Background – In elderly patients burns are not only frequent but comorbidities are commonly present in patients over 65 and negatively influence both morbidity and mortality. Moreover, they strongly influence the decision-making process on therapeutic strategies. Case report – We present the case of a 78-year-old woman who contracted full thickness burns to the elbow joint at the level of the ulnar sulcus and Guyon's canal, after experiencing cardiac syncope while cooking. The burns covered 3% of total body surface area (ABSI score 8). Due to numerous comorbidities and an unstable cardiovascular status we were compelled to adopt a two-stage surgical procedure, i.e., instead of covering the defects with free microvascular tissue transfers we opted to use local flaps. The defect over the wrist was covered with a distally based adipofascio- cutaneous radial artery perforator flap under regional anaesthesia, while the elbow defect was covered with a distally based lateral arm flap. Postoperatively the patient developed a residual defect over the radial epicondyle of the humerus, which required an additional surgical procedure. The patient was hospitalised for four weeks and aftercare was continued for an additional twelve weeks in our outpatient clinic. At the end of this period all wounds had completely healed, movement and sensation were restored to normal and the patient successfully resumed everyday life. Conclusion – In this patient population extended hospitalisation times must be accepted. Despite the limitations on therapy mentioned above, this case report points to the possibility of restitutio ad integrum and thus complete reintegration into everyday life.


Within the context of tourism development in the countries of contemporary Central and Eastern Europe, this paper briefly discusses the challenges for industry and key issues for researchers within six broad topic areas. These are: climate change adaptation and mitigation; integration with sustainable development strategies; coping with globalization; differentiation/ uniqueness; innovation; and collaboration/ partnership/ networking. Practical cases are drawn from Western European experience to exemplify potential opportunities, and recent published research is identified to inform fruitful research directions. It is concluded that challenges and issues are similar across Europe, and that those relating to climate change adaptation and mitigation are, in the wider context, the most important to understand and address.


SIR: "Hearty news about fatty foods" was the title of a "news" item on page 1 of The Australian for July 27. Three views on the cause of coronary heart disease (CH D) were given by two American doctors and one Australian doctor. None of the three views was based on the recently developed pathology of CHD. The basis of the new knowledge is the separation of total cholesterol into three parts called alpha, beta, and prebeta. These correspond to high density, low density and very low density lipoproteins respectively of the cumbersome ultra-centrifugal methods of separation. What has made this separation a real advance is the knowledge that alpha has a serious significance when it is low. The other two have a serious significance when they are raised.' 2


Several individuals or families nowadays own more than one property. It could be fixed properties like houses
and offices or moving properties like cars or other automobiles. Generally the crime cases involving home intrusion and car theft have been rising, resulting in many cases reported daily about such crimes. People become more aware on safety of their properties and start to subscribe to some security systems such as CCTV, ADT, and car alarm. Even so, the number of such crime cases is not much reducing, rather elevates, as criminals today become more professional and know how to disable security systems from working. To overcome such limitations, an efficient security system is needed that integrate
different technologies to detect the presence of an intruder. In this paper, a new Mobility Based surveillance model for Static Multi-Targets MBSMT is proposed to offers a suitable alarm system for owners of multi-properties (targets). The model integrates latest or suitable technologies in mobility, micro-controller, sensors, camera and GPS to produce a low cost product.
This paper focused only on static properties and shows the design and implementation of the proposed MBMTS Model. Sample of implementation results are obtained.


This notice sets forth the names, addresses, service areas, and dates of qualification of entities determined by the Secretary to be federally qualified health maintenance organizations (HMOs).


The definitive biography of one of the most influential surrealists and a quintessential modernist. Figure-painter, sculptor, photographer, filmmaker, and collagist, Ray was born Emmanuel Radnitsky in Brooklyn. This book traces his American upbringing and his departure for Europe plus his work in painting, sculpture, photography, and filmmaking. Although he wasn't successful in all media, Man Ray nonetheless had his own style and vision. Baldwin's portrait was the first full-length biography of Man Ray. This edition has a new intro by the author updating the artist's story.


Background: Prior to the 2009 pandemic H1N1, and the unprecedented outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) caused by the H5N1 virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) called upon its Member States to develop preparedness plans in response to a new pandemic in humans. The WHO Member States responded to this call by developing national pandemic plans in accordance with the International Health Regulations (IHR) to strengthen the capabilities of Member States to respond to different pandemic scenarios. In this study, we aim to evaluate the quality of the preparedness plans in the WHO African region since their inception in 2005. Methods: A standard checklist with 61 binary indicators ("yes" or "no") was used to assess the quality of the preparedness plans. The checklist was categorised across seven thematic areas of preparedness: preparation (16 indicators); coordination and partnership (5 indicators); risk communication (8 indicators); surveillance and monitoring (7 indicators); prevention and containment (10 indicators); case investigation and treatment (10 indicators) and ethical consideration (5 indicators). Four assessors independently scored the plans against the checklist. Results: Of the 47 countries in the WHO African region, a total of 35 national pandemic plans were evaluated. The composite score for the completeness of the pandemic plans across the 35 countries was 36%. Country-specific scores on each of the thematic indicators for pandemic plan completeness varied, ranging from 5% in Côte d'Ivoire to 79% in South Africa. On average, preparation and risk communication scored 48%, respectively, while coordination and partnership scored the highest with an aggregate score of 49%. Surveillance and monitoring scored 34%, while prevention and containment scored 35%. Case investigation and treatment scored 25%, and ethical consideration scored the lowest of 14% across 35 countries. Overall, our assessment shows that pandemic preparedness plans across the WHO African region are inadequate. Conclusions: Moving forward, these plans must address the gaps identified in this study and demonstrate clarity in their goals that are achievable through drills, simulations and tabletop exercises.


Introduction One of the factors contributing to ED crowding is the lengthy delay in transferring an admitted patient from the ED to an inpatient department (ie, boarding time). An earlier start of the admission process using an automatic hospitalisation prediction model could potentially shorten these delays and reduce crowding. Methods Clinical, operational and demographic data were retrospectively collected on 80 880 visits to the ED of Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Israel, from January 2011 to January 2012. Using these data, a logistic regression model was developed to predict patient disposition (hospitalisation vs discharge) at three progressive time points throughout the ED visit: within the first 10 min, within an hour and within 2 hours. The algorithm was trained on 50% of the data (n=40 440) and tested on the remaining 50%. Results During the study time period, 58 197 visits ended in discharge and 22 683 in hospitalisation. Within 1 hour of presentation, our model was able to predict hospitalisation with a specificity of 90%, sensitivity of 94% and an AUCof 0.97. Early clinical decisions such as testing for calcium levels were found to be highly predictive of hospitalisations. In the Rambam ED, the use of such a prediction system would have the potential to save more than 250 patient hours per day. Conclusions Data collected by EDs in electronic medical records can be used within a progressive modelling framework to predict patient flow and improve clinical operations. This approach relies on commonly available data and can be applied across different healthcare settings.


This study was performed to determine Ptenoglossa species (Mollusca, Gastropoda) distributed along the Turkish coastline of the Aegean Sea. The examination of samples, taken between 1995 and 2005 from various biotopes and depths up to 300 m, yielded 249 specimens and 130 shells, belonging to 33 ptenoglossate species, of which Monophorus thiriotae Bouchet 1984, Similiphora similior (Bouchet and Guillemot 1978), Cerithiopsis diadema Monterosato 1874, Cerithiopsis jeffreysi Watson 1885, Krachia tiara (Monterosato 1874), Punctiscala cerigothana (Sturani 1896), Melanella boscii (Payraudeau 1826), and Nanobalcis nana (Monterosato 1878) were unrecorded from the Turkish coasts. Furthermore, M. thiriotae and K. tiara are new reports for the eastern Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea fauna, respectively. This study also elucidates ecological characteristics of the species found and their distribution along the Turkish coasts. The photographs of newly reported species for the Turkish mollusc fauna are also given.


Background: Information provided by patients with schizophrenia and their respective carers is used to study the descriptive psychopathology and neuropsychology of formal thought disorder (FTD). Sampling and Methods: Relatively intellectually preserved schizophrenia patients (n = 31) exhibiting from no to severe positive FTD completed a self-report scale of FTD, a scale of insight as well as several tests of executive and semantic function. The patients' carers completed another scale of FTD to assess the patients' speech. Results: FTD as self-reported by patients was significantly associated with the synonyms test performance and severity of the reality distortion dimension. FTD as assessed by a clinician and by the patients' carers was significantly associated with executive test performance and performance in a test of associative semantics. Overall insight was significantly associated with severity of the reality distortion dimension and graded naming test performance, but was not associated with self-reported FTD or severity of FTD as assessed by the clinician or carers. Conclusions: The self-reported experience of FTD has different clinical and neuropsychological correlates from those of FTD as assessed by clinicians and carers. The assessment of FTD by patients and carers used along with the clinician's assessment may further the study of this group of symptoms.


