Introduction:
Although the health of military personnel who have taken part in specific conflicts has been studied throughout the 20th century, there is a paucity of evidence on the long-term overall impact of military service on health. This thesis describes the establishment of and findings from the Scottish Veterans Health Study, a retrospective cohort study comparing the health outcomes of veterans with those of people with no record of service, in order to determine whether the long-term health of military veterans living in Scotland differed from that of people who had never served in the armed forces.

Methods:
The study population comprised all 57,000 military veterans born between 1945 and 1985 who were resident in Scotland both before and after military service, together with a 3:1 comparison group of 173,000 people with no record of service, matched for age, sex and postcode sector of residence. The demographic data were extracted from the National Health Service Central Registry database and were linked electronically to the National Health Service Scottish Morbidity Record and national vital records data for acute and psychiatric hospital admissions, psychiatric day-case admissions, cancer registrations and death certificate data. Survival analysis was used to determine hazard ratios for those health conditions and outcomes considered to be of a priori interest, overall, by sex, by birth cohort and by length and period of service, both univariately and after adjusting for deprivation.

Results:
Veterans were at significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease compared to non-veterans overall, and of acute myocardial infarction, stroke and peripheral arterial disease specifically. Subgroup analysis showed the increased risk to be confined to veterans born between 1945 and 1959, reducing in more recent birth cohorts. The risk was highest in veterans who left after only a short period of service (Early Service Leavers), whilst those who served for longest exhibited a similar risk of cardiovascular disease to all non-veterans. Veterans were at no higher overall risk of cancer than non-veterans, although there were major differences in the risk of specific cancers, which changed over time. The oldest veterans had an increased risk of cancer of the lung, oropharynx and larynx, oesophagus and stomach; the risks of these cancers reduced in more recent birth cohorts. The 1960-1964 birth cohort showed an increased risk of both bladder cancer and pancreatic cancer in comparison with non-veterans. There were increased risks of ovarian cancer in veteran women compared with non-veterans, and of breast cancer in longer-serving women. The risk of cervical cancer decreased in more recent birth cohorts. There were no differences in the risk of colorectal cancer or prostate cancer in veterans, overall or in any subgroup. There was no clear evidence of increased risk of lymphohaematopoietic cancer in veterans. Veterans were at increased risk of motor neuron disease, but not of multiple sclerosis. Veterans were at increased risk of peptic ulcer disease for all birth cohorts up to the mid-1960s but not thereafter; the risk was highest in those with the shortest service. Hepatitis C was less common in veterans than in non-veterans, in all subgroups. Analysis of mental health outcomes showed that the greatest burden of ill-health was among Early Service Leavers, whilst veterans who completed at least a minimum length of engagement were not at increased risk compared with non-veterans, except for post-traumatic stress disorder. The results for post-traumatic stress disorder, in both veterans and non-veterans, demonstrated a complexity which could not be reconciled with any operational exposure or conventional clinical pattern, but which may have reflected a 'hidden iceberg' of unmet need in the late 1990s which was uncovered by increasing awareness of the condition. Longer service was generally associated with better mental health. Veterans were at no greater risk of suicide than non-veterans; the risk was independent of length of service. Veteran women exhibited a risk profile for mental health outcomes which more closely resembled that of veteran men; this was especially marked for suicide. Veterans were not at increased risk of alcoholic liver disease overall; the only subgroup to show an increase in risk was Early Service Leavers who had completed training, and there was also evidence of increased risk of some alcohol-related cancers in trained Early Service Leavers.

Interpretation:
Older veterans demonstrated an increased risk of smoking-related ill-health, including cardiovascular and respiratory disease and the smoking-related cancers, which is consistent with reported high rates of military smoking in the 1960s and early 1970s. Overall, there has been an improvement in health of veterans compared with the non-serving population in more recent generations, suggesting that the increased emphasis on health promotion and physical fitness in the armed forces since the late 1970s has been effective. Major alcohol problems were no more common in veterans than in the wider community, and were most likely to affect those who left earliest, although not those who left whilst still in training. Longer service was generally associated with better long-term health. Early Service Leavers had poorer health outcomes than longer-serving veterans, but the ability to stratify by length of service demonstrated that the poorest outcomes were in those who did not complete initial training. It is likely that their long-term health outcomes have been predominantly influenced by pre-service and post-service health and behavioural factors which, at a pre-service level, may have also contributed to their failure to complete the minimum military engagement, rather than by their short period of military service. The early period of service appears to act as an extension to the screening process for entry to service, filtering out those who prove least suited to service. The Early Service Leavers therefore form a 'less healthy leaver' group which is the counterpart to the longer-serving 'healthy worker effect'; their status as veterans means that they can be identified within the community, unlike most other occupational leaver groups, but their poorer long-term health is unlikely to be due to military occupational factors. Improved understanding of the determinants of veterans' health will inform the provision of appropriate health and community services to meet their needs.


This dissertation aims to introduce Tumblr as a research site, and is focused on the tag practices of Tumblr users. This study provides preliminary description of communicative goals associated with reading and writing practices on Tumblr. I present a quantitative analysis of how Tumblr users tag, and a qualitative analysis of what communicative goals users are attempting to achieve through these practices. I investigate how users evaluate their own tagging practices. I chose six Tumblr posts about tag practices. The corpus consists of tags written in response to these posts. Responses consisting of only one tag are the most common, as the higher the number of tags, the lower the frequency. I coded the corpus twice for features of interest, which resulted in three main codes: affective stance, epistemic stance, and classification. The coding process also revealed that tags are found to have both commentary and classificatory functions. I performed a content analysis to identify common themes within the posts, such as creativity and inclusion of various speech/writing metaphors. My findings include that users tag for their own benefit, using tags for self-directed talk and self-directed classificatory retrieval. Users write in the tag space as a politeness practice. Comments consisting of feelings, stories, and trivial thoughts are written in the tag space. Whether users are tagging for an audience or for themselves, they report enjoying reading and writing tags. These practices and goals provide insight into why users engage in the reading and writing of tags.


Brain responses to visual stimuli can provide information about visual recognition processes. Several studies have shown stimulus-dependent modulation of the evoked neural responses after gaze shifts (i.e. eye fixation related potentials, EFRP) depending on the relevance of the fixated object. However these studies are typically performed on still images under constrained conditions. Here we extend this approach to study overt visual attention during a simulated driving task. Simultaneous analysis of eye-tracking and electroencephalography data revealed similar patterns than those previously reported. However, natural visual exploration yielded shorter fixations, which imposes constraints in the analysis of the elicited brain responses. Nevertheless, we found significant differences between EFRPs corresponding to target objects or non-object stimuli. These results suggest the possibility of decoding such information during driving, allowing better understanding of how drivers process the environmental information.


coronary care. The patient with an apparently mild myocardial infarction is at as great a risk of developing fatal ventricular dysrhythmia as the patient with a clinically severe infarct.4 In Newcastle the interval between the receipt of the call from the practitioner and the arrival of the coronary care team with the patient (mean 21 minutes) contrasts with the Belfast time (median 10 minutes). The inordinate delay may contribute to the lack of interest of the Newcastle practitioners in the scheme. Dr. Dewar and his colleagues indicate that only 420% of the Newcastle practitioners use the mobile unit and that the number is not increasing. A questionary conducted by one of us (Dr. Zaidi) in March 1969 indicated that 89% of the Belfast practitioners use the mobile scheme. Another important difference between the two schemes is that in Belfast only personnel who have gained experience in the hospital coronary care unit are allowed to go on the mobile team. We agree with Dr. Dewar and his colleagues that it is most important to have adequate inpatient coronary care facilities for reception of patients managed by a mobile unit. It should be stressed, however, that all the available data indicate that at least two-thirds of the deaths from myocardial infarction occur outside hospital and that therefore when problems of staffing exist priority should be given to staffing of the mobile unit.-We are, etc.,


This remarkable and beautiful book brings together a collection of decorated papers dating from the 16th to the 20th century. They were produced for a wide variety of uses: as wrappers and endpapers for books, as the backing for playing cards, and even as linings for chests and cases. Some decorated papers were used as humble pictures for display in churches and the home; some were sold as souvenirs to pilgrims; and others were used merely as wrappings for foodstuffs such as gingerbread and chocolate. What unites all the papers in the book is the richness of their ornamentation and the thin, flexible characteristics of the original sheets. They are all further united by having been collected by Olga Hirsch (1889-1968), a trained bookbinder who left her collection of some 3,500 papers to the British Library, where they remain one of the largest and most diverse collections of decorated papers in the world. The collection has never previously been published except as a mini-format 64-page introductory gift book. This new beautifully designed album of the best and most exquisite papers in the collection will be a revelation and an inspiration to designers, bibliophiles and anyone with a love of pattern and ornamentation.


