Spotted medics (Medicago arabica) have become naturalised in Australia, but the spiny nature of their pods has prevented commercial release of any cultivar. Fifty-eight accessions representing Medicago arabica in the Australian Medicago Genetic Resources Collection were grown as spaced plants at Turretfield, South Australia, and the variation for important agronomic traits was studied. There was large variation for traits including days to flowering, dry matter production, pod and seed yield, and pod spininess. Principal component and cluster analyses conducted for 13 traits revealed 5 clusters. One of the clusters identified comprised accessions originating from Greece and Cyprus, which were found to have high agronomic potential. The study has helped in identifying the relationship among traits, namely pod spininess, days to flowering, dry matter yield, and pod and seed yield, which would be useful to breeders for future breeding and selection programs. A sward trial at Moree, New South Wales, comprising a selected cohort of spotted medic accessions, enabled the identification of 2 early flowering and high dry matter yielding accessions; however, both exhibited spiny pods. These 2 accessions were crossed with a smooth-podded accession, and the F1 plants were confirmed using a microsatellite marker. Days to flowering showed a continuous pattern of variation in the F2, suggesting that the trait is quantitatively inherited, whereas segregation ratio revealed that a single recessive gene controlled the smooth pod trait. Early flowering, smooth-podded F2 plants were selected for cultivar development.


In a nuclear reactor Loss of Coolant accident (LOCA) considers wide range of postulated damage or rupture of pipe in the heat transport piping system. In the case of LOCA with/without failure of emergency core cooling system in a Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR), the Pressure Tube (PT) temperature could rise significantly due to fuel heat up and gross mismatch of the heat generation and heat removal in the affected channel. The extent and nature of deformation is important from reactor safety point of view. Experimental set-ups have been designed and fabricated to simulate sagging (downward deformation) and ballooning (radial deformation) of PT for 220 MWe Indian PHWRs. Experiments are conducted both for sagging and ballooning of voided PTs. It is observed that sagging initiates at a temperature around 450�C. The complete contact between PT and Calandria Tube (CT) occurs at around 585C. At 60 bar internal pressure and initial heat up rate of 2.37C/sec, ballooning of PT initiates at a temperature around 520�C. The PT-CT contact is found to take place at 640C temperature and strain rates is found to be 0.125% per second. The structural integrity of PT is retained (no breach) for all the experiments. The PT heatup is found to be arrested after the contact between PT and CT, thus establishing moderator acting as an efficient heat sink for IPHWRs. Keywords—Pressure Tube, Calandria Tube, Thermo-mechanical deformation, Boiling heat transfer, Reactor safety


A series of substituted pyrazoline (9a-j) analogues were synthesized via 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of substituted 2-benzylidene-1-phenylhydrazine (8a-d) with 5-(3-phenylacryloyl)2-hydroxybenzoic acid (5a-f) and the synthesized compounds were characterized by Infrared (IR), Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (1H-NMR), Carbon-13 Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (13C-NMR) and mass spectral techniques. The antimicrobial activity of all the synthesized compounds were screened for both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria along with a fungal strain and the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) was calculated. The toxicity of the compounds on human cells were determined by haemolytic activity. The mechanism of action of antimicrobial activity of the synthesized compounds was evaluated by membrane permeabilization assay and confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. Among the synthesized compounds, compounds 9b, 9f and 9g showed strong plasma membrane-permeabilizing activity, further the membrane disruption was confirmed by large dents as observed in E. coli cells under scanning electron microscopy.


Biodistribution studies showed that injection into the lymph node delivered antigen more efficiently to subcutaneous lymph nodes than subcutaneous injection. Conclusions: As intralymphatic immunisation induced more than 10-fold higher IgG2a responses with 100-fold lower allergen doses than subcutaneous immunisation, this approach should al-low to reduce both the number of allergen injections as well as the allergen dose, improving both efficacy and safety of SIT. Abstract Background: IgE-mediated allergy can be treated by subcutaneous allergen-specific immunotherapy (SIT). However, the percentage of allergic patients undergoing SIT is low, mainly due to the long duration of the therapy and the risk of severe systemic allergic reactions associated with the allergen administration. To improve the safety and attractive-ness of SIT for patients, alternative routes of allergen administration are being explored, such as sub-lingual or oral administration. Methods: The present study evaluated direct intralymphatic allergen administration as a means to enhance SIT with bee venom and cat fur allergens in mice. Allergen-specific antibody and T-cell responses were analysed by ELISA and flow cytometry. The therapeutic potential of intralymphatic immunisation in sensitised mice was analysed using an anaphylaxis model. Results: Direct injection of the major bee venom allergen phospholipase A 2 or the major cat fur allergen Fel d 1 into inguinal lymph nodes enhanced allergen-specific IgG and T-cell responses when compared with subcutaneous injections. Moreover, only intralymphatic immunisation stimulated the production of the Th1-dependent subclass IgG2a, which is associated with improved protection against allergen-induced anaphylaxis.


Angiotensin II type 1 (AT 1 ) receptor blockers, such as candesartan, are attractive alternatives to ACE inhibitors in the treatment of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Although angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are able to suppress the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), their mechanism of action may limit their clinical utility in the treatment of hypertension. For example, they act as competitive inhibitors of ACE. This means that their effects can be overcome by high levels of angiotensin I, which occur after ACE inhibition due to removal of the negative feedback effect of angiotensin II on renal renin release. ACE inhibitors are also unable to block the production of angiotensin II by non-ACE-mediated pathways. Furthermore, ACE is not a specific enzyme. Its inhibition therefore has effects on other substances, such as bradykinin, leading to the class-specific side effects associated with ACE inhibitors. Candesartan, on the other hand, binds insurmountably to the AT 1 -receptor, thereby providing more complete blockade of the negative cardiovascular effects of angiotensin II than is possible with ACE inhibitors. The specificity of AT 1 -receptor blockade also ensures that efficacy is achieved without inducing the side effect of cough that results from the non-specific consequences of ACE inhibition. Preclinical and early clinical studies demonstrate that AT 1 -receptor blockers produce at least the same degree of target-organ protection as has been demonstrated for ACE inhibitors. Additional benefits of AT 1 -receptor blockers may arise from the fact that, unlike ACE inhibitors, they do not prevent the activity of angiotensin II on AT 2 -receptors in the heart, which is thought to reduce cardiac remodelling. From a mechanistic perspective, therefore, AT 1 -receptor blockers appear to have advantages over ACE inhibitors, in terms of a more complete blockade of angiotensin II effects, while also avoiding the specific side effects associated with ACE inhibition.


This is Felicity Lawrence's Sunday Times bestseller Not on the Label, updated with extraordinary new material on the horsemeat scandal. In 2004 Felicity Lawrence published her ground-breaking book, Not on the Label, where, in a series of undercover investigations she provided a shocking account of what really goes into the food we eat. She discovered why beef waste ends up in chicken, why a single lettuce might be sprayed six times with chemicals before it ends up in our salad, why bread is full of water. And she showed how obesity, the appalling conditions of migrant workers, ravaged fields in Europe and the supermarket on our high street are all intimately connected. Her discoveries would change the way we thought about the UK food industry for ever. And, when the horsemeat scandal hit the headlines in 2013, her book seemed extraordinarily prescient once again. Now, in this new edition of her seminal work, Felicity Lawrence delves deeply into that scandal and uncovers how the great British public ended up eating horses. "A brave examination of the calamities caused by a policy laughingly called one of 'cheap food'." (Jeremy Paxman, Observer 'Book of the Year'). "Challenges each and every one of us to think again about what we buy and eat. It's almost like uncovering a secret state within the state". (Andrew Marr, BBC Radio 4's Start The Week). "A thorough, complex and shocking insight into the food we eat in the twenty-first century ...Perhaps this should be sold as the most effective diet book ever written". (Daily Mail). Felicity Lawrence is an award-winning journalist and editor who has been writing on food-related issues for over twenty years. She lives in London.


Several different materials have been used for production of domestic water pipes throughout history. In recent years, the use of cross-linked polyethylene (PEX) pipe has increased dramatically. Yet, the potential for leaching of phthalates, which are endocrine disrupting compounds associated with adverse reproductive effects in humans, has not been examined. In this study, the potential of chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (cPVC) and red, blue, and heat PEX piping to leach phthalates into static hot and cold water after 2, 8, and 48 hours was evaluated. Concentrations of six phthalates, dimethyl phthalate (DMP), diethyl phthalate (DEP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl-butyl phthalate (BBP), di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, and di(n-octyl) phthalate, were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Pipe type (F3,71 = 15.6, P = 0.001) contributed significantly to phthalate concentrations in water, while temperature (F4,71 = 1.74, P = 0.106) and time (F4,71 = 1.02, P = 0.427) were not significant factors. Significantly higher concentrations of DEP, DBP, and BBP were observed in cPVC pipe (<method detection limits (MDL) to 466 ng L−1, 252–4,219 ng L−1, 473–18,400 ng L−1, respectively) compared to blue PEX (T2 = 12.2, P < 0.001; <MDL, <MDL − 140 ng L−1, <MDL − 459 ng L−1, respectively), red PEX (T2 = 19.3, P < 0.001; <MDL, <MDL − 188 ng L−1, <MDL − 881 ng L−1, respectively), and heat PEX (T2 = 19.9, P < 0.001; <MDL, <MDL − 162 ng L−1, <MDL − 169 ng L−1, respectively). Phthalate exposure from drinking water via cPVC or PEX is low when compared to other dietary sources. Nonetheless, a shift from cPVC to PEX pipes in households would decrease potential exposure to phthalates.


