significant challenge for specialists. However, even in such a difficult situation it is possible to implement a model early intervention programme, as reported by one of respondents.


Some propose that the rise of right-wing populism in many industrial democracies is due to economic insecurities stemming from globalization — the so-called "race to the bottom" argument. They suggest that greater social protection can cushion society from communal disharmony. Others suggest that the anti-immigrant backlash is driven by "welfare chauvinism" where people already enjoying high levels of social welfare are likely to see immigrants as a threat to the system and that traditional xenophobia and racism are compounded by the view that immigrants are interlopers that free-ride on welfare. We test these competing propositions using panel data for 27 OECD countries between 1990 and 2009 (20 years). We find that the positive effect of immigration on support for right-wing populism is not direct but conditional upon higher degrees of social welfare, which supports propositions about "welfare chauvinism." Support for right-wing parties increase when the degree of economic freedom is low and the degree of social protection is high. The results clearly fail to support propositions about the "race to the bottom" but support liberal arguments about the distorting effects of high welfare on communal harmony. Our results are robust to a host of alternative data, sample size and estimation techniques.


Background An important element in improving the care of patients with sepsis is early identification and early intervention. Early warning score (EWS) systems allow earlier identification of physiological deterioration. A standardised national EWS (NEWS) has been proposed for use across the National Health Service in the UK. Aim To determine whether a single NEWS on emergency department (ED) arrival is a predictor of outcome, either in-hospital death within 30 days or intensive care unit (ICU) admission within 2 days, in patients with sepsis. Methods Data were collected over a 3-month period as part of a national audit in 20 EDs in Scotland. All adult patients who were admitted for at least 2 days or who died within 2 days were screened for sepsis criteria. Patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome criteria were included. An EWS was calculated based on initial physiological observations made in the ED using the NEWS. Results Complete data were available for 2003 patients. Each rise in NEWS category was associated with an increased risk of mortality when compared to the lowest category (5–6: OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.21 to 3.14), (7–8: OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.42 to 3.61), (9–20: OR 5.64, 95% CI 3.70 to 8.60). This was also the case for the combined outcome (ICU and/or mortality). Conclusions An increased NEWS on arrival at ED is associated with higher odds of adverse outcome among patients with sepsis. The use of NEWS could facilitate patient pathways to ensure triage to a high acuity area of the ED and senior clinician involvement at an early stage.


Stimuli-responsive end-capped MSN materials are promising drug carriers that securely deliver a large payload of drug molecules without degradation or premature release. A general review of the recent progress in this field is presented, including a summary of a series of hard and soft caps for drug encapsulation and a variety of internal and external stimuli for controlled release of different therapeutics, a discussion of the biocompatibility of MSN both in vitro and in vivo, and a description of the sophisticated stimuli-responsive systems with novel capping agents and controlled release mechanism. The unique internal and external surfaces of MSN were utilized for the development of a glucose-responsive double delivery system end-capped with insulin. This unique system consists of functionalized MSNs capable of releasing insulin when the concentration of sugar in blood exceeds healthy levels. The insulin-free nanoparticles are then up taken by pancreatic cells, and release inside of them another biomolecule that stimulates the production of more insulin. The in vivo application of this system for the treatment of diabetes requires further understanding on the biological behaviors of these nanoparticles in blood vessels. The research presented in this dissertation demonstrated the size and surface effects on the interaction of MSNs with red blood cell membranes, and discovered how the surface of the nanoparticles can be modified to improve their compatibility with red blood cells and avoid their dangerous side effects. In order to optimize the properties of MSN for applying them as efficient intracellular drug carriers it is necessary to understand the factors that can regulate their internalization into and exocytosis out of the cells. The correlation between the particle morphology and aggregation of MSNs to the effectiveness of cellular uptake is discussed and compared with different cell lines. The differences in the degree of exocytosis of MSNs between healthy and cancer cells is reported and found to be responsible for the asymmetric transfer of the particles between both cell types. The fundamental studies on the hemocompatibility, endo- and exocytosis of MSN along with its ability to sequentially release multiple therapeutics in response to different stimuli, allow us to propose MSN as an intravascular vehicle with a great potential for various biomedical applications.