How can Congress' codifying the taxpayer bill of rights make a meaningful difference for tax administration? This is a question that will likely confront academics, policymakers and judges in the next few years. In late 2015, Congress codified the rights that the Internal Revenue Service administratively adopted in 2014, explicitly requiring that the Commissioner ensure that IRS employees receive training and act in accord with them. A recent article by Professors Alice Abreu and Richard Greenstein refers to the codification of TBOR having the power to "transform the tax practice and the relationship between taxpayers and the IRS." Yet the statute itself is silent on the practical effect of IRS violations of any of the rights and fails to include a specific remedy or enforcement mechanism when the IRS acts inconsistently with or violates those rights. In Facebook v IRS, a federal district court concluded that at least with respect to one of the enumerated taxpayer rights (the right to appeal a decision in an independent forum), the right is not enforceable by taxpayers. This development highlights a central weakness in the current law, namely that there is no formal way to ensure that IRS employees act consistently with or even consider taxpayer rights. In this essay I propose a way to change this shortcoming. I argue that we should focus on rulemaking as a way to operationalize taxpayer rights. Congress should explicitly require the IRS to consider the impact of guidance on taxpayer rights prior to promulgating regulations and other guidance. In so doing, Congress should rely on and expand the role of the office within the IRS that is deeply associated with the increased importance of taxpayer rights, the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS).


Information technology (IT) adoption research recognizes theoretical limitations in discerning if and when user behavior results from perceived external influences or from personal volition. A clear understanding of this issue requires a precise distinction between mandatory and volitional behaviors. Consistent with organismic integration theory (OIT), this study situates the locus of user motivations inside the user. Drawing upon an endogenous view of behaviors, this research makes three key contributions. First, it develops the theoretical basis for clearly discerning if and when behavior results from perceived external influences or from personal volition. Specifically, it examines how endogenous psychological feelings of autonomy, freedom, conflict, and external pressure can predict and explain user intentions. Second, it proposes that behavior may result from combinations of perceived external influences and personal volition. Recognizing how such "collections of motivations" together influence behavior advances our understanding beyond the "dichotomy" of extrinsic versus intrinsic motivations often adopted in prior research. Third, it proposes that some desired behaviors may be thwarted or impeded by a conflict between perceived external influences and personal volition. The theoretically grounded research model was empirically validated in a field study on Blackboard, a Web-based education platform at a large university. Data collected from a sample of 211 users were tested using structural equation models of initial system adoption and experienced use. Empirical support was found for the proposed model and related hypotheses. The results of this study advance our understanding about user motivations for adopting IT.


A Lie–Hamilton system is a nonautonomous system of first-order ordinary differential equations describing the integral curves of a t-dependent vector field taking values in a finite-dimensional Lie algebra, a Vessiot–Guldberg Lie algebra, of Hamiltonian vector fields relative to a Poisson structure. Its general solution can be written as an autonomous function, the superposition rule, of a generic finite family of particular solutions and a set of constants. We pioneer the study of Lie–Hamilton systems on Riemannian spaces (sphere, Euclidean and hyperbolic plane), pseudo-Riemannian spaces (anti-de Sitter, de Sitter, and Minkowski spacetimes) as well as on semi-Riemannian spaces (Newtonian spacetimes). Their corresponding constants of motion and superposition rules are obtained explicitly in a geometric way. This work extends the (graded) contraction of Lie algebras to a contraction procedure for Lie algebras of vector fields, Hamiltonian functions, and related symplectic structures, invariants, and superposition rules.


Only recently have psychotherapeutic interventions for complicated grief been developed and evaluated in randomized controlled trials. These trials have reported significant reductions in complicated grief and related symptoms in response to treatment relative to control groups. However, little is known about the long-term outcomes of these treatments. The authors present an evaluation of a 1.5-year follow-up of an Internet-based cognitive-behavioral intervention for complicated grief. Treatment group patients (n = 22) were administered various assessments of complicated grief indicators, including the Impact of Event Scale, the anxiety and depression subscales of the Brief Symptom Inventory, and the SF-12. Results indicate that the reduction in symptoms of complicated grief observed at posttreatment was maintained at 1.5-year follow-up.


Writing on e-mediation as one discrete element in the field of ODR is a sign of the field's maturing. The initial phases of the field's development saw much writing on ODR in general, with multiple processes lumped together under discussions of "technology for ODR" or "justifications for ODR". Beyond allowing close-up examination of e-mediation, this opportunity to discern between general ODR concepts and e-mediation benefits ODR as a general field as well, as it serves to contrast the important advances this field is making beyond mediation. Bernie Mayer noted how closely the field of conflict resolution is identified with the role of the neutral, and most specifically with mediation. He suggested that while the field offers many other roles, services and areas of expertise, its identification with mediation has offered it numerous advantages – as well as significant constraints. The particular sub-field of ODR, it would seem, is not quite as closely identified with e-mediation as ADR in general might be. This may be due to the multiple influences informing the rapid evolution of the ODR field. Additionally, the two best-known success stories of the field, cited in just about every paper written on ODR, involve online arbitration (ICANN's UDRP) and assisted negotiation (the primary process of eBay's dispute resolution process). Finally, it may be that there are things inherent to the online environment that are more conducive to other processes, and Fourth Party functions better suited for assisting processes other than mediation. For example, automation functions may be powerful tools in automated and assisted negotiation, allowing dealing with large volumes of similar-type cases/claims – but less helpful in e-mediation. It might be that the Fourth Party provides enough support or assistance on its own in some cases, allowing parties to work things out without involving a human mediator. In 2005, Melissa Conley Tyler reported that mediation was indeed the most common individual service offered by ODR service providers (closely followed by arbitration). However, out of the 115 operating ODR service providers identified, mediation was offered only by about fifty providers (many of whom offered other services in addition to media-


The objective of the study was to examine available evidence on healthcare providers' willingness to report to work during a pandemic influenza and on related measures. Limited to scholarly journals, a search in nine databases produced 206 studies, 28 of which met inclusion criteria and were discussed in depth this review. Six studies posed an avian influenza scenario, four studies were conducted during the 2009/2010 global H1N1 pandemic influenza and the remaining 18 studies examined willingness to report to work under a scenario that was related to a pandemic influenza but the type of flu was under-specified. Willingness to report to work varied dramatically among the 28 studies, from a low of 23.1% to a high of 93.1%. Heterogeneous methods employed by researchers make it hard to generalize and draw practical conclusions. Preliminary evidence suggests that physicians may be more willing to report to work than nurses. Given the current state of the literature and the need to estimate workforce availability for preparedness planning, worst case scenario planners may cautiously assume that 1 in 4 healthcare providers will be willing to report to work during a pandemic influenza, not accounting for those who are ill. Because physicians demonstrated higher willingness, the 1 in 4 estimate could be adjusted upward for this provider group.


Much of the recent success of deep reinforcement learning has been driven by regularized policy optimization (RPO) algorithms with strong performance across multiple domains. In this family of methods, agents are trained to maximize cumulative reward while penalizing deviation in behavior from some reference, or default policy. In addition to empirical success, there is a strong theoretical foundation for understanding RPO methods applied to single tasks, with connections to natural gradient, trust region, and variational approaches. However, there is limited formal understanding of desirable properties for default policies in the multitask setting, an increasingly important domain as the field shifts towards training more generally capable agents. Here, we take a first step towards filling this gap by formally linking the quality of the default policy to its effect on optimization. Using these results, we then derive a principled RPO algorithm for multitask learning with strong performance guarantees.


In this article, we aim to examine whether intelligence-led policing in police practice reinforces the control model of the police organization. We argue that digitalization of police working life resurrects several of Taylor's management principles, such as greater division of labor, specialization, standardization and focus on measurable and efficient processes. Drawing on empirical research via two cross-sectional surveys, focus group and individual in-depth interviews with 40 Norwegian police officers, we analyze the extent to which this is conditioned by how work processes are organized and how knowledge practices are operationalized and standardized. We show perceptions of standardization that break up policing processes and lead to greater control over which tasks the front line performs and how these should be carried out. As a result, traditional police discretion becomes more standardized, constrained and de-contextualized. This is reinforced by the implementation of intelligence-led policing to manage knowledge within the police organization, which may eventually lead to a more top-down, bureaucratic and fragmented style of policing. Thus police professionalism becomes understood as being greater standardization and organizational control. An unintended consequence is a shift towards digitalized neo-Taylorism in policing, with implications for de-skilling of the police. The results demonstrate a managerialist view of the police organization, in which top-down steering and use of technology ultimately lead to a narrowing of police discretion and a more invisible high-policing style of police that may increase militarization of the police organization.


We present latest results for OTDM transmission systems in combination with digital coherent detection achieving record-high serial data rates in a single-wavelength channel. We show serial data transmission of 5.1 Tb/s (640 GBd) over 80-km and 10.2 Tb/s (1.28 TBd) over 29-km dispersion managed fiber (DMF). For 5.1-Tb/s transmission over 80-km DMF, the BER of all 128 OTDM-tributaries (both polarizations) is found to be below the hard-decision FEC-threshold, corresponding to an error-free net data rate of 4.8 Tb/s. In a 10.2-Tb/s experiment, the BER of all 256 TDM-tributaries (both polarizations) is found to be below the FEC-threshold in the back-to-back configuration. This translates to an error-free net data rate of 9.5 Tb/s. After transmission over a 29-km DMF negligible pulse broadening and a BER below the FEC limit is found.