Real-world autonomous driving in city traffic must cope with dynamic environments including other agents with uncertain intentions. This poses a challenging decision-making problem, e.g., deciding when to perform a passing maneuver or how to safely merge into traffic. Previous work in the literature has typically approached the problem using ad-hoc solutions that do not consider the possible future states of other agents, and thus have difficulty scaling to complex traffic scenarios where the actions of participating agents are tightly conditioned on one another. In this paper we present multipolicy decision-making (MPDM), a decision-making algorithm that exploits knowledge from the autonomous driving domain to make decisions online for an autonomous vehicle navigating in traffic. By assuming the controlled vehicle and other traffic participants execute a policy from a set of plausible closed-loop policies at every timestep, the algorithm selects the best available policy for the controlled vehicle to execute. We perform policy election using forward simulation of both the controlled vehicle and other agents, efficiently sampling from the high-likelihood outcomes of their interactions. We then score the resulting outcomes using a user-defined cost function to accommodate different driving preferences, and select the policy with the highest score. We demonstrate the algorithm on a real-world autonomous vehicle performing passing maneuvers and in a simulated merging scenario.


Photoacoustic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (PA/FT-IR) is used to study films of poly(vinylidine fluoride) (PVF2) and poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). It is shown that PVF2 films over PET change the thermal diffusion length such that the sample PVF2-on-PET becomes optically transparent and thermally thick. By changing the mirror velocity of the Michelson interferometer it is possible to obtain spectra at various sample depths. The intensity of the carbonyl band of the lower PET film changes as a function of the mirror velocity. The log-log plot of these quantities gives a slope of −3/2, which agrees with theoretical predictions for thermally thick and optically transparent samples.


This study aims to compare the efficiency of conventional liposomes and surfactant-enriched vesicles (surfactosomes) using the hydrophilic drug salbutamol sulphate (SBS) and the hydrophobic drug beclometasone dipropionate (BDP) for pulmonary delivery via nebulisation.
Initially liposomes and surfactosomes with or without cholesterol were prepared using thin film method and were compared for their VMD, span and drug entrapment. Their drug retention on extrusion through 5µm, 2µm, 1µm and 0.4µm polycarbonate membrane using mini-extruder was also studied. It was observed that liposomes were more stable than surfactosome.
Particulate based proliposome technology was also used to study their potential for generating stable and inhalable dispersions. Mannitol was used as the carbohydrate carrier and on hydration; proliposomes and prosurfactosomes have generated liposomes and surfactosomes respectively. The VMD, span and zeta potential of the vesicles, and drug entrapment and drug retention on extrusion were studied. It was seen that lower proportions of SBS were entrapped using proliposome technology; hence, further extrusions through 5µm and 2µm were avoided. In vesicle with BDP, inclusion of cholesterol has decreased the drug entrapment and crystallisation of mannitol was observed.
Nebulisation of liposomes and surfactosomes with and without cholesterol was studied using PARI LC sprint air jet nebuliser, Aeroneb pro and Beurer iH50 vibrating mesh nebulisers. Two stage (Twin) impinger was used to study the potential suitability of the generated vesicles for inhalation. VMD, span and zeta potential of vesicles before and after nebulisation was studied. BDP delivery and retention in both stages of the twin impinger was also studied. It was found that surfactosomes without cholesterol delivered maximum BDP to the twin impinger. Nebulisers suitable for all four formulations were also studied. Beurer iH50 delivered maximum BDP via liposomes with and without cholesterol, Aeroneb Pro delivered maximum BDP via surfactosomes with cholesterol to upper impinger while PARI LC sprint delivered maximum BDP via surfactosomes with cholesterol. VMD and span of aerosols generated from all three nebulisers were also studied.
Stability of liposomes and surfactosomes prepared using proliposome technology was studied. VMD, span, zeta potential and BDP retention before and after spray drying and freeze drying were investigated. It was concluded that liposomes and surfactosomes were equally stable when spray drying was used whereas liposomes were more stable that surfactosomes when freeze drying was conducted. X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to analyse the characteristics of proliposomes and prosurfactosomes. A reduction in size and crystallinity was observed after spray drying and freeze drying of the formulations. Stability was also studied on storing proliposome and prosurfactosome in different environmental conditions like 5-6°C, room temperature and 40°C for a period of 3 months. It was concluded that both proliposomes and surfactosomes were most stable in 2-8°Cwhereas least stable in 40°C. Proliposomes were more stable than prosurfactosomes regardless of the storage temperature.
Formulation and characterisation of novel prosurfactosomes and comparing it with conventional liposomes for pulmonary drug delivery is the novelty of this thesis.


In this paper we summarize the known results and the main tools concerning complete systems of inequalities for families of convex sets. We discuss also the possibility of using these systems to determine particular subfamilies of planar convex sets with specific geometric significance. We also analyze complete systems of inequalities for 3-rotationally symmetric planar convex sets concerning the area, the perimeter, the circumradius, the inradius, the diameter and the minimal width; we give a list of new inequalities concerning these parameters and we point out which are the cases that are still open.


The aim of this study is to find out whether the reasons of stress resulting from the examination which is necessary to be appointed differentiate according to the branches and the aspect of them if they differentiate. In this study, the effect of the examination stress factors of the senior students at Dumlupmar University at the aspect of gender and departments. The sampling of the survey is composed of 120 senior students studying at three different departments of DPU Education Faculty in 2007-2008 academic year. The data was collected by using the examination stress oriented survey prepared by the researcher. It has been found from the findings of the study that occupation oriented job finding, knowing what to after graduation and finding a well paid job items, which are some of the main reasons for triggering examination stress of the senior students of DPU Education Faculty for being appointed to the profession, differentiated the most negative on was seen on the students of social science teacher. Because appointments in the country from this field is very few. It has not been found a meaningful difference between gender and examination stress. Key Words: Teacher candidates, employment policies, professional examination stress, department/branch ********** According to the 43rd item of 1739 numbered National Education Basic Law; profession of teaching is defined as a specialized vocation that takes the responsibility of education and instruction and management duties related to them given by the state. The main expectation of the state from the teachers is getting undergraduate and graduate degree according to their branches (Teklsik, Karabiyik, 1999). Employing teachers has been hold with different employment policies since the date profession of teaching was seen as a job that requires specialization. Today governments are suffering from employment problems especially in employing the teachers. There are 85 education faculty in Turkey. The number of teachers graduated from these faculties is over the number to be employed (Akytiz, 1987, Altmok, 1999, Buyukkaragrz, 1998, Dilaver, 1996). So the problem is supply and demand problem. Throughout the years the gap between the number of the graduated teachers and the number of the teachers to be employed has increased. For instance, at the end of the 2007 appointment period, the number of the teachers expecting to be appointed was over 180.000. (http://www.radikal.com.tr/haber.php?haberno=232594). The problems resulting from employment policies depend on the grades of the teachers at professional appointment examination. This necessary causes a competition between teachers and most of the time it replaces with professional stress. The word stress comes from Latin "estrictia". Today it is used for the objects, people and psychological states with the meanings like power, pressure, difficult. In short, it is any situation that creates extremely psychological pressures on individuals according to the individual differences and psychological processes (Pehlivan, 2002, Artan, 1986, Ellez, 2003). Particularly examination stress that creates professional stress could be one of the main reasons that negatively affects the students' psychology. If these negative effects cannot be prevented the mental health of the students will deteriorate or psychosomatic disorders can occur. In the societies getting more complex and having fast changing process growing up the new generations properly for their future lives has become difficult and education has become inadequate in achieving it (Kilicci, 2000, Ozguven, 1992, Aydm and Mamoglu, 2001). This means that the possibility of the people to be the future's teachers who experience this stress will experience many negative situations throughout their professions. The graduation of the students means that it is the starting point of being jobless or business life. Professional appointment, plans for real life, experienced friendships, fear of unemployment, and various responsibilities are some leading effects for examination stress (Akbag, 2000, Unal and Ummet, 2005, Gok, 1995, Cakmak and Hevedanli, 2005, Saban, Korkmaz, Akbasli, 2004). …


Neisseria gonorrhoeae was isolated from 5.9% of oropharyngeal specimens obtained from patients attending a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. Oropharyngeal isolates from 69 patients and anogenital isolated from 97 other patients attending the same clinic were compared. Many of the gonococci could be differentiated by the compounds required for growth in chemically defined media or by differences in the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of penicillin G. Strains with requirements for either proline (Pro-) or arginine (Arg-) or for none of the compounds that are used for differentiation (zero phenotype) were more common in the oropharynx (91.3% of patients) than in anogenital sites (73.2% of patients). On the other hand, gonococci with multiple requirements that include arginine, hypoxanthine, and uracil (AHU strains) were present in oropharyngeal specimens from only three patients (4.4%), but were isolated from anogenital specimens from 18 patients (18.6%). A high susceptibility to penicillin characterised the AHU strains from all sites, as others have reported. The penicillin MIC ranged from 0.003-0.72 microgram/ml for strains with Pro-, Arg-, and zero phenotypes. However, a penicillin MIC greater than or equal to 0.42 microgram/ml was found for 17.6% of oropharyngeal isolates of these types, but for only 4.1% of Pro-, Arg-, and zero isolates from anogenital sites. None of these moderately resistant strains produced beta-lactamase. Our findings indicate that gonococci differ in their ability to colonise the oropharynx successfully.


The medical records of 983 patients diagnosed with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) were reviewed, 501 of whom were female and 482 were male. The mean age was 42.1 years, the mean number of years since diagnosis of HIV was 7.4, and the average duration of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was 51.7 months. The mean CD4 count at diagnosis was 268.5 cells/μL, but the most recent CD4 count was 461 cells/μL, and 85.8% of the patients were on HAART. The mean CD4 count was lower in those with a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of < 60 ml/minute/1.73m2 compared to those patients with only proteinuria and a GFR of > 60 ml/minute/1.73m2. In the sample population, 76.9% of the patients had chronic kidney disease stage 3, 7.7% were in stage 4 and 15.4% in stage 5. There were 3.1% of patients with persistent proteinuria. Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were co-morbidities.


