Abstract : The Global War on Terrorism has increased the demands placed on military members. The increased rate of deployments, coupled with the reduction in resources, has military leaders concerned that these changing demands will cause undue strain, adversely affecting the military member's quality of life. This research tests the effects of active duty military deployments on homestation job stressors and burnout. Pre- and post- deployment surveys were administered to test for any significant changes that resulted from a deployment. A group of non-deploying members was also measured during the same time frame to serve as the control group. Results showed that deployments resulted in increased levels of two facets of job satisfaction and decreased levels of role conflict, emotional exhaustion, and burnout. The only significant change noted by the control group was a decrease in the level of organizational commitment. Therefore, despite the fact that military deployments can be extremely stressful themselves, they do offer some beneficial effects to military members upon return to their homestation environment. On the other hand, those who do not get a "break" from the everyday work environment either stay the same or show less desirable levels of job stress and burnout.


An important competence for a mobile robot system is the ability to localize and perform context interpretation. This is required to perform basic navigation and to facilitate local specific services. Recent advances in vision have made this modality a viable alternative to the traditional range sensors and visual place recognition algorithms emerged as a useful and widely applied tool for obtaining information about robot's position. Several place recognition methods have been proposed using vision alone or combined with sonar and/or laser. This research calls for standard benchmark datasets for development, evaluation and comparison of solutions. To this end, this paper presents two carefully designed and annotated image databases augmented with an experimental procedure and extensive baseline evaluation. The databases were gathered in an uncontrolled indoor office environment using two mobile robots and a standard camera. The acquisition spanned across a time range of several months and different illumination and weather conditions. Thus, the databases are very well suited for evaluating the robustness of algorithms with respect to a broad range of variations, often occurring in real-world settings. We thoroughly assessed the databases with a purely appearance-based place recognition method based on Support Vector Machines and two types of rich visual features (global and local).


Deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements are proliferating. Prosecutors and major corporations entered into twice as many of these agreements between 2002 and 2005 as in the previous ten years combined; thirty-seven such agreements were concluded in 2007 alone. As pretrial diversion becomes the standard means for concluding corporate criminal investigations, it is becoming increasingly clear that a fundamental shift in the purpose and function of the criminal law in the corporate context has quietly taken place. In a post-Enron world, Department of Justice (DOJ) officials appear to believe that the principal role of corporate criminal enforcement is to reform corrupt corporate cultures - that is, to effect widespread structural reform - rather than to indict, to prosecute, and to punish. By focusing more on prospective questions of corporate governance and compliance, and less on the retrospective question of the entity's criminal liability, federal prosecutors have fashioned a new role for themselves in policing, and supervising, corporate America. They have become the New Regulators.Remarkably, this important policy shift has occurred in the absence of any public guidance from DOJ leadership. Even more remarkably, this signficant shift has sparked little discussion in the nation's broader policy discourse - until now.As Congress actively considers legislation that would direct DOJ leadership to issue appropriate guidance regarding DPAs and NPAs, this Essay provides an introduction to many of the key issues, offers a background history of the rise of corporate pretrial diversion, and explores several of the significant trends that emerged in 2007. While recent legislative interest is focused on the selection and payment of DPA-imposed federal monitors, this Essay suggests that pretrial diversion in fact impacts a range of important legal concepts, including federal-state relations, the separation of powers, and the basic role of the prosecutor. In light of the considerable inconsistencies in current prosecutorial practice, this Essay argues that DOJ leadership should take appropriate action and issue much-needed guidance. Failing that, DPAs and NPAs may be a ripe and necessary area for legislative intervention.


The high-temperature superconductor (HTS) (RE)Ba2Cu3Ox (REBCO) conductor on round core (CORC) cable has great advantages with its high current capacity and power density. In REBCO CORC cables, current is redistributed among tapes through terminal contact resistance (TCR) when a local quench occurs. Therefore, its quench behavior is different from the single tape situation. To better understand the underlying physical process of local quenches in CORC cables, a new 3D multi-physics modeling tool for CORC cables is developed and presented in this paper. In this model, the REBCO tape is treated as a thin shell without thickness, and four models are coupled: a T-formulation model, an A-formulation model, a heat transfer model, and an equivalent circuit model. The T-formulation model is applied to the conductor shell only to calculate current distribution, which will be input into the A-formulation model; the A-formulation model is applied to the whole 3D domain to calculate the magnetic field, which is then fed back to the T-formulation model. The hot spot-induced quenches of CORC cables are analyzed. The results show that the thermal stability of the CORC cable can be considerably improved by reducing the TCR. The minimum quench energy (MQE) increases rapidly with the reduction of TCR when the resistance is in a middle range, which is about in this study. When the TCR is too low () or too high (), the MQE shows no obvious variation with TCR. With a low TCR, a hot spot in one tape may induce an overcurrent quench on other tapes. This will not happen in a cable with high TCR. In this case, the tape with a hot spot will quench and burn out before inducing a quench on other tapes. The developed modeling tool can be used to design CORC cables with improved thermal stability.


It is generally believed that treatments are available to manage irritability in Huntington's disease (HD). However, lack of an evidence base prevents the establishment of treatment guidelines for this symptom. The research literature fails to address behavioral intervention strategies, drug selection, drug dosing, management of inadequate response to a single drug, or preferred drugs when additional behavioral symptoms comorbid to irritability are present. In an effort to inform clinical decision-making we surveyed an international group of experts to address these points. The experts consistently endorsed an antipsychotic drug (APD) as first choice for treatment of urgent and aggressive irritability behaviors. However, there was variation in practice patterns for treating less severe symptoms. Serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were first choice drug treatments by most respondents across all geographic regions. However, APDs were also endorsed as first choice for mild or moderate irritability, more frequently in Europe than in North America and Australia. Antiepileptic mood stabilizers (AEDs) were used by fewer respondents as first choice drug. Perceived efficacy for control of mild or moderate irritability was judged somewhat higher for APDs than SSRIs or AEDs. Benzodiazepines were not used as monotherapy, but frequently as an adjunctive drug in the setting of comorbid anxiety. Though many cited lack of experience with mirtazapine, others familiar with its use in HD chose it as an alternative monotherapy, or as adjunctive therapy if insomnia was a comorbid factor. This report presents survey results, reviews available irritability studies, and lastly proposes an algorithm for the treatment of irritability in HD derived from expert preferences obtained through this survey.


This thesis explores the role of prosocial considerations in society. It suggests that a willingness to take other persons into consideration in one's resource allocation decisions is an essential element of social cohesion which, in the civic sector, is manifest in giving. An inclination to give is influenced by one's wider social environment (norms, pressures and incentives) and also by one's own values and attitudes, which sometimes motivate a person to act for the good or bad of others independently of her social environment. The combination of these factors drives prosocial behaviours like giving to positively impact the wider social environment and the prosocial inclinations of others. The altered social environment then feeds back to the prosocial motivation of the individual. This response and counter-response as people interact determines whether social cohesion expands or contracts over time. Giving behaviours then comprise one, easy-to-measure flow from a highly complex social stock. By monitoring giving behaviours we gain insight into civic sector pro-sociality and the way that the civic sector is contributing to social cohesion. Civic sector cohesion is valuable, and thus I find that giving is associated with a host of better welfare outcomes: improved life-satisfaction, improved trust, improved incomes, improved neighbourhood ratings, improved sense of security and reduced crime and deprivation: In some ways, giving interacts with these factors on a scale comparable to the big social drivers like education, health and wealth, and predicts welfare outcomes better than incomes can. I find that giving within one's close social circle and giving outside of it both have their own significance. By monitoring giving behaviours then, governments and development agents gain insight into a community's social strengths and weaknesses, and the way that their interventions are influencing these vital attributes. This provides them with a basis for policy evaluation and adjustment.


this collection offers a variety of perspectives on culture in contemporary china. we begin and end with pieces by jing wang and deborah davis on the production and consumption of culture in general, before moving on to three specific areas: visual culture, music and poetry. jing wang's opening piece on "bourgeois bohemians" (bobos) in china revolves around the all-important question of how taste is constructed and a multiplicity of lifestyles imagined. in china as elsewhere in the world, lifestyles are first imagined and transmitted through advertising. wang describes how marketing campaigns propagate idealized lifestyles to different segments of china's self identified urban middle class; notably the bohemian and the xin xin renlei. deborah davis focuses on the consumption end of culture, suggesting that for all the real resentments and worries engendered by growing income inequality and job insecurity, urbanites in shanghai experience consumer culture and the pursuit of individual taste and comfort in the home through shopping to be positive experiences, particularly when juxtaposed against the deprivations of the past. both wang and davis show that the production and consumption of culture are complex phenomena that go beyond mere market manipulation. there is substantial agency involved, from urbanites joyfully participating in redecoration of their flats to the ways in which niche segments of the urban middle class separate into different "tribes." the braester, denton and finnane essays focus on different aspects of the production and consumption of visual culture: film, museums and fashion. braester suggests that one cannot sharply differentiate commercial film from art film on the basis of content or aesthetics, as directors previously known for making art films move into commercials, and both share similar sensibilities.