A general question in molecular physiology is how to identify candidate protein kinases corresponding to a known or hypothetical phosphorylation site in a protein of interest. It is generally recognized that the amino acid sequence surrounding the phosphorylation site provides information that is relevant to identification of the cognate protein kinase. Here, we present a mass spectrometry-based method for profiling the target specificity of a given protein kinase as well as a computational tool for the calculation and visualization of the target preferences. The mass spectrometry-based method identifies sites phosphorylated in response to in vitro incubation of protein mixtures with active recombinant protein kinases followed by standard phosphoproteomic methodologies. The computational tool, called "PhosphoLogo," uses an information-theoretic algorithm to calculate position-specific amino acid preferences and anti-preferences from the mass-spectrometry data (http://helixweb.nih.gov/PhosphoLogo/). The method was tested using protein kinase A (catalytic subunit α), revealing the well-known preference for basic amino acids in positions -2 and -3 relative to the phosphorylated amino acid. It also provides evidence for a preference for amino acids with a branched aliphatic side chain in position +1, a finding compatible with known crystal structures of protein kinase A. The method was also employed to profile target preferences and anti-preferences for 15 additional protein kinases with potential roles in regulation of epithelial transport: CK2, p38, AKT1, SGK1, PKCδ, CaMK2δ, DAPK1, MAPKAPK2, PKD3, PIM1, OSR1, STK39/SPAK, GSK3β, Wnk1, and Wnk4.


Classification assigns an entity to a category on the basis of feature values encoded from a stimulus. Provided they are presented with sufficient training data, inductive classifier builders such as C4.5 are limited by encoding deficiencies and noise in the data, rather than by the method of deciding the category. However, such classification techniques do not perform well on the small, dirty/or and dynamic data sets which are all that are available in many decision making domains. Moreover, their computational overhead may not be justified. This paper draws on conjectures about human categorization processes to design a frugal algorithm for use with such data. On presentation of an observation, case-specific rules are derived from a small subset of the stored examples, where the subset is selected on the basis of similarity to the encoded stimulus. Attention is focused on those features that appear to be most useful for distinguishing categories of observations similar to the current one. A measure of logical semantic information value is used to discriminate between categories that remain plausible after this. The new classifier is demonstrated against neural net and decision tree classifiers on some standard UCI data sets and shown to perform well.


Interactions among domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus), and people were studied at Dry Creek, Boulder, Colorado. Our objective was to develop a basic understanding of the nature of dog–prairie dog interactions in this recreational area, because this is an issue that has high visibility and over which there is conflict in Boulder: There are those who want dogs to run free regardless of their impact on the behavior and lives of prairie dogs and those who want to protect prairie dogs and have dogs restrained or go elsewhere. We found that dogs clearly influenced the behavior of prairie dogs, however, no prairie dogs were known to be caught or killed by any dog during the course of study. Prairie dogs disturbed by dogs were more alert (vigilant) and wary of dogs and played less than undisturbed individuals. However, disturbed prairie dogs were less wary of the presence of humans than undisturbed animals. People tried to stop dogs from harassing prairie dogs only 25% of the time. A survey showed that 58% of people polled at Dry Creek (all dog owners) did not believe that prairie dogs should be protected even if dogs are a problem. Increased human responsibility would likely go a long way towards reducing existing conflict among people wanting to protect prairie dogs and those who do not. Boulder city officials have not yet incorporated our data into their immediate management plans. However, by identifying the nature of dog–prairie dog encounters and specific areas of conflict among people who side either with dogs or prairie dogs, in the future, proactive strategies grounded by empirical data can be developed and implemented so that the interests of all parties can be accommodated.


This paper examines the stimulative effect of central bank forward guidance—the promise to keep future policy rates lower than its policy rule suggests—when the short-term nominal interest rate is stuck at its zero lower bound (ZLB).We utilize a standard New Keynesian model in which forward guidance enters our model as news shocks to the monetary policy rule. Three key findings emerge: (1) Forward guidance is more stimulative at the ZLB when households believe the economic recovery will be strong. When households expect a weak recovery or initially have low confidence in the economy, forward guidance is less stimulative because interest rates are already expected to remain low; (2) Longer forward guidance horizons do not cause the stimulative effect to explode or reverse, but rather spread the effect across the entire horizon; and (3) Failing to include a ZLB constraint causes the model to substantially overstate the stimulative effect of forward guidance. Given those findings, we use Blue Chip survey data to compare our model's predictions of the stimulative effect of forward guidance to data before and after the Fed's historic policy announcement on August 9, 2011. The results in that case study provide an explanation for the Forward Guidance Puzzle—the claim that New Keynesian models overestimate the effect of forward guidance.


Abstract. The degree of belief we have in predictions from hydrologic models will normally depend on how well they can reproduce observations. Calibrations with traditional performance measures, such as the Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency, are challenged by problems including: (1) uncertain discharge data, (2) variable sensitivity of different performance measures to different flow magnitudes, (3) influence of unknown input/output errors and (4) inability to evaluate model performance when observation time periods for discharge and model input data do not overlap. This paper explores a calibration method using flow-duration curves (FDCs) to address these problems. The method focuses on reproducing the observed discharge frequency distribution rather than the exact hydrograph. It consists of applying limits of acceptability for selected evaluation points (EPs) on the observed uncertain FDC in the extended GLUE approach. Two ways of selecting the EPs were tested – based on equal intervals of discharge and of volume of water. The method was tested and compared to a calibration using the traditional model efficiency for the daily four-parameter WASMOD model in the Paso La Ceiba catchment in Honduras and for Dynamic TOPMODEL evaluated at an hourly time scale for the Brue catchment in Great Britain. The volume method of selecting EPs gave the best results in both catchments with better calibrated slow flow, recession and evaporation than the other criteria. Observed and simulated time series of uncertain discharges agreed better for this method both in calibration and prediction in both catchments. An advantage with the method is that the rejection criterion is based on an estimation of the uncertainty in discharge data and that the EPs of the FDC can be chosen to reflect the aims of the modelling application, e.g. using more/less EPs at high/low flows. While the method appears less sensitive to epistemic input/output errors than previous use of limits of acceptability applied directly to the time series of discharge, it still requires a reasonable representation of the distribution of inputs. Additional constraints might therefore be required in catchments subject to snow and where peak-flow timing at sub-daily time scales is of high importance. The results suggest that the calibration method can be useful when observation time periods for discharge and model input data do not overlap. The method could also be suitable for calibration to regional FDCs while taking uncertainties in the hydrological model and data into account.


Preliminary analysis of the Quaternary landscape evolution in the Iglesia Valley, San Juan. The north-south valley of Iglesia is a regional tectonic depression limited to the west by the Cordillera Frontal and to the east by western Precordillera. The geo- forms of the resulting landscape are related to glacial, periglacial, fluvial and alluvial action, aggradational and deggradational processes, as well as to the neotectonic activity and climatic changes. The generation of large Quaternary alluvial fan levels is related to past climatic conditions, colder and more humid that the present ones. Abundant snowfalls and rains during the Pleistocene made possible the detritus deposition, generating alluvial covers with thickness increasing towards the east. These climatic conditions alternated with arid intervals, similar to the present, when vertical erosion of streams prevailed, forming a landscape of stepped levels. In addition, the presence of faults with Quaternary tectonic activity indicates a strong structu- ral control in the evolution of the landscape during the Pleistocene - Holocene, effectively starting vertical erosion and finis- hing a cycle of erosion-accumulation and the beginning of the following one.


In the last 50 years, poultry meat production has increased dynamically. The role of crude fiber content in feed is unclear based on a small amount of literature about goose feeding.
The aim of theis experiment was to determine how various crude fiber content (55; 60; 65g crude fiber/kg feed) influences the performance of meat geese in the second phase of the rearing period. 150 goslings (3 treatments, 5 cages/treatment, 10 birds/cage) were included in the test. The experiment started and finished at the age of 21st and 63rd  day, respectively.
The obtained results suggest that various crude fiber content did not influence the performance of meat geese significantly; however, a feed of 55g crude fiber/kg resulted in better fattening results (final body weight, body weight gain, specific feed protein and energy conversion rate). In addition, compound feed of 65g crude fiber/kg proved more favourable with respect to cost-efficiency. Based on the obtained results so far, further models and farm experiments are required.


The Great Game in West Asia examines the strategic competition between Iran and Turkey for power and influence in the South Caucasus. These neighboring Middle East powers have vied for supremacy and influence throughout the region and especially in their immediate vicinity, while contending with ethnic heterogeneity both within their own territories and across their borders. Turkey has long conceived of itself as not just a bridge between Asia and Europe but in more substantive terms as a central player in regional and global affairs. If somewhat more modest in its public statements, Iran's parallel ambitions for strategic centrality and influence have only been masked by its own inarticulate foreign policy agendas and the repeated missteps of its revolutionary leaders. But both have sought to deepen their regional influence and power, and in the South Caucasus each has achieved a modicum of success. In fact, as the contributions to this volume demonstrate, as much of the world's attention has been diverted to conflicts and flashpoints near and far, a new great game has been unravelling between Iran and Turkey in the South Caucasus.


Objective: Venous malformation involving head and neck region is a rare entity. Hence, application of precise and leading diagnostic techniques, gives the accurate localization of the source vessel allowing for making treatment plan more satisfactory. Methods: We present a case of 30-year-old male patient with venous malformation involving head and neck region. We update the review of literature and also discuss the leading diagnostic aids for this rare entity disease so that iatrogenical accidents can be lessened. Case description: Our patient presented with solitary swelling in the left lower cheek region, left side of lateral border of tongue and 2 – 3 small nodular swellings at the lateral border of the neck, lined obliquely over the sternocleidomastoid muscle. All the swellings were soft in consistency and non-tender, with no rise in temperature except for the swelling on the tongue. The lesion was confirmed by a radiograph which showed phleboliths. The ultrasound shows heterogeneously hypoechoic with multiple anechoic sinusoidal spaces (longitudinal plane) with mild vascularization and spectral analysis shows monophasic venous flow. This was later confirmed by direct puncture venography of the left cheek. Conclusion: The spectrum of vascular malformations is too vast; hence it becomes challenging to diagnose the lesion and fit it in the spectrum. These lesions are termed as intramuscular venous malformations based on clinical imaging and pathologic criteria and hence dentists must be aware of the clinical expression of these lesions in order to prevent iatrogenically related accidents and to minimize potential spontaneous crises for the patient. Having said that and keeping in mind the broad spectrum of vascular malformation, we present a clinically well diagnosed case of venous malformation, which illustrates phleboliths. Key words: Venous malformations (VMs), Arteriovenous malformation (AVM), Phleboliths, sclerotherapy, Venography and Hemangioma.