As was outlined in Chapter 1, crime linkage rests on the assumptions of consistency (Canter, 1995) and distinctiveness in criminal behavior (Woodhams, Hollin, & Bull, 2007). As is described in Chapter 6, much of the research in the field of crime linkage has been concerned with testing the validity of these two principles. Generally speaking, this research supports the view that serial offenders display enough behavioral consistency and distinctiveness across their crimes to allow for at least a moderate degree of linkage accuracy, though the extent to which this is true varies across the conditions that have Introduction 11 Behavioral Consistency and Personality and Social Psychology 12 Mischel and Shoda's (1995) CAPS 13 Similarities and Differences between Personality Psychology and Investigative Psychology 15 Concepts 16 Data 16 Methodology 17 Applying the CAPS to Criminal Events 20 Situational Similarity 20 Type of Behavior 22 Expertise 23 Time Elapsed 24 Age of the Individual 24 Psychopathology 25 Conclusion 26 References 28 been tested (e.g., linkage accuracy tends to vary as a function of the behaviors under examination; Bennell, Mugford, Ellingwood, & Woodhams, 2014).


This report documents the participation of Microsoft Research India (MSR India) in the Crosslingual Information Retrieval (CLIR) evaluation organized by the Forum for Information Retrieval Evaluation 2010 [FIRE 2010]. MSR India participated in two crosslingual evaluation tasks, namely the HindiEnglish and Tamil-English crosslingual tasks, in addition to the English-English monolingual task. Our core CLIR engine employed a language modeling based approach using query likelihood based document ranking and a probabilistic translation lexicon learned from English-Hindi and English-Tamil parallel corpora. In addition, we employed two specific techniques to deal with out-of-vocabulary terms in the crosslingual runs: first, generating transliterations directly or transitively, and second, mining possible transliteration equivalents from the documents retrieved in the firstpass. We show experimentally that each of these techniques significantly improved the overall retrieval performance of our crosslingual IR system. Our system, using all of the topic-description-and-narrative information, achieved the peak retrieval performance of a MAP of 0.5133 in the monolingual EnglishEnglish task; in crosslingual tasks, our systems achieved a peak performance of a MAP of 0.4977 in Hindi-English and 0.4145 in the Tamil-English. The post-task analyses indicate that the mining of appropriate transliterations from the top results of the first-pass retrieval achieved enhanced the crosslingual performance of our system overall, in addition to enhancing individual performance of more queries. Our Hindi-English crosslingual retrieval performance was nearly equal (~97%) to the English-English monolingual retrieval performance, indicating the effectiveness of our approaches to handle OOV"s to enhance the baseline performance of our CLIR system.


A top-down attentional set allows selective processing of the most informative aspects of a scene by biasing attention towards task-relevant stimuli and away from task-irrelevant stimuli on the basis of task demands. The work in this thesis explored the characteristics of the attentional set and top-down control by measuring the persistence of a set. That is, the carry-over of a set from a task in which it is appropriate to a subsequent task in which it is inappropriate. Twelve experiments were completed, employing three different methodologies in order to provide converging evidence for the persistence of attentional set. The first method was a rapid serial visual presentation task, the second was a change detection task that was preceded by a visual search task, and the third was a visual search of natural scenes following an unrelated search through letter strings. All three methodologies provided strong evidence for the carry-over effect, whereby the allocation of attention in a second task was influenced by the top-down settings from the first task. This shows that an attentional set is not established solely based on current task demands but is also influenced by previous experience. Carry-over appears to be contingent upon the level of control invested in the task; too much control over the initial top-down set will enhance carry-over, but a high level of control in the second task will attenuate carry-over. In addition, a lack of executive control over the set will also lead to carry-over when the set is highly practiced because task performance will not be monitored, and a change in task demands will not be accompanied by a change in attentional set. Carry-over provided evidence for three different types of attentional set; a location-based set, a feature-based set, and a feature-value-based set. It also indicated that the attentional orienting system can be configured at more than one level according to the task demands, implying that top-down control is more flexible than previously suggested. The work ultimately led to the development of a general model of attentional set (G-MAS) which attempts to explain the current results and account for pertinent findings from the literature.


It has been shown recently that even a tetrapeptide can form amyloid fibrils sharing all the characteristics of amyloid fibrils built from large proteins. Recent experimental studies also suggest that the toxicity observed in several neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, is not only related to the mature fibrils themselves, but also to the soluble oligomers formed early in the process of fibrillogenesis. This raises the interest in studying the early steps of the aggregation process. Although fibril formation follows the nucleation–condensation process, characterized by the presence of lag phase, the exact pathways remain to be determined. In this study, we used the activation–relaxation technique and a generic energy model to explore the process of self-assembly and the structures of the resulting aggregates of eight KFFE peptides. Our simulations show, starting from different states with a preformed antiparallel dimer, that eight chains can self-assemble to adopt, with various orientations, four possible distant oligomeric well-aligned structures of similar energy. Two of these structures show a double-layer β-sheet organization, in agreement with the structure of amyloid fibrils as observed by x-ray diffraction; another two are mixtures of dimers and trimers. Our results also suggest that octamers are likely to be below the critical size for nucleation of amyloid fibrils for small peptides.


Searching is a process of finding whether a key element belongs to search space or not. The proposed Matrix Search Algorithm using Binary Search Trees takes unsorted matrix of order mxn and key element to be searched as input, constructs two Binary Search Trees BST1 of lower triangular matrix including diagonal elements and BST2 of upper triangular matrix excluding diagonal elements of input matrix. Key element is searched in BST1, if a found return true otherwise key element is searched in BST2, if found returns true otherwise returns False. I followed the various stages of Software Development Life Cycle to demonstrate the proposed searching algorithm. In Section I, proposed algorithm is introduced. In section II, proposed algorithm is Analyzed and Designed. In section III, proposed algorithm is Implemented using C programming Language. In section IV, I tested the implementation of proposed algorithm using different test cases. In section V, I concluded the proposed algorithm.


The Kaup-Boussinesq system is a coupled system of nonlinear partial differential equations which has been derived as a model for surface waves in the context of the Boussinesq scaling, and it has also been derived for an internal wave system. In this thesis, modeling properties of the Kaup-Boussinesq water-wave model are under investigation. Differential balance laws for mass, momentum and energy are considered, and we present an exact differential balance for momentum. A Kaup-Boussinesq system describing long internal waves is investigated and compared with the Gardner equation. Finally, a spectral method for the numerical discretization of the Kaup-Boussinesq system for surface waves is put forward, and shown to converge and be stable.


Acceleration of courses has been documented to achieve an extended academic calendar, financial benefits to universities, time savings for professors, and provide more flexibility for students. The purpose of this study was to examine preservice teachers' learning experiences while enrolled in two accelerated teacher preparation courses. Results showed that students were dissatisfied with the accelerated course format and reported feeling stressed. Students noted challenges to meeting course expectations, but also indicated perceive benefits such as time management and realistic expectations for teachers. Additionally, students perceived they mastered the concepts from both courses. Although students did not prefer the accelerated course structure, the courses helped students gain the expected knowledge and skills. Based on conclusions of this study, recommendations include: (a) courses be reformatted back to the traditional semester delivery, (b) the curriculum design course be moved to the semester prior to the teaching methods course, and (c) universities should carefully review their entire teacher education curricula before adopting an accelerated class format.


Purpose. This qualitative study was designed to explore the personal experience of everyday walking with Parkinson's disease (PD), the challenges and the strategies employed to compensate for difficulties, to help contextualise the scientific knowledge base. Methods. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with a sample of 20 people with idiopathic PD (12 male, 8 female; mean age 65 years (range 50 – 80); mean disease duration 10 years (range 2.5 – 26). Verbatim interview transcripts were analyzed thematically using NUD*IST N6 qualitative data analysis software. Results. Walking was invariably performed as an integral part of a purposeful activity within a specific context, termed walking 'plus', with challenges encountered by people with PD in three main areas: Undertaking tasks; negotiating environments; and making transitions to walking. The two key strategies to compensate for difficulties experienced were monitoring through the use of concentration, and correcting through generating rhythm and size of steps. Carers supported monitoring and correcting. Conclusion. People with PD need to constantly assess and drive their walking performance. Attentional resources, which can themselves be compromised in PD, were used to accomplish what is normally a largely automatic activity. Personal accounts support scientific hypotheses. Rehabilitation interventions and measurements in PD need to reflect both the physical and psychosocial context of everyday walking.


Quantity surveying profession has changed over time to adapt to the changing and increasing requirements of project owners. In the year 2007 to 2011, the construction industry experienced economic downturn causing uncertainty in the profession. This study examined the developmental trend of the quantity surveying profession in the construction industry to determine its future. The independent variable was the current level of satisfaction of quantity surveyors while the dependent variable was the future growth of the profession. The working hypothesis was that the profession would experience future growth. A survey questionnaire via Qualtrics online survey software was administered to quantity surveyors to determine their opinion of the profession. Data collected were analyzed using SAS v9.4 statistical analysis software. The results showed a greater level of satisfaction of quantity surveyors with the current developments in the profession. Further, the current level of satisfaction with the profession strongly correlated with the chances of growth of the profession, implying a greater likelihood of future growth in the roles of quantity surveyors in the next 10-15 years. Areas such as information technology and sustainable construction would favor the growth. Thus, the hypothesis was supported. Another finding was that females tended to be fewer in the profession. Thus, it was recommended that further research be conducted focusing on gender equality and propose ways to encourage women to join the quantity surveying profession. Overall, the study concluded that quantity surveyors should improve and diversify their roles more to provide greater value to project owners as the profession seemed promising.