The aim of this viewpoint paper is to generate interest in working with environmental education pedagogies in order to enhance the quality imperative of social and environmental responsibility for South African learners through the fundamental subject, Life Orientation. Drawing on our own experiences as Life Orientation and environmental education lecturers at a tertiary institution, we build, in this paper, on the initiative of the Department of Basic Education to include social and environmental concerns in the Life Orientation curriculum for the Further Education and Training Phase. As researchers, we therefore highlight, for South African Life Orientation teachers, the parallels that exist between environmental education and Life Orientation, and propose a guiding theoretical framework on how teachers can purposefully and effectively integrate environmental education pedagogies with Life Orientation so as to enhance the quality of their teaching practices and lesson objectives around specific contextual social and environmental concerns for their learners.


The potential for using subsize specimens to determine the actual properties of reactor pressure vessel steels is receiving increasing attention for improved vessel condition monitoring that could be beneficial for light-water reactor plant-life extension. This potential is made conditional upon, on the one hand, by the possibility of cutting samples of small volume from the internal surface of the pressure vessel for determination of actual properties of the operating pressure vessel. The plant-life extension will require supplemental surveillance data that cannot be provided by the existing surveillance programs. Testing of subsize specimens manufactured from broken halves of previously tested surveillance Charpy V-notch (CVN) specimens offers an attractive means of extending existing surveillance programs. Using subsize CVN type specimens requires the establishment of a specimen geometry that is adequate to obtain a ductile-to-brittle transition curve similar to that obtained from full-size specimens. This requires the development of a correlation of transition temperature and upper-shelf toughness between subsize and full-size specimens. The present study was conducted under the Heavy-Section Steel Irradiation Program. Different published approaches to the use of subsize specimens were analyzed and five different geometries of subsize specimens were selected for testing and evaluation. The specimens were made from several types of pressure vessel steels with a wide range of yield strengths, transition temperatures, and upper-shelf energies (USEs). Effects of specimen dimensions, including depth, angle, and radius of notch have been studied. The correlation of transition temperature determined from different types of subsize specimens and the full-size specimen is presented. A new procedure for transforming data from subsize specimens was developed and is presented.


Francine Hirsch. Empire of Nations: Ethnographic Knowledge and the Making of the Soviet Union. Culture and Society after Socialism. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2005. xviii, 367 pp. 19 figures. 7 maps. Bibliography. Index. $59.95, cloth. $27.95, paper.In Empire of Nations, Francine Hirsch deals with fundamental questions pertaining to the formation of the Soviet Empire. The book's ambition is evident from the questions about the former Soviet Union asked on page one: "Where had all these nations come from? What kind of state had the Soviet Union been? What was the Soviet socialist experiment all about?" The questions have been asked before, but by focusing on the cultural technologies of Soviet rule, Hirsch provides important new insights. She traces the ways in which ethnographers and local elites provided the Bolsheviks with knowledge that was crucial to the very formation of the Soviet Union. They participated in producing ail-Union censuses, in delineating internal Soviet boundaries, and in designing ethnographic exhibits featuring the Soviet peoples. That is, they played crucial roles in the process by which the Soviet Union became not only imagined, but immersed in the everyday life of its citizens. The book moves beyond critiques of the once pervasive myths of the Soviet Union as a consciously acting "breaker of nations" to actually documenting the haphazard and ambiguous politics-a "work in progress"-by which the Soviet Empire was created. In turn, these politics revealed fundamental ambiguities and tensions underlying Soviet ideology.The first two chapters outline these underlying tensions-between the need to create an integrated economy and commitment to national self-determination. Moreover, Hirsch shows that the Soviet concept of "nationality" was ambiguous in itself, as it was premised both on the notion that nationalities were rooted in "primordial" ethnic groups and on the assumption that the state could intervene to "construct" modern nations. While these ambiguities explain many of the state's erratic decisions, the Soviet commitment to nationality also had the result that national categories became fundamental markers of identity, embedded not just in the administrative structure of the USSR, but also in people's consciousness. Indeed, by the 1930s even rural and nomadic populations started to describe themselves as members of nationalities. To understand this accomplishment, Hirsch dissects several cultural technologies of rule: the census, the map, and the museum.Chapters three and four document how the contending views and interests of ethnographers, linguists, and state officials on various levels contributed to the creation, amalgamation, and repudiation of various ethno-national categories. In doing so, Hirsch not only manages to challenge the view of Soviet nationality policies as a top-down strategy to "divide and rule," but also demonstrates that the map and the census were crucial in activating official categories "by demonstrating that nationality, resources, and local political power were officially linked" (p. …


With Industry 4.0, smart robots will be involved in all areas of our lives, and systems using technology control instead of work force will dominate. In this way, there will be a more qualified workforce with a high level of education, rather than workers with low-skilled jobs. According to recent studies, librarianship has been identified as one of the professions that could disappear in the near future due to this rapidly advancing technology. In this study, the possible effects of artificial intelligence and robotic systems on the profession of librarianship/information and document management were evaluated considering the findings of research conducted at Oxford University in 2017 and it was emphasized that in the near future, the only way to continue in this profession would be to keep the professional knowledge up to date as well as to follow the technological developments in areas such as computers, communication, and the internet.


Description Parenting Young Children is a practical program developed to aid counselors, teachers, and other family resource staff in training parents to better manage the behavior of their toddler or preschooler. Through the program, parents learn to monitor their own behaviors and, at the same time, apply new nurturing and discipline strategies designed to foster their child's overall development. The result of the multi-session course is a parent who is more thoughtful than reactive, more authoritative than authoritarian. Parenting Young Children teaches parents to use the STAR approach when confrtonted with one of their child's difficult behaviors to Stop and Think about their own thoughts and feelings, and to Ask themselves if their expectations are reasonable, before they Respond. Parenting Young Children also features: A user-friendly format that allows professionals from varying backgrounds to facilitate the program A culturally sensitive approach that respects the values of different families An assessment-based design that uses weekly goals, easily copied forms, and home plans to monitor progress A well-established, theoretically sound foundation derived from years of behavioral and cognitive research An accompanying video, which is used in conjunction with the book to illustrate the STAR approach to parenting


The 'war on terror' tends to circumscribe crucial developments in the Islamic world within a narrow definition of 'Islamic terrorism'. This partial and incomplete perspective fails to comprehend the links between today's scenario and the Iranian revolution of 1979 - a revolution fought in the name of God and spearheaded by religious scholars. It is vital to examine the relationship between religious and revolutionary ideologies and the revolutionary potentials of Islamic teachings.In a penetrating new study, Najibullha Lafraie examines how revolutionary ideologies function, and applies these insights to the Quran and its interpreters in the vanguard of the Iranian revolution. By unpacking these discourses, Lafraie develops and refines the concept of a 'Quranic' revolutionary ideology. "The Ideology of the Islamic Revolution" delineates the different ways in which the Quran was used to mobilise action in 1979, and in so doing provides a context for understanding today's Islamist movements.


The case study was undertaken to determine whether if it is more financially profitable to become a value-added dairy business in California. This is a frequently discussed issue in agriculture, but there is not a lot of information available of how value-added facilities are doing. This report uses two highly recognized financial reporting methods including an income statement and balance sheet to determine if the case study was financially profitable. Financial data was gathered from the enterprises, both farm and processing facility, for fiscal year 2010. The information generated made it possible to view financial income and profit for each enterprise individually so that feasibility of value-added dairying could be determined. Value-added dairying is financially feasible if the entire product can be sold, but not as the enterprise currently stands. This conclusion is based off of the rate of return on assets is 1.6% for farm and negative 14.4% for processing, creating a negative profit for the processing enterprise. But if all the cheese were sold, the processing rate of return increases to 61%, making the processing profitable.


Electrical conductivity is a potentially powerful observable that may be used in combination with seismological models to investigate the 3D thermo-chemical structure of the Earth's mantle because it depends upon both temperature and compositional parameters. Despite strong uncertainties in the lower mantle mineral conductive properties and ambiguities in choosing an appropriate average scheme to estimate the aggregate conductivity from the individual conductivities of each mineral, it is possible to calculate a radial reference model and 3D maps of electrical conductivity in the lower mantle from thermo-chemical reference models and 3D maps. This work presents a first attempt to build such models using probabilistic tomography as the input thermo-chemical structure. The radial model increases from about 0.6 S m-1 at the top of the lower mantle to 16 S m-1 at its bottom. The 3D structure shows strong lateral variations at both the top (670 1200 km) and bottom (2000 2891 km) of the lower mantle, with moderate variations in the 1200 2000 km layer. In the lowermost mantle (> 2000 km), which is not yet imaged yet by electrical conductivity tomographic models, a belt of high conductivity extends along the equator with relative anomalies up to 90% compared to the horizontal average.


The right to have access to adequate housing and the right to social security and assistance are guaranteed in the Constitution of South Africa to 'everyone' (sections 26 and 27). This includes older persons, who are widely recognised as a vulnerable vulnerable group requiring special attention. However, it is difficult to talk seriously about notions of active ageing in the community, or the socio-economic rights to decent housing and social security, if older persons do not have access to safe and affordable housing that costs no more than a third of their pension.


Reports in the statistics and neural networks literature have expounded the benefits of merging multiple models to improve classification and prediction performance. The Cambridge University connectionist speech group has developed a hybrid connectionist-hidden Markov model system for large vocabulary talker independent speech recognition. The performance of this system has been greatly enhanced through the merging of connectionist acoustic models. This paper presents and compares a number of different approaches to connectionist model merging and evaluates them on the TIMIT phone recognition and ARPA Wall Street Journal word recognition tasks.<<ETX>>


Humans can learn under a wide variety of feedback conditions. Reinforcement learning (RL), where a series of rewarded decisions must be made, is a particularly important type of learning. Computational and behavioral studies of RL have focused mainly on Markovian decision processes, where the next state depends on only the current state and action. Little is known about non-Markovian decision making, where the next state depends on more than the current state and action. Learning is non-Markovian, for example, when there is no unique mapping between actions and feedback. We have produced a model based on spiking neurons that can handle these non-Markovian conditions by performing policy gradient descent [1]. Here, we examine the model's performance and compare it with human learning and a Bayes optimal reference, which provides an upper-bound on performance. We find that in all cases, our population of spiking neurons model well-describes human performance.