Adult-plant resistance (APR) is an effective means of controlling powdery mildew in wheat. In the present study, 406 simple-sequence repeat markers were used to map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for APR to powdery mildew in a doubled-haploid (DH) population of 181 lines derived from the cross Bainong 64xJingshuang 16. The DH lines were planted in a randomized complete block design with three replicates in Beijing and Anyang during the 2005-06 and 2007-08 cropping seasons. Artificial inoculations were carried out in Beijing using the highly virulent Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici isolate E20. Disease severities on penultimate leaves were scored twice in Beijing whereas, at Anyang, maximum disease severities (MDS) were recorded following natural infection. Broad-sense heritabilities of MDS and areas under the disease progress curve were 0.89 and 0.77, respectively, based on the mean values averaged across environments. Composite interval mapping detected four QTLs for APR to powdery mildew on chromosomes 1A, 4DL, 6BS, and 7A; these were designated QPm.caas-1A, QPm.caas-4DL, QPm.caas-6BS, and QPm.caas-7A, respectively, and explained 6.3 to 22.7% of the phenotypic variance. QTLs QPm.caas-4DL and QPm.caas-6BS were stable across environments with high genetic effects on powdery mildew response, accounting for 15.2 to 22.7% and 9.0 to 13.2% of the phenotypic variance, respectively. These results should be useful for the future improvement of powdery mildew resistance in wheat.


The Levant Basin is a deep-water basin in the eastern Mediterranean region. A large part of the basin contains a characteristic set of closely spaced normal faults, informally called the "piano key faults." These normal faults trending NW-SE have a fairly high-frequency map-view spacing of approximately 3–4 km on average and tens to hundreds of meters of interpreted throw. A large part of the pre-Messinian sedimentary strata is faulted, including the entire Miocene-to-Oligocene sequence. At depth, all the faults consistently die out at the same intra-Eocene detachment level. This stratigraphic level is interpreted to have a regionally developed shale sequence acting as the basal detachment surface for the piano key faults. The amount of throw on the individual faults appears to decrease toward the basin margin and the faults do not extend into the adjacent basins of the broader eastern Mediterranean area.


We present a muscle-based control method for simulated bipeds in which both the muscle routing and control parameters are optimized. This yields a generic locomotion control method that supports a variety of bipedal creatures. All actuation forces are the result of 3D simulated muscles, and a model of neural delay is included for all feedback paths. As a result, our controllers generate torque patterns that incorporate biomechanical constraints. The synthesized controllers find different gaits based on target speed, can cope with uneven terrain and external perturbations, and can steer to target directions.


INTRODUCTION
Facial trauma is a common injury in the urban setting. Many studies have been published on the epidemiology and treatment of facial fractures, but few of them conducted in emergencies hospital as ours. The purpose of this study was to present theory and practice in surgical treatment of midface trauma.

MATERIALS AND METHOD
We will present a retrospective study and a cases series report with our personal experience in diagnosis and treatment of middle floor facial trauma. Craniofacial trauma in context of polytrauma involves a screening condition assessment of the patient to prioritize lesions and frequently require a multidisciplinary approach: neurosurgeon, ENT surgeon, maxillo-facial surgeon, ophthalmologist, plastic surgeon and so on. Axial and coronal CT are mandatory and three-dimensional CT reconstruction can be extremely useful. Surgical indication in middle floor facial trauma is given by functional and aesthetic deficits.

RESULTS
We will present the surgical principles we use in treatment of fractured nose, in fractures of maxilla, in fractures of the zygomatic arch with or without zygoma body fractures and fractures of the floor of orbit.

DISCUSSIONS
The surgical technique was imposed by coexisting lesions of neuro and viscerocranium, by the complexity of the fracture, by functional or aesthetic deficits and by our surgical experience.

CONCLUSIONS
The main principles in middle face trauma are an accurate and complete lesions evaluation; mixed surgery team with maxillofacial surgeon and neurosurgeon.


A few authors underlie the necessity to promote a new 'capitalistic ethic' and to face the governance and control systems of organizations and institutions that work within the capital markets. Internal control systems are considered the product of deep reflection of governance: it represents the bases of a wide evaluation for the single operative instruments and for the general culture of the risk control. This contribution intends to bring out the role of the central institutions in the creation of the flexibility and the necessary environment to develop control instruments oriented towards the prevention and management of risk.