We introduce the financial economics of market microstructure into the financial econometrics of asset return volatility estimation. In particular, we use market microstructure theory to derive the cross-correlation function between latent returns and market microstructure noise, which feature prominently in the recent volatility literature. The cross-correlation at zero displacement is typically negative, and cross-correlations at nonzero displacements are positive and decay geometrically. If market makers are sufficiently risk averse, however, the cross-correlation pattern is inverted. Our results are useful for assessing the validity of the frequently-assumed independence of latent price and microstructure noise, for explaining observed cross-correlation patterns, for predicting as-yet undiscovered patterns, and for making informed conjectures regarding improved volatility estimation methods.


Background: Sandwich panels with low density core constructions are a class of structural elements with superior structural performance compared to traditional solid panels. Sandwich panels, compared to solid panels of equal mass, generally have much higher bending stiffness and comparable stretching stiffness, thus undergoing smaller deformation under loading. The potential advantage of sandwich panels for mitigating shock and projectile loading has been established in literature. The previous studies related to understanding the mechanics and structural performance of sandwich structures are mainly focused on studying the behavior of the core construction or the performance of a single isolated sandwich panel. These studies have provided significant insight into the behavior of sandwich panels, which includes mechanisms of energy dissipation in the core, stages of deformation of sandwich panels as they get impinged by an intense shock, fluid-structure effects for shock waves transmitted in air and water, and the mechanism of deformation and failure of sandwich panels under shock and projectile loading. Objective: This study extends previous research by exploring the behavior and structural performance of structural systems made of sandwich walled panels. The objective is to explore the potential benefit of sandwich configurations in enhancing the overall behavior of structural systems under complex loading conditions that could occur in petrochemical industry settings and pipeline networks. Method: We considered three frame structures, (i) frames made of solid panels (ii) frames with sandwich panel side walls and (iii) frames where all walls are made of sandwich panels. We also considered sandwich walled cylinders resembling pipes and compared their performance with the mechanical behavior of traditional pipes made of solid metal hollow cylinders. We used detailed finite element models to simulate the response of these structural systems. Results: The results showed that sandwich walled frame and cylinder (pipeline) configurations, in general, undergo smaller deflection than traditional counterpart structures under both quasi-static and high intensity dynamic (shock) loadings. Conclusions: The results highlight the potential of sandwich walled structural systems for developing novel threat resistant structures especially for the petrochemical industry and pipeline networks.


What quantitative measure of historical risk best helps a hedge fund investor predict the magnitude of future losses? Standard deviation, a simple and well-understood measure of risk, has been used by most hedge fund investors for a long time. However, many investors dismiss return volatility among hedge funds that have only had positive returns as "upside volatility." These investors believe that historical standard deviation overestimates future risk for funds that have only experienced "upside volatility," because standard deviation penalizes funds equally for above average and below average returns . These investors look instead to downside risk measures such as historical maximum drawdown and downside deviation as their primary quantitative predictors of future losses. With the right data, the question of which risk measure best predicts future losses is simply an empirical issue.


We develop an analytical core for sociology. We follow standard dynamical systems theory by first specifying the conditions for social equilibrium, and then studying the dynamical principles that govern disequilibrium behavior. Our general social equilibrium model is an expansion of the general equilibrium model of economic theory, and our dynamical principles treat the society as a complex adaptive system that can be studied using evolutionary game theory and agent-based Markov models based on variants of the replicator dynamic.


PURPOSE
To compare the performance between two available metal artifact reduction software (MAR) packages from different CT vendors to determine applicability for surgical screws, even though such use is not supported.

METHODS
Two vertebral screws (Al and stainless steel) were placed in the center of a water phantom (20 cm × 15 cm), with long axis perpendicular to the scan direction. Scans were performed using a GE Discovery HD750 with Dual Energy (DE) and MARS software, and Philips iCT with iDose4 and OMAR software. Reconstruction was performed with and without MAR. Assessment was performed qualitatively and quantitatively by measuring the SD in areas surrounding the screws. For the GE scanner, mono-energy reconstructions were performed for 70, 127, and 140 keV in addition to the MARS routine. Thickness of the screws was also measured and compared to the expected size.

RESULTS
DE reduced streak artifacts and MARS further reduced artifacts for both screws. However, a portion of the middle was distorted. SD of region next to the screw tips was reduced up to 97%; whereas SD in the region under the long axis increased in some MARS images by more than 50%. O-MAR reduced streak artifacts but less effectively than MARS but with no loss of the middle section. With OMAR, in general most images showed reduced SD in both regions by 2% to 54%. Additionally, width was significantly reduced (20% to 50%) by MARS. This effect was not noted with O-MAR.

CONCLUSION
Performance of MARS and O-MAR differed considerably. MARS effectively reduced streaks along the long axis but introduced distortions in regions near the center of the screw. With O-MAR, streaks were reduced by a lesser degree than MARS along the screws axis, but by higher degree above and below the screws with no distortion at the center.


' all for contributions and reviewers: The Social Science Computer Review welcomes submission of articles, reports, communications, news items, and software and book reviews. Please contact the appropriate associate editor listed on the inside back cover, or write to the editor, G. David Garson, NCSU, Box 8101, Raleigh, NC 27695; phone: 919-515-3067. Regarding book reviews, contact the book review editor, Carl Grafton, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Auburn University at Montgomery, Montgomery, AL 36193; phone: 205-277-4685. All prices cited are list prices at time of review. Street prices and introductory offers may be available for substantially less; check with manufacturer and vendors. The World Wide Web (WWW) address for the Social Science Computer Review is http://hcl.chass.ncsu.edu/sscore/sscore.htm.


The electron states and optical properties of a dense ordered array of quantum dots (QDs) based on GaN and AlN crystals of the wurtzite (w) structure have been studied by the pseudopotential method, with the hexagonal symmetry, deformations, and internal electric fields accurately taken into account. It is shown that the minimum of the first electron miniband at the center of the Brillouin zone of the QD superlattice originates from a state of the central Γ1 valley of the conduction band of the binary crystals, while the higher levels are associated with the states of the U side valleys and the neighborhood of the Γ valley. The first absorption peak of light polarized in the basal plane, e⊥c, is associated with transitions from the lower level with symmetry Γ1 in the quantum Γ well to two close-lying levels with symmetry Γ3. The absorption of light with polarization parallel to the hexagonal axis, e∥c, is weaker, and the peak is shifted toward higher energies. Because of this, an array of small GaN QDs can be used in IR photodetectors with the light incident on the front. A technology for obtaining arrays of small QDs with high density is proposed and developed.


ABSTRACT Although more companies are using premium-print technologies in their advertising, empirical research has yet to examine the effectiveness of such executions. This article investigates the effect of premium-print advertising techniques on the key constructs of advertising impact and consumer behavior through a field experiment using participants drawn from the general population. Results show that tested advertisements employing premium-print technologies convey a greater sense of uniqueness and prestige than conventional advertising, boost consumer attitudes toward an advertisement as well as toward the brand, and enjoy higher ratings on measures of willingness to buy, positive word of mouth, and consumer willingness to pay a price premium.


As one of the most popular unsupervised learning approaches, the autoencoder aims at transforming the inputs to the outputs with the least discrepancy. The conventional autoencoder and most of its variants only consider the one-to-one reconstruction, which ignores the intrinsic structure of the data and may lead to overfitting. In order to preserve the latent geometric information in the data, we propose the stacked similarity-aware autoencoders. To train each single autoencoder, we first obtain the pseudo class label of each sample by clustering the input features. Then the hidden codes of those samples sharing the same category label will be required to satisfy an additional similarity constraint. Specifically, the similarity constraint is implemented based on an extension of the recently proposed center loss. With this joint supervision of the autoencoder reconstruction error and the center loss, the learned feature representations not only can reconstruct the original data, but also preserve the geometric structure of the data. Furthermore, a stacked framework is introduced to boost the representation capacity. The experimental results on several benchmark datasets show the remarkable performance improvement of the proposed algorithm compared with other autoencoder based approaches.