Extant research considers the IT governance choice to be a trade-off between the cost-efficiency of centralization and the responsiveness provided by local information processing. This view predicts that firms tend to decentralize IT governance in more uncertain environments. We investigate this issue by studying the relationship between environmental uncertainty and IT infrastructure governance in a sample of business units from Fortune 1000 companies. The key proposition in this paper is that the relationship between environmental uncertainty and decentralization in IT infrastructure governance is best characterized as a curvilinear relationship. That is, when environmental uncertainty increases from low to high, firms tend to first decentralize their IT infrastructure decisions to the business units to enhance their responsiveness; and then centralize their IT infrastructure decisions to the headquarters as uncertainty increases further, to achieve the benefits of coordination and to mitigate the potential agency problem in uncertain environments. Moreover, the study proposes that business unrelatedness between business units and their headquarters moderates the curvilinear relationship between environmental uncertainty and IT infrastructure governance. We find that both the propositions are supported by the data.


Infertility affects approximately 10-15% of couples. The major causes of infertility include ovulatory dysfunction, tubal and peritoneal pathology, uterine pathology and male factors. Unexplained infertility is 10-15% of cases of infertility. Ovarian stimulation combined with IUI is treatment of couples with male factor infertility and unexplained infertility. Once limited to just clomiphene citrate for ovulation induction but now includes a wide variety of agents. Although its use is still extremely limited, the aromatase inhibitor letrozol may be another potential option for ovulation induction an ovulatory women. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of letrozol and clomiphene for ovulation induction in patients with unexplained and borderline male factor infertility.

 Materials & Methods : In this study 206 patients with unexplained infertility and borderline male factor infertility were recruited.The patients were randomized into two groups, being treated with clomiphen and another groups treated with letrozol. HMG injected due to growth follicle. HCG was used to trigger ovulation. IUI was performed in patients, 36-40 hours after administration of HCG.

 Transvaginal sonography determined endometrial thickness and number of mature follicle on the day of use HCG. Pregnancy Rate, multiple pregnancy and rate abortion were detrmined in both groups.

 Results: The mean number of gonadotropin ampules used in both groups were: c.c groups 2.18±1.86 vs. letrozol group 2.94±3.3, p<0.05. Different endometrial thickness was found between the two groups (c.c groups 8.23±1.08 mm, letrozol group 7.86±1.03mm, p<0.05.

 Total number of mature follicles during stimulating were: 2.10±1.04 in C.C group v.s 1.86±1.03 in letrozol group, p>0.05. Pregnancy rate per cycle was 37 (36.3%) in the letrozol group and 20 (19.2%) in the clomiphene group, p 0/05. Abortion rate per cycle was 11(29/73%) in the letrozol and 5 (25%) in the clomiphene group, P<0/05.

 Conclusion : Superovulation with letrozol in patients with unexplained infertility and borderline male factor infertility was associated with a significantly higher Pregnancy rate is encouraging for the development of these agents as first-line ovulation induction agents.


Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is a secure key sharing technology with unconditional security. Certain well-known protocols for QKD have been presented, which claim their security by means of higher eavesdropping error-rates. A generalized quantum key distribution protocol that can be optimized for arbitrary number of bases and dimensions of photon states is presented in this paper. The protocol can provide higher eavesdropping error-rates than the well-known existing QKD protocols like BB84 [4] and B92 [5]. The higher error-rate makes it possible for Alice and Bob to share secure keys on relatively large distances.


Many Federal conservation programs allocate program funds to State offices, which then enroll program participants. Doing so ensures that all parts of the country benefit and allows States to fund conservation practices that best meet local needs. The 2002 Farm Act's Regional Equity provision reinforced this allocation goal by mandating that each State receive a minimum of $12 million per year between 2003 and 2007 for four conservation programs. The threshold was raised to $15 million in the 2008 Farm Act. Since the program budgets were not augmented to cover the minimum allocation requirement, the provision shifted funding from States that exceeded the threshold to those previously below it and changed the number of producers each State could enroll. Redirecting funds can work at cross purposes to the programs' environmental and economic goals of helping farmers adopt cost-effective conservation practices. If the additional producers enrolled in States previously below the threshold treat different environmental problems or receive different levels of support than producers they replace in States losing funds, the programs' ability to address conservation needs cost effectively may be affected in complex ways. Analysis of 2004-06 data (when the 2002 Farm Act was in effect) from USDA's Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)—the largest program covered by the Regional Equity provision—reveals that the funding shifts reduced the number of acres receiving treatment for many resource problems. However, this redirection of funds did not always result in a decline in net economic benefits because changes in physical measures (such as acres receiving conservation treatment) are not always correlated with the economic benefits provided by these conservation treatments. For instance, in EQIP, even though cross-State enrollments shifted and the acreage treated for soil productivity and other erosion problems declined as a result, in some years, net economic benefits from improved soil productivity and reduced sedimentation increased. Net benefits increased when producers in States that received increased funding undertook more costeffective conservation actions that benefited more people than did producers in the other States.


This dissertation is concerned with the case study of Algerian political Islam in the contemporary era. The central research question addressed here is two fold. First, the question of whether political Islam constitutes a radical ideological break with the Algerian political ljfeworld is asked. The political imagination of Algerian Islamism is analysed in its historical and political contexts to unearth areas of rupture with dominant forms of political imagination, but areas of hybridity and of complicity with such formations are also highlighted. Thus, the main contention of this thesis is that the discursive relationship between Islamist political formation and that of their opponents in the political sphere is complex: Islamist political imagination is oppositional to the state, but it does not escape the discursive tools for legitimation present in the existing ljfeworld. Secondly, the consequences of this argument for our understanding of the Algerian Civil War of the 199os are addressed. It is argued here that political imagination is one of the key loci where political contest has been played out in the contemporary Algerian setting. The confrontation between the regime and political Islam is the most up to date example of a struggle for power that necessitates the monopoly over the legitimising tools of history and culture. More importantly, this framework questions the notion that the state-Islamist confrontation in subsequent years can be explained in a binary fashion (Good vs. Evil; Rational politics vs. Irrational theocracy). In fact, this confrontation over political power is consistent with existing patterns of political competition in postcolonial Algeria.


It is shown that for a uniform transparent layer over a substrate the layer dielectric constant satisfies a fifth-degree polynomial. The problem of extracting the layer index and thickness from the ellipsometric measurement is then reduced to finding the roots of this polynomial. The coefficients of this polynomial are determined by the angle of incidence, the real incident-medium index, the complex substrate index, and the measured complex ellipsometric ratio ρ. This approach to the problem gives directly all the possible physical solutions without the need for initial guesses or ranges. Special cases are examined. Numerical analysis and error analysis are provided for the case of a silicon oxide layer over silicon.


We review the historic development of concept of information including the relationship of Shannon information and entropy and the criticism of Shannon information because of its lack of a connection to meaning. We review the work of Kauffman, Logan et al. that shows that Shannon information fails to describe biotic information. We introduce the notion of the relativity of information and show that the concept of information depends on the context of where and how it is being used. We examine the relationship of information to meaning and materiality within information theory, cybernetics and systems biology. We show there exists a link between information and organization in biotic systems and in the various aspects of human culture including language, technology, science, economics and governance.


The surface drag force produced by trapped lee waves and upward propagating waves in non‐hydrostatic stratified flow over a mountain ridge is explicitly calculated using linear theory for a two‐layer atmosphere with piecewise‐constant static stability and wind speed profiles. The behaviour of the drag normalized by its hydrostatic single‐layer reference value is investigated as a function of the ratio of the Scorer parameters in the two layers l2/l1 and of the corresponding dimensionless interface height l1H, for selected values of the dimensionless ridge width l1a and ratio of wind speeds in the two layers. When l2/l1 → 1, the propagating wave drag approaches 1 in approximately hydrostatic conditions, and the trapped lee wave drag vanishes. As l2/l1 decreases, the propagating wave drag progressively displays an oscillatory behaviour with l1H, with maxima of increasing magnitude due to constructive interference of reflected waves in the lower layer. The trapped lee wave drag shows localized maxima associated with each resonant trapped lee wave mode, occurring for small l2/l1 and slightly higher values of l1H than the propagating wave drag maxima. As l1a decreases, i.e. the flow becomes more non‐hydrostatic, the propagating wave drag decreases and the regions of non‐zero trapped lee wave drag extend to higher l2/l1. These results are confirmed by numerical simulations for l2/l1 = 0.2. In parameter ranges of meteorological relevance, the trapped lee wave drag may have a magnitude comparable to that of propagating wave drag, and be larger than the reference single‐layer drag. This may have implications for drag parametrization in global climate and weather‐prediction models. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society


We consider a certain invariantly defined nonlinear system of partial differential equations on a Riemannian manifold. Since a special case describes a steady, irrotional, compressible flow on the manifold, it is natural to refer to the (square of) the pointwise norm of the solution as the speed of the flow and to the density of the flow. Under appropriate restrictions on the density, the system is elliptic and we obtain a sub-elliptic estimate and a maximum principle for the speed of the flow in terms of the curvature of the manifold.