A method for determining the 1,10-phenanthrohne content of technical 1,10-phenanthrohne is described. The sample is dissolved directly in alcohol. The difference in absorbance of this solution at 323 5 mμ and 820 mμ is an approximate measure of the amount of 1,10-phenanthroline present. By differential comparison of a sample solution of technical 1,10-phenanthrohne with a reference solution containing a known amount of pure 1,10-phenanthrohne, a more exact determination can be made. Results obtained with the method were in close agreement with those obtained by a colorimetric method based on the formation of a red to orange complex by the reaction of 1,10-phenanthrohne with ferrous ions. The standard deviation of the method based on five duplicate determinations is less than 0.2%.


Introduction: The concept of oncolytic adenoviruses has been validated in preclinical studies but clinical trials have demonstrated that the virus spread remains limited and the virus fails to infect all cancer cells in a tumour. Arming an oncolytic virus with a therapeutic trans gene would enhance the antitumour effect of these viruses by killing adjacent non-infected cells. The aim of this thesis is to test armed oncolytic adenoviruses targeting a constitutive activation of the Wnt signalling pathway in pre-clinical models of colorectal cancer. Methods: The Nail symporter was inserted into the genome of Wnt-selective oncolytic adenoviruses to visualise adenoviral spread in the tumour and assess image-guided radiotherapy. Results: In vitro testing of the virus has demonstrated that the Wnt-selectivity of the virus remains intact. The virus we generated has an equal or greater cytopathic effect than wild type adenovirus in Wnt-expressing cancer cell lines. The ability of the infected cells to take up iodine has been confrrmed by iodine uptake assays. The virus has been injected into subcutaneous human tumour implants in nude mice. Images obtained with a SPECT/CT camera have demonstrated that viral propagation can be visualised in vivo. Finally, we have used the imaging data to determine the correct timing for the administration of therapeutic doses of 131 I. Conclusion: We have validated a non invasive method to image viral propagation and transgene expression in a preclinical model of colonic cancer. Sequential imaging can provide information on the ideal time point for therapeutic intervention. In pilot experiments, the aim was to exploit the potential of the Nail symporter for the concentration of radioactive iodine, but it did not lead to increased therapeutic efficacy in vivo in preclinical models. There is strong evidence that if these experiments were repeated, therapeutic efficacy could he demonstrated.


Arecoline is a naturally occurring psychoactive alkaloid from areca (betel) nuts of the areca palm ( Areca catechu) endemic to South and Southeast Asia. A partial agonist of nicotinic and muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, arecoline evokes multiple effects on the central nervous system (CNS), including stimulation, alertness, elation, and anxiolysis. Like nicotine, arecoline also evokes addiction and withdrawal symptoms (upon discontinuation). The abuse of areca nuts is widespread, with over 600 million users globally. The importance of arecoline is further supported by its being the world's fourth most commonly used human psychoactive substance (after alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine). Here, we discuss neuropharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and metabolism of arecoline, as well as social and historical aspects of its use and abuse. Paralleling clinical findings, we also evaluate its effects in animal models and outline future clinical and preclinical CNS research in this field.


The forming of a contemporary understanding of church office: Jesus' calling to discipleship This article aimed to examine the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika's (NHKA) understanding of church office, and measure it against 'office' or ministries in the New Testament, and more specifically against Jesus' calling to discipleship in Mark 8:34. The relevance of the historical Jesus for contemporary church theology is indicated by the 'essential' (Sache) continuity that exists between the historical Jesus and the church today. The article concludes that Jesus' calling to discipleship in Mark 8:34 implies a certain understanding of office. The essence of this calling is servitude based on self-denial, the taking up of one's cross, and the following of Jesus. Subsequently, a few remarks are made on the NHKA's understanding of church office, as described in the NHKA church ordinance. The aim is for these remarks to serve as a guideline for the NHKA to form a contemporary understanding of church office. The concluding remarks have been derived from the results of the study on Jesus' calling to discipleship, with the aim of ensuring that the NHKA serves and works in correspondence with the Word of God. This service occurs in a world very different from the one in which Jesus lived and served.


To date there has been little agreement on standardised methods for conducting health website quality assessments. One useful approach would be to identify the information consumers are more likely to use in personal health assessments or self care, relative to traditional provider-based information. Ranking of such information might serve to better identify associated benefits or dangers for healthcare consumers. In areas of clinical uncertainty, for example, greater risk (or potential reward) might be attributed to websites where consumers might be more likely to avoid their provider's opinion about such information. For illustration purposes, in this exploratory study we examine web-based content within a longstanding area of uncertainty for consumers, the diagnosis and treatment of rheumatism. More refined analysis of web-based resources in such a specified, hierarchical domain can provide important clues related to the strategies of healthcare consumers.


Title of Document GENOMIC ANALYSIS OF BACTERIOPHAGES FROM NON-O157 SHIGA TOXIN-PRODUCING ESCHERICHIA COLI Shuai Tang, Master of Science, 2015 Directed By: Professor, Jianghong Meng, NFSC Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is the fiercest pathotype among all diarrheic E. coli. STEC O157:H7 has been a predominant serotype for STEC in the United States. However, an increasing number of cases of infections by STEC other than O157 have been reported in recent years. Shiga toxin (Stx) is the most important virulence factor of STEC and is encoded by stx, which is introduced into STEC genome by bacteriophages through gene transduction. A detailed understanding about Stx bacteriophages is necessary to reveal the emergence and pathogenicity of STEC. The very unstable genomes of Stx bacteriophages result in a dynamic phenotypic versatility including virulence, host cell repertoire and tolerance to adversities. Sequencing technology enables us to generate genomic sequence data of bacteriophages at an affordable cost. The project aimed at obtaining genomic DNA sequences of Stx bacteriophages of non-O157 STEC isolates of diverse serotypes. Thirteen bacteriophages were successfully induced from 83 STEC isolates of serotypes O74, O111, O121, O130, O163, O179 and O183. The bacteriophage DNA samples were collected and sequenced using MiSeq Desktop Sequencer (Illumina®, Inc). Automatically assembled sequences were manually compared to E. coli genome sequence available from NCBI (NC_000913.3) to verify the reliability of the sequencing results. Nine verified bacteriophage sequences were aligned to two Stx bacteriophage genomes of NCBI (NC_000924.1 and NC_018846.1) and visible alignment results were obtained. A phylogenetic relationship of the nine phages and the two reference sequences was constructed and gene profiles of each sample sequences were identified. The comparative analysis indicated that recombination events occurred in probacteriophages showed traces. Similarity of bacteriophage genomes correlated to the serotypes of host bacteria based on the comparison of phylogenetic tree and STEC serotypes. Gene identification results showed that nucleotide variance does not show region specificity, silent mutations are frequent in housekeeping genes and virulence genes are conservative among phage samples. GENOMIC ANALYSIS OF BACTERIOPHAGES FROM NON-O157 SHIGA TOXIN-PRODUCING


Hydrogels, i.e. hydrophilic polymer networks that are capable of absorbing considerable quantities of water, are applied in a wide variety of biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, including soft contact lenses, drug delivery depots and tissue engineering scaffolds. Their high water content gives hydrogels a rubbery appearance, which minimizes irritation of surrounding tissue, and creates a natural environment for many encapsulated drugs (e.g. protein pharmaceuticals). In aqueous environment, hydrogels are held together by crosslinks, which are based on either covalent bonds or physical interactions between the hydrophilic polymers. The introduction of covalent bonds between the hydrophilic polymer chains requires chemical crosslinking reactions that might potentially affect the structure and biological activity of encapsulated pharmaceuticals. Furthermore, these chemical reactions often require crosslinking reagents or catalysts that are toxic towards cells. Because of these drawbacks, the use of physical crosslinks for the design of hydrogel systems is preferred. In such hydrogels the network is held together by non-permanent, reversible interactions between the polymer chains, such as ionic interactions, hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonds and specific biomimetic interactions. In the thesis of Frank van de Manakker, the synthesis and characterization of novel self-assembled hydrogels is described in which physical crosslinking is established by host-guest inclusion complexes between the cyclic oligosaccharide beta-cyclodextrin (betaCD) and the complementary guest molecule cholesterol. Hydrogel building blocks were prepared by end-modification of 8-arm star shaped poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG8) with either betaCD or cholesterol moieties via a hydrolytically cleavable succinyl linker. Mixing the resulting cholesterol- and betaCD-derivatized PEG8-molecules in aqueous solution led to hydrogel formation. Important gel properties, i.e. mechanical properties, gel degradation and protein release kinetics, could be tailored by a broad range of parameters, including the polymer concentration, B-?CD/cholesterol stoichiometry, PEG's molecular weights and/or architecture, or by adding molecules that form competing inclusion complexes, e.g. adamantanecarboxylic acid and monoamino-derivatized betaCD. The physical nature of the gels did not only offer extra tools to manipulate gel properties, but also rendered the gels responsive towards external stimuli, such as temperature and mechanical stresses, which offered the opportunity to use the hydrogels as injectable, in situ gelling devices. When aqueous media (e.g. buffer and serum) were added on top of the self-assembled gels, hydrogel degradation was primarily mediated by surface erosion of dissociated PEG8 derivatives. This degradation mechanism, which is hardly observed for other hydrogel systems, also controlled protein release from the gels, which occurred at a constant rate and was nearly independent on protein size. Although at this stage, the in vivo stability of the hydrogels requires further improvement, the combination of tunable properties, high gel strengths (compared to other physically crosslinked hydrogels), the unique protein release mechanism, and easy preparation from biocompatible and well-available building blocks make these self-assembled, PEG8-based hydrogels attractive candidates for many pharmaceutical and biomedical applications, such as injectable devices for the delivery of protein pharmaceuticals.