Abstract Strikes are rare events in the history of medicine. Mainly their occurrences have been initiated by junior doctors as is the case in South Africa. In the most recent strike action by South African doctors, the root cause appears to be the long-overdue salary increases with specific attention focused on the government's failure to implement the Occupation Specific Dispensation (OSD). It is quite difficult to separate fact from exaggeration during doctors' strikes due to media hype and the variety of players involved. Proximity to life and death and contractual obligations are put forward as the reasons doctors are judged by standards higher than ordinary mortals. For patients, some of the harms occurred may include the following: work-loss (if employed), wasted money for transport, treatment delays, prolongation of suffering, irreversible damage to health, dangerous drug interruptions and death. Concerning doctors, some benefits of a strike action may result in financial gain, improved working conditions which may contribute to less emotional pressure and even a degree of dissuasion from emigrating.


The purpose of this study is to show that Korean honorifics are not mere politeness markers or linguistic forms that speakers use passively, following social conventions. Rather, they are social indexes that can be used to construct one's identity or change footing (Goffman 1981) in a given social context. The traditional understanding of honorifics has regarded them as linguistic forms reflecting relative social-positional differences and has assumed that social structure and language use have a one-to-one relationship. However, recent studies on honorifics argue that speakers of languages with an honorific system do not always choose honorifics passively based on social norms but sometimes actively and strategically choose honorific forms to meet the demands of a given context. From the perspective of social constructivism, this study examines conversations in Korean TV shows and demonstrates that Korean speakers often switch speech style from honorific to non-honorific without being rude. The present study argues that Korean speakers on TV constantly change footing and create shifting identities in order to make conversation dynamic and fun.


Mac, Carrie. The Gryphon Project . 2009. Puffin Canada. Print. A lot happens in the first 6-page chapter. We are introduced to a small and suitably multicultural clique of teenage friends with cute nicknames: Phoenix (Phee); her slightly older brother Gryphon (Gryph); his buddies Saul, Huy, Tariq; Phee's best friend Nadia who is also Saul's girlfriend; and Nadia's younger brother Neko, the tag-along clique mascot. Also, we meet Phee and Gryph's seemingly bland background of a family - a mom who spends evenings going over work files, a United Church minister Dad, and a cute younger sister. The story begins with Phoenix lamenting the souring of her formerly idyllic relationship with Gryph. While she wonders whether his sudden change from "perfect big brother" to "just an asshole who lived in her house" is because of drugs, his major athletic sponsorship contract with the Chrysalis corporation, or just being a teenager, the reader might well wonder if this will just be another generic story of teenage angst and relationship drama holding little promise of creativity or challenging ideas. Fortunately, the last sentence of Chapter One catches our attention: "fifteen years ago tomorrow, Phoenix had died. For the first time… and the Chrysalis corporation had brought her back from the dead." The next 275-odd pages are certainly filled with a lot of the usual teenage concerns: why does my brother hate me? Does my boyfriend really love me? My little sister is really annoying sometimes. My parents just don't get me, etc, etc. However, there is an underlying; not-so-far-fetched technological advance called "reconning" that adds a fascinating moral and ethical tension. Carrie Mac embeds this ability to bring people back to life so deeply into this fictional society that the reader only slowly realises the main theme of the novel is actually the exploration of how death affects the way we live our lives and how the sudden discovery of a way to cheat death might be handled. Of course, the immediate thought is that eliminating death could be nothing but good – no more sorrow, no more angst about making mistakes, endless time to iron out mistakes in relationships. But would eternal life for everyone be desirable?  And if limits were necessary, who would decide on and then control those limits (e.g. a private corporation, churches, government)? How would our actions change if we knew we had three "recons" left or that we had been born into a segment of society where the so-called "importance" of our parents' occupations dictated whether we were allocated three, two, one, or even no recons? How would we react if we suddenly discovered that our banal family in our boring suburb and our seemingly pointless education system was actually part of the privileged elite and a whole world of poverty, violence, and a lack of recons existed just kilometres away? Would having three deaths make us more curious about death and more willing to take on risk, or would we value life even more? The surface story in The Gryphon Project is enthralling enough as Phoenix and Nadia slowly unravel the mystery of the older boys' strange behaviour and ominous secrecy. The underlying theme, however, makes this a thought-provoking exploration into the meaning of life and how the sudden ability to override death would change us. I suspect many readers could enjoy this book just for the surface story of adventure but anyone who even occasionally gives thought to the meaning of life and social justice would really enjoy the additional and challenging layers. Highly recommended: 4 out of 4 stars Reviewer: David Sulz David is a librarian at the University of Alberta working mostly with scholars in Economics, Religious Studies, and Social Work. His university studies included: Library Studies, History, Elementary Education, Japanese, and Economics. On the education front, he taught various grades and subjects for several years in schools as well as museums. His interest in Japan and things Japanese stands above his other diverse interests.


