"This book dispels the myths surrounding the process of starting a business, and gives hope and encouragement to people who would like to give it a try."-Tim Berry, Founder and CEO, Palo Alto Software Creators of the World's Most Popular"Bruce Barringer and Duane Ireland's new book, What's Stopping You? is an insightful and thought-provoking examination of nine common myths that discourage individuals from starting new businesses. ... This book is much-needed and long overdue.... The value of What's Stopping You? is that it effectively debunks the false premises that too often preclude acts of business start up. What's Stopping You? is an encouraging, instructive, and eloquently written book that would be a valuable addition to any aspiring entrepreneur's bookshelf."Jeffrey G. Covin, Samuel and Pauline Glaubinger Professor of Entrepreneurship, Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana"Over the years I have observed many seemingly great business opportunities never get off the ground. Quite often, what holds these aspiring entrepreneurs back are common misconceptions about the difficulties and risks of starting a new business. In What's Stopping You?, Professors Barringer and Ireland systematically break down the myths that hold many entrepreneurs back from pursuing their dreams."Jeffrey R. Cornwall, The Jack C. Massey Chair in Entrepreneurship, Belmont University, Nashville, Tennessee"Barringer and Ireland simultaneously demystify start-up misconceptions and empower readers to explore their own opportunity with renewed passion. Many prospective entrepreneurs feel trapped by myths, the authors carefully detail the myth's fallacies and encourage the reader to see beyond start-up stereotypes. Future and experienced entrepreneurs have much to learn from What's Stopping You?"Sarah Schupp, Founder/CEO, University Parent Media, Boulder, Colorado"Creating your own business from scratch can be a mental, emotional, and financial roller coaster ride. Bruce Barringer and Duane Ireland's book provides a 'voice of reason' and helps give you the confidence to realize you can do it. They recognize that starting a business is hard work, but that it is attainable-and that you should celebrate your accomplishments every step of the way."Jan Stephenson Kelly, Cofounder/CEO, Spark Craft Studios, Cambridge, MABusiness Plan Software Follow Your Dream! Start Your Own Winning Businessi¾–Now!·Get past the myths that keep you from making the leap·Gain the practical skills and confidence you need to succeed·Quickly evaluate business ideas and pick a winner·Launch your company and watch it grow and profitBuild the business you've always dreamed of! Take control of your future and achieve the breakthrough success that's only possible when you're working for yourself. You can do it-and this book will show you how.Forget the myths that have been standing in your way. You don't need to be rich. You don't need extensive business experience. You don't need to be a genius. You don't need a revolutionary product or service. You can handle the risk, the competition, and the challenges.The proof's on every page of this book: case studies of "ordinary" people building great businesses and practical techniques you can use, too-every step of the way!


Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac has enthralled generations of nature lovers and conservationists and is indeed revered by everyone seriously interested in protecting the natural world. Hailed for prose that is "full of beauty and vigor and bite" (The New York Times), it is perhaps the finest example of nature writing since Thoreau's Walden. Now this classic work is available in a completely redesigned and lavishly illustrated gift edition, featuring over one hundred beautiful full-color pictures by Michael Sewell, one of the country's leading nature photographers. Sewell, whose work has graced the pages of Audubon and Sierra magazines, walked Leopold's property in Wisconsin and shot these photographs specifically for this edition, allowing readers to see Sand County as Leopold saw it. The resulting layout is spectacular. But the heart of the book remains Leopold's carefully rendered observations of nature. Here we follow Leopold throughout the year, from January to December, as he walks about the rural Wisconsin landscape, watching a woodcock dance skyward in golden afternoon light, or spying a rough-legged hawk dropping like a feathered bomb on its prey. And perhaps most important are Leopold's trenchant comments throughout the book on our abuse of the land and on what we must do to preserve this invaluable treasure. This edition also includes two of Leopold's most eloquent essays on conservation, "The Land Ethic" and "Marshland Elegy." With this gift edition of A Sand County Almanac, a new generation of readers can walk beside one of America's most respected naturalists as he conveys the beauty of a marsh before sunrise or the wealth of history to be found in an ancient oak.


The concept of "corrective justice" has figured prominently in debates over the formal structure and normative commitments of private law — especially tort law — over the past generation. This chapter organizes those debates around two very different conceptions of the role and significance of corrective justice in private law, especially tort law. One conception sees corrective justice as "sovereign" the other sees it as "subordinate". On a subordinate conception, corrective justice is an aspect of the institution of tort law and it must be accounted for by an adequate theory of tort. On a sovereign conception, corrective justice is the master concept of tort law; it does the explaining. In the disciplinary battles of the past few decades, economically inclined theorists of tort — especially Richard Posner — have conceived of corrective justice as subordinate whereas philosophically inclined theorists have taken it to be sovereign. The thought behind the subordinate conception is obvious enough. Ordinary tort adjudication does corrective justice; a theory of tort worthy of the name ought to explain way. The argument for the sovereignty of corrective justice is less obvious. It grows out of a critique of the economic analysis of tort developed by Jules Coleman and Ernest Weinrib. In a nutshell, they argue that corrective justice is a backwards-looking practice and is therefore poorly explained by the forward-looking logic of economic analysis.