Research has highlighted that older people, that is, those aged 60 and over, are over‐represented in fatal fire statistics across the globe. The aim of this study was to investigate the circumstances surrounding fatal fires involving older people and examine the role of individuals and agencies that are in contact with the most vulnerable and how they can be involved in reducing fire risk. The study was conducted in two phases. Firstly, a retrospective analysis was conducted of the circumstances surrounding 99 accidental fatal dwelling fires involving 100 older people during a 20‐year period. Results suggested that most fires ignited in the living room or the bedroom and these were also the most common locations of the fatalities. The most common causes of the fire were smoking materials, hot coals, cooking and electrical faults and the majority of older fire fatalities had a smoke alarm which operated. Importantly, there was evidence of regular contact between the fatality and at least one other individual from the community prior to the fire. For this reason, the second phase of the research involved focus groups with friends, relatives, neighbours and carers of older people with a view to understanding their attitudes and experiences with regard to fire safety. Overall, the focus groups provided evidence that those in contact with older people regularly observe fire risks in the homes of older people. In addition, gaps were evident in the fire safety knowledge, not only of older people, but also for those assisting older people. In light of the findings, this article also considers the core messages that should be included in any potential future fire safety intervention strategies aimed at the older adult.


A common hypothesis about practices to reduce survey nonresponse is that those persons brought into the respondent pool through persuasive efforts may provide data filled with measurement error. Two questions flow from this hypothesis. First, does the mean square error of a statistic increase when sample persons who are less likely to be contacted or cooperate are incorporated into the respondent pool? Second, do nonresponse bias estimates made on the respondents, using survey reports instead of records, provide accurate information about nonresponse bias? Using a unique data set, the Wisconsin Divorce Study, with divorce records as the frame and questions about the frame information included in the questionnaire, this article takes a first look into these two issues. We find that the relationship between nonresponse bias, measurement error bias, and response propensity is statistic- specific and specific to the type of nonresponse. Total bias tends to be lower on estimates calculated using all respondents, compared with those with only the highest contact and cooperation propensities, and nonresponse bias analyses based on respondents yield conclusions simi- lar to those based on records. Finally, we find that error properties of statistics may differ from error properties of the individual variables used to calculate the statistics.


Magnetic Modeling of the Solar Corona by Anne W. Sandman The magnetic field is the dominant force in the Sun's outer atmosphere, the corona. It determines the large-scale structure of the corona, governs the small-scale activity that heats the plasma, and powers energetic transient phenomena. The study of the coronal magnetic field is an important component of efforts to understand the corona as a whole, but the high plasma temperature and relative weakness of the field in the corona preclude direct measurement of the field in this region. Theoretical modeling, therefore, provides critical support to our investigation of the coronal magnetic field. This thesis contains an exploration of magnetic modeling in the context of the physics of the solar atmosphere. Using the novel stereoscopic capability of the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, we compare the 3D coronal field structure with various models to study the distribution of the magnetic field and large-scale currents in several active regions. In addition to using existing models, we developed an original modeling approach: using several magnetic dipoles under the solar surface, configured based on comparison with the observed field structure, we overcome certain weaknesses inherent in existing models. The misalignment angles between the vectors of the reconstructed and model fields measure the departure of the model field from the observed field structure, indicating the non-potentiality of the coronal field. The dipole modeling method achieves a significant reduction in misalignment compared with previously established models, implying a closer agreement between our model field and observed field structures. We use the misalignment measurements to examine the free energy contained in active region magnetic fields and find that following major flares, the field relaxes substantially from a high-shear configuration to a low-shear configuration, indicating a significant loss of free energy in the field. The results in this thesis yield insight into the physics of the solar atmosphere and provide a means to better understand the complex region between the photosphere and corona. Improved understanding of this region will elucidate how the field connects the two regions, and the way in which energy is transported from the convective solar interior into the corona and heliosphere.


Purpose: To find molecular markers from expression profiling data to predict recurrence of laryngeal cancer after radiotherapy. Experimental Design: We generated gene expression data on pre-treatment biopsies from 52 larynx cancer patients. Patients developing a local recurrence were matched for T-stage, subsite, treatment, gender and age with non-recurrence patients. Candidate genes were then tested by immunohistochemistry on tumor material from a second series of 76 patients. Both series comprised early stage cancer treated with radiotherapy alone. Finally, gene expression data of eight larynx cancer cell lines with known radiosensitivity were analyzed. Results: Nineteen patients with a local recurrence were matched with 33 controls. Gene sets for hypoxia, proliferation and intrinsic radiosensitivity did not correlate with recurrence, whereas expression of the putative stem cell marker CD44 did. In a supervised analysis, probes for all three splice variants of CD44 on the array appeared in the top 10 most significantly correlated with local recurrence. Immunohistochemical analysis of CD44 expression on the independent validation series confirmed CD44's predictive potential. In 8 larynx cancer cell lines, CD44 gene expression did not correlate with intrinsic radiosensitivity although it did correlate significantly with plating efficiency, consistent with a relationship with stem cell content. Conclusions: CD44 was the only biological factor tested which significantly correlated with response to radiotherapy in early stage larynx cancer patients, both at the mRNA and protein levels. Further studies are needed to confirm this and to assess how general these findings are for other head and neck tumor stages and sites. Clin Cancer Res; 16(21); 5329–38. ©2010 AACR.


The Wang Yai prospects are located along the Loei Foldbelt, central Thailand. They
are a newly discovered resource and up until now have not been the subject of any
scientific research. Eleven vein systems at Wang Yai were investigated in terms of
vein textures, mineralogy, fluid inclusions and stable isotopes. The vein systems
occur as either well-preserved outcrop or sparse sporadic float. The vein systems can
be divided into two types. They include: (1.) mineralised veins which are
characterised by quartz - chalcedony - calcite ± adularia and (2.) poorly mineralised
veins characterised by chalcedony and opaline quartz. The vein systems are hosted in
volcanic and volcanosedimentary units intruded by andesite and diorite. LA-ICP-MS
U-Pb zircon geochronological studies have revealed the age of host rocks as Late
Permian to Early Triassic.
Volcanology studies of the host rocks indicate that the depositional environment was
a submarine below wave base setting. Zr/Y vs Zr plot of least altered volcanic rocks
have identified the andesitic sandstone and andesitic lithic breccia as having island arc
affinities. The younger andesite and diorite intrusives were found to have continental
arc affinities. These findings are consistent with interpretations of the volcanic setting
at the nearby low-sulphidation Chatree deposit.
Vein texture, mineralogy, alteration and paragenesis studies have identified zonation
between gold-bearing vein systems and barren vein systems. Gold-bearing systems
yield crystalline quartz, lattice-bladed quartz, pseudo-acicular quartz and
pseudomorphs after adularia. Ore mineralogy in these systems is hosted in ginguro
bands which comprise of electrum ± argentite ± pyrite assemblages. Barren vein
systems yield chalcedony and opaline quartz assemblages with associated
recrystallisation textures. Based on quartz textural analysis and ore mineralogy
assemblages the gold-bearing veins are interpreted to have formed at levels deeper in
the system than the barren vein systems.
Fluid inclusion studies of quartz indicate salinities are between 1 to 5 wt % NaCl
equiv. Fluid inclusion homogenisation data yields three different ranges. Crystalline
gold-bearing quartz yields temperatures of 187 – 218 C°, comb quartz yields
temperatures of 260 - 290 C°.and crustiform-colloform veins yield temperatures of
140 – 200 C°.Stable sulphur isotope studies of pyrite range between +3.82 and -0.04 per mil. These
values indicate a magmatic source. Stable oxygen isotope values of quartz range from
+11 to +17.5 per mil. Low oxygen isotope values range from +11.0 to +13.0 per mil
and are associated with crystalline quartz gold bearing systems. High oxygen isotope
values (+15.0 to +17.5 per mil) are associated with barren quartz chalcedony
dominated systems.
The volcanic setting, vein textures, mineralogy and alteration assemblages of the
Wang Yai prospects are comparable with the nearby low-sulphidation epithermal
Chatree deposit. The Wang Yai prospects appear to be at the top of the broader
epithermal system and therefore potential for high grade mineralisation at depth
exists.


Corpus size has traditionally been measured in number of words. Working with a single (European) language, this is adequate in most circumstances. Problems arise when corpora are compared cross-linguistically: accurately measuring the amount of linguistic material represented in a corpus is pivotal for many analyses, including for such corpus linguistic staples as keyword analyses, frequency measurements of linguistic items and normalisation of frequencies. Yet words in different languages are very different things. Isolating languages like English use up a high number of words compared to synthetic and polysynthetic languages that use drastically fewer words to express similar messages (e.g. German Donaudampfsschifffahrtsgesellschaftskapitan, i.e. captain of the Danube steamship company). Further, how the concept of (orthographic) word itself should be operationalized is not immediately clear in many languages. Parallel corpora circumvent this problem by using translation equivalents, but the characteristics of translated texts are known to differ, not least in terms of length, from non-translated texts, thereby making this solution less than ideal for many applications.
In this paper, I outline a number of ways in which the challenge of producing comparably-sized corpora of different languages might be approached. I focus on the example of a tri-lingual Wikipedia corpus of an overall 93 million words of German, Korean and English, produced to facilitate an investigation into universal aspects of formulaic language which necessitated precisely measured corpus sizes. Drawing on recent work on linguistic complexity, it is illustrated how the syllable level can be used as a comparative level via an information density estimate which is either based on samples of mixed direction translations or the syllable inventory of a language. Finally, the magnitude of differences in word count of otherwise comparably sized sub-corpora of the mentioned Wikipedia corpus illustrates the importance of measures of corpus size more accurate than word counts.