These medication errors have occurred in health care facilities at least once. They will happen again—perhaps where you work. Through education and alertness of personnel and procedural safeguards, they can be avoided. You should consider publishing accounts of errors in your newsletters and/or presenting them in your inservice training programs. Your assistance is required to continue this feature. The reports described here were received through the USP Medication Errors Reporting Program, which is presented in cooperation with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. If you have encountered medication errors and would like to report them, you may call USP toll-free, 24 hours a day, at 800-233-7767 (800-23-ERROR). Any reports published by ISMP will be anonymous. Comments are also invited; the writers' names will be published if desired. ISMP may be contacted at the address shown below. The reports described in this column were received through the USP–ISMP Medication Errors Reporting Program (MERP). Errors, close calls, or hazardous conditions may be reported through the ISMP (www.ismp.org) or USP (www.usp.org) Web sites or communicated directly to ISMP by calling 1-800-FAIL SAFE or via e-mail at email@example.com. ISMP guarantees the confidentiality and security of the information received and respects reporters' wishes as to the level of detail included in publications. In 2004, ISMP is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its incorporation as a nonprofit organization. The Institute represents more than 20 years of experience in helping health care practitioners keep patients safe and continues to lead efforts to improve the medication use process.


Abstract Study Objectives To determine how sleepiness and sleep deprivation drive the motivation to engage in different behaviors. Methods We studied the sleepiness of 123 participants who had been randomized to sleep deprivation or normal sleep, and their willingness to engage in a range of everyday behaviors. Results Self-reported sleepiness was a strong predictor of the motivation to engage in sleep-preparatory behaviors such as shutting one's eyes (OR = 2.78, 95% CI: 2.19–3.52 for each step up on the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale) and resting (OR = 3.20, CI: 2.46–4.16). Sleepiness was also related to the desire to be cared for by a loved one (OR = 1.49, CI: 1.22–1.82), and preparedness to utilize monetary and energy resources to get to sleep. Conversely, increased sleepiness was associated with a decreased motivation for social and physical activities (e.g. be with friends OR = 0.71, CI: 0.61–0.82; exercise OR = 0.65, CI: 0.56–0.76). Sleep deprivation had similar effects as sleepiness on these behaviors. Neither sleepiness nor sleep deprivation had strong associations with hunger, thirst, or food preferences. Conclusions Our findings indicate that sleepiness is a dynamic motivational drive that promotes sleep-preparatory behaviors and competes with other drives and desired outcomes. Consequently, sleepiness may be a central mechanism by which impaired alertness, for example, due to insufficient sleep, contributes to poor quality of life and adverse health. We propose that sleepiness helps organize behaviors toward the specific goal of assuring sufficient sleep, in competition with other needs and incentives. A theoretical framework on sleepiness and its behavioral consequences are likely to improve our understanding of several disease mechanisms.