On their face, the central concepts of negligence law — duty, breach, harm, actual and proximate cause — hang together to articulate a relationship of right and responsibility between victim and injurer. Breach of duty is a reason to hold a defendant responsible for harm done to a victim by the breach of that duty. Tort law looks backwards toward the past interactions of the parties in order to determine if the defendant should be held responsible for the plaintiff's injury. For orthodox economic analysis, however, liability is not imposed because the defendant breached a duty of care and was the actual and proximate cause of harm done. Liability is imposed when and because we rightly conclude that the imposition of liability for past harm will induce optimal prevention of accidental harm going forward. For economics, the concepts of duty, breach, actual and proximate cause, and harm are not the real grounds of liability. They are evidentiary markers that do a respectable job of identifying cheapest cost-avoiders going forward.

This chapter argues that the corrective justice critique of economic analysis is powerful, but that the conclusion that corrective justice is the sovereign principle of tort, and perhaps even private law more generally, is not. Corrective justice in tort looks back to the violation of tort law's primary norms. Those norms, and the values they seek to institute, deserve to be at the center of our understanding of the field. For the economic analysis of tort, the path forward may lie in moving towards the kind of indirect account of the institution now familiar in property scholarship. Such an account would give due recognition to the norms that figure prominently in tort adjudication, and seek to show how the institution as a whole is justified by its desirable consequences.


Aims: To investigate the effect of methotrexate and soy isoflavones genistein and daidzein on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell viability. Study Design: In-vitro study using cultured cellsPlace and Duration of Study: Nutrition Innovations Centre for Food & Health (NICHE), School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, data collected September 2014-2015.Methods: Human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells were cultured in DMEM (with 10% FBS, 1% Pen strep) and treated with methotrexate, genistein or daidzein for 72 hrs. Combinations treatments used non-fixed ratios of methotrexate (0-100 μM) and genistein or daidzein (30 μM) with cell viability monitored using the MTT assay. Results: The 50% effect dose (EC50) was 44.7±6.4 μM for methotrexate, 55.8±3.9 μM for genistein or 67.4±12.2 μM for daidzein. Combination treatments with genistein or daidzein produced EC50 of 57.6±2.0 or 29.7±2.4 μM for methotrexate, respectively. The combination index (CI) was 1.9 for methotrexate-genistein whilst CI was 1.1 for methotrexate-daidzein near the median dose. Values for CI decreased from 5.0 towards 1.0 as the ratio of methotrexate: isoflavone increased. The results are discussed in terms of prevailing ideas concerning how phytochemicals affects drug adsorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) and the expected consequences for cytotoxicity.Conclusions: Treatment of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells with methotrexate and genistein or daidzein produces interactions consistent with antagonism (CI =1.1-5.0) but the effects are predicted to diminish with rising methotrexate to isoflavone ratio.


Using a rich longitudinal dataset built by merging administrative and survey data, this article contributes to the literature on intergenerational inequality by providing the first reliable estimate of the intergenerational earnings elasticity (IGE) in Italy based on actual father-son pairs and by comparing the size of the lifecycle bias when sons are selected by age or by potential experience (i.e., the distance from the year they ended their studies). Our findings confirm that Italy is a low-mobility country because in our baseline estimates, the IGE at sons' potential experience level 6 is approximately 0.40 and is robust to various measures of fathers' lifetime earnings. However, our results might be downward biased by the young age of sons. To measure the lifecycle bias and correct the IGE estimates, we run the "forward regression" of yearly earnings on lifetime earnings on a sample of workers followed for 30 years. We find that selecting sons by potential experience rather than by age reduces the lifecycle bias at young ages and that the "corrected" IGE is 0.47.


With increasing focus on excellence in research and teaching, the service role of the individual academic is often neglected. This book calls for greater recognition of this important aspect of academic life, highlighting the importance of mentoring, committee work and pastoral care in the daily running of universities. Drawing from extensive examples from models around the world, The Academic Citizen points to the benefits of effective communication with colleagues in the faculty, across the university and in corresponding faculties across the world, as well as those in maintaining positive associations with the wider world.


The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire By Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2013 466 pages $30.00 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This work provides a welcome reappraisal of the British loss of their American colonies, i.e., the American Revolution during 1775-83, in the context of British global strategic decisionmaking. The subject is not new. Author Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy credits Piers Mackesy, The War for America, 1775-1783 (1964, reprinted 1992), on the first page of the Acknowledgment, highlighting Mackesy's belief that the war was winnable but was lost to poor generalship, among other things. O'Shaughnessy states clearly that American victory was not inevitable. It is a somewhat harder task to challenge the conventional wisdom that the British loss was due to "incompetence and mediocre leadership," both political and military. The author packages the monograph in nine biographical chapters, examining ten British leaders at policy, strategic, and theater strategic/operational levels, in sequence: King George III; Lord North as prime minister; the Howe brothers, Admiral Lord Richard and Lieutenant General Sir William; Major General John Burgoyne; Lord George Germain, Secretary of State for the Colonies, a third Secretary of State created in 1768; Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton; Major General Charles, 1st Marquis Cornwallis; Admiral Sir George Rodney; and John Montague, Earl of Sandwich, as First Lord of the Admiralty. The work features senior leaders wrestling with an unprecedented set of problems, in the author's words "obstacles of such magnitude." He explains their decisionmaking in the overall context of the eighteenth century; the nature of the English state, extant political institutions, and their processes; global strategy; and ultimately the nature of the military element of power, land and naval. For example, despite the previously showcased ministry of Sir Robert Walpole in British history, O'Shaughnessy underlines the as-yet evolutionary nature of English government at the time, especially the gradual development of true cabinet government with collective ministerial responsibility. His interpretation is not without controversy, at least insofar as extant practice to ensure political survival resulted in conduct for collective shielding. He believes the "most fundamental miscalculation" of these senior leaders was the belief that Loyalists constituted a majority of the population in America. Moreover, these same leaders did not understand the changes that took place in the war's nature. Its length, seeming without end, increased popular antipathy toward British military presence. Significantly, O'Shaughnessy cites the Declaration of Independence as a seminal document for genuine, revolutionary change: a radical republican creed which beckoned a better future. Furthermore, in current terms, he sees a serious imbalance in ends, ways, and means. He highlights the major aspects of the post-war drawdown after 1748, following the end of the War of Austrian Succession. He concludes that both the Royal Navy and British Army were too small for the task at hand. The latter simply lacked the strength to conquer and occupy the American colonies, especially given the alacrity with which Patriot forces had taken control of established institutions, further underlining Loyalist weaknesses. Multiple demands upon military power exacerbated this imbalance. O'Shaughnessy repeatedly reminds readers to comprehend Britain's global responsibilities. War against the thirteen American colonies occurred with simultaneous concerns for Canada, the Caribbean, India, and Europe itself. These other theaters became ones of pressing urgency with French and others' active intervention in the war from 1778. …


Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users - Reauthorizes the Federal-aid surface transportation program through FY 2009. Reauthorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) specified highway (including highway safety) programs; (2) research and technology; (3) motor carrier safety; and (4) transportation research. Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a National Commission on Future Revenue Sources to Support the HTF. Establishes: (1) a National Commission on the Future of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate Defense Highways; and (2) a Commission on Intelligent Transportation Systems Procurement Policy. Requires States with an urbanized area population of over 200,000 to obligate specified funds for congestion relief. Federal Public Transportation Act of 2004 - Sets forth revised provisions governing public transportation funding and the Secretary's authority to make specified grants, including grants for capital projects, planning, and transit and for commercial driver's license program improvements. Directs the Secretary to establish programs involving: (1) long-term bridge performance; (2) innovative highway safety technologies; (3) freight planning capacity building; (4) freight transportation research; (5) future strategic highway research; (6) surface transportation congestion solutions research; and (7) commercial remote sensing products and spatial information technologies. Intelligent Transportation Systems Act of 2004 - Directs the Secretary to conduct an ongoing intelligent system transportation program to research, develop, and operationally test and advance nationwide deployment of intelligent transportation systems as a component of the U.S. surface transportation systems. Incorporates Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration planning provisions. Reauthorizes the hazardous materials transportation program. Makes the guaranteed funding levels provided under this


Mountain societies in developing and low-income countries are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which may severely threaten their livelihoods and wellbeing. The situation of mountain communities in the Pamir and Tien Shan mountains in Central Asia (CA) is exacerbated by their remote location along with outdated infrastructure, poor access to information and markets, and the region's distinctively continental climate. Assessing the vulnerability of mountain societies in these mountain regions and assisting communities and government to develop adaptation strategies in the light of changing climate is a challenging endeavor that demands thorough understanding of a range of technical and socio-economic parameters. Strengthening research to address climate change challenges in mountainous CA is essential. For this purpose, this Report reviews the state of research on climate change, vulnerabilities, impacts, and adaptation measures, and attempts to identify knowledge gaps as well as opportunities for improving the adaptive capacity of mountain societies in Central Asia. The study also highlights the need to enhance collaboration between research institutes and local communities, governmental and private sectors, development agencies, and civil society, in order to identify and to better understand the barriers and challenges along with promising new opportunities for the development of effective climate change adaptation strategies at local, national, and regional levels in Central Asia.


A study has been carried out in order to investigate the influence of suspension and tyre modelling on the outputs predicted by vehicle handling simulations. The computer models have been generated using data for a Rover vehicle, for which instrumented track test measurements were also available. The results obtained from a high speed lane change manoeuvre have been used as a benchmark for comparison of the various computer modelling strategies. This investigation addresses two main areas. The first of these is the influence of suspension modelling on calculated outputs. The second and more complex area investigates the influence of models representing the effects of the tyres. In each case a primary aim has been to assess the accuracy of models which use a simplified approach, reduce the number of model parameters and may hence be more amenable to vehicle and tyre design studies. Comparison of the results from this study indicate that for quite an extreme manoeuvre a relatively simple vehicle and tyre model can be used to carry out a simulation with a good level of accuracy. A sensitivity study has also been carried out to illustrate how the models respond to design changes for both vehicle and tyre parameters. The multibody systems analysis program ADAMS (Automatic Dynamic Analysis of Mechanical Systems) has been used to generate the models, formulate and solve the equations of motion, and postprocess the results. An initial literature survey has been carried out investigating this analysis discipline and its usage in vehicle dynamics. Previous work in the areas of vehicle handling simulation, tyre theory, and computer modelling of both vehicles and tyres has also been studied. Initial investigations have been carried out looking at the modelling of the suspension systems and the steering system. Information from this phase has been used to provide inputs for a set of four full vehicle models ranging in complexity from a model where the suspensions are treated as lumped masses, a model where the suspensions are treated as swing arms, a model based on roll stiffness and a fmal detailed model which represents the suspension linkages as fitted on the vehicle. Of the three simple models it will be shown that the roll stiffness model is most suitable for further comparisons with the detailed linkage model, where aspects of tyre modelling are considered. Tyre testing has been carried out at SP Tyres UK Ltd. and at Coventry University. A set of FORTRAN subroutines, which interface with ADAMS, has been developed in association with a computer model of a tyre test rig to represent and validate the various tyre models. The provision of these tools forms part of a new system developed during this study and is referred to as the CUTyre System due to its origins at Coventry University. The tyre models compared include a well known and accurate model which requires up to fifty model parameters and a more simple model requiring only ten parameters. An interpolation method is also used as a benchmark for the comparisons. To the author's knowledge the work described in this thesis can be considered to make an original contribution to the body of knowledge involving the application of multibody systems analysis in vehicle dynamics by: (i) Providing a detailed comparison of vehicle suspension modelling strategies with the ADAMS program. (ii) Developing a tyre modelling and validation tool which can interface directly with the ADAMS software. (iii) Providing a comparison between a sophisticated and a simple tyre model in ADAMS. Of particular significance is the assessment of the influence of the tyre models on simulation outputs and not just the shape of the tyre force and moment curves.