The amount of evapotranspiration from a woodland largely depends on the site and stand productivity. The factor largely responsible for the stand productivity (productivity class) of an individual forest type under the climatic conditions of northwest Russia is temperature. If mean annual air temperature rises by 1°C and 2°C the average productivity of a coniferous stand in Karelia will increase by 0.3-0.4 and 0.6-0.8 of the productivity class, respectively. The average estimated increment of annual evapotranspiration from a forest in a sufficiently large catchment area will not exceed 15-20 mm even if the warming up is 2°C.


Genesis 30:37-39 may be interpreted in various ways by modern readers, depending on the assumed underlying cosmology (worldview) of the text and how the scientific cosmology of the modern reader interacts with the ancient cosmology. In this process of interpretation the main sources of errors are either that the cosmology of the text is constructed incorrectly (e.g. in the case of Tylor and Frazer's idealistic scheme of religion), or because modern readers may mistakenly assume that the biblical cosmology is identical to their current scientific one. Five different cosmologies (i.e. magical, magico-mythical, monotheistic, deistic and atheistic) are discussed and their assumptions (regarding the mechanisms of the cosmos) applied to elucidate the Genesis 30 text. Finally, it is concluded that the most appropriate cosmology against which Genesis 30:37-39 should be interpreted, is the monotheistic cosmology, while recognising that the magical layer is especially prominent in the immediate context of Genesis 30.


The aim of this book is to enable the student to read, write, and speak acceptable Israeli Hebrew and to understand less complex biblical Hebrew. A unique feature is the author's use of the principles of structural analysis. For students who are not acquainted with a languarge other than English, he elucidates those features of the language that are unfamiliar in the structure of English. The student is trained, from the first, to read "unvocalized" script as the native reader does, and "reading clues" (word and phrase patterns) are provided for this purpose.


Well-designed demand response is expected to play a vital role in operating power systems by reducing economic and environmental costs. However, the current system is operated without much information on the benefits of end-users, especially the small ones, who use electricity. This thesis proposes a framework of operating power systems with demand models including the diversity of end-users' benefits, namely adaptive load management (ALM). Since there are a large number of end-users having different preferences and conditions in energy consumption, the information on the end-users' benefits needs to be aggregated at the system level. This leads us to model the system in a multi-layered way, including end-users, load serving entities, and a system operator. On the other hand, the information of the end-users' benefits can be uncertain even to the end-users themselves ahead of time. This information is discovered incrementally as the actual consumption approaches and occurs. For this reason ALM requires a multi-temporal model of a system operation and end-users' benefits within. Due to the different levels of uncertainty along the decision-making time horizons, the risks from the uncertainty of information on both the system and the end-users need to be managed. The methodology of ALM is based on Lagrange dual decomposition that utilizes interactive communication between the system, load serving entities, and end-users. We show that under certain conditions, a power system with a large number of end-users can balance at its optimum efficiently over the horizon of a day ahead of operation to near real time. Numerical examples include designing ALM for the right types of loads over different time horizons, and balancing a system with a large number of different loads on a congested network. We conclude that with the right information exchange by each entity in the system over different time horizons, a power system can reach its optimum including a variety of end-users' preferences and their values of consuming electricity.


Gas-liquid two-phase flow in a circular pipeline is commonly encountered in an inclined pipeline of an offshore plant. To visualize gas-liquid flow phenomena in an inclined pipeline, the w-shaped transparent pipeline was fabricated with internal diameter of 2″ and slope angle of 25°. The terrain-induced slug flow in a steady-state was visualized at fixed water flow rate of 1 m3/hr and 80% GVF (Gas Volume Fraction). The air and water flow is initially maintained in stratified or wavy flow at t = 0 s. When the velocity difference between the air and water is high enough, the Kelvin-Helmholtz wave motion starts to occur just after at t = 0 s. As the wave reaches the top, the upward water flow is faced with the downward water flow in the main visualized region. When the airway is clogged, the air slug is formed at t = 0.02 s. When a huge tidal wave is observed at t = 0.1 s due to different velocity between the upward water and the downward water flow, the air slug travels at a greater velocity than the water flow. As the tidal wave enlarges its growth, the chaotic motion with scattered bubbles is exhibited at the gas-liquid interface. A series of the air slugging is periodically observed after near 0.5 s. At the second v-shaped pipeline, the slugging phenomena become even more severe due to an irregular water inflow from the first v-shaped pipeline.


Column generation is an iterative method used to solve a variety of optimization problems. It decomposes the problem into two parts: a master problem and one or more pricing problems (PP). The total computing time taken by the method is divided between these two parts. In routing or scheduling applications, the problems are mostly defined on a network, and the PP is usually an NP-hard shortest path problem with resource constraints. In this work, we propose a new heuristic pricing algorithm based on machine learning. By taking advantage of the data collected during previous executions, the objective is to reduce the size of the network and accelerate the PP, keeping only the arcs that have a high chance to be part of the linear relaxation solution. The method has been applied to two specific problems: the vehicle and crew scheduling problem in public transit and the vehicle routing problem with time windows. Reductions in computational time of up to 40% can be obtained.


They were three of the most memorable figures of the twentieth century: David Ben-Gurion, Israel's indomitable founding father; Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser, the charismatic Arab nationalist; and the young and dynamic John F. Kennedy. Now Warren Bass illuminates these three extraordinary men and their diplomatic struggles at the height of the Cold War, offering stunning new insights into the origins of today's Middle East. The Kennedy period, Bass writes, was no "mere place-marker between Suez and the Six Day War, between the martial frostiness of Dwight Eisenhower and the Texas warmth of Lyndon Johnson." He shows how Kennedy sought greater influence in the Arab world, offering more foreign aid and a new diplomatic overture to Nasser, the Arab world's leading radical. For a while, Kennedy and Nasser engaged in a rich personal correspondence. But the rapprochement was cut short by Nasser's impulsive intervention in Yemen's civil war, which led Kennedy to deploy fighter jets in Saudi Arabia as a warning to Egypt. Meanwhile, Kennedy made the first major U.S. arms sale to Israel, providing it with advanced Hawk anti-aircraft missiles-a crucial policy shift that marks the origins of America's alliance with the Jewish state. But Kennedy also feared that Israel would get the bomb and demanded that Ben-Gurion open his secret nuclear reactor to U.S. inspectors, leading to a grave confrontation. Ultimately, Israel agreed to inspections-but continued its nuclear weapons program under the cover of intense secrecy. Drawing on meticulous research, Warren Bass paints a fresh, elegant portrait of the pivotal presidency that helped create the modern Middle East.


Wind flow around parabolic dish solar concentrators can significantly affect the loss of heat from the receiver, and thus the performance of these systems. Numerous studies have examined the heat loss from various receiver geometries under natural and forced convection conditions; however there is a marked absence of studies that take into account the effect that the dish may have on the heat loss, particularly for forced convection conditions. Given that forced convection can greatly increase the heat loss from such systems, there is a need for an improved understanding of the effect of the wind velocity and flow structure around parabolic dish solar concentrators. In this work, computational fluid dynamics is used to model the flow of air around a parabolic dish concentrator operating at varying angles of attack. The results show that the orientation of the dish has a significant effect on the flow structure near the receiver. For flows normal to the surface of the dish, fore or aft, the dish acts much like a bluff body, or pressure blockage, "shielding" the receiver from the flow, such that the air velocities near the receiver are relatively low. However, other operating conditions exhibit recirculation areas near the receiver that could lead to increased heat loss. Further work is required to determine the magnitude of this effect and subsequently the overall effect on the performance of parabolic dish solar concentrators.


Abstract The surface of vapor-deposited polyimide (PI) coating onto a mechanically agitated mandrel has always been rougher than the NIF standard. The roughness has been attributed to various sources, including defects and contamination on substrate mandrels, abraded damage from mechanical agitation, or off-stoichiometric compositions. At near-stoichiometric deposition conditions, the surface roughness is primarily due to damages from collisions. Using a plastic mesh container with a suitable opening size and synchronized gentle tapping, we have greatly improved the surface quality of 1 mm diameter 4–5 μm thick polyimide shells. The plastic mesh improves the surface quality by limiting shell movements and reducing the impact force and number of collisions between the shells during coating. The surface smoothness of the as-deposited polyamic acid coating meets the NIF surface smoothness standard. Appropriate pressure and heat profiles are used to remove the mandrel and convert the thin polyamic acid coating into polyimide and preserve the surface smoothness. The AFM spheremaps, patch scans and WYKO optical interferometer measurement showed a root-mean-square smoothness ranging 3–5 nm.


With the help of students from Environmental & Natural Resource Economics course (EC 231), a survey was distributed to hundreds of respondents across the nation with the intention to study beliefs about climate change. More than 70 students from EC231 conducted 5-10 surveys while traveling for Spring Break. The questions included in the survey address each respondent's knowledge of climate change as well as the various influences that may alter ones beliefs as to how they are affected by climate change. This paper investigates all variables and looks for potential patterns in the survey data in the hope of finding significant and meaningful conclusion that can help to explain peoples' views on climate change. Two interesting results I find are that the exposure to severe weather increases the likelihood that respondents believe in climate change and that respondents believe that climate change will impact the work and the country more than their community or them individually.