Manganese(II) sulfide (MnS) is an interesting material for both fundamental and applicative research, especially when its bulk properties are modulated by reducing the size into the nanometric region (< 100 nm). Due to its polymorphism, MnS is an attractive material to develop synthetic strategies for polymorphism control. We have reviewed the literature concerning MnS nanosystems having at least one dimension smaller than 100 nm. Successful synthetic techniques for the preparation of zeroand one-dimensional MnS nanosystems (either homogeneous and heterogeneous) with size, shape, and polymorphism control are presented with emphasis on solvothermal techniques and on studies devoted to understanding the growth mechanism and the polymorphism. Properties and applications are collected in three broad areas corresponding to nanosize MnS used as an optical, electric, and magnetic material. MnS has attracting properties such as its large bandgap, which makes it promising for emission in the ultraviolet region. The magnetic properties have also arisen attention since MnS is antiferromagnetic at low temperature and (super)paramagnetic at room temperature. Finally, the layered structure of the hexagonal polymorph is responsible for the good performance of nanosize MnS as a lithium-ion battery electrode or supercapacitor material since the insertion/exchange of small ions is easy.


End user quality perception in the context of Internet applications is often characterized by waiting times before service consumption as well as interruptions during service consumption. In particular in case of bad network conditions, network and service providers have to trade off between these two impairment types, i.e. between the devil and the deep blue sea. In this paper we investigate this tradeoff in order to guide the design and development of Internet applications and network management approaches. The contribution of this paper is twofold. Firstly, we quantify the impact of initial delays on the user perceived Quality of Experience (QoE) for different application scenarios by means of subjective laboratory and crowdsourcing studies. We show that QoE for a given waiting time strongly depends on the concrete application at hand but that rating diversity remains fairly application-invariant. Secondly, using the example of YouTube video streaming we compare the influence of initial delays and interruptions (stallings) during watching. Our results demonstrate that users are extremely sensitive to interruptions and that services should be designed accordingly e.g. by increasing initial delay for prebuffering to overcome lack of resources.


As part of the technological advances of our age, it proved possible to conduct this interview across "the ether" using the medium of email. Not the most satisfactory medium for me and not just because I failed to add to my air miles by foregoing a trip to Houston. It was disappointing for me because, as a former pupil of Josh's, I was well aware of the warm and generous hospitality I could have expected from him and his wife Margaret had I visited their home. However of greater import for the flavour of this review is the fact that by not going to Houston I am forced back on fairly distant memories that could have done with being refreshed. Josh is one of the great teachers in modern tumour biology and his teaching skills are indivisible from his personality (his larger-than-life personality). Just as people say you have to see great rock bands, like the Rolling Stones, on stage in order to appreciate how good they are, so you need to have seen Josh Fidler lecturing in the flesh in order to really appreciate what an impact he has had on the field of metastasis research. To have "bathed" in that charisma again after a long absence from personal interaction would have helped gel some of the points I would like to get across in this interview. Hopefully though I still will be able to convey the excitement of working under Josh's direction in the late 70's and early 80's; it was a time when Josh made a number of seminal observations and drove the field forward almost by his sheer will-power. Before we leave the analogy drawn to rock musicians though, let me encourage any reader that, should Fidler be playing at a venue near you


Objective: Esophageal cancer is the 8th most important cancer in the world which is responsible for about 1.5 million cases and 1 million morbidity rates per year. One of the most specific regulators of neovascularization is VEGF. VEGF genes are mutated in the different type of esophageal cancers which leads to neovascularization process and tumor metastasis. In this qualitative research work, for the first time, we investigated the VEGF gene expression in esophageal cancer patients in IRAN.
Methods: This study was performed on 30 FFPE (formalin fixed paraffin embedded) (15 specimens were healthy and 15 specimens) were esophageal cancer tissues which were gathered from different hospitals and research centers in Zahedan and Kashan in Iran. We aimed to evaluate the expression of VEGF genes using reverse transcriptase real-time polymerase chain reaction method. PCR reactions for VEGF gene as well as internal control (β-actin) was performed 3 times using 2 -ΔΔCT (Livac) method for all specimens. Then the difference in gene expressions between case and control groups evaluated using the t-test, in which p ≤ 0.05 was considered to be significant.
Results: There was a meaningful increase in VEGF gene expression in the case group. There was not a meaningful difference in gene expression in male or female in case or control groups (P>0.05).
Conclusion: The results showed that VEGF gene expression in patients was increased compared to control.