The aim of this research is to investigate primary school teacher's organizational learning experiences and their thoughts about these experiences. In order to realize this aim, educational practices, supportive leadership, communication and education technology, information sharing and cooperation dimensions of organizational learning are analyzed in terms of teachers' perceptions. When we evaluate research findings, teachers' perceptions about organizational learning differ meaningfully according to the teacher's age and their tenure of office. It can be asserted that we can develop schools' organizational learning ability only if we create systems which make easy and support managers', teachers', students', parents' and other education workers' learning course. The results of this study showed that teachers' perceptions about organizational learning differ according to managers' use of managerial power in change applications, teacher's liability to the team work and whether technological advancements is followed or not. The findings of the research also sign the importance of collective learning and application in order to realize organizational learning. When we look at the research findings, it can be asserted that motivating individuals in schools to work and learn collaboratively and to follow technological advancements about education can be effective in transforming schools to learning organizations.


ABSTRACT Objectives: Clinically pre-hypertensive adults are at a greater risk of developing hypertension, stiffened arteries, and other cardiovascular risks. Endurance exercise training has been shown to improve elevated resting blood pressure and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. However, a primary barrier preventing individuals from engaging in regular physical activity is a lack of time. The purpose of our study was to determine if a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) protocol would be as effective as continuous aerobic endurance training (ET) on resting blood pressure in pre-hypertensive participants. Additionally, this study investigated the effects of HIIT vs. ET on CRP. Methods: Twelve pre-hypertensive participants (33.3±6.1 yrs; 3M/9W) participated in 8 weeks of cycle ergometer exercise training. The ET exercised for 30 continuous min/day, 4 days/week at 40% reserve. The HIIT exercised at a 1:1 work-to-rest for 20 min/day, 3 days/week at 60% peak power. Resting mean arterial pressure and CRP were compared throughout the study. Results: Both groups showed decreases (p<0.001) in mean arterial pressure (ET: -11.5 ± 5.9 mmHg; HIIT: -8.6 ± 4.8 mmHg) following the 8 weeks. For CRP, there was a significant decrease (p=0.014) as a main effect of time. increased (p<0.001) approximately 25% for both HIIT and ET. Conclusion: These preliminary data suggest HIIT and ET similarly decreased resting blood pressure and increased .


ABSTRACT The low gradient east Texas coast and inner-continental shelf, from Sabine Lake at the Texas-Louisiana border to the western end of Galveston Island, experienced extreme along-strike variations in rates of Holocene coastal retreat. Around 7.7 ka a barrier shoreline was located approximately 55 km offshore. Toward the western end of Galveston Island, the shoreline retreated 55 km, occupying a position on the lagoon side of the Island by about 5.3 ka. Toward the Texas-Louisiana border, the shoreline retreated more gradually, occupying a position seaward of Sabine Bank by 5.3 ka. Between 4.7 ka and 2.8 ka the shoreline at Sabine Bank retreated 30 km, while Galveston Island prograded seaward. Bolivar Peninsula began to accrete around 1.5 ka. Heald and Sabine banks, located on the inner continental shelf above terraced fluvial deposits of the Trinity-Sabine incised valley, are the only preserved remnants of these former shoreline positions. Fluctuating rates of sea-level rise were not the forcing mechanism behind episodes of rapid shoreline retreat because these events were localized. Rather, along-strike variations in the rate of transgression were caused by the variable inner-shelf gradients, which increase towards the west, and the orientation of the Sabine incised valley and associated terraced fluvial deposits, which trend northeast-southwest (parallel to shore). As shorelines retreated over fluvial deposits, these served as local sand sources that enabled barrier islands to persist Figure 1. Map of the east Texas inner shelf showing locations of Sabine, Heald, and Shepard banks. Paleotopographic map of the Pleistocene surface (thin contours; Siringan 1993) delineates the Trinity-Sabine incised valley, which formed during the last lowstand of sea level (Thomas and Anderson 1994). Bathymetric contours are shown as thick lines with bold numbers. Dots are core locations. End_Page 405------------------------ offshore, out of equilibrium with sea level. Once these sand sources became depleted, and/or sea level reached some critical threshold, barrier shorelines became stranded offshore as banks, and new shorelines formed landward. The geologic setting of coastal areas, specifically antecedent topography, plays a primary role in controlling coastal evolution. To accurately forecast long-term (centennial to millennial) coastal evolution, it is essential that impacts associated with variations in the underlying geology of coastal areas be incorporated into coastal forecasting models.