In all of the literature written about the origins and history of the tango, only some authors adhere to the possibility of its having had its roots in Africa. Jorge Rivera (1976), for example, dedicates a chapter to the discussion of the tango's "black roots", speaking first of its etymology, which some have placed as stemming from Old Castilian and others from Japanese. Rivera supports the African route (root) for the word, believing that it came over to the New World from Africa on slaving ships, as many other words did. He states (59) that the word tango was used by slavers, meaning 'holding place for slaves before they were forced onto ships'. He also tells us that tango was the place where slaves were put up for sale, either in Africa or in the New World. In addition, says Rivera, tangos were societies of free and freed blacks-organizations which lasted until after 1888, the date of abolition in Brazil.1 Obviously, none of these meanings has any connection to the concept of dance or music. On the face of it, then, we would have to conclude that these tangos were phonological chance occurrences with no tie to our tango rioplatense. Within the realm of music, Rolando A. Laguarda Trias (1969) suggests that tango comes from tambor (pronounced tambo by the blacks), which means that the original oxitonal word would have become paroxitonal with the change in meaning-not impossible, but unlikely given the lack of such stress shifts in most words borrowed from African languages into European ones in the New World. Jose Gobello, who cites Laguardia Trias (133), disagrees with him in a most emphatic way. To put the record straight, as he states, Gobello (133) cites Esteban Pichardo (242), who has written that tango is a "Reunion de negros bozales para bailar al son de sus tambores o atabales." There are records of blacks meeting for the purpose of dancing and reveling (e.g., Rodiguez Molas 1957, Blas Matamoro 1971, Ortiz Oderigo 1974:139-146, Rossi 1926:169-183, inter alia) during the XIX century in Argentina and Uruguay, but there is no proof that they were designated as tangos by either the blacks or the colonial whites. The drums and/or other percussion instruments used by the blacks in the Rio de la Plata area were, according to Rossi (97, 341), called tango, by way of onomatopeia, as was customary in the Americas and in Africa.2 But, once again, we have the problem of stress, even though tango is phonologically closer to tango than the example of tambo already cited. The possibility of a shift in stress should not be eliminated entirely, though, given its occurrence in the Spanish-speaking world (e.g., mango in most of Spanish America, but mango in Puerto Rico). In his essay titled "Raices negras del tango", Blas Matamoro (Manuel Pampin, ed., 1976) cites Ricardo Rodriguez Molas's unpublished manuscript, in which Molas, after having searched for the etymology of tango among many African languages, especially those of the Congo, the Gulf of Guinea and the southern Sudan, arrives at the following conclusion: En varies de ellos "tango" significa "lugar cerrado", "circule", "coto" y, por conotacion, todo espacio vedado al cual se accede sorteando ciertas condiciones previas de admision. Me permito suponer que el uso de "tango" en estas lenguas partiales del Africa llevaba al mundo de Io religioso, con la clausura y el hermetismo que son propios de todo culto, sobre todo en comunidades primitivas. (Blas Matamoro, 57-8) It is, of course, possible, that tango or similar words, may have shifted in meaning, as Molas suggests here, from 'some sort of religious circle' to 'dance', given the importance of dance and of music in sub-Saharan religions. However, Molas's mention of the supposed religious aspect within what he found as tango is only speculation on his part; words meaning 'closed areas' ostensibly could have no connection whatsoever to anything religious. My own search for sub-Saharan words resembling tango did not reveal what Molas's claims have shown. …


Poster presented at the General Meeting of the Global Alliance against Respiratory Diseases in Helsinki. The topic of the conference was 'The Natural Step to Respiratory Health'.

- mHealth to better prevent and control respiratory diseases
- The example of asthma: a need for better pedagogy?
- BreathingGames.net
- Transforming health care into fun, rewarding experiences
- Testing the games locally: join forces!


Introduction Contrast sensitivity function (CSF) may better estimate a patient's visual function compared with visual acuity (VA). Our study evaluates the quick CSF (qCSF) method to measure visual function in eyes with macular disease and good letter acuity. Methods Patients with maculopathies (retinal vein occlusion, macula-off retinal detachment, dry age-related macular degeneration and wet age-related macular degeneration) and good letter acuity (VA ≥20/30) were included. The qCSF method uses an intelligent algorithm to measure CSF across multiple spatial frequencies. All maculopathy eyes combined and individual macular disease groups were compared with healthy control eyes. Main outcomes included area under the log CSF (AULCSF) and six CS thresholds ranging from 1 cycle per degree (cpd) to 18 cpd. Results 151 eyes with maculopathy and 93 control eyes with VA ≥20/30 were included. The presence of a maculopathy was associated with significant reduction in AULCSF (β: −0.174; p<0.001) and CS thresholds at all spatial frequencies except for 18 cpd (β: −0.094 to −0.200 log CS, all p<0.01) compared with controls. Reductions in CS thresholds were most notable at low and intermediate spatial frequencies (1.5 cpd, 3 cpd and 6 cpd). Conclusion CSF measured with the qCSF active learning method was found to be significantly reduced in eyes affected by macular disease despite good VA compared with healthy control eyes. The qCSF method is a promising clinical tool to quantify subtle visual deficits that may otherwise go unrecognised by current testing methods.


Pension funds in the Netherlands are facing their second solvency crisis within a period of six years. As most Dutch pension funds effectively are arrangements of intergenerational risk sharing, especially the larger sector pension funds, the necessary recovery process implies various generational dilemmas. We distinguish various policy options, among them contribution rate increases and benefit cuts, and compare them on the aspect of intergenerational redistribution. Most pension funds in the Netherlands stem from the 1950s, and the current pension plan setting still reflects standards of that period. This practice is currently at stake. The introduction of a new regulatory framework built upon fair-value accounting and risk-based solvency supervision forces pension funds to reconsider their pension plan design and funding process. We discuss a number of reform proposals that currently are in debate.


The removal of Ni (II) from aqueous solutions using citric acid activated Hydrilla Verticillata biomass has been studied under batch conditions. The biosorbent characteristics were studied. Batch experiments were performed to study the biosorption of Ni (II) with respect to the effect of operating parameters like initial pH, adsorbent dosage, initial metal concentration, contact time and temperature. The adsorption of Ni (II) increased with increase in contact timer and reached equilibrium at 180 min. The maximum removal efficiency was attained at pH 5.0. The uptake capacity was found to decrease with increase in temperature confirming the exothermic nature of sorption process. The equilibrium data was fitted to three isotherms namely Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherms. Langmuir model provided the best correlation (R2 > 0.98) for the biosorption of Ni (II) by the selected sorbent and the monolayer biosorption capacity was found to be 11.9 mg g–1.


The ambition of Footprint 23 is to provide a critical survey of the architecture of logistics, unfolding the multivalences of its apparatus, dissecting its buildings and spaces, its technologies and labour relations, its historical evolutions as well as its future projections. Gathering academic papers and visual essays from researchers and emerging scholars in the field, the issue follows three main directions of inquiry.

The first trajectory attempts to define what logistics is and how it operates, focusing on the inherent ambivalence of its apparatus, able to cope with different scales and various temporal dimensions – from barcodes and gadgets to global routes and territorial infrastructures – constituting both a physical and abstract framework supporting, measuring and quantifying movements and actions, thoughts and desires. The second trajectory investigates the way logistics penetrates our existences, not simply by affecting how we live and work but the way in which it provides the very possibility of life as such, or, in other words, how logistics is inherently political. The third trajectory tackles the past, present and future of logistics, considered as the most crucial apparatus determining the human impact on the earth, controlling the distribution and organisation of organisms and ecosystems, triggering new and more violent forms of colonisation and exploitation.

This issue of Footprint does not seek definitive statements or hypothetic solutions for the monstrous nature of logistics. On the opposite, it aims at unfolding its inner contradictions to propose new possibilities of exploration for an architecture and its project.


Three semidominant, nonallelic mutations of maize, Teopod 1 (Tp1), Teopod 2 (Tp2) and Teopod 3 (Tp3), have a profound effect on both vegetative and reproductive development. Although each mutation is phenotypically distinct, they all (1) increase the number of vegetative phytomers; (2) increase the number of phytomers producing ears, tillers and prop roots; (3) increase the number of leaves bearing epidermal wax; (4) decrease the size of leaves and internodes; (5) decrease the size of both the ear and tassel; and (6) transform reproductive structures into vegetative ones. The analysis presented here suggests that this phenotype reflects the prolonged expression of a juvenile, vegetative developmental program which overlaps with the reproductive developmental program. The expression of these mutations is different in each of the four inbred backgrounds used in this study. Tp1 and Tp2 have similar phenotypes and are more highly expressed in the A632 and Oh51a inbred backgrounds than in W23 and Mo17. Tp3 has less extreme effects than either of these mutations and has the opposite modification pattern; i.e., it is more highly expressed in W23 and Mo17 than in A632 and Oh51a. The expression of Tp1 and Tp2 in the presence of varying doses of their wild-type alleles indicate that both are gain-of-function mutations. The phenotypes of Tp1 and Tp2 and the nature of their response to variation in gene dose suggest that they control related, but nonidentical functions. The developmental and evolutionary implications of the heterochronic phenotype of these mutations is discussed.