Heart Cell Signaling in 3D A healthy heart relies on the proper transduction of cellular signals through the β1- and β2-adrenergic receptors (βARs), which are located on the surface of the heart's muscle cells (cardiomyocytes). The surface of these cells resembles a highly organized series of hills and valleys and it has been unclear whether this topography plays a role in the βAR signaling events that are critical to cell function. Nikolaev et al. (p. 1653, published online 25 February; see Perspective by Dorn) monitored the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signals generated by the βARs in living cardiomyocytes. In cells from healthy rats and from rats with heart failure, the β1ARs were localized across the entire cell surface. In contrast, the spatial localization of the β2ARs differed in healthy and failing cells. In healthy cardiomyocytes, the β2ARs resided exclusively within surface invaginations called transverse tubules, thereby producing spatially confined cAMP signals, whereas in failing cardiomyocytes, the β2ARs redistributed to other cell surface areas, thereby producing diffuse cAMP signals. Thus, changes in the spatial localization of β2AR-induced cAMP signaling may contribute to heart failure. A change in the distribution of a signaling molecule on the surface of heart muscle cells may contribute to heart failure. The β1- and β2-adrenergic receptors (βARs) on the surface of cardiomyocytes mediate distinct effects on cardiac function and the development of heart failure by regulating production of the second messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). The spatial localization in cardiomyocytes of these βARs, which are coupled to heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding proteins (G proteins), and the functional implications of their localization have been unclear. We combined nanoscale live-cell scanning ion conductance and fluorescence resonance energy transfer microscopy techniques and found that, in cardiomyocytes from healthy adult rats and mice, spatially confined β2AR-induced cAMP signals are localized exclusively to the deep transverse tubules, whereas functional β1ARs are distributed across the entire cell surface. In cardiomyocytes derived from a rat model of chronic heart failure, β2ARs were redistributed from the transverse tubules to the cell crest, which led to diffuse receptor-mediated cAMP signaling. Thus, the redistribution of β2ARs in heart failure changes compartmentation of cAMP and might contribute to the failing myocardial phenotype.


Textile fibers and yarns of high conductivity, and their integration into wearable textiles for different electronic applications, have become an important research field for many research groups throughout the world. We have produced novel electrically conductive textile yarns by vapor-phase polymerization (VPP) of a conjugated polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), on the surface of commercially available textile yarns (viscose). In this article, we have presented a novel setup for electrical resistance measurements, which can be used not only for fibrous structures but also for woven structures of specific dimensions. We have reported a two-point resistance-measuring method using an already manufactured setup and also a comparison with the conventionally used method (so-called crocodile clip method). We found that the electrical properties of PEDOT-coated viscose fibers strongly depend on the concentration of oxidant (FeCl3) and the doping (oxidation) process of PEDOT. To evaluate the results, we used mass specific resistance values of PEDOT-coated viscose yarns instead of normal surface resistance values. The voltage–current (V–I) characteristics support the ohmic behavior of coated fibers to some extent. Monitoring of the charging effect of the flow of current through conductive fibers for prolonged periods of time showed that conductivity remains constant. The change in electrical resistance values with increase in the length of coated fibers was also reported. The resistance-measuring setup employed could also be used for continuous measurement of resistance in the production of conductive fibers, as well as for four-point resistance measurement. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012


Nominal abstract syntax is an approach to representing names and binding pioneered by Gabbay and Pitts. So far nominal techniques have mostly been studied using classical logic or model theory, not type theory. Nominal extensions to simple, dependent and ML-like polymorphic languages have been studied, but decidability and normalization results have only been established for simple nominal type theories. We present a LF-style dependent type theory extended with name-abstraction types, prove soundness and decidability of beta-eta-equivalence checking, discuss adequacy and canonical forms via an example, and discuss extensions such as dependently-typed recursion and induction principles.


Sensors incorporating zirconia electrolytes have been widely used for monitoring oxygen concentration and the air-to-fuel ratio of combustion systems. The aim of this work was to investigate the extension of this technology to other gases and to gas mixtures.
Initial work was done on single zirconia. discs with porous metal electrodes on each face. Platinum, silver and gold electrodes were tested in controlled
Atmospheres at temperatures between 300*C and 850*C. It was shown, as expected, that in 02/N2 mixtures electrode activity/conductance decreased as oxygen concentration and temperature were reduced. In CO/CO2/N, 2 atmospheres reproducibility was poor. Interestingly, an increase in electrode conductance of 1-2 orders of magnitude was observed as the temperature was reduced through around 700*C which does not appear to have previously been reported. Is is thought to be
related to the corrresponding change in the thermodynamic stability of CO at this temperature, ie 2CO ; ==t C1 + C02.
Zirconia pump-gauges with small enclosed volume (< Imm3) and laser drilled diffusion holes were constructed with the novel addition of reference electrodes. These were operated with current-interruption circuitry and rapid subsequent data aquisition. This enabled, for the first time, the overvoltage due to charge transfer on the internal pumping electrode to be isolated: interesting behaviour was revealed. The overvoltage increased as oxygen-containing gases were, reduced and then. in the case of NO, decreased as the reduction reached completion. The gauge EMF remained remarkably stable while NO was being reduced. Reduction of S02 was shown to generate electronic conductivity in the yttria-stabilised zirconia.
A potentially important result was obtained when operating a sensor in CO/CO2/02/N2 mixtures where there was sufficient 02 present to oxidise all the CO present to C02. With the application of zero pumping current the gauge EMF showed a substantial, non-zero, value. It was suspected that a mixed potential developed on the external electrode while the diffusion hole prevented its formation
on the internal electrode.
Based upon'the results obtained, two sensor designs are proposed. The first is a lean-bum combustion sensor eliminating the possibility of an ambiguous response in rich- and lean-bum conditions. By reducing the activity of the external pumping electrode while maintaining a highly active internal pumping electrode the response in rich-bum conditions would be insignificant while the response in leanbum conditions would be maintained.
The second design concerns multi-gas sensing; it is based upon previous designs but the need for minimising electrochemical leakage was pinpointed by this work. Because overvoltages on the internal electrodes were shown to reach high values electrode activitity should be high and a gauge cell should be incorporated to provide information about the oxygen partial pressure within the sensor. If operated by sweeping the voltage applied it was shown that because of the slow electrode
response the sweep rate would need to be less than 0.2mV/s. Consequently, it is proposed that an array of sensors operating at a range of fixed pump voltages would greatly reduce the response time.
A computer-controlled apparatus was built with which to perform the experimental work. The apparatus controlled the furnace temperature, gas mixing apparatus and a potentiolstat/gaivanostat. The latter was purpose built so that all current and voltage ranges could be selected by the computer and current interruption performed automatically. Using software written in Turbo Pascal the apparatus was capable of performing a wide range of tests, unattended over periods of months.


In a lightwave circuit using a strongly confined waveguide, higher order leaky modes must be suppressed to obtain ideal characteristics, especially in arrayed waveguide gratings (AWGs). Propagation loss for higher order leaky modes in InP-based deep-ridge waveguides was investigated by simulation and experiment. A highly sensitive loss measurement method based on optical low-coherence reflectometry was used to determine the loss, and the relationship between the loss for the higher order mode and AWG crosstalk was investigated. Optimizing the deep-ridge waveguide parameters, especially the core thickness, the refractive index of the core, and the etch depth under the core, significantly reduced the propagation loss for the higher order leaky mode. The effective elimination of the higher order modes will enable fabrication of low-crosstalk AWG routers.


This article examines the background to and the implications of the adoption of child care as part of national and local social inclusion policies in the UK. It suggests that while the incorporation of child care into urban regeneration strategy holds the potential to reduce the barriers to labour market involvement by mothers in low-income households, less positive effects are also identifiable. Interim findings are used to illustrate that the commodification of care within economic regeneration policies establishes care work as low-paid, insecure employment. It concludes by arguing that a more critical evaluation of both the social and economic aspects of child care in area regeneration and social inclusion policies is needed.


This timely book provides you with a solid understanding of battery management systems (BMS) in large Li-Ion battery packs, describing the important technical challenges in this field and exploring the most effective solutions. You find in-depth discussions on BMS topologies, functions, and complexities, helping you determine which permutation is right for your application. Packed with numerous graphics, tables, and images, the book explains the OC whysOCO and OC howsOCO of Li-Ion BMS design, installation, configuration and troubleshooting. This hands-on resource includes an unbiased description and comparison of all the off-the-shelf Li-Ion BMSs available today. Moreover, it explains how using the correct one for a given application can help to get a Li-Ion pack up and running in little time at low cost."


Abstract There are a growing number of abortion helplines where counselors provide person-centered medication abortion services in legally restrictive settings. Few researchers have explored the perceptions and experiences of the people who obtain support from these helplines. Between April and August 2017, we conducted 30 interviews with women who had a medication abortion with support from helpline counselors in Poland, Brazil, or Nigeria. Before seeking care with the helpline, women often heard negative stories about abortion and faced enacted stigma from the formal healthcare sector, or chose not to seek services from their doctors due to fear of stigmatizing treatment. Conversely, during their care with the helpline counselors, women received clear information in a timely manner, and were treated with kindness, compassion, respect, and without judgment. Many women gained knowledge and understanding of medication abortion, and some gained a sense of community among those who experienced abortion. Helpline models can provide high-quality, person-centered abortion care to people seeking abortions in legally restrictive contexts. Evidence from these service-delivery models could help improve service within the formal healthcare systems and expand access to high-quality, safe abortion by redefining what it means to provide care.


Abstract Host-seeking ticks were collected during monthly dragging sessions from November 2004 through October 2006 in Tuscany, central Italy. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), which was calculated from Landsat ETM+ 7 remote sensing data recorded in August 2001, was significantly correlated with numbers of host-seeking immature Ixodes ricinus L. (Acari: Ixodidae) during periods of relatively low rainfall such as summer 2005 (Spearman's ρ = 0.78, P < 0.001 for nymphs in July) and to a lower extent in spring–summer 2006. In spring 2005, when rainfall was relatively high, the correlation was weak and not statistically significant. Generalized estimating equations (GEEs), taking into account repeated sampling of the same dragging sites, were used to model the effects of NDVI and season on counts of host-seeking I. ricinus nymphs. Seasonal variations of the effect of NDVI yielded a significant NDVI-by-season interaction in the first year of the study (November 2004–October 2005), but not in the second year (November 2005–October 2006) when there was a 2.5-fold increase of the number of nymphs per 100-m dragging for every 0.1 unit increase in NDVI (95% confidence interval = 1.6, 3.0). Risk maps that were obtained based on GEE results confirmed that the predicted number of I. ricinus nymphs per 100 m was relatively homogeneous through the study area during the 2005 spring peak of activity. Conversely, in 2006, the predicted abundance of nymphs was greater in moist bottomland habitat (characterized by high NDVI) than in dry, typically Mediterranean, upland habitat.