Maintenance of glycemic control is important in preventing diabetes and its associated
complications. Considering the current recommended approach for the use of
functional foods and their bioactive components in the prevention and management
of diabetes, the aim of this study was to determine the antihyperglycemic effect of Moringa oleifera functional tea in rat models and in normoglycemic human volunteers
using the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Moringa tea prepared by extracting
Moringa leaf powder in distilled water (1:20 mg/ml) at 97°C for 30 min was administered
at different doses to male Wistar rats and human volunteers prior to glucose
loading. Blood glucose was measured at intervals of 30 min for 150 min. Consumption
of Moringa tea prior to glucose loading suppressed the elevation in blood
glucose in all cases compared to controls that did not receive the tea initially. The
degree and pattern of decrease however, were dose dependent. In rats, intermediate
doses of 20 ml/kg BW were more effective in reducing blood glucose overall (18.2%)
vs 13.3% and 6% at doses of 10 and 30 ml/kg BW respectively. In humans, the final
decrease in blood glucose was not significantly different for high 400 ml (19%) and
low 200 ml (17%) doses. Of interest here was the pattern of decrease, being significantly
higher (p Moringa oleifera tea has potential as a functional food in
the management of hyperglycemia.


This article discusses the notion of Byzantium and Byzantium's potential capacities as a multifaceted borderland, as shaped and perceived in Julia Kristeva's novel Murder in Byzantium . In spite of its title, this is not a historical, but rather a so-called total novel, which reconciles several different plots - romantic, criminal, political and philosophical. It relies on both fictive and historical texts, especially on The Alexiad , written in the 12th century by the Byzantine princess and the first female historian ever, Anna Comnena. Through a literary analysis, this article shows how Byzantium is shaped in the novel by transgressions of the borders of narration, identity, space and time. Byzantium is thus of great interest to the general public and an academic discussion of borders, origin, history and culture, so important for the discussion of Europe's role today in - or, as suggested in the novel, perhaps between - Eastern and Western cultures.


Nowadays our daily life is not only powered by water, electricity, gas and telephony but by "cloud" as well. Big cloud vendors such as Amazon, Microsoft and Google have built large-scale centralized data centers to achieve economies of scale, on-demand resource provisioning, high resource availability and elasticity. However, those massive data centers also bring about many other problems, e.g., bandwidth bottlenecks, privacy, security, huge energy consumption, legal and physical vulnerabilities. One of the possible solutions for those problems is to employ multicloud architectures. In this thesis, our work provides research contributions to multicloud resource allocation from three perspectives of cooperation, optimization and data sharing. We address the following problems in the multicloud: how resource providers cooperate in a multicloud, how to reduce information leakage in a multicloud storage system and how to share the big data in a cost-effective way. More specifically, we make the following contributions: Cooperation in the decentralized cloud. We propose a decentralized cloud model in which a group of SDCs can cooperate with each other to improve performance. Moreover, we design a general strategy function for SDCs to evaluate the performance of cooperation based on different dimensions of resource sharing. Through extensive simulations using a realistic data center model, we show that the strategies based on reciprocity are more effective than other strategies, e.g., those using prediction based on historical data. Our results show that the reciprocity-based strategy can thrive in a heterogeneous environment with competing strategies. Multicloud optimization on information leakage. In this work, we firstly study an important information leakage problem caused by unplanned data distribution in multicloud storage services. Then, we present StoreSim, an information leakage aware storage system in multicloud. StoreSim aims to store syntactically similar data on the same cloud, thereby minimizing the user's information leakage across multiple clouds. We design an approximate algorithm to efficiently generate similarity-preserving signatures for data chunks based on MinHash and Bloom filter, and also design a function to compute the information leakage based on these signatures. Next, we present an effective storage plan generation algorithm based on clustering for distributing data chunks with minimal information leakage across multiple clouds. Finally, we evaluate our scheme using two real datasets from Wikipedia and GitHub. We show that our scheme can reduce the information leakage by up to 60% compared to unplanned placement. Furthermore, our analysis in terms of system attackability demonstrates that our scheme makes attacks on information much more complex. Smart data sharing. Moving large amounts of distributed data into the cloud or from one cloud to another can incur high costs in both time and bandwidth. The optimization on data sharing in the multicloud can be conducted from two different angles: inter-cloud scheduling and intra-cloud optimization. We first present CoShare, a P2P inspired decentralized cost effective sharing system for data replication to optimize network transfer among small data centers. Then we propose a data summarization method to reduce the total size of dataset, thereby reducing network transfer.


Sandstone units in the Middle to Late Devonian Lower Clair Group form the reservoir in the Clair Field, UKCS Block 206, West of Shetland. The sandstone facies vary from thick, well-sorted, medium sands deposited by aeolian processes, to amalgamated fluvial channel deposits of coarser sand, to thin sheets of fine sand deposited in floodplain or shallow lake settings. The distribution of these different facies within the basin-fill succession was controlled by the locations of sediment supply into the basin and the climatic controls on the processes of sand distribution and sedimentation. Six lithostratigraphical subdivisions (Units I to VI) are differentiated by changes in the predominance of fluvial, aeolian and lacustrine facies. During periods of high sediment supply and relatively humid climate (Units II, IV and V), fluvial conditions dominated in the form of sandy to pebbly fluvial distributary systems laid down as terminal fans. The water-lain sandstone facies characteristics vary from stacked, coarse channel fills deposited by braided rivers (Unit II) to decimetre sand sheets interpreted as the deposits of poorly channelized flow at the margins of the terminal fan (Unit V). At times of relative aridity, the fluvial system retreated and aeolian reworking resulted in extensive sheets of well-sorted sands deposited as dunes or on sand flats (Unit III). Periods of wetter climate and reduced clastic input resulted in widespread lacustrine conditions. Lakes were fed by rivers which terminated in lake deltas ranging from coarse, fan deltas (Unit I) to fine-grained deltas (Unit VI). The Devonian Clair Basin is an example of deposition in a basin of internal drainage which was predominantly controlled by climate and sediment supply variations. A predictive model for sandbody character and distribution can be developed using an understanding of these controls on the evolution of continental depositional systems in the basin.


Background: Menstruation is generally considered as unclean in the Indian society. Isolation of the menstruating girls and restrictions being imposed on them in the family, have reinforced a negative attitude towards this phenomenon. There is a substantial lacuna in the knowledge about menstruation among adolescent girls. Good hygienic practices such as the use of sanitary pads and adequate washing of the genital area are essential during menstruation. Menstrual hygiene and management will directly contribute to the Millennium Development Goal (MDG)-2 on universal education and MDG -3 on gender equality and women empowerment. Aim and Objectives: To assess the knowledge and the practices of menstrual hygiene among rural and urban school going adolescent girls. Materials and Methods: A community based, cross sectional study was conducted in January- March, 2011 on 387 school going girls. The present study was undertaken among adolescent school going girls in the field practice area of the Rural Health Unit and Training Centre, Saoner, in the Nagpur district. Three hundred and eighty seven girls of the 8th and 9th standards were purposively selected for the study. A pre-designed, pretested and structured questionnaire was used in the study. The data collection technique was a personal interview of the study subjects. Results: Only 36.95% of the girls were aware of menstruation before menarche. The major source of information about menstruation for them was found to be their mothers. More than three fourth of the girls in the study were not aware of the cause and the source of the bleeding. A majority of them had knowledge about the use of sanitary pads. The mean age of menarche in the study subjects was 12.85 ± 0.867 years; sanitary pads were used by 49.35% of the selected girls. The practice of the use of old clothes was reported in 45.74% of the subjects. Satisfactory cleaning of the external genitalia was practised by 33.85% of the girls. Three fourth of the study girls practised various restrictions during menstruation. Some menstrual hygiene indices have shown a significant difference in the rural and urban girls. Conclusion: A variety of factors are known to affect menstrual behaviours, the most influential being economic status and residential status (urban and rural). Awareness regarding the need for information about healthy menstrual practices is very important. It is essential to design a mechanism to address and for the access of healthy menstrual knowledge.


BACKGROUND
Hyperphosphataemia is a risk factor for arterial calcification contributing to the high cardiovascular mortality in patients with chronic kidney disease. Calcium-based phosphate binders can induce hypercalcaemia and are associated with progression of vascular calcification. Therefore, the effect of lanthanum carbonate, a non-calcium phosphate binder, on the development of vascular calcification was investigated in uraemic rats.