High mountain habitats of Bosnia and Herzegovina are often isolated and difficult to access. That is why to this day, the dragonfly fauna of the mountain region in BiH remained almost entirely unexplored. The aim of this study was to present the first overview of the dragonfly fauna of Zelengora Mt. and the National Park Sutjeska, the area which includes some of the most important habitats of these insects in the country. This paper is a result of the authors' research combined with the analysis of existing data. The dragonfly (Odonata) fauna of Zelengora Mt. and NP Sutjeska consists of a total of 35 species, representing 55% of the fauna of this insect order in BiH. Together with data obtained with the studies in 2015 and 2016, this paper also includes unpublished data collected by the authors between 2009 and 2014, literature data and the data from the collections of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. A total of 457 records from 53 sites were collected and over 76% of these represent new data. According to the number of sites inhabited by a single species, the most numerous are: Cordulegaster bidentata Selys, 1843 (recorded at 26 sites), Cordulia aenea (Linnaeus, 1758) (23 sites), Aeshna grandis (Linnaeus, 1758) (15 sites), Libellula quadrimaculata Linnaeus, 1758 (15 sites) and Enallagma cyathigerum (Charpentier, 1840) (14 sites). The following localities were inhabited by the highest number of species: Orlovacko Lake (22 species), Gornje Bare Lake (20 species) and Donje Bare Lake (19 species), where also the highest number of threatened and endangered species was recorded. The most important recorded species were: Coenagrion scitulum (Rambur, 1842), Coenagrion hastulatum (Charpentier, 1825), A. grandis, Aeshna juncea (Linnaeus, 1758), Somatochlora metallica (Vander Linden, 1825), Cordulegaster heros Theischinger, 1979, C. bidentata and Sympetrum flaveolum (Linnaeus, 1758). For relict species C. hastulatum and S. metallica, mountain lakes of Zelengora Mt. are the only known habitat in Bosnia and Herzegovina so far. Additionally, these lakes were determined as the most important habitats in the country for A. grandis and A. juncea. Among the registered species, 30 species are included in the Red list of protected species in Republic of Srpska. Additionally, we have recorded all three dragonfly species listed on the Red list of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Moreover, C. heros is listed in Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive of the European Union and as vulnerable (VU) species on the Mediterranean Red list.


Hypoxia has been implicated in nerve cell deaths in many neurological disorders and opioid receptor agonists have some positive benefits on the nervous system. The aim of the present work was to investigate the effects of hypoxia and opioid receptor agonists' treatment on the morphology of B50 cells cultured in hypoxia using neuronal pattern and pattern formation as a case study. The B50 cells were cultured in normal incubator (21%O2; 5% CO2) as the control group and hypoxic incubator (5%O2; 5% CO2) as the experimental group and three opioid receptor agonists namely DAMGO (μ), DSLET (δ) and ICI-199,441 (κ) were administered to the cells for 48 hours as treatment against hypoxia after 48 hours of culture at 10μM, 50μM and 100μM concentrations. Neuronal morphology and wellbeing was assessed using same field morphological assessment and lactate dehydrogenase leakage (LDH). The result showed groups of dead and degenerating B50 neuronal cells, altered neuronal pattern and pattern formation and some significant changes (P<0.05) in cellular levels of LDH leakage in normal, hypoxic cells and cells treated with different agonists. The changes in morphology, neuronal pattern and LDH release indicate that hypoxia induced morphological and cellular changes in B50 cells in hypoxia and opioid agonists have some potential benefits in the treatment of hypoxia-induced changes in B50 cells in culture.


The standard notion of a randomness extractor is a procedure which converts any weak source of randomness into an almost uniform distribution. The conversion necessarily uses a small amount of pure randomness, which can be eliminated by complete enumeration in some, but not all, applications. We consider the problem of deterministically converting a weak source of randomness into an almost uniform distribution. Previously, deterministic extraction procedures were known only for sources satisfying strong independence requirements. We look at sources which are samplable, i.e. can be generated by an efficient sampling algorithm. We seek an efficient deterministic procedure that, given a sample from any samplable distribution of sufficiently large min-entropy, gives an almost uniformly distributed output. We explore the conditions under which such deterministic extractors exist. We observe that no deterministic extractor exists if the sampler is allowed to use more computational resources than the extractor. On the other hand, if the extractor is allowed (polynomially) more resources than the sampler, we show that deterministic extraction becomes possible. This is true unconditionally in the nonuniform setting (i.e., when the extractor can be computed by a small circuit), and (necessarily) relies on complexity assumptions in the uniform setting.


Excerpt] Although it has taken almost a decade to gain formal recognition, it has finally happened. In February, 1985 the AFL-CIO announced its endorsement of corporate campaigns, and encouraged affiliates to consider their use more aggressively and more often. The endorsement appeared in The Changing Situation of Workers and Their Unions, a report prepared by AFL-CIO Committee on the Evolution of Work. While it is encouraging that the AFL-CIO has endorsed the concept, it also sends off alarms for those who have been involved in campaigns. The alarm sounds for the issue of "timeliness" in initiating corporate campaigns, and for the understanding of the time, commitment and resources necessary to assess, develop and implement them. Most campaigns have been initiated as a form of strike assistance or in response to a crisis, such as plant closures, runaway shops or union-busting. While corporate campaigns can be useful in these situations, their potential is maximized when used to bolster organizing drives or the collective bargaining process. The arguments for initiating a campaign prior to a strike or crisis are logical. A corporate campaign gives unions the power to put a company on the defensive by isolating it from the rest of its business, political and social communities. The sooner this process is set in motion, the greater the potential for averting the crisis or minimizing the damage. Early intervention of a campaign also provides a greater opportunity to build a firm foundation for the union's future. Timing the initiation of a campaign involves more than assessing the potential for a crisis. It also requires an understanding of the time unions need to prepare a campaign that can place the union on the offensive. It takes time to identify the targets and tactics that can accomplish this goal. Thousands of pages of company and government records must be analyzed. The company's community image must be assessed. The local media's treatment of the union and company must be evaluated. The potential for coalition-building must be determined. And hours upon hours of discussion must take place with workers who know best the working conditions, attitudes and practices of the company. It is extremely difficult to accomplish these tasks while responding to the immediate needs of a strike, an impasse in negotiations or a plant closure.