Design Like You Give a Damn [2] is the indispensable handbook for anyone committed to building a more sustainable future. Following the success of their first book, Architecture for Humanity brings readers the next edition, with more than 100 projects from around the world. Packed with practical and ingenious design solutions, this book addresses the need for basic shelter, housing, education, health care, clean water, and renewable energy. One-on-one interviews and provocative case studies demonstrate how innovative design is reimagining community and uplifting lives. From building-material innovations such as smog-eating concrete to innovative public policy that is repainting Brazil's urban slums, Design Like You Give a Damn [2] serves as a how-to guide for anyone seeking to build change from the ground up.Praise for Design Like You Give a Damn [2]: "The resourcefulness of the projects in the book is inspiring, its information practical (see Stohr's chapter on financing sustainable community development) and its numerous factoids sobering." -TMagazine.blogs.NYTimes.com


This study investigates the relationship between human resource management and employees' job satisfaction in public and private undertakings. The results revealed a positive relationship between managers and employees' job satisfaction. The analysis is based on a sample of 100 employees which were randomly chosen from both the sectors. The happier people are within their job, the more satisfied they are said to be. This paper surveys both the sectors in most of the aspects of analysis. However both sectors have their own pros and cons which will be made clear while evaluating job-satisfaction levels among the employees of both the sector. And given that the reward system in the public sector systematically differs from that of the private sector (in terms of pay, benefits, and psychic value), it seems likely that studies of satisfaction levels among private-sector employees may not be applicable to public-sector employees.


A sequence of beautifully crafted tales, Songs of Silence is a colourful patchwork of observations of life in rural Jamaica, as seen through the eyes of a young girl. Held together by the sure and simple voice of a child, this powerful collection is interspersed with the whisper of adult reflection, rendering the accounts at once sensuous and disarmingly honest. Inhabiting an elusive space between what is said and what is felt, what is conveyed and what is perceived, silence becomes a metaphor of rage and fear, of loneliness and contentment, confusion and clarification in these songs that explore social change and individual growth. Oscillating between Creole and Standard English, Songs of Silence is an accomplished piece of writing distinguished by an extraordinary sophistication of language and stylistic confidence. Relayed with a rare intimacy and detail, recollections are translated into a series of tales in which the narrator becomes a mouthpiece for a multiplicity of voices, each with their own story to tell. This novel comprises a series of eight linked episodes, all of which focus on different members of a rural community in Jamaica, seen through the eyes of a young girl growing up and remembered by the adult she became.


The exponential growth in the use of mobile phone has brought new opportunities for supporting adolescent mental healthcare. Clinical experts increasingly leverage mobile phone technology for patient self-assessments, self-paced mood charting, and virtual coaching. Yet, little has been studied regarding the depth and the breadth of evidence in the area of mobile self-guided interventions and their implications to adolescent mental health. This paper offers a scoping review of current mobile phone use in self-guided interventions for adolescents examines the key design principles in the development of these tools. The findings indicate a range of new challenges and affordances. While mobile tools are welcomed by healthcare professionals as an engaging platform for involving patients in their own care, it is crucial to critically consider ethical issues arising with mobile interventions, such as confidentiality, privacy, and potential loss of control caused by a forced self-surveillance and regulation.


Issues on land trespassers have always being discussed in the developing nation and our country is not the exceptional. The issue of trespassers whether in the urban or rural areas needs to be addressed as it reflects the inefficiency of the land administration system as well as the weaknesses in the enforcement unit. Besides that, the problems also lead to substantial losses to the state government due to huge amount of uncollected revenue. This happens because of the non-existence of legal right of ownership. The uncontrollable activities of trespassers such as the squatter's settlement, do not only creating an eyesore but its unplanned existence have les to other issues like pollution and social problem. This study is undertaken after realising the loss that the state government has incurred and it tries to show the impact of squatters around the city of Johor Bahru. Based on the field study as well as data collected from various government agencies, the study reveals that there is a negative impact. The squatter settlements are mostly potential land for various uses. Hence, the areas affected could be developed and fetch a high market values. Based on calculation it is estimated that the state government has lost revenue as the government fail to collect the quit rent, premium and charges. Briefly speaking the study estimated that state government of Johore has lost around RM 44 million per annum in terms of revenue and RM 198 million in terms of potential land values. It is hope that the findings could make the sate government aware of the substantial losses and appropriate measures should be taken.


Background: Little information is available about the course of quality of life (QoL) post stroke and how dependency on activities of daily living (ADL) influences this course. The aim of this study was therefore to describe the course of QoL from 2 months up to 2 years post stroke and to study the influence of ADL dependency in the first week post stroke. Methods: This is a multicenter prospective longitudinal cohort study in which 368 stroke patients were included and data were collected at 1 week, 2 months, 6 months, 12 months and 24 months post stroke. QoL assessment included measures of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (short stroke-specific Quality of Life Scale), emotional functioning (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), participation (Utrecht Scale for Evaluation of Rehabilitation-Participation), and life satisfaction (2LS). Dependency on ADL was defined as having a Barthel Index score ≤17 four days post stroke. Generalized Estimating Equations analyses were performed to examine the course of the 4 domains of QoL. Furthermore, the possible confounding effect of age, gender, marital status, level of education and discharge destination was examined. Results: Results showed that HRQoL, participation and life satisfaction improved during the first year post stroke, with most changes occurring in the first 6 months. Furthermore, patients dependent in ADL scored consistently lower on all 4 QoL domains and test occasions compared to ADL-independent patients. In both patient groups separately, no changes over time were found in emotional functioning. ADL-independent patients improved in HRQoL (p = 0.002), participation (p < 0.001) and life satisfaction (p = 0.020) between 2 and 6 months and in life satisfaction (p = 0.003) between 6 and 12 months also. ADL-dependent patients improved in HRQoL (p = 0.009) between 2 and 6 months and in participation between 2 and 6 months (p = 0.001) and between 6 and 12 months (p = 0.031). Furthermore, they experienced no changes in life satisfaction. No confounding effect was found after adding age, gender, marital status, level of education and discharge destination. Conclusions: Most improvement in QoL occurred up to 6 months post stroke and showed different patterns for specific domains of QoL and for patients with and without dependency in ADL in the first week post stroke. It is therefore important to differentiate between these different domains of QoL when the long-term perspective is considered. Furthermore, patients dependent in ADL consistently scored lower on all QoL domains and did not reach the level of QoL of patients independent of QoL.


Populations carry a genetic signal of their demographic past, providing an opportunity for investigating the processes that shaped their evolution. Our ability to infer population histories can be enhanced by including ancient DNA data. Using serial-coalescent simulations and a range of both quantitative and temporal sampling schemes, we test the power of ancient mitochondrial sequences and nuclear single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to detect past population bottlenecks. Within our simulated framework, mitochondrial sequences have only limited power to detect subtle bottlenecks and/or fast post-bottleneck recoveries. In contrast, nuclear SNPs can detect bottlenecks followed by rapid recovery, although bottlenecks involving reduction of less than half the population are generally detected with low power unless extensive genetic information from ancient individuals is available. Our results provide useful guidelines for scaling sampling schemes and for optimizing our ability to infer past population dynamics. In addition, our results suggest that many ancient DNA studies may face power issues in detecting moderate demographic collapses and/or highly dynamic demographic shifts when based solely on mitochondrial information.


Introduction: Apical seal in blood or dry root canal is a problem in endodontic treatment. Failure of apical seal causes inflammatory reaction and failure root canal treatment. Because of the sealer properties, root canal should be dry for obturation. But hydrophilic sealers can adhere to root canal walls nowadays and this problem is still controversial. This study aimed at determining the apical microleakage of AH26 and MTA Fillapex sealers in dry and bloody condition. Methods: This experimental in vitro study was done on 48 extracted central teeth. The researchers used the Mtwo rotary files for root canal instrumentation. In this process, the teeth were divided into four groups (2 dry groups and 2 bloody groups) and two groups as positive and negative control (each group of 4 teeth). All sealers were prepared according to the factory instruction and the obturation was done with gutta-percha and sealer. After 7 days in 100% moisture condition, the teeth were placed in the ink for 3 days and then were cut across longitudinal axis and the level of microleakage was measured by stereomicroscope. Finally, the data were analyzed by SPSS software, ANOVA, Chi-Square and t-test statistical tests. Results: The mean of MTA Fillapex and AH26 apical microleakage in blood groups were (448.61±34.67) Mm and (429.84±31.63) Mm respectively. The minimum microleakage belonged to AH26 sealer, but it was not significant. Conclusion: AH26 sealer is a better barrier against microleakage in comparison with MTA Fillapx, although it is not significant. Also, the evidence suggests drying the canal leads to a better apical seal and the blood significantly increases apical microleakage.