This study presents an analysis of the unprecedented growth of international research collaboration in Europe in terms of distribution of co-authorship and citation of globally indexed publications over the last decade (2009–2018). The dynamics of change that emerge from this analysis are as follows: the increasing level of international cooperation is drawing key European systems away from institutional cooperation, with stable and strong national cooperation. National scientific output, i.e. the total number of publications, remains stable, and the entire increase in the number of publications over the period should be attributed to international co-authorship publications, which are the only driving force behind the increase in the number of publications in Europe. Due to the emergence of global networked science, in which the role of national policies in cooperation is decreasing and the role of scientists is growing, the key to the development of cooperation in Europe (and in Poland) is the readiness of individual scientists to undertake international cooperation. Researchers cooperate internationally when it is profitable for them in terms of academic prestige, scientific recognition and access to research funding, which is suggested by the three models proposed here (the model of credibility cycle in science, the model of prestige maximization and the model of global science). The total number of analyzed articles indexed in the Scopus database was 5.5 million, including 2.2 million articles written in international cooperation.


We present the results of direct dynamics simulations and DFT calculations aimed at elucidating the effect of \textit{O}-sulfonation on the collision induced dissociation for serine. Towards this end, direct dynamics simulations of both serine and sulfoserine were performed at multiple collision energies and theoretical mass spectra obtained. Comparisons to experimental results are favorable for both systems. Peaks related to the sulfo group are identified and the reaction dynamics explored. In particular, three significant peaks (\mz 106, 88, and 81) seen in the theoretical mass spectrum directly related to the sulfo group are analyzed as well as major peaks shared by both systems. Our analysis shows that the \mz 106 peaks result from intramolecular rearrangements, intermolecular proton transfer among complexes composed of initial fragmentation products, and at high energy side-chain fragmentation. The \mz 88 peak was found to contain multiple constitutional isomers, including a previously unconsidered, low energy structure. It was also seen that the RM1 semi empirical method was not able to obtain all of the major peaks seen in experiment for sulfoserine. In contrast, PM6 did obtain all major experimental peaks.


The specular reflectance of evaporated aluminum films has been measured with high precision (±0.1%) from 0.55 to 32 μ. The measurements were made at normal incidence on fresh and aged films deposited on fuzed quartz substrates with rapid evaporation rates at pressures of about 1×10−5 Torr. The dependence of the reflectance on the evaporation conditions was also investigated, and it was found that the infrared reflectance of aluminum prepared under the usual high-vacuum conditions is reproducible and insensitive to the conditions of film preparation. Although the measured reflectance of freshly evaporated aluminum films differs by only 0.1% at 30 μ from the value calculated from the free-electron approximation assuming bulk parameters for aluminum, the variation of the measured reflectance with wavelength does not fit the theory in the infrared. It is felt that the validity of the free-electron approximation should be further tested by using films deposited in ultra-high vacuum.


OBJECTIVE Pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) provides extensive correction in patients with fixed sagittal plane imbalance but is associated with high estimated blood loss (EBL). Anterior column realignment (ACR) with lateral graft placement and sectioning of the anterior longitudinal ligament allows restoration of lumbar lordosis (LL). The authors compare peri- and postoperative measures in 2 groups of patients undergoing correction of a sagittal plane imbalance, either through PSO or the use of lateral lumbar fusion and ACR with hyperlordotic (20°-30°) interbody cages, with stabilization through standard posterior instrumentation in all cases. METHODS The authors performed a retrospective chart review of cases involving a lumbar PSO or lateral lumbar interbody fusion and ACR (LLIF-ACR) between 2010 and 2015 at the authors' institution. Patients who had a PSO in the setting of a preexisting fusion that spanned more than 4 levels were excluded. Demographic characteristics, spinopelvic parameters, EBL, operative time, and LOS were analyzed and compared between patients treated with PSO and those treated with LLIF-ACR. RESULTS The PSO group included 14 patients and the LLIF-ACR group included 13 patients. The mean follow-up was 13 months in the LLIF-ACR group and 26 months in the PSO group. The mean EBL was significantly lower in the LLIF-ACR group, measuring approximately 50% of the mean EBL in the PSO group (1466 vs 2910 ml, p < 0.01). Total LL correction was equivalent between the 2 groups (35° in the PSO group, 31° in the LLIF-ACR group, p > 0.05), as was the preoperative PI-LL mismatch (33° in each group, p > 0.05) and the postoperative PI-LL mismatch (< 1° in each group, p = 0.05). The fusion rate as assessed by the need for reoperation due to pseudarthrosis was lower in the LLIF-ACR group but not significantly so (3 revisions in the PSO group due to pseudarthrosis vs 0 in the LLIF-ACR group, p > 0.5). The total operative time and LOS were not significantly different in the 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS This is the first direct comparison of the LLIF-ACR technique with the PSO in adult spinal deformity correction. The study demonstrates that the LLIF-ACR provides equivalent deformity correction with significantly reduced blood loss in patients with a previously unfused spine compared with the PSO. This technique provides a powerful means to avoid PSO in selected patients who require spinal deformity correction.


After former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten refused to comply with subpoenas issued by a congressional committee investigating the firing of a number of United States Attorneys, the House of Representatives voted in 2008 to hold them in contempt. The House then chose a curious method of enforcing its contempt citation: it filed a federal lawsuit seeking a declaratory judgment that Miers and Bolten were in contempt of Congress and an injunction ordering them to comply with the subpoenas. The district court ruled for the House, although that ruling was subsequently stayed and a compromise was reached.This Article examines the constellation of issues arising out of contempt of Congress proceedings against executive branch officials. After briefly describing the Miers litigation, it examines the development of legislative contempt against executive officials in Anglo-American law. It shows that the contempt power played a significant role in power struggles between the Crown and Parliament and between the Crown and colonial American legislatures, and that this role continued into the early state legislatures. It then traces Congress's uses of the contempt power against executive branch officials, including in two cases that have generally been overlooked by both judicial and academic commentators, in which a house of Congress sent its sergeant-at-arms to arrest an executive branch officer.The Article then uses that history to consider how cases of executive branch contempt of Congress should be dealt with today. It notes the variety of political tools that Anglo-American legislatures have used to enforce their contempt findings, as well as the fact that they did not turn to the courts to resolve such disputes until the late twentieth century. It then argues that the resolution of such disputes by the courts does significant harm to the American body politic. This Article therefore concludes both that Congress erred in seeking judicial resolution of the Miers dispute and that the courts erred in finding it justiciable.


Bocianowski, J., a. Liersch and i. Bartkowiak-Broda, 2014. the relationship between different types of markers and glucosinolates content of parental lines of F1 cMs ogura hybrids of winter oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 20: 868-876 the protein content in dry matter of seeds of winter oilseed rape ranges from 21 to 24%, in oil-free meal from 33 to 43% and in cake mill from 28 to 34%. in order to ensure the use of rapeseed meal and expellers as feed for livestock, breeding programmes are conducted to reduce the content of antinutritional compounds in seeds. Glucosinolates in meal of oilseed rape are still one of the main antinutritive compounds, despite their low glucosinolates content in seeds of double-low open pollinated and hybrid varieties of winter oilseed rape. the breeding of rapeseed cultivars is carried out in order to reduce alkenyl glucosinolates to total elimination. the effectiveness of breeding of rapeseed genotypes with low glucosinolates content can be increased by using different types of molecular markers. effective selection of parental forms of hybrids characterized by different glucosinolates content is the factor that has a decisive role in the advancement of this type of breeding. the application of molecular markers makes a selection process much more effective. taking this into account, there were initiated investigations into the relationship between glucosinolates content of 18 parental lines of F1 cMs ogura hybrids of winter oilseed rape and different types of markers. dna polymorphism of parental lines was determined using raPd, aFLP, polymerase chain reaction and isozymes. The obtained results revealed a statistically significant relationship between the markers and glucosinolates content.


Developing an augmented reality (AR) system involves a multitude of interconnected algorithms such as image fusion, camera synchronization and calibration, and brightness control, each having diverse parameters. This abundance of features, while beneficial in nature for its applicability to different tasks, is detrimental to developers as they try to navigate different combinations and pick the most suitable configuration for their application. Additionally, the temporally inconsistent nature of the real world hinders the development of reproducible and reliable testing methods for AR systems. To help address these issues, we develop and test a virtual reality (VR) environment [1] that allows the simulation of variable AR configurations for image fusion. In this work, we improve our system with a more realistic AR glass model adhering to physical light and glass properties. Our implementation combines the incoming real-world background light and the AR projector light at the level of the AR glass.


India's higher judiciary has created and overseen the evolution of public interest litigation in India. This paper presents a strong defence for the public interest litigation model as an instrument for the delivery of fair and equitable justice, resistant to governmental apathy as well as economic and social privilege. The first part of the paper provides an account of the evolution of India's constitutional courts', and particularly the Supreme Court's, role prior to the emergence of public interest litigation. It discusses the nomenclature of 'social action litigation' and characterizes its evolution as unique and indigenous, distinguishable from the practice of public interest law in the United States of America. The obstacles faced by this radical new form of preserving social and economic rights are also examined. The paper then addresses the Supreme Court's approach to increasing access to justice and overcoming these impediments, especially through procedural innovations such as broadened locus standi and non-adversarial, investigative proceedings using court appointed investigative commissions and amicus curiae. Even as it recognizes the possibility of misuse of social action litigation, the paper concludes with a strident defence of judicial activism and of social action litigation as a means for bringing the promise of justice to the ordinary and disempowered.