From the first days of life, humans preferentially orient towards upright faces, likely reflecting innate subcortical mechanisms. Here, we show that binocular rivalry can reveal face detection mechanisms in adults that are surprisingly similar to inborn face detection mechanism. We used continuous flash suppression (CFS), a variant of binocular rivalry, to render stimuli invisible at the beginning of each trial and measured the time upright and inverted stimuli needed to overcome such interocular suppression. Critically, specific stimulus properties previously shown to modulate looking preferences in neonates similarly modulated adults' awareness of faces presented during CFS. First, the advantage of upright faces in overcoming CFS was strongly modulated by contrast polarity and direction of illumination. Second, schematic patterns consisting of three dark blobs were suppressed for shorter durations when the arrangement of these blobs respected the face-like configuration of the eyes and the mouth, and this effect was modulated by contrast polarity. No such effects were obtained in a binocular control experiment not involving CFS, suggesting a crucial role for face-sensitive mechanisms operating outside of conscious awareness. These findings indicate that visual awareness of faces in adults is governed by perceptual mechanisms that are sensitive to similar stimulus properties as those modulating newborns' face preferences.


The idea of guest-worker migration has resurfaced in recent decades as the global agri-food industry has confronted a shortage of workers willing to take low-wage and often seasonal jobs. To date, there have been very few cases studies of these twenty-first century guest-worker programs and their role in managing contemporary labor migration. This article examines guest-worker migration in the strawberry industry of southern Spain. In this case, guest-worker programs attempt to regulate and enforce the circular migration of foreign workers in Spain. By making future work contracts contingent on migrants' return to their country of origin, by recruiting migrant workers from various countries, and by targeting women with dependent children, these programs help to discipline migrant workers into the rigors of circular migration. We argue that although the program has been lauded as a model of twenty-first century labor migration, it succeeds primarily by keeping foreign, low-wage, women workers 'in their place'.


Mild cognitive impairment has gained recognition as a construct and a potential prodromal stage to dementia in both Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease (PD). Although mild cognitive impairment has been recognized in the Alzheimer's disease field, it is a relatively more recent topic of interest in PD. Recent advances include the development of diagnostic criteria for PD mild cognitive impairment to provide more uniform definitions for clinical and research use. Studies reveal that mild cognitive impairment in PD is frequent, but also heterogeneous, with variable clinical presentations, differences in its progression to dementia, and likely differences in underlying pathophysiology. Application of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society PD Mild Cognitive Impairment Task Force diagnostic criteria has provided insights regarding cognitive measures, functional assessments, and other key topics that may require additional refinement. Furthermore, it is important to consider definitions of PD mild cognitive impairment in the landscape of other related Lewy body disorders, such as dementia with Lewy bodies, and in the context of prodromal and early‐stage PD. This article examines the evolution of mild cognitive impairment in concept and definition, particularly in PD, but also in related disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies; the development and application of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society PD Mild Cognitive Impairment diagnostic criteria; and insights and future directions for the field of PD mild cognitive impairment. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society


In considering identity management, the first issue is—What is identity? This is, of course, an issue that has plagued poets, philosophers, and playwrights for centuries. We're concerned with a more prosaic version of the question: How does an entity recognize another entity? This important question occurs when access to resources, such as health or financial records, services, or benefits, is limited to specific entities. The entity in question could be a person, a computer, or even a device with quite limited memory and computational power. In this issue of IEEE Security & Privacy—the first of what we suspect will be several special issues on identity management—we have chosen to focus on identity management in which the entity being identified is a person.


High demand to store breast milk, vaccines or other perishable items in developing communities is encouraging the development of portable cooler box. Portable cooler box also provides new way to store perishable items in remote locations. Furthermore, it believes that in the long term, fuzzy logic temperature control cooler box prove to be advantageous alternatives to the existing systems such as On-Off and PID controller cooler box. Due to this reason, portable cooler box with fuzzy logic temperature control is developed in this research. An attempt has been made to control the temperature of thermoelectric cooler (TEC) box by using Fuzzy Logic Control (FLC). The TECs operate on DC current and can control the cooling temperature by adjusting the value of DC current through thermoelectric. The MC68HC711E9-EVBU provides a low-cost and high-performance solution for TEC control. Earlier systems used many analog circuits to perform temperature control. The use of MC68HC711E9-EVBU allows the task to be handled by software. The suitable fuzzy rule has been prepared and implemented to control the temperature. In this research, a minimum hardware required due to the advanced capabilities of the processor. It is observed that the response of the FLC is faster than the conventional controller. In this work, a systematic design approach for the implementation of a microcontroller based data logger for recording the FLC variables is presented. The developed portable cooler box in this research can be used to maintain the temperature of the cooler at 15oC, thereby making it suitable for breast-feeding milk storage for 24 hours. Furthermore, the proposed system has been intentionally developed for the user convenience due to its portability and low power consumption.


The purpose of this article is to research and retrieve patent information regarding the therapeutic use of truffles. Truffles have a unique value as a foodstuff and impact positively on human health and well-being. They are applied in such industries as the pharmaceutical industry and the cosmetic industry. Patent documentation available in the Espacenet network and the Patentscope service were analyzed by key word and patent specifications were examined to describe state of the art and to identify scientific research trends in therapeutic applications of truffles. Medicinal properties of truffles such as the anticancer or cardiovascular effect, a reduction in blood lipids, immunological resistance and increased energy were identified. Other therapeutic benefits include sedative action, prevention of hormonal imbalances in women, pre-menopause symptom relief, senile urethritis and prostate disorders, sleep disorders and increased absorption of calcium from milk. Truffles can also be used to alleviate symptoms of milk intolerance such as diarrhoea or bloating, to ease rheumatic pains and to treat and prevent further development or recurrence of senile cataract.


A unified approach is developed to three important areas of signal and image processing: pulse compression and real-time spectrum analysis, fiber-cable communications and dispersion, and Fresnel diffraction and optical filtering. The results are based on the properties of quadratic phase filters and Fresnel transforms, and they lead to a variety of analogies among the time responses of fiber cables, the spatial variations of diffracted fields, and the role of frequency modulation in narrow-band systems. The analysis includes deterministic and stochastic excitations.


Background : Esophageal cancer (EC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide. Mortality is a familiar projection that addresses the burden of cancers. With regards to cancer mortality, data are important and used to monitor the effects of screening programs, earlier diagnosis and other prognostic factors. But according to the Iranian death registry, about 20% of death statistics are still recorded in misclassified categories. The aim of this study is to estimate EC mortality in the Iranian population, using a Bayesian approach in order to revise this misclassification. Methods : We analyzed National death Statistics reported by the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education from 1995 to 2004. ECs [ICD-9; C15] were expressed as annual mortality rates/100,000, overall, by sex, by age group and age standardized rate (ASR). The Bayesian approach was used to correct and account for misclassification effects in Poisson count regression, with a beta prior employed to estimate the mortality rate of EC in age and sex groups. Results : According to the Bayesian analysis, there were between 20 to 30 percent underreported deaths in mortality records related to EC, and the rate of mortality from EC has increased through recent years. Conclusions : Our findings suggested a substantial undercount of EC mortality in the Iranian population. So policy makers who determine research and treatment priorities based on reported death rates should notice of this underreported data.


Commitment to organization is important and plays key role in the formation of an integrated human effort in an organization. The importance of organizational commitment has attracted consideration over recent years and has been reflected in many management studies. Specifically, the objective of this study was to identify the significant difference between the selected demographic variables and organizational commitment. A quantitative cross sectional research design with purposive sampling was employed in collecting data. The cross sectional survey design was used to determine the demographic variables of gender and ethnicity. The questionnaires for Organizational Commitment was originated by Mowday et al., (2003). The respondents for this study were senior public primary school head teachers who attended the three years intensive program of Bachelor Degree in Education Management. Two cohorts comprised of 107 students were chosen from 600 students who enrolled for the Head Teacher Degree Program. They were purposively selected because they represented almost equal numbers of respondents based on gender and ethnicity of the ratio of people in Malaysia. The results of the analysis revealed that organizational commitment showed no significant different between male and female. There was significant difference for organizational commitment related to ethnic of Malay, Chinese and Indian. In conclusion, the degree of commitment of the organization among senior teacher has shown the differences between the ethnics but no different between the gender. Therefore, organization need to build up the necessary efforts to encourage and enable the different ethnics to strive their strong commitment to the organization. This will enable the organization to meet future challenges and at the same time maintain employee's attachment to the organization.


Background:
Classification systems for use in the diagnosis of mental disorders have been developed based on a categorical model of psychopathology. Although current
categorical diagnostic classification systems have been found to have good utility and reliability, studies have questioned whether these systems have adequate
validity. Dimensional models of psychopathology have been examined as an alternative to categorical diagnostic classification systems and found to be more strongly related to clinical parameters, such as the severity and outcome of mental disorders.

A literature review found a small evidence base on dimensional models of psychopathology experienced by adults with intellectual disabilities. However, the findings were limited by small sample sizes, biased samples and inclusion of only a limited range of items of psychopathology. Furthermore, the methods of exploratory
factor analysis used do not meet established best practice guidelines.

Informed by the existing literature, this thesis aimed to;
1. identify a dimensional model of psychopathology experienced by adults with intellectual disabilities
2. examine the associations of a dimensional model of psychopathology with measures of the severity and outcome of mental disorders
3. compare the predictive validity of dimensional and categorical models of psychopathology.