Cable-driven continuum robots exhibit excellent capabilities in the unstructured environment due to their inherent compliance and dexterity. To improve the reliability and load capacity of continuum robots, increasing the number of cables is often used in the control of continuum robots. However, the number of actuators will increase with the cables. To tackle this challenge, this work proposes a method for increasing the number of cables without increasing actuators in a continuum robot through parallel platforms. The parallel platforms are used to control all the cables in the continuum robot and can be separated from the continuum robot to enable the remote drive of a manipulation arm by using the cable-tube structure. The manipulation arm is composed of several independent bending modules in series, which can be configured freely according to the demand of degrees-of-freedom. Further, each bending module is controlled independently by a parallel platform, which can avoid the mutual interference between the cables of one bending module and another one, improve the position accuracy and simplify the control difficulty of the manipulation arm. To evaluate the proposed method, this work develops a prototype of six-cable-driven continuum robot controlled by 3RPS parallel platforms and presents some basic kinematic models to describe its function, and then an experimental work characterizing its performance. Experimental results illustrated the importance of increasing the number of cables, the rationality of kinematic models of the continuum robot, and the feasibility of controlling multiple cables by a parallel platform.


Abstract The rare uranyl lead carbonate widenmannite, Pb2(UO2)(CO3)3, was found at the Jánská vein, Příbram, Czech Republic, where two generations occur in several morphological types and mineral associations in hydrothermal veins. Alpha spectroscopy shows that these two generations have different ages, >220,000 and 118±12 y. ICP-MS analysis indicates that both widenmannites have a dominance of non-radiogenic Pb which originates from weathered galena. The older widenmannite I forms fine-grained, grey to beige aggregates in the highly altered supergene part of the hydrothermal ore vein in association with pyromorphite, cerussite and goethite. The younger widenmannite II occurs as white, yellow or greenish-yellow thin tabular crystals up to 0.5 mm long in association with cerussite, anglesite, limonite, kasolite and an unnamed Pb-U-O phase. Thermal analysis suggests that widenmannite decomposes in several steps, with Pb uranate as the final product. Infrared and Raman spectroscopy confirm the presence of non-equivalent (CO3)2- groups, bidentately coordinated in uranyl hexagonal polyhedra, forming the well known uranyl tricarbonate complex. Infrared spectroscopy shows conclusively that widenmannite does not contain molecular H2O.


The transfer of a delta-function pulse by parallel-sided optical cavities is considered. It is shown that the spectral characteristics of the cavities can be easily derived by calculating the Fourier transform of this impulse response. This method of calculation appears to be simpler and more intuitive usual standing-wave approach. The method is applied to a number of examples including cavites whose dimensions change with time.


This is the first book about the emerging field of utility indifference pricing for valuing derivatives in incomplete markets. Rene Carmona brings together a who's who of leading experts in the field to provide the definitive introduction for students, scholars, and researchers. Until recently, financial mathematicians and engineers developed pricing and hedging procedures that assumed complete markets. But markets are generally incomplete, and it may be impossible to hedge against all sources of randomness. Indifference Pricing offers cutting-edge procedures developed under more realistic market assumptions.

 The book begins by introducing the concept of indifference pricing in the simplest possible models of discrete time and finite state spaces where duality theory can be exploited readily. It moves into a more technical discussion of utility indifference pricing for diffusion models, and then addresses problems of optimal design of derivatives by extending the indifference pricing paradigm beyond the realm of utility functions into the realm of dynamic risk measures. Focus then turns to the applications, including portfolio optimization, the pricing of defaultable securities, and weather and commodity derivatives. The book features original mathematical results and an extensive bibliography and indexes.

 In addition to the editor, the contributors are Pauline Barrieu, Tomasz R. Bielecki, Nicole El Karoui, Robert J. Elliott, Said Hamadene, Vicky Henderson, David Hobson, Aytac Ilhan, Monique Jeanblanc, Mattias Jonsson, Anis Matoussi, Marek Musiela, Ronnie Sircar, John van der Hoek, and Thaleia Zariphopoulou.