State libraries are important organizations within the library community in the United States, yet little has been written about them and students learn almost nothing about them in the course of graduate study in library and information sciences. State libraries' contributions to their profession and the citizens they serve are not as well known as they should be nor are they appropriately acknowledged beyond their immediate constituencies. This study examines a sample of nine state libraries during the past twenty years – three that are highly successful (the California State Library, the New York State Library, and the Library of Michigan), three that are typical of the majority of state libraries (the Georgia Public Library Service, the State Library of Kansas, and the Tennessee State Library and Archives), and three whose survival was placed in jeopardy in the recent past (the Florida State Library and Archives, the Minnesota State Library, and the Washington State Library) – to highlight their role within the greater library community and to analyze their successes and challenges. Research was conducted in primary and secondary sources such as annual reports, strategic plans, newspapers, newsletters, library association periodicals, web sites, and other similar material produced by or written about the nine state libraries to determine what conditions or combination of conditions are conducive to state libraries flourishing and what other factors or combinations of factors might contribute to the weakening or decline of state libraries. Based on this research, v this study offers recommendations concerning what state libraries might do in the future to make themselves more visible within their states and within the larger library community.


Few website users actually read or rely upon terms of use or privacy policies. Yet users regularly take advantage of and rely upon website design features like privacy settings. To reconcile the disparity between boilerplate legalese and website design, this article develops a theory of website design as contract. The ability to choose privacy settings, un-tag photos, and delete information is part of the negotiation between websites and users regarding their privacy. Yet courts invariably recognize only the boilerplate terms when analyzing online agreements. In this article, I propose that if significant website features are incorporated into the terms of use, or if these features induce reliance, they should be considered enforceable promises. For example, the ability to increase privacy settings could be legitimized as an offer by the website to protect information. A website design could also render an agreement unconscionable if it manipulated, exploited, or confused a user. Finally, website design could serve as evidence of a subsequent agreement, or "operational reality," between the parties. By providing a theory of website design as contract, this article shifts the focus of online agreements away from unread standard-form legalese to an approach that more accurately reflects the agreement between websites and users.


ABSTRACT Objective. To analyze characteristics, enrollments and completion rates of healthcare professionals enrolled in Self-Instructional Online Courses of the Home Health Care Multicentre Qualification Program, developed by the Ministry of Health and the Universidade Aberta do SUS (UNASUS), and its relationship with Home Health Care Teams implementation. Methods. Data were extracted from the Self-Instructional Online Courses' UNASUS enrollment platform database (2012-2018), cross-referenced with the Health Facilities' National Database and compared to Home Care General Coordination team's database. Main outcomes were completion rates and number of courses enrollments, analyzed by sex, age, region, location, profession, workplace, health teams and course type. Results. Men applied to courses slightly more than women and completion rates were higher (37.1 vs 30.5, p < 0.001); there was a small decline in completion rates by age groups (from 32.8% in 18-29 yr to 31.1% in 46-50 yr age group, p < 0.001) and a rise in course enrollment number, probably related to progressively "digital native" generations. Self-Instructional Online Courses were attended in all Brazilian states and reached all municipality sizes, with completion rates rising from 29.9% in the North to 37.3 in the South; 30-hour courses were completed by almost twice as many professionals as 45-hour and 60-hour courses, suggesting that modularity may improve completion rates. State distribution and national coverage suggest adequate range and coincidence between enrollment and Home Health Care Teams distribution. Conclusions. Regional aspects influence professional interaction with courses; the feminization of health professions and women's lower completion rates suggest the need for a deeper gender perspective in health facilities and training services. Self- Instructional Online Courses for Home Health Care were an important outreach strategy, with professional's doubts answered more contextually.


Between 2000 and 2006, the Gini coefficient declined in 12 of the 17 Latin American countries for which data are available. Why has inequality declined? Have the changes in inequality been driven by market forces such as the demand and supply for labor with different skills? Or have governments become more redistributive than they used to be, and if so, why? This paper attempts to answer these questions by focusing on the determinants of inequality in four countries: Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru. The analysis suggests that the decline in inequality is accounted for by two main factors: (i) a fall in the earnings gap between skilled and low-skilled workers (through both quantity and price effects); and (ii) more progressive government transfers (monetary and in-kind transfers). Demographic factors, such as a change in the proportion of adults (and working adults) per household, have been equalizing but the magnitude of their contribution has been small by comparison. In Brazil, Mexico and Peru, the fall in earnings gap, in turn, is mainly the result of the expansion of basic education over the last couple of decades, which reduced inequality in attainment and made the returns to education curve less steep. It also results from the petering out of the unequalizing effect of skill-biased technical change in the 1990s associated with the opening up of trade and investment. In Argentina, the decline in earnings inequality seems to be associated with government policies that without the windfall of high commodity prices will be hard to sustain.


In 1998, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC" or "Commission") released a style manual titled "The Plain English Handbook." The culmination of a drive by its Chairman, Arthur Levitt, the Handbook drew upon the rules of grammar, best industry practice, and even the support of billionaire Warren Buffett in calling for a layman's translation of corporate disclosure documents. To varying degrees, commentators noted the significance of the Handbook. Initial textual studies provided mixed results. The press marveled at its novelty, but securities regulation experts were less sanguine, chiding Commission members for naming themselves "language czars of the universe." Meanwhile, the cause of corporate disclosure – a mission long defined by federal case law – continued its second phase as the SEC, the courts, and stock issuers sought to strike a balance between financial expertise and consumer satisfaction. From this effort came the separate but related causes of evaluating substantive content and delivering it in good faith. These causes eventually morphed, however, forcing jurists to locate further authority animating the remedial securities laws. Consequentially the Handbook, at times, tipped this balance of corporate disclosure. Accordingly, this Article traces the gradual yet impressive growth in importance of a nearly 15-year old exhortation. To be sure, the authoritative value of a style manual is a topic of great moment. In the Fall of 2012, changes implemented by the controversial federal healthcare law required insurers to publish marketing materials in "plain language." Further, the Commission itself is gradually expanding the Handbook's application to additional mutual fund disclosures, proxy materials, and investment adviser communications. Those commenting on the rule's primacy will undoubtedly note the lessons of indirect agency rulemaking. Of more immediate consideration, this Article seeks to examine the subtle means by which a call for simplicity may have become grounds for violations of securities law, in the eyes of the government and others. Ultimately, the SEC's continuing emphasis on simplicity begs the question of which shareholder communications are being read at all.


Featuring high-level analysis of Islamic law, this book examines fintech in Islamic finance from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. Whilst building on existing approaches, it also discusses the current application of fintech in promoting financial inclusion through innovative solutions in Muslim-majority countries, identifying future directions for policy-makers. With original chapters written by prominent academics, senior lawyers and practitioners in the global Islamic finance industry, this book serves as the first standalone pioneering reference work on fintech in Islamic finance. It also, for the first time, examines the position of Islamic law on cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin. Besides the conceptual analysis of the Sharī'ah and legal aspects of fintech in Islamic finance, this book provides relevant case studies showing current and potential developments in the application of fintech in various sectors ranging from crowdfunding and smart contracts, to Online Dispute Resolution, Investment Account Platform and identity verification in the KYC process. Setting the agenda for researchers in the field, Fintech in Islamic Finance will be useful to students and scholars of Islamic finance and financial technology.


This graduate-level textbook is the first pedagogical synthesis of the field of topological insulators and superconductors, one of the most exciting areas of research in condensed matter physics. Presenting the latest developments, while providing all the calculations necessary for a self-contained and complete description of the discipline, it is ideal for graduate students and researchers preparing to work in this area, and it will be an essential reference both within and outside the classroom. The book begins with simple concepts such as Berry phases, Dirac fermions, Hall conductance and its link to topology, and the Hofstadter problem of lattice electrons in a magnetic field. It moves on to explain topological phases of matter such as Chern insulators, two- and three-dimensional topological insulators, and Majorana p-wave wires. Additionally, the book covers zero modes on vortices in topological superconductors, time-reversal topological superconductors, and topological responses/field theory and topological indices. The book also analyzes recent topics in condensed matter theory and concludes by surveying active subfields of research such as insulators with point-group symmetries and the stability of topological semimetals. Problems at the end of each chapter offer opportunities to test knowledge and engage with frontier research issues. Topological Insulators and Topological Superconductors will provide graduate students and researchers with the physical understanding and mathematical tools needed to embark on research in this rapidly evolving field.


This chapter examines attitudes towards the dead body, as exemplified by
arrangements for funerals and burials, in Paris between around 1550 and
1670. It seeks to establish, not so much what people said should happen
to the bodies of the dead, but what happened in practice - the care, or
lack of it, which the living accorded to the corpses of their
contemporaries and predecessors - and to use this to further our
understanding of the mentality of early modern urban dwellers. It is
part of a wider enquiry, to explore the attitudes of the living to the
dead in Paris and London, and to consider the ways in which this can
illuminate the nature of these two metropolitan societies, in the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Looking at the treatment of the
corpse can also take discussion of the body, and the ways in which it is
apprehended and understood, a stage further than the predominant focus
on the living; dead bodies were as variably constructed, as liable to
objectification (even commodification), as exposed to contest and
competition over meaning as living ones. This particular study
highlights the issues of control and ownership, among the complexity of
reactions to the materiality of bodies, and offers an insight into power
relations in a wider social and spatial environment.