Methods:
The Psychiatric Present State- Learning Disabilities (PPS-LD) was used as a structured instrument to collect psychopathology data. Exploratory factor analysis
(EFA) following best practice guidelines was used to identify dimensions of psychopathology. Continuous measures representing the dimensions of psychopathology were calculated. Meeting criteria for the diagnosis of a mental
disorder from the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychiatric Disorders for use with Adults with Learning Disabilities (DC-LD) was used as the variable representing the
categorical model of psychopathology.
Baseline data was collected on four measures of severity; the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales- Learning Disabilities (HoNOS-LD), Global Assessment of
Functioning (GAF), Clinical Global Impression (CGI), and the Camberwell Assessment of Needs for Adults with Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities-
Research version (CANDID-R) unmet needs. These measures were completed again at follow up 4-5 years later and change over time used as a measure of longitudinal
outcome.

Bivariate statistics and multivariate linear regression were used to examine the associations of the dimensions of psychopathology, and DC-LD diagnosis, with the measures of the severity of and longitudinal outcome of mental disorders. Relevant socio-clinical variables, associated with psychopathology in previous populationbased
intellectual disabilities studies were included in the analyses: gender, age, living circumstances, level of intellectual disabilities, autism, Down syndrome,
epilepsy, sensory impairments, mobility problems and incontinence.

Key results:
A model of psychopathology with four dimensions was extracted from the EFA. This model was stable in two additional EFA using random samples. There were no
significant correlations between the four dimensions which were labeled depressive,organic, behaviour-affective and anxiety.

Only the anxiety dimension of psychopathology was not associated with any of the measures of severity of mental disorders. The depression dimension was independently associated with severity on the HoNOS-LD (β=.413, p<.001), GAF (β=-.402, p<.001) and the CGI (β=.457, p<.001). The organic dimension was independently associated with severity on the HoNOS-LD (β=.205, p=.004), GAF(β=-.326 p<.001) and CGI (β=.266, p<.001). The behaviour-affective dimension was independently associated with severity on the HoNOS-LD (β=.332, p<.001), GAF (β=-.286, p<.001), CGI (β=.253, p<.001) and CANDID-R unmet needs (β=.178,
p=.018). Level of intellectual disabilities was independently associated with severity on the HoNOS-LD and CANDID-R unmet needs. Finally, younger age (β=-.208,
p=.010), living independently (β=-.599, p<.001) and not having a visual impairment (β=-.191, p=.009) were associated with greater CANDID-R unmet needs.
None of the baseline measures of psychopathology were associated with longitudinal outcome on the CANDID-R unmet needs. Baseline scores on the depressive dimension were significantly associated with longitudinal outcome on the HoNOS-LD(β=.297, p=.034), GAF (β=.342, p=.002) and CGI (β=.373, p=.001). Similarly, the behaviour-affective dimension was significantly associated with longitudinal
outcome on the HoNOS-LD (β=.292, p=.033), GAF (β=.244, p=.036) and CGI(β=.298, p=.009). The organic dimension was only associated with longitudinal outcome on the HoNOS-LD (β=-.382, p=.006). Individuals with mild intellectual
disabilities had poorer outcomes on all four measures of longitudinal outcome.Hearing impairment was associated with poorer outcome on the GAF (β=-.483, p=.000) and CGI (β=-.331, p=.004), and poorly controlled seizures with poorer
outcome on the CGI (β=-1.638, p=.004).The variable representing the categorical model of psychopathology was only independently associated with severity on the HoNOS-LD (β=.178, p=.026), and longitudinal outcome on the GAF (β=.259, p=.045) and CGI (β=.257, p=.044).
However, when categorical and dimensional models were both included in the regression analyses only the dimensional model of psychopathology was retained as independently associated with these measures of severity and outcome.

Conclusions:
The description of a stable dimensional model demonstrates the value of using multivariate statistical methods to examine psychopathology experienced by adults
with intellectual disabilities. Since the findings suggest that dimensional models have better validity than categorical models of psychopathology, the use of EFA, and other multivariate methods, could contribute to the development of valid diagnostic classification systems.

The presence of affective items of psychopathology across the depressive, behaviour-affective and anxiety dimensions highlights the possible relevance of a global affective model of psychopathology. Findings reported in this thesis support the potential relevance of models of affect regulation and affective arousal to developing
an understanding of psychopathology experienced by persons with intellectual disabilities.

There are similarities between the dimensional model in this thesis and the tripartite model of depression and anxiety psychopathology, described in the literature- which
has depressive, anxiety and general distress dimensions. Overlaps between the behaviour-affective dimension, and general distress dimension within the tripartite model, suggest that there may be an association between affective psychopathology and problem behaviours. However, it could be that this association is with affective psychopathology in the general distress dimension, rather than with depressive psychopathology, as examined in previous studies.

Confirmatory factor analyses should be considered to examine the four dimension model of psychopathology. Future studies involving individuals with intellectual disabilities should examine the relevance of global affective models of psychopathology.


Comprehensive and up to date, Embolization Therapy: Principles and Clinical Applications covers all the current devices, basic and advanced techniques, and tips and tricks that you need to know to make the most of these frequently performed procedures in your practice. From a review of embolic agents, to step-by-step clinical applications, to discussions of the future of embolotherapy, you'll find complete coverage of today's embolization procedures in one convenient volume. Key features: covers all basic techniques as well as specialized procedures such as interventional oncology, management of vascular malformations, endovascular management of trauma, uterine fibroid embolization, and more; offers the knowledge and experience of dozens of recognized experts in vascular and interventional radiology, neuro-interventional radiology, and vascular surgery worldwide; and, provides updated standards of care from global authorities in the field, as well as personal tips and tricks in quick-reference tables throughout. It also includes: a chapter on practice development and the future of embolization therapy, helping you add value to a portfolio of procedures with specialized or unusual techniques; and, clear, concise guidance on intracranial and spine embolization, head and neck embolization, peripheral embolization, gastrointestinal arterial and venous embolization, hepatic embolization, intravascular delivery of therapeutic agents, pediatric embolization, and much more. Now with the print edition, enjoy the bundled interactive eBook edition, offering tablet, smartphone, or online access to: complete content with enhanced navigation; powerful search tools and smart navigation cross-links that pull results from content in the book, your notes, and even the web; cross-linked pages, references, and more for easy navigation; highlighting tool for easier reference of key content throughout the text; ability to take and share notes with friends and colleagues; and, quick reference tabbing to save your favorite content for future use.


Fishing for Fairness develops an explicitly cultural perspective on environmental politics in the Philippines by analysing the responses of fishers to marine resource regulations. In the resource frontier of the Calamianes Islands, fishing, conservation and tourism provide the context where competing visions of how to engage with marine resources are played out. The book draws on data from ethnographic fieldwork with fishers, government and NGO officials, fish traders and tourism operators to show how the strategic responses of fishers to management initiatives are couched within particular cultural idioms. Tapping into broader notions of morality in the Philippines, fishers express a discourse that emphasises their poverty and the obligations of the wealthy to treat them with fairness. By deploying this discourse, fishers are able to reframe what are—on the surface—questions of environmental management into issues about poverty within particular social relationships. By using a cultural political ecology framework to analyse fishers' responses to regulation, the book emphasises the distinctive ways in which marginalised people in the Philippines resist and reframe resource management initiatives. Fishing for Fairness will appeal to both academics and policy makers interested in marine resource management, political ecology, anthropology and development studies particularly throughout the Asia-Pacific.


The objectives and purposes of most professional, technical and institutional organizations made up of people interested in weather modification as a tool in North American water resources management are discussed in this paper. The organizations mentioned include: the World Meteorological Organization, Mexico Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, North American Interstate Weather Modification Council, Weather Modification Association, American Meteorological Society, and the American Society of Civil Engineers. Most of these organizations are involved in distribution of technical information to other types of groups throughout the world. The North American Interstate Weather Modification Council and the World Meteorological Organization are potential user group organizations that have been designed to solve institutional problems which occur across interstate, interbasin, and/or international boundaries.


This paper empirically analyzes the relationship between familiar duties and job satisfaction in a developing country by using four different indexes. This analysis includes objective measures and subjective measures from data gathered in Colombia. In contrast to previous literature, objective measures are included through the interactive effects between the family responsibilities variables and the gender. Subjective measures are evaluated using the job-family compatibility perception. Our findings show that women tend to be less satisfied at work as the number of children increases, while men are more prone to satisfaction at work when they are single thus showing the importance given to the use of their own time. It also reveals that jobfamily compatibility is an important determinant of job satisfaction.


Objectives We aimed to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiac diagnostic testing and practice and to assess its impact in different regions in Europe. Methods The online survey organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency Division of Human Health collected information on changes in cardiac imaging procedural volumes between March 2019 and March/April 2020. Data were collected from 909 centres in 108 countries. Results Centres in Northern and Southern Europe were more likely to cancel all outpatient activities compared with Western and Eastern Europe. There was a greater reduction in total procedure volumes in Europe compared with the rest of the world in March 2020 (45% vs 41%, p=0.003), with a more marked reduction in Southern Europe (58%), but by April 2020 this was similar in Europe and the rest of the world (69% vs 63%, p=0.261). Regional variations were apparent between imaging modalities, but the largest reductions were in Southern Europe for nearly all modalities. In March 2020, location in Southern Europe was the only independent predictor of the reduction in procedure volume. However, in April 2020, lower gross domestic product and higher COVID-19 deaths were the only independent predictors. Conclusion The first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on care of patients with cardiac disease, with substantial regional variations in Europe. This has potential long-term implications for patients and plans are required to enable the diagnosis of non-COVID-19 conditions during the ongoing pandemic.