METHODS
Chronic renal failure (CRF) was induced by feeding rats an adenine-enriched diet for 4 weeks. After 2 weeks, 1% or 2% lanthanum carbonate was added to the diet for 6 weeks. Calcification in the aorta, carotid and femoral arteries was evaluated histomorphometrically, biochemically and by ex vivo micro-CT. Chondro-/osteogenic conversion of vascular smooth muscle cells was also analysed in the rat aorta.

RESULTS
Treatment with 1% lanthanum carbonate (1% La) did not reduce vascular calcification, but in the 2% lanthanum carbonate (2% La) group vascular calcium content and area% Von Kossa positivity were decreased compared with control CRF rats. The aortic calcified volume measured with ex vivo micro-CT was significantly reduced in rats treated with 2% La. Although calcification was inhibited by treatment with 2% La, the chondrocyte transcription factor sox-9 was abundantly expressed in the aorta.

CONCLUSION
Treatment of CRF rats with 2% La reduces the development of vascular calcification by adequate phosphate binding resulting in a decreased supply of phosphate as a substrate for vascular calcification.


This study attempts to formalize a theory for Qualification based on modern psychology science. Such theory resolves many of juristic disagreements and modern issues related to Qualification. This requires researching the gap between old transcripts on one hand and modern studies in Psychology and Islamic jurisprudence on the other hand. The study adopts an analytical inductive methodology through the analysis of juristic books, psychology literature, and uses deductive reasoning in stating logical findings. The study yields a number of results. Firstly, the gap in juristic literacy in Qualification studies appears in three aspects. The lack of reference to psychology which is considered the
knowledge background, the lack of attempts to formalize a comprehensive theory, and the lack of efforts to expand the circle of juristic research in related issues. The study reaches to the reasons of this gap. Firstly, the lack of work made that revises the conceptions exhibited
by early jurists. Secondly, the isolation of juristic studies from the impacts of technology on Islamic legal rulings. Thirdly, the disregard of professional studies in related juristic issues.
These reasons lead to a number of consequences. Firstly, misunderstanding and discrepancies in some of the juristic concepts. Secondly, preservation of some of the
terminologies that faded as a result of civil advancement. Thirdly, the inability to create a tool that measures the Qualification of a legally commissioned person in a specific stage in his/her lifespan and that is capable to specify the legal ruling for any legal incidental excuse. Fourthly, the inability to find the legal ruling in juristic issues of Qualification related to scientific studies. The study suggest a number of means to overcome this gap based on the principal idea of Qualification; that is, the fact that a human being develops through stages in three dimensions, physical brain, cognition, and moral. These developments through stages result in variant legal rulings. By comparing between these stages in Islamic jurisprudence and developmental psychology, the basis of the Qualification theory can be made. Firstly, relating major Qualification issues to the respective psychological researches. This is done by, firstly, tracing the development of brain and nervous system, cognition and via the sequential developmental stages. Secondly, by trying to invent a real measure to control the Qualification by reading the biological signs, and changes with the respective legal rulings. This leads to the identification of five stages of Qualification; embryology and early childhood, middle childhood, puberty, early adulthood, late adulthood and death. Thirdly, formulating a theory for Qualification. The conditions of this theory are humanity, mind, merit, and physical ability. The pillars are human being, duties and obligations, and the law givers. Fourthly, mentioning the different juristic opinions in juristic issues pertaining to Qualification. Fifthly, considering biological studies as scientific evidences in such issues. Sixthly, independent judgment in juristic issues for Qualification through re-understanding the evidences from Quran and Prophet Tradition, and matching contemporary psychological illnesses to their alike through analogical deduction.


The Swiss Energy Strategy 2050 pursues an ambitious transition to a more renew- able and efficient energy future, combining CO2 and energy saving targets with a phase-out of nuclear electricity generation. This transition poses challenges not only for the political domain, but also concerning the adequate modeling of technical and economic aspects, such as advancements in renewable energy and storage technologies, market liberalisation and international market integration, and the economic and social impacts of alternative economic instruments. This research investigates whether a Swiss carbon-free electricity sector remains feasible after the nuclear phase-out, how it would affect the Swiss economy and which policies would be needed to introduce the related transition towards renewable technologies and enhanced energy efficiency in an economically efficient way. To address such questions adequately, we need a modeling tool that provides both sufficient technological detail and consistent economic insight. With this in mind, we build a modeling framework that encompasses for Switzerland and its neighboring countries: • a multi-sectoral description of the economy based on general equilibrium and microeconomic theory, which represents electricity demand by economic sectors and households and illustrates effects of energy policy scenarios on welfare and other macroeconomic indicators. • a detailed representation of electricity supply technologies, resource potentials, costs, and international electricity trade, including grid-related restrictions, intra-day load curves, seasonal variations, and dynamic management of reservoirs. This framework consists of three coupled models: (1) GENESwIS, an energy-related dynamic Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model of Switzerland, (2) CROSSTEM, an energy systems model that provides the technological details of electricity supply for Switzerland and its neighboring countries, and (3) GEMINI-E3, a dynamic-recursive CGE model, which adds the global climate policy and trade dimension to the framework. The coupling algorithm involves soft coupling of these three models for central equilibrium prices and quantities. At the workshop, we present work in progress. This includes important methodologi- cal issues that arise when trying to safeguard consistency in the coupling of prices between bottom-up and top-down models. Furthermore, we intend to present preliminary results from simulations with a coupled framework which consists of the first two models mentioned above, i.e. (1) the Swiss CGE model GENESwIS coupled with (2) the Swiss version of the electricity supply model CROSSTEM.


Sea bottom has been used as landfill sites to dispose various types of waste and dredged materials. Therefore, the geotechnical properties of seabed are of great importance for the design and practice of reclamation projects. Marine clay layers are known to be geologically normally consolidated. Those clays, however, show pseudo-overconsolidation behavior with a consolidation yield stress pc larger than the in situ overburden pressure p0. As consolidation behavior of those clays under a load around pc is not normal but very complex, the prediction of possible settlement under loading is presently quite difficult. In this study, the Osaka-Bay Pleistocene clays were sampled and subjected to physical and mechanical tests. Based on previous studies, it is assumed in this paper that the disagreement between p0 and pc results from the cementation of marine soils, and that their cementation is mainly due to calcium carbonate. If the assumption made is valid, pc value of a clay sample of which calcium carbonates had been chemically dissolved must be equal to p0 value. In order to verify this assumption, experimental studies has been done. Carbonic-acid water of enough volume to dissolve the calcium carbonates in a clay sample was percolated without breaking fabric structure of the clay skeleton, and pc value of the sample was determined by the constant strain rate of consolidation test. The results showed a definite decrease of the pc value. Consequently, the pseudooverconsolidation ratio of the specimens decreased with the removal of calcium carbonates.


There is a small but growing community of researchers spanning a spectrum of disciplines which are united in rejecting the still dominant computationalist paradigm in favor of the enactive approach. The framework of this approach is centered on a core set of ideas, such as autonomy, sense-making, emergence, embodiment, and experience. These concepts are finding novel applications in a diverse range of areas. One hot topic has been the establishment of an enactive approach to social interaction. The main purpose of this paper is to serve as an advanced entry point into these recent developments. It accomplishes this task in a twofold manner: (i) it provides a succinct synthesis of the most important core ideas and arguments in the theoretical framework of the enactive approach, and (ii) it uses this synthesis to refine the current enactive approach to social interaction. A new operational definition of social interaction is proposed which not only emphasizes the cognitive agency of the individuals and the irreducibility of the interaction process itself, but also the need for jointly co-regulated action. It is suggested that this revised conception of 'socio-cognitive interaction' may provide the necessary middle ground from which to understand the confluence of biological and cultural values in personal action.


Introduction Crime is a complex phenomenon that occurs when an offender, a victim and a law intersect in time and space. Crimes, whether they be property crime, violent crime, white collar crime or nuisance crime, are prevalent in all societies with many costs that are both monetary (property loss, insurance, law enforcement, the judiciary and corrections) and psychological (victimization and safety) (Sharpe 2000). Though different crimes have differential effects on the monetary and psychological costs to society, the reduction of crime, in general, has a positive effect on society. Within the literature, social disorganization theory and routine activity theory have frequently been employed to analyze crime geographies. These theories respectively focus on issues of social deprivation and routine activities as predictors of the spatial pattern of crimes rates. This article synthesizes these theories as the basis for a spatial autocorrelation analysis of crime rates in the Vancouver census metropolitan area (CMA). The Vancouver CMA is the third largest metropolitan area in Canada (2 million population) and the largest metropolitan area in western Canada; the City of Vancouver, the geographic area under study, had a population of 514,000 in 1996. Vancouver has also experienced recent substantial growth in its population, by 8.5 percent from 1996 to 2001. Information is drawn from the calls for service (CFS) made to the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) along with socio-demographic and socio-economic data from Statistics Canada's Census data. Within the Canadian context, crime rates in Vancouver are higher than expected on the basis of population size. Thus, with respect to the rate for all criminal code infractions, not considering traffic offences, the Vancouver CMA (1996) is first in Canada (14,868 per 100,000 persons), more than doubling the rate found in Toronto (6,920 per 100,000 persons) and almost doubling that in Montreal (7,979 per 100,000 persons). The same relative standing holds for the property crime rate in Vancouver (10,494 per 100,000 persons) in comparison to Toronto (4,277 per 100,000 persons), and Montreal (5,351 per 100,000 persons), and to a lesser extent for the violent crime rate in Vancouver (1,325 per 100,000 persons) in comparison to Toronto (824 per 100,000 persons), and Montreal (839 per 100,000). These differences in crime rates, however, have been decreasing in recent years (Kong 1997; Wallace 2003). This article differentiates itself from the previous literature on the geography of crime in four ways. First, Vancouver crime data have not been analyzed before at such a disaggregated spatial scale. Second, the crime data and the census data correspond to the same year. This correlation is particularly lacking, due to data availability, in the United States where the census is only performed every 10 years. The lack of correspondence between crime data and census data is a difficulty when attempting to assess causal relationships, unless one can assume neighbourhood stability in all characteristics used in the analysis. Third, an explicitly spatial analytical technique, spatial autoregression, is employed in the analysis, in contrast to much inferential work on the geography of crime that favours classical statistical analysis. Fourth, three types of crime (violent crime, break and enter, and automotive theft) are investigated separately to assess the different demographic, economic, and social attributes of census boundary units within Vancouver. Because the relationships between the set of independent variables and the different crime rates are allowed to vary, the analysis is provided with greater flexibility in assessing the predictive power of social disorganization theory and routine activity theory for different crimes in the Vancouver CMA. The following section reviews the literature on social disorganization theory and routine activity theory in the geography of crime. …