Many lives are lost annually in Sub-Saharan Africa's unique and vibrant informal public transportation system due to accidents caused by reckless driving, fatigue, and illegal overloading. Fleet management has been used extensively to determine the location of mobile assets in the event of theft, or as part of operational management. One of the main objectives of the work presented in this paper, is to build on existing fleet management systems to improve safety and drastically reduce road accidents and the unnecessary loss of lives. Through a thorough literature survey it was concluded that existing work on vehicle tracking and reporting systems, do not use accelerometers to monitor or detect reckless driving, despite the obvious advantages. Similar to other tracking devices, this project uses global positioning to determine position and velocity, but this project also incorporates the use of a 3-axis accelerometer augmented by a theoretical behavioral model to detect and report reckless behavior to a central online server. The accelerometer results show a clear difference between safe and reckless driving.


This paper analyses a dynamic game of investment in R&D or advertising, where current investments change future market conditions. It investigates whether underinvestment can be supported in equilibrium by the threat of escalation in investment outlays. When there are no spillovers, or there is full patent protection, underinvestment equilibria are shown to exist even though, by deviating, a firm can get a persistent strategic advantage. When there are strong spillovers and weak patent protection, underinvestment equilibria fail to exist. This implies that weaker patent protection can actually lead to more investment in equilibrium. Furthermore, potential entry is introduced into the model so as to address the issues of market structure. It is shown that underinvestment equilibria can be stable with respect to further entry, independently of market size and entry costs. Finally, the 'nonfragmentation' result of static stage games is proved to hold in this dynamic game.


A cosmetic product should be a complete package of all excellent properties comprising of proper safety, efficacy, potency with potential marketing efforts. These characteristics are only possible when we have a good regulatory structure, scheme and organization that can continuously regulate and update the cosmetic products. There are many regulatory bodies doing work efficiently. These bodies provide us with strict regulations which help us in guiding Manufacturing, Importing, Packaging, Labeling and other aspects of trade in cosmetic industry. In USA and EU, it is not easy to produce a product in the market, as one has to fulfill the safety requirements as per the recent regulations. In India, we have Drugs and Cosmetic Act (D &C) and Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS), following which we formulate a product for consumer needs. The cosmetic market is at its peak and can be observed to be at highest in upcoming years. The skin care market is amongst the largest growing as compare to other segments like deodorants, hair care and many more. This review helps in knowing the regulations in cosmetic industry and also the marketing scenario.


The Taylor rule (1993) focuses only on two objectives: output and inflation. In practice, the central bank's loss function (especially in developing countries) contains objectives other than these two, like the interest rate smoothing, exchange rate stabilisation, etc. In this study, the monetary policy reaction function has been estimated, including five objectives for monetary policy as well as controlling for the effect of three other factors. Whereas the results confirm the counter-cyclical response of monetary policy to the factors in the loss function, the response of interest rate to changes in the foreign exchange reserves and the government borrowing has been negative. Variance decomposition shows that most of the variation in the interest rate is explained by its own lagged values. Other variables, in explaining variation in the interest rate, can be ranked as inflation, government borrowing, exchange rate, output gap, trade deficit, and, finally, the foreign exchange reserves.


We present an experimental investigation of 40 Gb/s transmission technology aimed at an aggregate capacity exceeding 1 Tb/s over multithousand kilometer transmission distances. These studies have been performed using a variety of dispersion management and modulation techniques. The transmission distances investigated range from a minimum of 2000 km, which is considered a regional undersea cable distance, up to a transatlantic distance of 6200 km. Our regional distance experiments were performed using both slope-matched and conventional dispersion maps where the accumulated dispersion becomes large for the edge channels. Dispersion map studies showed that slope-matched fiber performs better than nonslope-matched fiber (NZDSF) beyond 2000 km due to its larger effective area and lower accumulated dispersion slope. The demonstration of 38/spl times/40 Gb/s over 6200 km was the first transoceanic length experiment using 40 Gb/s DWDM channels. This was achieved with a relatively simple amplifier chain that uses only C-band EDFAs. Modulation format studies showed that RZ performs better over transoceanic distance, carrier-suppressed RZ performs better with nonslope-matched fiber at a distance of 2055 km, and prefiltered carrier-suppressed RZ is more suited for higher spectral efficiency. Experimental techniques for high bit-rate experiments are presented.


The present paper analyses currency in circulation in the euro area since the beginning of the 1980s. After a comprehensive literature review on this topic we present some stylised facts on currency holdings in the euro area countries as well as at an aggregate euro area level. The next chapter develops a theoretical model, which extends traditional money demand models to also incorporate arguments for the informal economy and foreign demand for specific currencies. In the empirical sections we first estimate the demand for euro legacy currencies in total and for small and large denominations within a cointegration framework. We find significant differences between the determinants of holdings of small and large denominations as well as overall currency demand. While small-value banknotes are mainly driven by domestic transactions, the demand for large-value banknotes depends on a short-term interest rate, the exchange rate of the euro as a proxy for foreign demand and inflation variability. Large-value banknotes seem to be therefore used to an important extent as a store of value domestically and abroad. As monetary policy is mainly interested in getting information on the demand for currency used for domestic transactions we also try several approaches in this direction. All the methods applied result in rather low levels of transaction balances used within the euro area of around 25% to 35% of total currency. After this we deal with possibly changing cost-benefit-considerations of the use of cash due to the introduction of euro notes and coins. Overall, there seems no evidence so far of a substantial decline of the demand for currency in the euro area. JEL Classification: E41, E52, E58


Designing computer systems that effectively support the user is the major goal within human-computer interaction. To achieve this, we must understand and master several tasks. This process must initially deal with the question of knowing what to develop and later, with the question of knowing how to design and develop the system. This view might seem off-target at first, since it does not explicitly mention the goals or functions of the system. However, more often than not, there is no objective goal to aim for that can be formally specified and used as a target criterion that will signal when we have designed an appropriate system. Instead, there is a large set of vague goals – some of which may last through the entire project and some that will not. It is therefore somewhat confounding that most of the current methods of systems development require that these goals are explicitly laid out, in order to steer development. For researchers in Human-Computer Interaction, the existence of many varying – and possibly conflicting goals – presents is a great challenge. The constructive main focus on producing usable systems is a matter of understanding this complex situation and knowing how to proceed from there. There are many existing approaches that can be used to carry out this complex development process. This thesis presents one approach, based on the notion that the elements that constitute a successful system are also a part of the solution. This thesis presents this approach as it is applied to the development of systems for computer-supported work in health care. The projected solution suggests that we need to focus more intently on active user involvement in iterative development that is significantly long-term. The traditional, rather narrow circle of focus that encompasses design, development and evaluation is not sufficient.


Published by United Scientific Group Since its virtual establishment in 1912 with the first diffraction photograph from a crystal of copper sulfate [1], X-ray crystallography has been a tremendously invaluable tool in understanding not only the chemical nature of crystals, but also the three-dimensional structure of molecules. The latter is testified in the Cambridge Structural Data Base (CSD, http://www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk) with more than 800,000 structures deposited, and by the Protein Data Bank (PDB, http:// www.rcsb.org/pdb), that nowadays count the structure of more than 120,000 biological macromolecules. The application of crystallography to life sciences has played a fundamental role in the field, in particular in biochemistry and in molecular biology, where the knowledge of the structure of macromolecules at atomic or nearly-atomic resolution allows to interpret the mechanisms underneath the biological processes in terms of the disposition of atoms in space. It is impossible in this short space to list even part of the achievements of structural biology that has taken place since the '60, when the structures of the first proteins became available [2], to the present times.


This paper develops the argument that goal disengagement forms an essential aspect of effective self-regulation. The argument derives from a consideration of processes inherent in the life-span development of the individual, as well as processes inherent in the moment-to-moment regulation of action. Evidence is reviewed to support the idea that goal disengagement can be beneficial to psychological well-being. In addition, the article addresses the nature of disengagement. It is argued that disengagement requires a person to withdraw not only effort but also commitment from unattainable goals, and is most adaptive if it leads to pursuing new meaningful goals. The paper also discusses the manner in which various aspects of the self might support or hinder the disengagement process. The paper closes by addressing the break point between goal engagement and disengagement and suggesting several directions for future research.


Performance analysis systems are well known for their use in enhancing the feedback process in coaching. These systems have also been developed to analyse the coaching environment and coach-athlete behaviour. This study used a computerised performance analysis system to monitor the coaching environment of two independent soccer coaching groups. The aims were to report on the use of performance analysis technology to monitor the coaching environment in soccer and investigate the reliability of the performance analysis system used. The two coaching groups were part of a larger study investigating the development of a new soccer coaching programme based on a preceding biomechanical analysis. Sessions were videoed and analysed using GameBreaker™ performance analysis software which was set up to log five events relevant to the focus of the study. A trained independent operator demonstrated the two events whole group on task (2.30% error) and whole group off task (3.12% error) were reliable events to analyse further. The other three events; small group off task, individual off task and other, were deemed to be unreliable. Possible reasons for this include limitations of equipment and training of the observer. Chi-square analysis revealed a non-significant difference between groups for whole group on task (p=0.91) and whole group off task (p=0.87), indicating both groups experienced similar amounts of practice time over six coaching sessions. This study suggests performance analysis technology can be used as an effective tool to monitor the coaching environment. However, care must be taken when setting up the operational definitions and training an independent operator to use the system in order to obtain objective, reliable data.