 - The first book on utility indifference pricing
  -Explains the fundamentals of indifference pricing, from simple models to the most technical ones
 - Goes beyond utility functions to analyze optimal risk transfer and the theory of dynamic risk measures
 - Covers non-Markovian and partially observed models and applications to portfolio optimization, defaultable securities, static and quadratic hedging, weather derivatives, and commodities
 - Includes extensive bibliography and indexes
 - Provides essential reading for PhD students, researchers, and professionals


It is shown that the Hermite–Gauss- and Laguerre–Gauss-type solutions of paraxial optics whose corresponding Hermite and Laguerre polynomials have complex arguments are closely related to a hidden symmetry in the parabolic equation. These solutions are generated from the fundamental Gaussian beam solution by applying the powers of the infinitesimal operators of this symmetry group. The Fourier spectrum of these solutions is obtained from the Fourier spectrum of the fundamental Gaussian beam solution in a similar manner. The Gaussian beam solutions containing Hermite polynomials with complex arguments that were derived by Siegman [ J. Opt. Soc. Am.63, 1093 ( 1973)] represent a limiting case of the more-general solutions considered here. The generalized Gaussian beam solutions show a sharp mode picture with exact zeros in the field distribution only in the focal or waist plane. Unconventional applications of the parabolic approximation in optics including focus wave modes are demonstrated.


Pregnancy is associated with a procoagulant predisposition considered preparatory for the hemostatic challenge of delivery. During pregnancy, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) involves the left leg in 88% of cases. Our patient presents with atypical distribution of DVT. A primipara presented to our service with pain and thrombosed veins of the right calf and thight at 13 and 22 weeks of gestation. Doppler ultrasound excluded DVT. Treatment with topical heparin and elastic support was recommended. Follow-up revealed satisfactory progress. At 34 weeks of gestation, the patient presents to our department with acute pain of her right thigh. Doppler examination confirmed DVT at this atypical site. Systemic heparin therapy and follow-up were initiated. The patient recovered uneventfully, and the fetus was delivered at term via C-section. The awareness of venous conditions during pregnancy may prevent potentialy life-threatening complications for both the mother and fetus through optimal management of high-risk patients.


We describe here new possibilities offered by a clustering method routinely used by many petroleum companies and which could be used in other applications where analysis of multichannel signals has a significant role to play. In hydrocarbon exploration, the method is an efficient tool to condense a large number of logs (measurements performed on rocks, at a regular sampling rate, by running sensors along the borehole wall) into a single signal (rock facies) whose variation is geologically meaningful. The method is comprised of a clustering (MRGC) process and an auto-ordering (CFSOM) process, both of which are fully non-parametric. In the first step, the data structure is broken into clusters. In the second step, a 1D chain of neurons is forced to fit the shortest path through the kernels of all clusters and passing only once through each kernel. Finally, each cluster is assigned an index whose value increases from one end of the chain to the other. As a result of ordering, the output signal is devoid of any "noise" due to the indexation of clusters which is performed arbitrarily or randomly by other methods and its variations truly reflect natural variations of all input signals taken jointly, and hence it can be subjected to signal analysis and processing techniques. The path through the kernels of clusters can be likened to the principal non-linear axis of the data structure.


E-Leukaemia is a web application framework that targets the Leukaemia sector which will aid and benefit children suffering from leukaemia. The application has a responsive web design and aims to adjust the presentation on any mobile devices to allow access to information from anywhere and at any time with an active internet connection.

The proposed solution target kids with leukaemia aged 0-16 and it will help parents to administrate the treatment as kids can't take medication unsupervised due to safety precautions. The consequences of incorrectly administering medication can range from minor to life-threating.

E-leukaemia is expected to provide the users with various functions such as retrieving patients profile, visibility to weekly treatment and blood tests results, ability to track symptoms when required and create appointments. Medical staff will post patients treatment and lab results on a weekly/monthly basis allowing transparency for the end users on the functions outlined. Administrators can register new accounts only if patients are diagnosed with leukaemia and are attending this hospital. Role based access along with security features will ensure integrity and availability in the system. To use the functions of the E-Leukaemia it is important that all authorised staff in the hospital should have access on the existing terminals in Hospital.

The application will have security features to ensure confidentiality and integrity of sensitive data which are the key points from any security principles.

A dynamic prototype is developed by using ASP.NET, MVC5, CSS3, HTML5, JavaScript, MS SQL Server and bootstrap technologies. The system test and evaluation is made to show the system's usability.