There is increasing interest in how networking can support women's career progression,particularly in occupations which are male dominated such as science, engineering and technology. The challenges facing women in these professions have been well documented and include: integrating home and work life; confidence and isolation problems; the lack of role models; difficulties in returning to work after career breaks due to fast moving technical advancements; and exclusion from traditional male-orientated networking environments. Some of these issues are being addressed through the formation of women's corporate, public or professional networks. Research has shown the benefits of these and of the social aspects of networking when the primary aim is to receive or provide support. However those with family commitments may find participation in social networking events, often conducted out-of-hours, impractical. One solution may be to take advantage of the growing online social networking culture which is increasingly being used as a tool for career progression. The implications are that online social networking, where communities may be formed regardless of geography and time limitations, and social interactions play a central role, may provide an effective and complementary networking solution for women in the strive for career advancement.

This paper explores the exploitation of online networks by women in order to accommodate more fluid boundaries, diversify their network of contacts and ultimately support career progression in male- dominated professions. We present the different types of online networking environments and investigate how these are beginning to re-shape the professional networks of women and are addressing some of the challenges these women face. We look at issues associated with the strength, reliability and usefulness of relationships formed due to both the online element and the gender-balance of the networks used.


Background Clinical practice guidelines have been slowly and inconsistently applied in clinical practice, and certain evidence-based, guideline-driven therapies for heart failure (HF) have been significantly underused. The purpose of this study was to survey guideline compliance and its effect on clinical outcomes in the treatment of systolic HF in Korea. Method and Results The SUrvey of Guideline Adherence for Treatment of Systolic Heart Failure in Real World (SUGAR) trial was a multi-center, retrospective, observational study on subjects with systolic HF (ejection fraction <45%) admitted to 23 university hospitals. The guideline adherence indicator (GAI) was defined as a performance measure on the basis of 3 pharmacological classes: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) or angiotensin receptor II blocker (ARB), beta-blocker (BB), and aldosterone antagonist (AA). Based on the overall adherence percentage, subjects were divided into 2 groups: those with good guideline adherence (GAI ≥50%) and poor guideline adherence (GAI <50%). We included 1319 regional participants as representatives of the standard population from the Korean national census in 2008. Adherence to drugs at discharge was as follows: ACEI or ARB, 89.7%; BB, 69.2%; and AA, 65.9%. Overall, 82.7% of the patients had good guideline adherence. Overall mortality and re-hospitalization rates at 1 year were 6.2% and 37.4%, respectively. Survival analysis by log-rank test showed a significant difference in event-free survival rate of mortality (94.7% vs. 89.8%, p = 0.003) and re-hospitalization (62.3% vs. 56.4%, p = 0.041) between the good and poor guideline-adherence groups. Conclusions Among patients with systolic HF in Korea, adherence to pharmacologic treatment guidelines as determined by performance measures, including prescription of ACEI/ARB and BB at discharge, was associated with improved clinical outcomes.


Stock market
 performance is generally considered to be the reflector of financial
 and economic conditions of a country. There are number of
 macroeconomic and industry related factors that potentially can
 affect the stock returns of the companies. The primary purpose of
 this study is to examine the stock returns variation to specific
 macroeconomic and industry variables by applying multi-factor model.
 The model consists of macroeconomic and industry variables including
 market return, consumer price index, risk free rate of return,
 exchange rate, money supply and industrial production. The study
 attempts to determine which, if any, of the macroeconomic and
 industry variables are of use in explaining the variability of stock
 returns of Pakistani Industries. The firms relating to 09 different
 sectors are selected for this study on the basis of data
 availability, profitability and performance on the Karachi Stock
 Exchange 100 index. These sectors are Banking, Cement, Fertilizer,
 Automobile, Ghee, Pharmaceutical, Petroleum, Tobacco and Textile.
 The stock prices data for the selected firms and economic variables
 obtained for the maximum period of 10 years. Descriptive statistics
 performed for the temporal properties of the data and Augmented
 Dickey Fuller (ADF) test applied to find out the data stationarity.
 GARCH model used to analyze the risk and returns relationship.The
 tests applied on the stock returns of each firm of the industry and
 on the data set of the entire industry as well to generalize the
 results. An attempt was therefore made to ascertain whether a multi
 index model was better than a single index model in explaining the
 variation in stock returns of Pakistani Industries. The results
 reveal that market return is mainly responsible for the stock
 returns variation, however the inclusion of other macroeconomic and
 industry related variables has added additional explanatory power in
 describing the stock returns variation. It is evident from results
 that stock returns volatility depicts time varying characteristics
 across the industries and there is some statistical relationship
 between risk and return. It is found that industry stock returns are
 more responsive to changes in economic conditions than firm level
 stock returns. Results also indicate that stock returns of different
 industries behave differently in similar economic conditions that
 acquaint investors about the risk diversification opportunity in
 thestock market. The contribution of economic variables towards
 stock returns can help researchers/practitioners/investors to
 understand the risk return relationship and pricing of economic risk
 and for the legislators to undertake certain measures for the
 improvement of economic conditions and hence stability and growth of
 the stock market and economy.


The recent resolution of the Andrew Oliver case may mark the death throes of the NCAA's "no agent rule," prohibiting college athletes from retaining agents in professional contract negotiations, and perhaps the traditional paradigm of amateurism in sport. In light of the ruling, as well as continuing calls for the revocation of the NCAA's tax-exempt status, the time is ripe for a reexamination of amateurism and the law.The article argues that the NCAA has developed a complicated web of largely unenforceable rules and regulations that are unnecessary for maintaining exempt status in light of the regulatory environment. The paper examines the antitrust, labor and tax consequences of changing definitions of amateurism. Focusing on the Internal Revenue Service interpretations of amateurism, the Article concludes that a less restrictive amateurism regime would still achieve many of the legal benefits sought by the NCAA. This analysis has broader implications for tax policy and the culture of sport.Calling for a shift to a "new amateurism," the article contributes a novel redefinition of amateurism that reflects the current environment of intercollegiate sport. Modern amateurism should recognize the profit motive of the student-athlete. Under a less restrictive NCAA rule-making regime, the remaining rules are enforceable and fair. In substituting protections for student-athletes in place of the current paternalism, the NCAA will reduce the likelihood that future rules will be overturned by court challenges.


Zhongtianqin, the largest Chinese auditor in 2000, collapsed in 2001 owing to its audit failure. This study examines how the market reacted to the audit scandal in the Chinese institutional setting. Chinese investors are entitled to recover their investment losses from auditors owing to audit failure. However, civil lawsuits against auditors have not succeeded in the past. Therefore, Chinese auditors do not face the real threat of shareholder litigation. They only have the threat of costly governmental penalties for violating the regulations. Even so, we demonstrate that Chinese audit still contains both assurance and insurance values. Also, the entire market reacted to the scandal. Moreover, we show that investors differentiate audit quality in stock valuation. Finally, companies audited by international auditors suffered less value losses. This study adds to the worldwide literature on auditor failure.


A frame of frames, a piece of pieces, a length of lengths. Standard gauge on substandard; narrower, yes, but longer. An ECU that's an ELS. Disjecta membra; Hollywood anthologized. A kind of autobiography of its maker, a kind of history of the institution from whose shards it is composed, the commercial motion picture industry. A mutual interrogation between 35mm and 16mm, the gauge of Hollywood, and the gauge of the amateur and independent.


OBJECTIVE
To determine the extent of firearm training among gun owners, how gun owners currently store their weapons, and the relationship between gun training and gun storage.

DESIGN AND SETTING
A national random telephone survey of gun owners conducted from May through June 1994.

PARTICIPANTS
A total of 800 adult gun owners residing in the United States.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Number of gun owners who received firearm training and number who store a firearm loaded and unlocked. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine factors associated with firearm training and gun storage practices.

RESULTS
A total of 451 (56%) of gun owners have received firearm training. A total of 170 (21%) of gun owners keep a firearm both loaded and unlocked in the home. Factors associated with an increased likelihood of storing guns loaded and unlocked included owning a gun for protection (odds ratio [OR], 2.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.62 to 3.54), owning a handgun (OR, 3.31; 95% CI, 1.85 to 5.95), and having received firearm training (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.10 to 2.67). Length of firearm training and how recently training was received have little effect on storage practices.