Using panel data from Vietnam, this paper estimates the determinants of consumption growth for the period 2002-04, using a microgrowth model. While controlling for individual heterogeneity, particular attention is devoted to the question of whether geography, broadly defined to include natural and man-made characteristics at the level of the commune, can be responsible for lower growth rates and, consequently, poverty persistence. We find very limited support for this hypothesis. Neither public nor private investment at commune levels seem to have, per se, a significant effect on growth. However, local poverty rate does have an important, nonlinear, relation with growth rate of consumption at individual level, suggesting the importance of local externalities in this process. The policy implications of this finding are discussed.


Patients with asthma who do not adhere to treatment may experience poor control, and subsequently need greater healthcare. In a post-hoc analysis, we studied relationships between treatment adherence, asthma control, beliefs about medication, treatment intrusiveness, healthcare seeking and preference for OD vs BD maintenance medication using validated scales (Medication Adherence Report Scale [MARS], Asthma Control Test [ACT], Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire-Necessity Concerns Differential [BMQ-NCD], Asthma Treatment Intrusiveness Questionnaire [ATIQ]). Patients were aged 18–55 yrs with self-reported asthma, ≥1 maintenance medications, recruited from 5 European countries (N=1010). Asthma was poorly controlled or uncontrolled in 46.1% of patients (ACT≤15); median MARS score=3.40, showed that most patients reported some nonadherence. Most patients (73.5%) preferred OD medication that was as effective as their current medication over a slightly more effective BD medication. Self-reported nonadherence was associated with poorer asthma control (r=0.262, p<0.001) and increased HCP visits (r=–0.075, p<0.05). Nonadherence (MARS) and preference for OD treatment were associated with perceptions of treatment (BMQ-NCD) and treatment intrusiveness (ATIQ; Table).
 Results suggest a complex inter-relationship between patients9 beliefs about medication, intrusiveness, treatment adherence and preference for OD vs BD maintenance medication that all impact asthma control, and should be considered when evaluating treatment options. Funded by GSK (GHO-10-4705).


Abstract Believing that they had interesting stories to tell, Celeste Callahan and Dottie Dorion set out in 2013 to write a dual memoir that documented the expansion of their sporting experiences as American women who had grown up, studied, and started families before the passing of Title IX. Much can be learned from the resultant memoir manuscripts. By considering the processes of selective remembering and forgetting apparent in the memoirs, this paper positions the memoirs as constructed narratives. What they had to share neither represented a celebration of change nor stories that might be summed up tritely in terms of empowerment. Instead, this paper proposes that the original memoir manuscripts authored by Celeste Callahan and Dottie Dorion provide evidence that change in women's sports in the second half of the twentieth century resulted, at least in part, from a vast array of personal choices and actions, negotiated, and pursued with determination every day. For Dorion and Callahan, the inevitability of change and its permanence were not guaranteed and the memoirs themselves might be viewed as an expression of their continued commitment to the long-term goal of sporting equality for women.


We show that unexpected changes in the trajectory of COVID-19 infections predict US stock returns, in real time. Parameter estimates indicate that an unanticipated doubling (halving) of projected infections forecasts next-day decreases (increases) in aggregate US market value of 4 to 11 percent, indicating that equity markets may begin to rebound even as infections continue to rise, if the trajectory of the disease becomes less severe than initially anticipated. Using the same variation in unanticipated projected cases, we find that COVID-19-related losses in market value at the firm level rise with capital intensity and leverage, and are deeper in industries more conducive to disease transmission. These relationships provide important insight into current record job losses. Measuring US states' drops in market value as the employment weighted average declines of the industries they produce, we find that states with milder drops in market value exhibit larger initial jobless claims per worker. This initially counter-intuitive result suggests that investors value the relative ease with which labor versus capital costs can be shed as revenues decline.


This book presents a radical new interpretation of Roman expansion in Italy during the fourth and third centuries BCE. Nicola Terrenato argues that the process was accomplished by means of a grand bargain that was negotiated between the landed elites of central and southern Italy, while military conquest played a much smaller role than is usually envisaged. Deploying archaeological, epigraphic, and historical evidence, he paints a picture of the family interactions that tied together both Roman and non-Roman aristocrats and that resulted in their pooling power and resources for the creation of a new political entity. The book is written in accessible language, without technical terms or quotations in Latin, and is heavily illustrated.