In many places, neo-Nazis hold regular marches through towns and municipalities: one example is an annual march held in the small city of Wunsiedel in Upper Franconia, Germany. Despite the numerous protests by citizens and complaints in front of the German Federal Constitutional Court, neo-Nazis use the town over and over again as "a place of pilgrimage". Until 2011, the grave of Hitler's deputy, Rudolf Hess, was located there. These commemorative marches became a firm fixture of the right-wing scene. Local people's reactions to these demonstrations are well known and expected by those organizing marches. In particular, the idea of a violent escalation is part of the strategy of the neo-Nazi demonstrations. Faced with this situation, it was a matter of considering how we could mobilize a counter-protest which is not aggressive, but active, provocative and makes a clear statement. It was important to develop an approach which targeted the idea of the demonstration and created a new and bigger narrative. In this context, irony, absurdity and humor are the resources that allow us to portray serious circumstances in a different way and build a bridge to activate creative counter-protest.


Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has substantial effects on forest ecosystems. The effects of N deposition on understorey plants have been simulated by spraying N on the forest floor. Such understorey addition of N (UAN) might simulate atmospheric N deposition in a biased manner, because it bypasses the canopy. We compared the effects of UAN and canopy addition of N (CAN) at 0, 25 and 50 kg N ha−1 year–1 on SLA, leaf construction costs (CC), concentrations of leaf carbon ([C]), nitrogen ([N]), phosphorus ([P]), minerals ([Mineral]), nitrate ([ NO3‐ ]), lignin ([Lignin]), lipids ([Lipid]), organic acids ([OA]), soluble phenolics ([SP]), total non‐structural carbohydrates ([TNC]) and total structural carbohydrates ([TSC]) in six dominant understorey species in a subtropical evergreen forest after 5 years of N treatments. We found that leaf CC, [C], [Lignin], [OA], [TNC] and [TSC] were significantly affected by N addition approach and rate, but leaf [P] and [Lipid] were affected by N addition approach and N addition rate respectively; leaf CC, [C], [P], [OA] and [TNC] were significantly lower under UAN than under CAN, but leaf [TSC] and [Lignin] were significantly higher and lower, respectively, under UAN than under CAN at 50 kg N ha−1 year–1; the decline of leaf [C] and [Lignin] contributed to the significantly lower leaf CC under UAN than under CAN. Synthesis. We show that canopy and understorey N addition exerted significantly different effects on leaf traits of understorey plants. The results indicate that understorey plants in subtropical forest respond differently to UAN from those to atmospheric deposition of N. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the unbiased ecological processes and functions of forest ecosystem responding to atmospheric N deposition via both CAN and UAN experiments over a longer term.


Context: Visual rehabilitation in aphakia has been a challenge with a wide variety of surgical options available for the ophthalmologist. We report the visual outcome with retropupillary fixated iris-claw lens secondary to intraoperative complications and secondary implantation in aphakia. Aims: This study aims to evaluate the postoperative visual acuity and complications of retropupillary fixated iris-claw intraocular lens (IOL) implantation in the management of aphakia. Settings and Design: This was a prospective interventional case series. Subjects and Methods: An interventional study on 50 eyes of 50 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria was conducted. Preoperative visual acuity, slit-lamp examination, and fundus examination were carried out. Anterior vitrectomy and retropupillary fixation of iris-claw lens were done. The primary outcome measure was postoperative best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and the secondary postoperative complications were recorded at various intervals following surgery for 6 months. Results: The final BCVA in 80% of the patients at 6 months ranged from 6/12 to 6/6. The common complications noted were pupillary distortion (34%), pigment clumping over the IOL (20%), iris chaffing at the enclaved site (28%), and secondary glaucoma (12%). Retinal detachment was noted in one patient secondary to trauma after the surgery. No patient had complications such as corneal decompensation, IOL dislocation, cystoid macular edema, and endophthalmitis. Conclusions: Our study suggests that retropupillary fixated iris-claw IOL is an effective, safe, and simple procedure with minimal surgical time for visual rehabilitation in aphakia with less incidence of visually threatening complications. Its posterior location decreases the incidence of corneal decompensation. It is an effective procedure for primary implantation with intraoperative posterior capsular rent and severe zonular dialysis.


Australian Planting Design identifies and explores all aspects of developing better planting designs on any scale, raising awareness of the essential elements and encouraging readers to look with fresh eyes, to create anew.

This new edition guides the reader through all the stages of designing a new garden and helps to visualise the garden through an understanding of space, light, earth form, structures and vegetation. It discusses the choosing of plants, their form and shape, balancing plant types, fire and vegetation, design and form. The final section of the book looks at the dynamic garden and the importance of designing for change.

Australian Planting Design focuses on how Australian plants may be used in gardens, whatever their size, function or site. It shows the way to use our plants to form a variety of satisfying, interesting and purposeful areas for both people and nature.

As the availability of a much wider range of Australian plants grows, so too does our understanding of their qualities and habits. Our changing ecological attitudes and broader understanding of local habitats have brought the Australian landscape into sharper focus and we have gained a new appreciation of its value for design expression. We are beginning to develop an urban landscape that belongs to the land, and garden designs that are more suitable to the environment of tomorrow.

At last we have Australian plants for Australian places.


Offline optimization of controller parameters for complex robotic system can be time consuming, even with high performance computers. This project demonstrates how Metamodeling techniques can be utilized to tune the controller parameters for a robotic system quickly. The system used in this study is the flexible robot manipulator which is a high order system and intrinsically complex flexible structures. The Radial Basis Function Neural Network metamodel used was able to give a good approximation to the optimum controller parameters in this case.


This report describes the work the Urban Institute performed to generate the Model of Income in the Near Term, Version 5 (MINT5). MINT is a tool developed for The Division of Policy Evaluation (DPE) of the Social Security Administration (SSA) to analyze the distributional consequences of Social Security reform proposals. MINT is a micro-level data file of individuals born between 1926 and 2018. It starts with a rich set of income and demographic characteristics from the 1990 to 1996 Survey of Income and Program Particpation (SIPP) data linked to SSA data on earnings and benefits. MINT then projects these characteristics until death or the year 2099.


Abstract This review article evaluates recent Chinese publications (5 books and 30 articles) on Mayidari Juu (Maitreya Monastery, Ch. Meidaizhao 美岱召), in Inner Mongolia, China) – a remarkable fortified Tibetan Buddhist monastery that has preserved sixteenth- to nineteenth-century mural paintings and architecture. Its study is not only important for the history of the Tümed Mongols, but also for the history of Mongol monasteries, art, architecture, religion, society, economy, and funerary practices. The recent books reviewed here, correspond to a new campaign of restoration of the monastery, and reflect the modern revalorisation of Inner Mongol tangible heritage. Besides introducing recently discovered archives, they provide excellent quality photographs of the murals and framework décor, as well as new hypotheses on the dating and function of buildings, and on the dating, iconography and authors of mural paintings. By synthesizing the main debates on history, architecture and painting of Mayidari Juu, the present review essay aims at helping global scholarship on this major part of the Mongol heritage move on to a new stage.


ABSTRACT The epiphytic bryophyte communities of the Altindere Valley (Maçka, Trabzon, Turkey) were studied. A total of 59 relevés, taken from living tree trunks in different vegetation periods of 2018 and 2020, were analysed according to the Braun-Blanquet methodology, and the relevés were also ordinated and classified using the Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DECORANA) and the Two-Way Indicator Species Analysis (TWINSPAN). As a result of the analyses, Alleniella besseri-Leucodontetum immersi as. nov., Plagiomnio undulati-Raduletum lindbergianae typicum and P.-R. leucodontetosum sciuroidis subas. nov. (Neckerion complanatae) were described and characterised as a new epiphytic. Mnietum cuspidati, Homalothecio sericei-Neckeretum besseri and Brachythecietum populei-isothecietosum alopecuroidis were also described as new to Turkey, whereas Brachythecietum populei typicum was recorded for the second time in Turkey.


Using isozymes markers, we test BORRALHO and POTTS'
(1996) hypothesis that poorer growth of open-pollinated (OP)
families of Eucalyptus globulus grown from seed collected from
less dense stands is a consequence of lower outcrossing rates. A
significant relationship between stand density class and outcrossing
rate was found, with outcrossing rates near one for
families from closed forests. In support of BORRALHO and POTTS'
(1996) hypothesis, lower parental breeding values were
generally associated with lower outcrossing rates. This is no
doubt due to a higher proportion of less vigorous selfs within
an OP family depressing mean growth relative to families
where inbred progeny were virtually absent. It is suggested
that the precision of predicting breeding values with OP
progenies may be improved by adjusting family performance
for individual outcrossing rate.


In 17th and 18th century China, Buddhists and Confucians alike flooded local Buddhist monasteries with donations As gentry numbers grew faster than the imperial bureaucracy, traditional Confucian careers were closed to many; but visible philanthropy could publicize elite status outside the state realm. Actively sought by fund-raising abbots, such patronage affected institutional Buddhism. After exploring the relation of Buddhism to Ming Neo-Confucianism, the growth of tourism to Buddhist sites, and the mechanisms and motives for charitable donations, Timothy Brook studies three widely separated and economically dissimilar counties. He draws on rich data in monastic gazetteers to examine the patterns and social consequences of patronage.