This study disentangles the impact of financial and physical dimensions of transit service operators on net transit accessibility for 46 of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. To investigate this interaction along with the production efficiency of transit agencies, two types of analysis are used: a set of linear and quadratic regressions and a data envelopment analysis. We find that vehicle revenue kilometers and operational expenses play a pivotal role in enhancing the accessibility to jobs by transit. The bivariate linear regression models indicate a 1% increase in operational expenses and vehicle revenue kilometers increase the number of jobs that can be reached within 30 minutes by 0.96 and 0.95%, respectively. The results of the quadratic functional form, also, show transit services may have both increasing and decreasing accessibility returns to scale depending on system size, and the results are sensitive to the model used. Overall, the highest system efficiency (access produced per input) is found in the New York, Washington, and Milwaukee metropolitan areas, while Riverside, Detroit, and Austin perform with the lowest efficiency.


There are several statistical tools being used for students' performance analysis for information extraction and knowledge discovery. This paper presents data mining approach applied to discover students' performance patterns in supervised and unsupervised assessment instruments of a course in an engineering degree program. The interesting patterns emerging from this analysis promise to offer some helpful and constructive suggestions to educational administrators and decision makers in the sector of higher education for the improvement and revision of assessment methodologies, restructuring the curriculum, and trimming down the mismatch between the two modes of assessments. Keywords-component; Association Rules, KDD, Educational Data Mining, Assessment Instruments


A comprehensive approach to the health problems of workers and the gainfully employed should be adopted when occupational health services are planned in developing countries. The system developed in industrialized countries cannot be applied to new industrializing countries. The definition of what constitutes a developing country is not yet agreed upon. They share many of the criteria which create a vicious cycle of poverty and disease. This cycle can only be broken by industrialization and economic progress. The maintenance of health in industrial communities in the developing countries entails the treatment and prevention of epidemic and endemic communicable diseases, the prevention of occupational injuries and diseases, the planning and organization of medical care, training, the introduction and enforcement of standards of health, and safety and medical care in industry. To achieve this a new approach is advocated. The total health services are visualized as a spectrum, while occupational health services are used as a springboard and a point of entry. The health personnel who provide services to workers in factories, agricultural projects, and mines can carry out a comprehensive preventive program for the workers and their families.


Behavioral cloning has proven to be effective for learning sequential decision-making policies from expert demonstrations. However, behavioral cloning often suffers from the causal confusion problem where a policy relies on the noticeable effect of expert actions due to the strong correlation but not the cause we desire. This paper presents Object-aware REgularizatiOn (OREO), a simple technique that regularizes an imitation policy in an object-aware manner. Our main idea is to encourage a policy to uniformly attend to all semantic objects, in order to prevent the policy from exploiting nuisance variables strongly correlated with expert actions. To this end, we introduce a two-stage approach: (a) we extract semantic objects from images by utilizing discrete codes from a vector-quantized variational autoencoder, and (b) we randomly drop the units that share the same discrete code together, i.e., masking out semantic objects. Our experiments demonstrate that OREO significantly improves the performance of behavioral cloning, outperforming various other regularization and causality-based methods on a variety of Atari environments and a self-driving CARLA environment. We also show that our method even outperforms inverse reinforcement learning methods trained with a considerable amount of environment interaction.


Infants demonstrate comprehension of early nouns (e.g. "hand") around six months, and comprehension of early non-nouns (e.g. "eat") around 10 months. In two experiments, we explore the reasons for this lag. Expt. 1 is a gaze-following study, the results of which suggest an improvement in point-following around ten months, and reveal correlations between pointing and both overall and non-noun vocabulary. Expt. 2 is a set of corpus analyses, the results of which suggest that word frequency does not explain the difference between noun and non-noun age of acquisition, while suggesting that the co-presence of words and their referents may play an important role. The results of these experiments contribute to our understanding of word-learning across word classes, and lend support to environmental and social factors as having an impact on the trajectory of word learning in the first year of life.


It has often been shown that performance and learning in movement tasks may be improved by focusing on the effect of the movement in the environment (external focus of attention) instead of the movement itself (internal focus of attention). Nevertheless, most coaching instructions and feedback information given in sports seem to favor an internal focus of attention over an external one. In the present study, we investigated coaches' instructions and feedback in an instrumental sports action, viz. baseball pitching, in which external targets are readily identifiable, such as the strike area or the catcher's glove. To this end, we recorded and analyzed the pitching instructions and feedback statements of six baseball coaches given to 70 elite youth baseball pitchers (mean age 15.3 (SD 1.67) years) during regular pitching training sessions over a training period of four weeks. All instructions and feedback statements were classified according to the type of focus of attention invoked (i.e. internal or external), and a rest category of all other statements. Of the statements promoting a specific focus of attention (717/1699), only 31% (224/717) were classified as external focus of attention statements. Correspondingly, the responses on a questionnaire filled out by the pitchers indicated that they used an internal focus of attention during practice and preferred to receive internally oriented over externally oriented instructions and feedback. The present results show that, even in sports involving clear external targets such as baseball pitching, the internal focus of attention instructions prevails, the experimental evidence in favor of external focus of attention instructions notwithstanding.


The first part of the paper outlines and discusses the nature of work‐based learning (WBL) and WBL programmes, and the overall direction of government strategy towards WBL programmes in Higher Education (HE) in England, with particular reference to postgraduate programmes, policy documents, and the WBL literature. Drawing upon case study research, the paper then presents an overview of the postgraduate WBL programmes offered by three English universities. There follows a presentation and analysis of the views of teaching staff and managers with respect to the operation of these programmes. A number of benefits were identified, including flexibility, student career development, and student's enhanced influence over the learning process and content. A number of problems were also identified, including a lack of awareness of, interest in, and resistance to the programmes on the behalf of the wider university academic community.


Background: To achieve goals of RNTCP, issues like treatment adherence & treatment behavior of TB (Tuberculosis) patients taking DOTS should also be focused, considering long duration of drug therapy. Objective: To analyze various factors that could affect the treatment behavior during the course of DOTS among the patients attending the TB units. Material & Methods: Design: Cross-sectional study, Participants: 100 diagnosed TB patients on DOTS, from all TB units (25 from each TU) of Anand District, who had reported to health center at least after 3 weeks of initiation of symptoms. Information was filled up in a pre-tested questionnaire. Results: A total 100 TB patients (68 males, 32 females) were interviewed; among which, 29% were illiterate and 46% were laborer. 24% of the subjects had any sideeffect. Social stigma was faced by 10% of subjects (6 males, 4 females). 16% of the respondents had a treatment interruption during current treatment. The commonest reason for treatment interruption was "thought of being cured" (75%). Conclusion: The treatment behavior of the patients on DOTS also depends on various social-economical characteristics. The issues of side-effects of drugs and "thought of being cured" also need to be focused. Health system changes in terms of efficient staff and adequate drugs should also be considered.


The empirical literature on deterrence tends to find stronger and more consistent evidence in support of the deterrent effect of the certainty than for the severity of punishment. Three distinct explanations have been advanced: (1) risk preferences of potential criminals, (2) the present orientation of potential criminals, and (3) stigma. We report an experiment that rules out the second and third explanations by design, and that provides a direct test of the first explanation. We find that risk averse participants are more deterred by severity, as predicted by theory. Yet risk seeking participants are not more deterred by certainty if the offense has a positive expected value, or if its expected value is zero. The theory is only supported if the sanction is so severe and frequent that committing the offense has a negative expected value.


Many different attacks have been reported as part of revelations
associated with pervasive surveillance. Some of the reported attacks
involved compromising smart cards, such as attacking SIM card
manufacturers and operators in an effort to compromise shared secrets
stored on these cards. Since the publication of those reports,
manufacturing and provisioning processes have gained much scrutiny and
have improved. However, the danger of resourceful attackers for these
systems is still a concern. This specification is an optional
extension to the EAP-AKA' authentication method which was defined
in RFC 5448 (to be superseded by draft-ietf-emu-rfc5448bis). The
extension, when negotiated, provides Perfect Forward Secrecy for the
session key generated as a part of the authentication run in EAP-
AKA'. This prevents an attacker who has gained access to the long-
term pre-shared secret in a SIM card from being able to decrypt all
past communications. In addition, if the attacker stays merely a
passive eavesdropper, the extension prevents attacks against future
sessions. This forces attackers to use active attacks instead.


Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) δ-endotoxins provide an alternative to chemical insecticides for controlling many species of pest insects. Recent biotechnological developments offer the promise of even greater use of B.t. toxins in genetically transformed pest-resistant crops. However, the discovery that insects can adapt to these toxins raises concerns about the long-term usefulness of B.t. toxins. Several methods for managing the development of resistance to B.t. toxins have been suggested, but none of these approaches offer clear advantages in all situations.


The creators of a state- of-the-art stress management center combine their decades' of clinical psychology experience to present a complete and concise volume on stress management in the workplace. Their approach incorporates a reader-friendly style with proven exercises and techniques designed to teach readers how to maximize effectiveness and deal with workplace stress. KEY TOPICS: The text includes an introduction to stress, the three phases of the authors' master strategy, as well as a focus on workplace stress mastery and psychotechnologies. MARKET: For students, workers and the general public interested in stress management techniques.


Although emission spectral tomography (EST) combines emission spectral measurement with optical computed tomography (OCT), it is difficult to gain transient emission data from a large number of views, therefore, high precision OCT algorithms with few views ought to be studied for EST application. To improve the reconstruction precision in the case of few views, a new computed tomography reconstruction algorithm based on multipurpose optimal criterion and simulated annealing theory (multi-criterion simulated annealing reconstruction technique, MCSART) is proposed. This algorithm can suffice criterion of least squares, criterion of most uniformity, and criterion of most smoothness synchronously. We can get global optimal solution by MCSART algorithm with simulated annealing theory. The simulating experiment result shows that this algorithm is superior to the traditional algorithms under various noises.