The Cooperative Education component of Career Services at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University is undergoing a Business Process Re-engineering to develop the " Best Cooperative Education " program. The components considered in this process are the employers, the students, the staff, and the University faculty. To determine what the students think of the present program and what they might want from an ideal program, a survey was developed and sent to all students currently enrolled in the program and the program participants who graduated in 1996. Participants were surveyed on three different areas: conducting a job search, assessing their experience on the job, and program administration. In addition, they were given the opportunity to comment on why they chose to participate in coop , what the benefits were for participation, and what changes they would like to see in the program. Results of the survey showed that the main reason for choosing to participate in the program was to gain experience of all kinds. This experience included the " real world, " the corporate culture, interpersonal skills, making contacts, having a better sense of self-worth, verifying choice of a major, and making links between classroom learning and on the job experience. Earning money to finance their education was a distant second choice. Increases in the mean responses of questions about the jobs being meaningful, challenging, utilizing skills and abilities, helping in classroom learning, involving well-defined projects, providing a variety of tasks and activities, allowing independent actions, and helping with classroom learning showed that as the students completed more work terms, they more strongly agreed that their job provided these attributes. They believed their colleagues at work were concerned about their professional growth and development and two-thirds would go to work for the company if given an opportunity. Telephone interviews are becoming more popular and should be included in skills-building sessions with prospective coop students, according to the respondents. While most students found their jobs through Career Services and a coop job fair, several departments provided the services in-house for their own students. Suggestions for improving the program clearly revealed that the students expect help and support through the whole process-finding the job, preparing to go to the workplace, and throughout their remaining undergraduate experience whether they are at school or at work. The students' preferences for program services may be difficult to provide within the current department culture where …


Three factors have been suggested to account for the fact that the mammalian foetus, which ordinarily differs from the mother in its genetic constitution, escapes the usual fate of homotransplants and continues to survive and develop in the mother throughout the period of gestation. These are (a) the anatomical separation of the foetus from the mother, (b) the antigenic immaturity of the foetus and (c) the immunological inertness of the mother. The present experiments were designed to assess the importance of the first factor. As a preliminary it was confirmed that the incidence of pregnancy in hybrid matings in rats and rabbits was unaffected by immunizing the female prior to mating with a massive skin homograft from the male. The fate of grafts of limb tissues transplanted from a foetus to its own mother 15 to 16 days after hybrid mating was then studied in both species. It was found that in normal mothers such grafts behaved like typical homografts in non-immunized recipients, whereas in mothers immunized by a skin graft from the male subsequently used for mating the foetal grafts encountered a violent reaction, histologically similar to the reaction which occurs with homografts of adult tissue in immunized hosts. These findings, it is suggested, point to the conclusion that the anatomical separation of mother and foetus is sufficient, and also necessary, to safeguard the mammalian foetus from the immunological hazards of pregnancy.


An analysis of photochemical smog pollution in Jakarta was attempted using data from the existing air quality monitoring stations. Ground-level ozone potential is high in Jakarta due to the high traffic emissions of ozone precursors and the favorable surface meteorological conditions. Despite the frequent missing data during the 1996-1999 monitoring, which resulted in lower ozone values, ozone episodes were significantly recorded in 1997-1998. The number of hours on which ozone concentrations exceed the 1-hour standard (100 ppb) at an ambient station located in Kelapa Gading (10 km northeast of city center) was 186 hrs in 1997 and 571 hrs in 1998. El Nino phenomenon in 1997-1998 had affected the local meteorology leading to more favorable conditions for photochemical production of ozone. The annual ozone averages in ambient stations located off the city center have exceeded the 1-year standard limit (15 ppb). Although the annual average and 95-percentile values indicated an increasing trend from 1996 to 1998, the trend remains to be seen in the future as more complete data could be expected from the new monitoring system. The number of hours on which ozone exceed the 1-hour standard and the annual average tend to be increasing since 2001 to 2002 in all 3 newly operated stations. The seasonal variations of ozone indicate that ozone level is highest in the dry season (September-November) and is lowest in the wet season (December-March). Correlation between ozone level and meteorological attributes (solar radiation, relative humidity and temperature) was significant at 0.01 confidence level. The diurnal cycle of ozone and its precursors is clearly shown and is typical for polluted urban areas. Improvement of the database of air quality monitoring is very critical for Jakarta. Through better database management, the development and monitoring of cost-effective air pollution control strategy can be made.


The paper alludes to the study of how humans relocate themselves with cultural practice and its particular axiom, which embrace the meaning and value of how material and intellectual resource are embedded in culture. The study stimulates the cultural anthropology of the Bengali (Indo-Aryan, Eastern India) diaspora in Kerala (South India) that is dynamic and which keeps changing with the environment, keeping in mind a constant examination of group rituals, traditions, eating habits and communication. Languages are always in a state of flux, as are societies, and society contains customs and practices, beliefs, attitudes, way of life and the way people organize themselves as a group. The study scrutinizes the relationship between language and culture of Bengali people while fraternizing with Malayalee which encapsulates cultural knowledge and locates this in the interactions among members of varied cultural groups across time and space. This is influenced by that Bengali diasporic people change across generations owing to cultural gaps and remodeling of language and culture. The study investigates how a social group, having different cultural habits, manages time and space of a new and diverse sociopolitical situation. Moreover, it also investigates the language behaviour of the Bengali diaspora in Kerala by analyzing the linguistic features of Malayalam (Dravidian) spoken, such as how they express their cultural codes in different spatiotemporal conditions and their lexical choice in those situations.