We report the discovery of an accreting binary, RAT J1953+1859, made during the RApid Temporal Survey (RATS) on the Isaac Newton Telescope. It showed high amplitude (0.3 mag) quasi-periodic oscillations on a time-scale of similar to 20 min. Further observations made using the Nordic Optical Telescope showed it to be similar to 4 mag brighter than in the discovery images. These photometric observations, together with radial velocity data taken using the William Herschel Telescope, point to an orbital period of similar to 90 min. These data suggest that RAT J1953+1859 is a dwarf novae of the SU UMa type. What makes RAT J1953+1859 unusual is that it is the first such system to be discovered as a result of high amplitude QPOs during quiescence. This suggests that high-cadence wide-field surveys could be another means to discover cataclysmic variables as a result of their short period variability.


Objectives . To determine the extent to which stigma, disclosure, coping and socio-economic factors would affect infant feeding choices made antenatally by pregnant HIV-positive women after the routine prevention of mother-to-child transmission counselling process. Patients and methods. The antenatal feeding choices and determinants of these choices of HIV-infected women were studied at four antenatal clinics in two Tshwane townships, between June 2003 and December 2005. Results . Seventy-four per cent of the 293 study participants intended to formula feed their babies, while 26% planned to breastfeed or mixed feed. The women who intended to breastfeed had lower active coping ability (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.88, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.82 - 0.94), were less likely to have disclosed their status to partners or husbands (AOR 0.54, 95% CI 0.30 - 0.99), were twice as likely to be married (AOR 2.06, 95% CI 1.03 - 4.12) and were twice as knowledgeable about HIV transmission through breastfeeding (AOR 2.11, 95% CI 1.14 - 3.90). Conclusion . Counselling on infant feeding choices among HIV-infected women should be sensitive to the numerous internal and external factors that influence the decision. The support that HIV-infected women need in making their infant feeding decisions will entail psychosocial, community-wide interventions, and frequent counselling sessions to assist them in coping with and disclosing their status.


A NEW SPECIES OF SULCIA
In 1962, Dresco described the first representative of the genus Sulcia from the Greek mainland, Sulcia lindbergi. Recently, Brignoli (1968a) considered this species a subspecies of Sulcia cretica Fage. The genus is also known from Dalmatia, Hercegovina, Montenegro, and some adjacent islands (Kratochvil, 1938) and from the Island of Crete (Fage, 1945).
In January 1969, my husband P. R. Deeleman, had the opportunity to visit the Koutouki Cave near the village of Ljopessi (officially also called Peania), situated at approximately 20 km west of Athens. This visit was made possible by the assistance of Mrs. A. Petrochilos and Mr. A. Kanellis, to whom we feel very much obliged. In this cave a new species of Sulcia was collected. The cave was discovered fairly recently; it has been exploited as a show cave with electric illumination since 1962. The spiders were found in the huge main chamber, where they were hanging in their webs in crevices in the wall or between stalagmites. The cave is also inhabitied by bats, terrestrial isopods, diplopods and Orthoptera (Dolichopoda petrochilosi Chopard). The original entrance is a vertical shaft of about 15 meters, it has been made accessible for tourism by an artificial entrance.
Sulcia kanellisi new species (figs. 1, 2, 4a, 6b, 7) Material. — 1 ♂ (holotype), 6 ♀, 2 subad. ♂, 3 subad. ♀, Koutouki Cave near Ljopessi, Greece, 11 January, 1969, leg. P. R. Deeleman; 1 ♂, 1 ♀, id., leg. L. A. van Dam.
Description. — Length of adult ♂ (type) 2.4 mm, length of largest ♀ (paratype) 2.9 mm; cephalothorax: in ♂ 0.90 mm long, 0.67 mm wide, in ♀ 1.31 mm long, 0.96 mm wide.
Cephalothorax. — Pale yellow, appendages slightly darker, abdomen whit-


Urticarial vasculitis is characterized by pruritic, burning or painful, erythematous or edematous, circumscribed wheals with induration. It is most commonly idiopathic and it can occur in association with autoimmune disease, drug reactions, infections, or malignancy. Three forms of urticarial vasculitis has been described. These are normocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis, hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis, and hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis syndrome. We present a 17-year-old boy with urticarial vasculitis who has atypical lesions and venous thrombosis that related with Factor V Leiden mutation. (Asthma Allergy Immunol 2014;12:117-121)


Background: Care of elderly changed in the 1990s in Sweden; treatment sessions were shortened in particular. Consequently, patients have a greater need for care when returning home from hospital. This task may seem overwhelming and caregivers can feel lonely, worn out and resigned in their situation. Aim: Explore how caregivers experience caring for an elderly next of kin in ordinary living. Method: Qualitative content analysis of semi-structured interviews with eleven Swedish caregivers. Findings: Caregivers experienced their situation as something to be endured. In particular, they felt a need for belonging, a need for controlling everyday life, and a need for support. Conclusion: Home care nurses, health centres and home support workers should be aware of and respect caregivers' needs in terms of support.


Control signaling strategies for scheduling information in cellular OFDM systems are studied. A single-cell multiuser system model is formulated that provides system capacity estimates accounting for the signaling overhead. Different scheduling granularities are considered, including the one used in the specifications for the 3G Long Term Evolution (LTE). A greedy scheduling method is assumed, where each resource is assigned to the user for which it can support the highest number of bits. The simulation results indicate that the cost of control signaling does not outweigh the scheduling gain, when compared with a simple round-robin scheme that does not need signaling of scheduling information. Furthermore, in the studied scenario, joint coding and signaling of scheduling information over all selected users is found to be superior to separate coding and signaling for each user. The results also indicate that the scheduling granularity used for LTE provides better performance than the full granularity.


Despite decades of work, scholars are still struggling to understand why women, many minorities, people with disabilities, and other groups are underrepresented in U.S. science and engineering. Last week, in what could be the signature program of her 6-year term, National Science Foundation (NSF) Director France Cordova launched a 5-year, $75 million initiative aimed at creating a more diverse technical community. But scholars attending an NSF-sponsored workshop on the science of broadening participation held 2 days after the announcement say the agency may be putting the cart before the horse in funding potential solutions without knowing the underlying factors. It's also not clear how the new INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science) initiative will differ from NSF's existing $750-million-a-year portfolio of dozens of programs that pursue similar goals, and how it might affect them.


Certain inherent characteristics of individuals can determine both physiological and behavioural responses to environmental challenges, which could drive a correlation between levels of corticosterone (CORT), the most important stress hormone and behavioural profiles. Therefore, CORT level may mediate consistent behaviours along the shy/bold continuum, and thus, it could serve as a pleiotropic basis for behavioural syndromes. Moreover, behavioural responses to environmental challenges may have consequences for CORT concentrations, which would also result in a correlation between physiology and behaviours even without requiring pleiotropic mechanisms. Accordingly, we investigated the relationship between CORT and behaviour in free-living male collared flycatchers, Ficedula albicollis, using recently developed field assays. More specifically, we characterised novel object avoidance, intraspecific aggression and risk-taking in males and related these correlated behaviours to the concentration of CORT metabolites in droppings measured by enzyme immunoassay. Individuals with higher levels of excreted CORT metabolites had no consistently higher or lower behavioural scores along the shy/ bold spectrum, as avoidance of novelty, aggression and risk-taking were not systematically related to CORT metabolite concentrations in the same direction. Moreover, environmental challenges owing to the presence of a novel object, territorial intruder and a potential predator caused no elevation in the level of CORT metabolites. Therefore, we did not find correlative evidence for CORT driving correlated behaviours through pleiotropic effects or for particular behaviours during courtship causing elevation in CORT levels.


After some decades since the establishment of the first settlements the question on its continuity as a public policy arises. Thereby, the research sought to investigate how the generational encounters and disagreements in the settlements of agrarian reform took place. Elements that enabled to understand the historic process experienced by these subjects were sought considering their trajectories and experiences. For this purpose the privileged methodological instrument used was oral history through interviews, material that is enriched with secondary data and bibliography. The field research occurred at "Reunidas gathered" in the municipality of Promissão, SP, and enabled to realize that the subjects' motivation to permanence primarily involved the identification with the locality as a place of "sossego" and tranquility. However, this identity cannot be thought as something fixed, but in transit and constantly reformulated in relation to the place that is, was and tries to be, i.e., a fanciful, plural, contradictory and temporary identity. In consequence of this reformulation, strategies of permanence indicate new forms of work and income that does not necessarily involve agriculture. And finally, this historic moment of transition and generational coexistence revealed significant changes and ressignifications with regard to projects of life and a vision of land and labor when compared to second generation was the first.


ABSTRACT Treatment of cerebrovascular disease has advanced rapidly in the last two decades. Recent data has added challenges to the treatment of ischemic stroke in the acute phase. Objective: To evaluate the knowledge of physicians about the treatment of ischemic stroke in the acute phase. Methods: An online questionnaire was submitted to all physicians enrolled in the Regional Council of Medicine in Brazil. Results: 456 physicians from different specialties answered the questions. Most of them did not know that mechanical endovascular thrombectomy is often considered as the gold standard treatment in cases of ischemic stroke in the acute phase; and 85% of them did not realize that thrombectomy together with intravenous thrombolysis was possible. The maximum time to act in an acute event also presented many divergences, even with regard to the infusion of rtPA. The lack of structure, medication and absence of a neurologist were considered the main barriers to treatment. Conclusion: Physicians are not well informed about the new guidelines for the treatment of acute stroke. Most physicians incorrectly answered most of the questions on the questionnaire.