Although there has been considerable research into the effects of major affective disorders
on perception and cognition, there has been less focus on the influence of everyday
fluctuations in mood on general cognitive skills. Neurocognitive models of affect-cognition
interactions implicate frontal cortical networks and predict that where task control is reliant
on such networks, there will be a greater negative impact of mood change.
The initial study in this thesis compared the effectiveness of 3 standard mood induction
techniques as assessed by a subjective mood assessment instrument. The most effective
changes were only evident with the induction of negative mood, using the Velten Mood
induction technique, which was therefore adopted for subsequent studies.
Three further studies employed a within-subject design, investigating the effect of neutral
and negative mood on 3 tasks selected for a) increasing levels of cognitive demand and
complexity, and b) the increasing involvement of frontal areas of control. Event-related
potentials (ERPs) were measured using a 128 channel dense array system. It was predicted
that mood induction would differentially activate the frontal areas, as measured by
increased negative amplitude in frontal ERPs, lateralised to the left: hemisphere, and be
associated with changes in task performance and the associated ERP 'signature'.
The first task, an 'odd-ball' task, was oflow cognitive demand and associated with centralparietal
control, and showed no disruption at the behavioural or cortical level. The second
task, a standard Stroop task, also showed no behavioural disruption but there were moodrelated
differences in frontal ERPs. Increases in negativity caused the pattern of activity
associated with congruent and incongruent trials to be reversed. The final task, an N-back
working memory task, again showed minimal disruption at the behavioural level, but
significant differences in lateralised frontal activity as a function of mood. Again, increased
negativity within in left: hemisphere led to a reversal of asymmetry during the cognitively
demanding 3-back task.
The data are interpreted in terms of Ellis and Ashbrook's Resource Allocation Model,
which predicts that depressed moods lead to a reduction in the capacity of resources
allocated to the control of cognitive tasks. It is concluded that the maintenance of
performance is associated with increased allocation of cortical resources.


This thesis is about modelling, design and control of Miniature Flying Robots (MFR) with a focus on Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) systems and specifically, micro quadrotors. It introduces a mathematical model for simulation and control of such systems. It then describes a design methodology for a miniature rotorcraft. The methodology is subsequently applied to design an autonomous quadrotor named OS4. Based on the mathematical model, linear and nonlinear control techniques are used to design and simulate various controllers along this work. The dynamic model and the simulator evolved from a simple set of equations, valid only for hovering, to a complex mathematical model with more realistic aerodynamic coefficients and sensor and actuator models. Two platforms were developed during this thesis. The first one is a quadrotor-like test-bench with off-board data processing and power supply. It was used to safely and easily test control strategies. The second one, OS4, is a highly integrated quadrotor with on-board data processing and power supply. It has all the necessary sensors for autonomous operation. Five different controllers were developed. The first one, based on Lyapunov theory, was applied for attitude control. The second and the third controllers are based on PID and LQ techniques. These were compared for attitude control. The fourth and the fifth approaches use backstepping and sliding-mode concepts. They are applied to control attitude. Finally, backstepping is augmented with integral action and proposed as a single tool to design attitude, altitude and position controllers. This approach is validated through various flight experiments conducted on the OS4.


Fourth grade classrooms in Virginia only take state assessments in reading and mathematics. Science instruction often gets pushed to the side in favor of spending more time on reading and math instruction. This research sought to integrate science content with literacy instruction so that students would not miss out on vital science knowledge they would go on to need in fifth grade. Fourth grade students in one classroom read science content books during small group guided reading instruction that focused on the current science unit of study. Students also visited the classroom science literacy center weekly to explore science books and practice reading comprehension skills taught in the classroom. Student surveys and interviews along with classroom and district assessments were used to measure students' science content knowledge, nonfiction reading comprehension skills, and interest in science literacy throughout the research.


Urban areas are complicated due to the mix of man-made features and natural features. A higher level of structural information plays an important role in land cover/use classification of urban areas. Additional spatial indicators have to be extracted based on structural analysis in order to understand and identify spatial patterns or the spatial organization of features, especially for man-made feature. It's very difficult to extract such spatial patterns by using only classification approaches. Clusters of urban patterns which are integral parts of other uses may be difficult to identify. A lot of public resources have been directed towards seeking to develop a standardized classification system and to provide as much compatibility as possible to ensure the widespread use of such categorized data obtained from remote sensor sources. In this paper different methods applied to understand the change in the land use areas by understanding and monitoring the change in urban areas and as its hard to apply those methods to classification results for high elements quantities, dusts and scratches (Roca and Alhaddad, 2005). This paper focuses on a methodology developed based relation between urban elements and how to join this elements in zones or clusters have commune behaviours such as form, pattern, size. The main objective is to convert urban class category in to various structure densities depend on conjunction of pixel and shortest distance between them, Delaunay triangulation has been widely used in spatial analysis and spatial modelling. To identify these different zones, a spatial density-based clustering technique was adopted. In highly urban zones, the spatial density of the pixels is high, while in sparsely areas the density of points is much lower. Once the groups of pixels are identified, the calculation of the boundaries of the areas containing each group of pixels defines the new regions indicate the different contains inside such as high or low urban areas. Multi-temporal datasets from 1986, 1995 and 2004 used to urban region centroid to be our reference in this study which allow us to follow the urban movement, increase and decrease by the time. Kernel Density function used to Calculates urban magnitude, Voronoi algorithm is proposed for deriving explicit boundaries between objects units. To test the approach, we selected a site in a suburban area in Barcelona Municipality, the Spain.


This is an exploratory study designed to investigate the extant and nature of corporate social responsibility disclosure (CSRD) in corporate annual reports (CAR) of listed companies in Bangladesh. Specifically, the report examines the relationship between corporate attributes and firm-specific factors and corporate social responsibility disclosures. Data are taken from annual reports of 2007 of the listed companies of Dhaka Stock Exchanges. The study uses ordinary least squares regression model to examine the relationship between explanatory variables and corporate social responsibility disclosure and un-weighted relative disclosure index to measure voluntary disclosure. The extent of CSRD level is measured using 39 items of information. The result shows a positive association between proportion of Independent Directors (INDs) and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure (CSRD). But, size of the firm does not affect the level of corporate social responsibility disclosure. Control variables suggest that Board Leadership Structure (BLS), Board Audit Committee (BAC) and Percentage Return on Equity (PROE) are positively associated with company's corporate social responsibility disclosure (CSRD). The result shows that a higher proportion of independent non-executive directors on a board is positively related to the level of corporate social responsibility disclosure but the extent of corporate social responsibility disclosure is negatively related for firm's size.


Magmatic accommodation of extension is often simulated by imposing a divergence term in the continuity equation in a column of model elements. The ratio of the imposed divergence to total extension is the magmatic fraction of spreading, M. To date, most numerical geodynamic models impose a uniform M value through the domain and evaluate tectonic responses to different M values. Imposed uniform M values do not permit magmatic responses to changing lithosphere stresses, topography, and fault evolution. We present a computationally-inexpensive diffuse yielding formulation for M that responds to changing stresses, while still allowing for controlled variations in magmatic overpressure and supply.


Cataloging Kinase Targets Protein phosphorylation is a central mechanism in the control of many biological processes (see the Perspective by Collins). It remains a challenge to determine the complete range of substrates and phosphorylation sites altered by a kinase like cyclin-dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1), which controls cell division in yeast. Holt et al. (p. 1682) engineered a strain of yeast to express a modified Cdk1 molecule that could be inhibited by a specific small-molecule inhibitor. The range of Cdk1-dependent phosphorylation was assessed by quantitative mass spectrometry, which revealed many previously uncharacterized substrates for Cdk1. In addition to phosphorylation on serine and threonine residues, which appears to be evolutionarily ancient, tyrosine phosphorylation occurs primarily in multicellular organisms. Tan et al. (p. 1686, published online 9 July) compared the overall presence of tyrosine residues in human proteins (which are frequently phosphorylated) and in yeast proteins (which are not). Loss of tyrosine residues has occurred during evolution, presumably to reduce adventitious tyrosine phosphorylation. Evolution of tyrosine phosphorylation as a signaling mechanism may have coincided with loss of tyrosine residues to avoid noise. John Nash showed that within a complex system, individuals are best off if they make the best decision that they can, taking into account the decisions of the other individuals. Here, we investigate whether similar principles influence the evolution of signaling networks in multicellular animals. Specifically, by analyzing a set of metazoan species we observed a striking negative correlation of genomically encoded tyrosine content with biological complexity (as measured by the number of cell types in each organism). We discuss how this observed tyrosine loss correlates with the expansion of tyrosine kinases in the evolution of the metazoan lineage and how it may relate to the optimization of signaling systems in multicellular animals. We propose that this phenomenon illustrates genome-wide adaptive evolution to accommodate beneficial genetic perturbation.


Most of Brazilian Amazonia faces important limitations for conventional agriculture and pastures due to a generally poor chemical fertility as well as the region's environmental conditions, especially high temperature and moisture. Without proper management, degradation of the soil and resulting unsustainability of agricultural and ranching production occur within a few years, leading to land abandonment. Use of perennial crops, especially those based on native tree species, would be instrumental in order to achieve best management such as that which assure recycling processes similar to those in the primary forest. Recommended alternative land uses are those producing high soil organic matter, recycling of nutrients, substantial agricultural production and economic viability. These include agroforestry systems, enrichment of second growth with valuable native timber or fruit species, accelerated fallow regrowth via enrichment plantings, sequential agroforestry with slash-and-mulch, and diversified forest plantations. Improvement of agricultural soils can be based on lessons learned from the study of processes involved in the formation and maintenance of the rich "dark earths" (terra preta), which owe their high carbon content and fertility in part to high content of charcoal. Adding powdered charcoal combined with selected nutrients can increase soil carbon in modern agriculture. Considering that limitations to expansion of intensified land uses in Amazonia are serious, regional development should emphasize the natural forest, which can maintain itself without external inputs of nutrients. Instead of creating conditions to further expand deforestation, these forests may be used as they stand to provide a variety of valuable environmental services that could offer a sustainable basis for development of Amazonia.