CONCLUSION
It has been suggested that many homicide, suicide, and accidental firearm injuries might be prevented if ready access to lethal weapons was reduced, in part through appropriate storage of guns. Although increased training has been advocated as the prime method to improve gun storage practices, our results cast doubt on whether firearm training, at least as currently provided, will substantially reduce the inappropriate storage of firearms.


Introduction: One of the main theories in development of sinonasal polyposis involves the effect of Staphylococcus aureus super antigens and microbial biofilm. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of topical vancomycin on Staphylococcus aureus removal from sinus mucosa following surgery. Methods: In this randomized triple-blind clinical trial, 35 patients, who underwent sinus polyp surgery and whose sinus culture was positive for Staphylococcus aureus before surgery, were divided to two groups. For the case group, nasal irrigation with normal saline solution containing vancomycin and for the control group, nasal irrigation with normal saline solution was administered for eight weeks. During the second month of treatment, all patients underwent nasal endoscopy. Patients were assessed for Staphylococcus aureus culture during the second month. All data were analyzed using two independent samples t-test and Fisher's exact tests. The level of statistical significance was considered as P < 0.05. Results: Culture of Staphylococcus aureus in the second month was significantly lower in the case group than the control one (P < 0.05). Conclusion: It seems that the use of topical vancomycin solution has an effect on eradication of Staphylococcus aureus in sinonasal polyposis after surgery. Received: 25.07.2016 Accepted: 18.12.2016


Recent changes in Japan's civil society together with the current political and economic environment have created the first opportunity to develop a viable nonprofit sector that represents citizen interests and allows for public participation in Tokyo's urban development scheme. Tokyo's urban environment has failed to meet the social and cultural needs of its citizens due to unprecedented economic and industrial growth from the beginning of the Meiji era until the 1990s. Through this extended period of growth, the goal for urban development was solely to increase Tokyo's economic strength, while social needs were not addressed. While the City Planning Law of 1968 ("CPL") sought to require citizen participation in urban planning, the law was largely ineffective due to its narrow scope and weak legal remedies. During much of the twentieth century, Tokyo's governance was controlled by an iron triangle comprised of bureaucracy, government, and big business, which drove Tokyo's economic growth. This form of governance did not allow citizens to participate in the political process. The iron triangle lost its strength only after the collapse of the economic bubble in the 1990s. With urban development failing to meet the needs of the citizens and the iron triangle having lost its strength, citizens groups began to assert more influence over the city's governance. Successes for the citizens groups and growing media attention prompted the promulgation of the Nonprofit Organizations Law of 1998 ("NPO Law"). The NPO Law created a framework for a nonprofit sector and began to strengthen its legitimacy. Unlike past attempts to introduce a viable nonprofit sector, the NPO Law came at a time when the political and economic environments of the city allowed for outside influence in the political process. While the foundation has now been laid for a viable nonprofit sector, the sector must gain legitimacy and independence before it is a truly viable means to public participation. With increased legitimacy and independence, Japan's nonprofit sector will serve to improve the urban development scheme by balancing the interests of citizens and corporations and meet long-standing social goals.


Advances in computer technologies have led to the development of new tools to edit and disseminate digital media. Some of these new tools allow users to fabricate digital media by editing video and audio recordings of individuals to make it appear as if they are saying or doing things they have not actually said or done. The rise of these new technologies will lead to litigation by individuals who are harmed by the misuse of fabricated digital media. These individuals will be able to rely on several common law torts—such as defamation, misappropriation, false light, and intentional infliction of emotional distress—to recover against the creators of fabricated media. However, the actual malice standard, applicable to public persons, will make it difficult for some plaintiffs to recover against non-creator publishers of such fabricated media. To limit the dissemination of fabricated digital media content, by publishers, courts should adopt the "responsible publisher" standard when analyzing cases by public persons against publishers.


At present many theorists advocate some version of popular constitutionalism. Although commentators differ, and not all theories are well-defined, the central idea is that constitutional meaning should reflect popular understandings. This paper explores the relationship between popular opinion and judicial review, with special attention to the social science literature that bears upon the topic. In light of that literature, this paper argues that we have a system of popular constitutionalism that is mediated through politics and media coverage of the courts. The paper begins with a sketch of a normative argument in which popular opinion is relevant to the exercise of judicial review. It then turns to social science to determine if this is the case. Social science studies suggest that public opinion constrains judicial behavior, and that judicial outcomes typically fall within a range of popular acceptance. There also is a prominent social science theory of diffuse support which holds that even when the public does not approve of judicial decisions, they will - within a range of tolerance - support the idea of judicial review. The diffuse support hypothesis in particular is important to assessing the range of independence enjoyed by the judiciary. This paper explores the ramifications for normative theories of judicial review of social science understandings regarding the relationship between popular opinion and judicial review. The paper concludes by explaining how public opinion can be manipulated, potentially undermining the workings of this system of mediated popular constitutionalism.


Recent developments of single cell transcriptome profiling methods have led to the realization that many seemingly homogeneous cells have surprising levels of expression variability. The biological implications of the high degree of variability is unclear but one possibility is that many genes are restricted in expression to small lineages of cells, suggesting the existence of many more cell types than previously estimated. Noncoding RNA (ncRNA) are thought to be key parts of gene regulatory processes and their single cell expression patterns may help to dissect the biological function of single cell variability. Technology for measuring ncRNA in single cell is still in development and most of the current single cell datasets have reliable measurements for only long noncoding RNA (lncRNA). Most works report that lncRNAs show lineage‐specific restricted expression patterns, which suggest that they might determine, at least in part, lineage fates and cell subtypes. However, evidence is still inconclusive as to whether lncRNAs and other ncRNAs are more lineage‐specific than protein‐coding genes. Nevertheless, measurement of ncRNAs in single cells will be important for studies of cell types and single cell function. WIREs RNA 2017, 8:e1433. doi: 10.1002/wrna.1433


Register-analysis as a means for eliciting the meaning of literary texts
Intuitive reading of a literary text does not enable one to understand howthe text means. For that purpose one needs a suitable semantic theory.This article proposes such a theory, based on the concept of register asmeaning-potential. Situation-types have semiotic properties, which set upexpectations of the kind of meaning likely in that kind of situation, andthose expectations constitute the meaning-potential of the situation, that isthe register, which is realised in whatever texts are actually uttered there.So register determines meaning; and register is determined by situationtype,which can be precisely defined by means of categories of (discourse-)situation. Five such categories are put forward. Their application constitutesregister-analysis. The process is demonstrated on a literary text; andit is claimed that an intuitive, practical-criticism-type analysis could not beas clear, precise and comprehensive as a register-analysis. And the coherenttheory of meaning which supplies the categories also provides aconsistent, defined metalanguage to work in. So register-analysis offers asignificant advance on intuitive reading.


Micro Hall probe magnetometry has been used to investigate the magnetisation of various electrodeposited microcrystals. Superconducting tin crystals of almost perfect square cuboid shapes exhibit a strong size dependence of the supercooling of the superconducting state and, for the smallest accessible crystals, the crossover to the mesoscopic regime can be readily explored close to their critical temperatures. Experimental results are in good agreement with Ginzburg-Landau simulations using the exact experimental parameters. Electroplating of the tin cores with another material provides unique core-shell structures of either two superconductors (S-S': tin-lead) or of a superconducting core, covered with a ferromagnetic shell (S-F: tin/lead-nickel). The critical parameters of the tin core in Sn-Pb core-shell crystals are considerably enhanced and superconductivity in the tin core is detected up to 1:16 TSn c . Little-Parks oscillations in the shell can be analysed to reveal the extent of the superconducting sheath and hence can be utilised to measure the range of the proximity effect close to the critical temperature of the shell. In S-F core-shell structures, field cancellation effects govern the overall behaviour. Under certain conditions it was possible to switch the overall magnetic response from para(ferro-)magnetic to diamagnetic and back at finite applied fields. Micromagnetic simulations qualitatively reproduce the experimentally observed effects. Applications for the core-shell structures include magnetic guidance or memory devices.


Here we describe the functional morphology of the Australopithecus sediba hand, including the almost complete hand of the presumed female Malapa Hominin (MH) 2 skeleton and a single, juvenile metacarpal from the presumed male MH1 skeleton. Qualitative and quantitative comparisons with extant hominids and fossil hominins, ranging from Ardipithecus to early Homo sapiens, reveal that Au. sediba presents a unique suite of morphological features that have not been found in any other known hominin. Analyses of intrinsic hand proportions show that the MH2 hand has a thumb that is longer relative to its fingers than recent humans and any other known hominin. Furthermore, the morphology of the hamatometacarpal articulation suggests that the robust fifth metacarpal was positioned in a slightly more flexed and adducted posture than is typical of Neandertals and humans. Together, this morphology would have facilitated opposition of the thumb to the fingers and pad-to-pad precision gripping that is typical of later Homo. However, the remarkably gracile morphology of the first ray and the morphology of the lateral carpometacarpal region suggest limited force production by the thumb. The distinct scaphoid-lunatecapitate morphology in MH2 suggests a greater range of abduction at the radiocarpal joint and perhaps less central-axis loading of the radiocarpal and midcarpal joints than is interpreted for other fossil hominins, while the morphology of the hamatotriquetrum articulation suggests enhanced stability of the medial midcarpal joint in extended and/or adducted wrist postures. The MH2 proximal phalanges show moderate curvature and, unusually, both the proximal and intermediate phalanges have well-developed flexor sheath ridges that, in combination with a palmarly-projecting hamate hamulus, suggest powerful flexion and that some degree of arboreality may have been a functionally important part of the Au. sediba locomotor repertoire. Finally, the MH1 and MH2 third metacarpals differ remarkably in their size and degree of robusticity, but this variation fits comfortably within the sexual dimorphism documented in recent humans and other fossil hominins, and does not necessarily reflect differences in function or hand use. Overall, the morphology of the current Au. sediba hand bones suggests the capability for use of the hands both for powerful gripping during locomotion and precision manipulation that is required for tool-related behaviors, but likely with more limited force production by the thumb than is inferred in humans, Neandertals, and potentially Homo naledi.