Background: Human osteoarthritic (OA) chondrocytes were previously classified into L (low)- and H (high)-OA according to matrix metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) basal levels and interleukin 1β (IL1β) inducibility. In H-OA chondrocytes, the regulatory proteins p130cas and nuclear matrix protein 4 (NMP4) acting on the MMP-13 promoter were identified. Objective: To identify regulators of MMP-13 expression/production in human L-OA chondrocytes, to determine their effect on the expression of other MMPs and the effect of IL1β on these molecules. Methods: The identification of the L-OA chondrocyte proteins interacting specifically with the AGRE site of the MMP-13 promoter was performed by mass spectrometry. Heat shock protein 90β (Hsp90β), p130cas and NMP4 small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were transfected into L-OA chondrocytes and incubated with or without IL1β. Gene expression was determined by real-time PCR, MMP-1 and MMP-13 production by ELISA, and signalling pathway activation by western blotting and ELISA. Results: Hsp90β was identified as a protein of the L-OA/AGRE-specific complex. Silencing p130cas and Hsp90β significantly increased MMP-13 expression (about four- and twofold, respectively) and production. sip130cas affected to a lesser extent MMP-1 expression (twofold) and production. siNMP4 showed no effect. Expression of MMP-2, -3, -9 and -14 was unaffected. Silencing both Hsp90β and p130cas had a significant additive effect on MMP-13, but not on MMP-1 expression, the level of which was similar to that with sip130cas alone. IL1β decreased p130cas and Hsp90β expression/production, indicating another pathway by which this cytokine upregulates MMP expression. The IL1β-triggered signalling pathways responsible for MMP upregulation were unaffected in the silenced cells. Conclusion: This study illustrates the complex regulation of MMP-13 by showing the inhibitory effect of the two cytoplasmic molecules, p130cas and Hsp90β, in L-OA chondrocytes.


Staphylococci from the Staphylococcus intermedius-Staphylococcus hyicus species group include numerous animal pathogens and are an important reservoir of virulence and antimicrobial resistance determinants. Due to their pathogenic potential, they are possible causative agents of zoonoses in humans; therefore, it is important to address the properties of these strains. Here we used a polyphasic taxonomic approach to characterize the coagulase-negative staphylococcal strain NRL/St 03/464T, isolated from the nostrils of a healthy laboratory rat during a microbiological screening of laboratory animals. The 16S rRNA sequence, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and positive urea hydrolysis and beta-glucuronidase tests clearly distinguished it from closely related Staphylococcus spp. All analyses have consistently shown that the closest relative is Staphylococcus chromogenes; however, values of digital DNA-DNA hybridization <35.3% and an average nucleotide identity <81.4% confirmed that the analyzed strain is a distinct Staphylococcus species. Whole-genome sequencing and expert annotation of the genome revealed the presence of novel variable genetic elements, including two plasmids named pSR9025A and pSR9025B, prophages, genomic islands and a composite transposon that may confer selective advantages to other bacteria and enhance their survival. Based on phenotypic, phylogenetic and genomic data obtained in this study, the strain NRL/St 03/464T (= CCM 9025T = LMG 31873T = DSM 111348T) represents a novel species with the suggested name Staphylococcus ratti sp. nov.


Infrared imaging simulation has great application potentials in both military and civil fields and is widely used in target detection and recognition, sensor performance evaluation, military training and so on. This paper presents a dynamic infrared imaging simulation method of small aerial target. The infrared radiation model of the target, including spontaneous radiation model and reflection model, is studied. The generalized Gaussian model is used to simplify the gray distribution model of the target. The optical and electronic models of infrared sensors are studied, and the gray mapping of the model is used to get the maximum gray value of the target, considering the transmittance of atmospheric transmission. Background is initialized using any infrared sky image and then adjusted the visibility by the camera perspective model. Then simulated target is fused with the simulated background using Poisson fusion for the generation of a more natural image. A dynamic simulation is fulfilled by assuming kinetics models of the target and the observer. Experimental results show that the proposed system works in real time and the simulated images are very similar to the real infrared images.


Aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy of the atomic structure of diamond–graphite interface after Ni-induced catalytic transformation reveals graphitic planes bound covalently to the diamond in the upright orientation. The covalent attachment, together with a significant volume expansion of graphite transformed from diamond, gives rise to uniaxial stress that is released through plastic deformation. We propose a comprehensive model explaining the Ni-mediated transformation of diamond to graphite and covalent bonding at the interface as well as the mechanism of relaxation of uniaxial stress. We also explain the mechanism of electrical transport through the graphitized surface of diamond. The result may thus provide a foundation for the catalytically driven formation of graphene–diamond nanodevices.


Climate anomaly has impact on yield and productivity of soybean. An alternative to minimize its impact, it is important to determine period of fallow for soybean in dry land. Period of fallow was determined by using agroclimate analysis such as water satisfaction index (WSI). WSI required daily climate data, soil and agronomy parameter to calculte ETR/ETM fluctuation . Agroecology and soybean yield data were collected from October 2003 to February 2004 in Pondok Village, Ngadirejo Sub-District, Wonogiri District and in Pojok Village, Nogosari Sub-District, Boyolali District . Fallow period was analyzed using CWB-ETo, a daily water balance software developed by IAHRI based on FAO method. WSI was calculated for El-Nino and La-Nina years to determine planting period. The result showed that fallow period were different between locations due to soil and climate variability. The longest fallow period is Blora District from Januri III to October II. While the shortest fallow period are Semarang and Magelang.


This paper presents a cooperative multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) scheme for a wireless sensor network consisting of inexpensive nodes, organised in clusters and transmitting data towards sinks. The transmission is affected by hardware imperfections, imperfect synchronisation, data correlation among nodes of the same cluster, channel estimation errors and interference among nodes of different clusters. Within this setting, we are interested in determining the number of nodes per cluster that maximises the energy efficiency of the network. The analysis is conducted in the asymptotic regime in which the number N of sensor nodes per cluster grows large without bound. Numerical results are used to validate the asymptotic analysis in the finite system regime and to investigate different configurations. It turns out that the optimum number of sensor nodes per cluster increases with the inter-cluster interference and with the number of sinks.


The Spanish televising scene is, at the present time, the center of a social and cultural discussion.Before the critic carried out towards as daily means as it is it the television, are many, (including the hearing), those that demand a reform that structures all the televising scene with the purpose of constructing an educative television and of quality.

But, what it is happening from the point of view of the own television networks before the critical panorama which they face?. Which is its reaction, its strategies and their techniques to create a positive image of the own means and, most important, to transmit it to the spectator and to seduce to him?.

The television networks have chosen to reframe their identity to reform the image that grant to the hearing. They have begun to be unmarked, to create a differentiating positioning before a hearing that every day is more demanding due to the supply that the technology offers to him. One of the most effective instruments fortify a position, to consolidate a position of the television companies before a heterogenous and more and more complex hearing, is the development of the televising continuity, with peculiar discursivas forms like cardboards of continuity, self-promotions, heads of programs, syntonies, bursts, etc., that contribute to fix the image of mark of the different companies, before the eyes of the spectator.

This communication will be placed in the plane of the televisions like organizations to reflect from the side of televising means before the emergent problems, and to analyze the methods that are carrying out the different chains to create that positioning that differentiates from the others, centering to us in the autopromociones like the used advertising tool more, nowadays, by the television networks. The transmitted values, the corporative image and communicative identity and, really, all those aspects that in the autopromociones are expressed, will be analyzed to be able to understand the reactions caused by the chains of the Spanish televising panorama.

In sum: 20 seconds of publicity of self-promotion so that a chain can transmit a new image, full of positive values for a society that, nowadays, questions own televising means, that is to say, to analyze how the televising means make use of its own channel to trasmitir and to create value of mark.


This final chapter addresses a really big question: are international relations heading towards order or chaos? To answer this question, it interrogates the different IR theories presented in previous chapters. An initial section provides a conceptual map, based on a review of different understandings of the concept of world order. The chapter proceeds by discussing the effect of the rise of authoritarian power such as China, new challenges in established democracies, fragile states in the Global South, and the governance provided by international institutions. The chapter ends by arguing that the glass is at the same time half-full and half-empty: the world faces new and formidable challenges and we are very far from meeting current aspirations for world order; at the same time, global relations are much more ordered than they used to be just a few generations ago—and things are far better than many pessimists claim.


The present study aimed at investigating the relationship between organizational trust and organizational commitment in staff. Eighty-four persons from 101 staff of department of Sports and Youth in the province of Mazandaran responded to two questionnaires of "Organizational Trust Inventory (OTI)" developed by Shockley-Zalaba, Ellis, and Winograd (2000) and "Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ)" developed by Allen and Meyer (1990). The reliability analysis of questionnaires for OTI, and OCQ were reported ɑ = 0.92 and ɑ = 0.82, respectively based on Cronbach's alpha measure. Results revealed that there is a positive and significant relationship between organizational trust and organizational commitment (r = 0.573, p = 0.001), affective commitment (r = 0.54, p = 0.001), task commitment is (r = 0.345, p = 0.001). But the positive relationship between organizational trust and continuous commitment (r = 0.202) wasn't significant (p = 0.066). In conclusion, it is suggested that managers should create trust of staff in order to increase its organizational commitment.