The ever increasing need for energy resources creates complex health and safety challenges in petroleum and petrochemical companies and human participation is crucial to the management of health and safety particularly in K-Refinery and Petrochemical companies (K-RPC). The research set out to differentiate management safety performance behaviour into two different types, assess the impact of employee and management safety participation on overall safety performance and to evaluate the impact of employees' safety knowledge/perception on compliant behaviour in K-RPC. Methods employed in the assessment are the Mann Whitney U Test, Correlation Analysis and descriptive statistics. The results suggested that there is no difference in mean ranking between management and employees regarding the level of management commitment, indicating a high level of participation. A significant negative correlation was found between employees' safety knowledge and safety compliant behaviour, which implies a low practical application of safety knowledge gained through training. Therefore, though management participation in safety issues in K-RPC is perceived to be high, this commitment did not impact on the overall levels of safety performance in K-RPC. Hence, the manner in which participation in work-related safety is exhibited has an overwhelming impact on safety performance. When participation takes the form of directives rather than direct and true active involvement during work operations, the empowering safety leadership which is a fundamental drive to the attainment of an incident-free work will be missing.


Born into the English landed gentry, the heir to a substantial country estate, Christopher Isherwood ended up in California, an American citizen and the disciple of a Hindu swami. En route, he became a leading writer of the 1930's generation, an unmatched chronicler of pre-Hitler Berlin, an experimental dramatist, a war reporter, a travel writer, a pacifist, a Hollywood screenwriter, a monk, and a grand old man of the emerging gay liberation movement. In this biography, the first to be written since Isherwood's death, and the only one with access to all Isherwood's papers, Peter Parker traces the long journey of a man who never felt at home wherever he lived. Isherwood's travels were a means of escape: from his family, his class, his country, and the dead weight of the past. Parker reveals the truth about Isherwood's relationship with his war-hero father, his strong-willed mother, and his disturbed younger brother, Richard, who was also homosexual. He also draws upon a vast number of letters to describe Isherwood's complicated relationships with such lifelong friends as W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender, Edward Upward and John Lehmann. The result is a frank portrait of contradictions, a man searching for meaning in life, and one of the twentieth century's most significant writers.


Industries are increasingly looking beyond their own fences to optimise their supply and delivery chains. Increasing industrial production costs for resources and costs to comply with stringent legislation have led many industries to look for more cost effective solutions. Establishing collaboration with water and energy utilities and other industries in the neighbourhood of the industrial production site is one option being analysed. This paper presents how eco-efficiency analysis - at a system level going beyond the fences of an industrial production site - can calculate economic value and environmental impacts in such wider systems. The paper presents how the analysis can lead to the identification of eco-efficient solutions at a system level as well as at the level of each actor in the system. The eco-efficiency analyses are based on the ISO standard ISO 14045. The water use system analysis comprises a dairy plant producing milk powder located in a production site in Holstebro, Denmark. The dairy uses water in its utility operation and in the dairy processes for purposes like cleaning (Cleaning in Place, CIP), rinse processes and standardization of products. In the eco-efficiency analysis a water value chain is modelled in five stages: water supply, dairy production, wastewater treatment, energy production (biogas) and transport. The eco-efficiency analysis thus has another focus than a Water Footprint analysis, which also includes water use for feed production, water used at farm level and in some cases also includes the water use at retail and consumer level. The eco-efficiency study focus not only on water efficiency but also on and how energy saving technology options linked to water use could upgrade the whole-system eco-efficiency. The identification of the environmentally weak stages as being emissions of climate gasses resulting from energy use and water resource enables the selection of alternative actions, which could upgrade the whole value chain and improve the overall eco-efficiency. Four innovative technologies in the dairy production stage and one in the wastewater treatment stage are examined and three alternative technology scenarios combining these technologies are formulated. All scenarios focus on resource efficiency, while one also focuses on reducing the emissions to water. The eco-efficiency assessments showed that advanced oxidation and UV light treatment of the water stream separated from the milk stream had the highest eco-efficiency corresponding to an increase of 130% compared to the baseline for the freshwater resource depletion indicator. Anaerobic pretreatment of the dairy wastewater in the dairy plant had the highest eco-efficiency showing an increase of 10% as compared to the baseline for the climate gas indicator. For all other technologies and combinations of technologies the increases were significantly smaller. The eco-efficiency assessment results provided a basis for workshops with the actors in the value chain to discuss how to anticipate distributional effects. The analysis of the economic performance clearly showed that the dairy plant had the highest economic performance due to the high value of their product and that investments in new technologies increased the economic performance even more. This was mainly caused by savings on costs for water supply and wastewater treatment services, which left the water utility with a reduced economic performance.


Good supervisory practices help students fulfill their potential and contribute to the University's research pro- file. At many universities, the terms of a supervisory relationship are left almost entirely to the discretion of individual re- search students and supervisors. While this approach usually works well, it occasionally proves unsatisfactory. A lack of clarity between student and supervisor with regard to expectations and responsibilities can adversely affect progress to- wards the completion of the degree. This article reviews the literature on research/graduate student supervision. It de- scribes best practices in research student supervision, and setd out the rights and responsibilities of both students and their supervisors. It is intended to provide some useful guidelines for research students and supervisors in a critically important part of graduate education: the supervision of students' thesis writing and research. Therefore, a review of literature con- cerning research student supervision is hoped to assist all participants in the supervisory process to articulate their expec- tations clearly, and thereby to reduce potential problems and to facilitate the creative process of thesis preparation.


: Odometry based on Inertial, Dynamic and Kinematic data (IDK-Odometry) for autonomous cars has been widely used to compute the prior estimation of Bayesian localization systems which fuse other sensors such as camera, RADAR or LIDAR. IDK-Odometry also gives the vehicle information by way of emergency when other methods are not available. In this work, we propose the use of deep neural networks to estimate the relative pose of the car given two timestamps of inertial-dynamic-kinematic data. We show that a neural network can find a solution to the optimization problem employing an approximation of the Vehicle Slip Angle (VSA). We compared our results to an IDK-Odometry system based on an Unscented Kalman Filter and Ackermann-wheel odometry. To train and test the network, we used a dataset which consists of ten driven trajectories with our autonomous car. Moreover, we successfully improved the results of the network employing collected data with a model autonomous car in order to increase the trajectories with high VSA.


US government indebtedness and fiscal deficits increased notably following the global financial crisis. Yet long-term interest rates and US Treasury yields have remained remarkably low. Why have long-term interest rates stayed low despite the elevated government indebtedness? What are the drivers of long-term interest rates in the United States? John Maynard Keynes holds that the central bank's actions are the main determinants of long-term interest rates. A simple model is presented where the central bank's actions are the key drivers of long-term interest rates through short-term interest rates and various monetary policy measures. The empirical findings reveal that short-term interest rates, after controlling for other crucial variables such as the rate of inflation, the rate of economic activity, fiscal deficits, government debts, and so forth, are the most important determinants of long-term interest rates in the United States. Public finance variables, such as government fiscal balances or government indebtedness, as a share of nominal GDP appear not to have any discernable effect on long-term interest rates.


SEDAY, U., A. UZUN, C. YILMAZ and S. ETI, 2013. Production and quality of pollen in terms of fruit set on some self-pollinated pomegranate cultivars. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 19: 513-517 Pomegranate is well-adapted fruit species to arid and semi-arid conditions. This species have male (A type - unfertile) and hermaphrodite flowers (B type - fertile) on the same plant. Because of several problems, appear for fertilization and fruit set, researches on pollen quality and fruit set may be essential. In the present study pollen viability, germination, pollen quantity of A and B type flowers of seven pomegaranate cultivars were investigated. Pollen viability assessment was carried out using 1% 2, 3, 5 triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) test. Pollen germination capability was investigated agar in petri method by using four different media. Pollen production per anther and per flower was assayed by Hemacytometric method. In addition, fruit set of these cultivars under self-pollination condition was determined. The highest pollen viability level obtained from 'Mayhos VIII' and 'Hicaz' cultivars. Pollen germination was assayed using 1% agar and different sucrose concentrations (5, 10, 15 and 20%). In general, 15% and 20% sucrose concentrations determined as the best germination medium. Anther number per flower ranged between 275 and 410 according to the cultivars. 'Katirbasi' had the highest pollen number per flower whereas 'Cevlik' had the lowest. Self-pollination of "Hicaz" with B type flowers showed the best fruit set. Besides, "Eksi Goknar" did not provide any fruit on self-pollination treatments. For that reason, this cultivar can determine as self-incompatible. This study showed that, some cultivars need pollinators to set fruit and this should be considered for new plantations.