Title of Dissertation: EMBEDDED SYSTEM FOR CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL TRACKING USING COMBINATION OF RADIO FREQUENCY AND ULTRASOUND SIGNAL Won Suk Jang, Doctor of Philosophy, 2007 Dissertation Directed by: Professor, Mirosław J. Skibniewski Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering This study created a framework for integrating the latest innovations in wireless sensor network that automate tracking and monitoring construction assets, e.g. equipment, materials, and labor in construction sites. This research constitutes one of the few studies to incorporate emerging information and sensor network technologies with the construction industry, which has been slow to migrate away from legacy processes. The presented research works introduce a new prototype framework of an automated tracking system that will address the needed shift from the time-and laborintensive legacy systems to sensorand network-based collaboration and communication systems for construction processes. Software and hardware architecture for the new tracking system was developed using the combination of ultrasound and radio signals. By embedding the external ultrasound device with a MICAZ platform, enhancements to networking flexibility and wireless communication was observed over the previous technologies used in the construction material tracking systems. Feasibility study and testbed experiment on the position estimation were implemented to verify the localization algorithm presented in this dissertation. Cost benefit analysis based on quantitative approach implied that the presented framework can save the implementation cost of material tracking by up to 64 percent in a typical construction project. In addition to cost savings, the use of sensor-based tracking system can provide the intangible, comprehensive benefits in communication, labor utilization, document management, and resource management. It is hoped that the present work will describe a system that can effectively be used in a range of applications for tracking and monitoring purposes and will present a clear path that engineers can take to use existing wireless sensor technology in their particular applications. The cost of such hardware will decrease rapidly, thereby permitting large numbers of application scenarios to be possible in many construction sites with improved energy consumption, hardware performance, durability, and safety. EMBEDDED SYSTEM FOR CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL TRACKING USING COMBINATION OF RADIO FREQUENCY AND ULTRASOUND SIGNAL


Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is known to be involved in the pathogenesis of various inflammatory diseases, but its role in bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung injury and subsequent fibrotic changes remains to be determined. We evaluated the role of IL-6 in the lung inflammatory changes induced by BLM using wild-type (WT) and IL-6-deficient (IL-6(-/-)) mice. The mice were treated intratracheally with 1 mg/kg BLM and killed 2, 7, or 21 days later. Lung Inflammation in the acute phase (Days 2 and 7) was assessed by differential cell counts in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and cytokine levels in the lung. Lung fibrotic changes were evaluated on Day 21 by histopathology and collagen assay. On Day 2, BLM administration induced significant increases in the numbers of total cells, macrophages, and neutrophils in BAL fluid, which were attenuated in IL-6(-/-) mice (P < 0.05). Lung pathology also showed inflammatory cell accumulation, which was attenuated in the IL-6(-/-) mice compared with WT mice. In WT mice, elevated levels of TGF-beta(1) and CCL3 were observed 2 and 7 days after BLM challenge, respectively. On Day 7, BLM-induced inflammatory cell accumulation did not differ between the genotypes. Lung pathology 21 days after BLM challenge revealed significant fibrotic changes with increased collagen content, which was attenuated in IL-6(-/-) mice. Although the TGF-beta(1) level in the lung did not differ between the genotypes on Day 21, CCL3 was significantly lower in IL-6(-/-) mice. These results indicate that IL-6 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of BLM-induced lung injury and subsequent fibrotic changes.


Aim We aimed to review the biomechanics of lower limb injuries caused by frontal-impact road traffic collisions. Methods In this narrative review, we identified articles through pubmed, Scopus and Science Direct search engines for the period of 1990–2014. Search terms included: "biomechanics", "lower limb injury", "hip injury", "knee injury", "foot and ankle injury" and "frontal impact collision". We studied factors affecting the anatomical site, frequency and severity of the injuries. Results The most common reported mechanisms of injury were: the impaction of the knee with the dashboard resulting in acetabular fracture or posterior hip dislocation; and toepan intrusion in combination with forceful application of the brake resulting in foot and ankle fractures. The probability of an occupant sustaining significant injury to the hip is increased in taller males, and being out of position during the collision. The probability of an occupant sustaining a fracture to the foot and ankle is increased in shorter female occupants with a large overlap impact or a near oblique collision. Conclusion Understanding the biomechanics of frontal-impact road traffic collisions is useful in alerting clinicians to the potential lower limb injuries sustained in these collisions.


In this Article, we present data on legal elites in Japan - legally trained university graduates poised to pursue successful careers either as fast-track bureaucrats or lawyers handling sophisticated business transactions. The data show a marked shift in employment patterns over the past decade: increasingly, Japan's most elite university graduates are forsaking the bureaucracy for law. We find that changes in Japan's underlying economic, political, and legal institutions are a primary cause of this shift. We argue that this trend is not a temporary phenomenon, but reflects a more fundamental transfer of authority in Japan from the bureaucracy to the legal system. The evidence sheds new light on two longstanding debates: the impact of law and lawyers on economic success, and the bureaucracy's role in the governance of the Japanese economy. The data we examine are hard to square with the widespread view of Japan as "Exhibit A" for the proposition that societies encourage economic growth by steering their most talented youth away from "redistributive legal careers." Rather, the data indicate that in Japan (as elsewhere), talented college graduates pursue positions of power, prestige, and profit. While those positions were once located in the elite economic bureaucracy, they are now migrating to the legal system. Contrary to the evidence of stagnation in the economic and policy environments flowing out of Japan in recent years, close examination of the career choices of Japan's most highly regarded youth reveals a society in transition.


Propagation of surface plasmons on gold in the range 2.8-3.5 eV over 0.1-1.6 μm distances was characterized by cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. Surface plasmons were excited by an electron beam near a grating milled in the gold. The spectra of outcoupled radiation reveal increasingly strong propagation losses as surface plasmon energy increases above 2.8 eV, but little effect in the range 1.6-2.8 eV. These results are in partial agreement with theoretical expectations.


This article offers an argument as to why the margin of appreciation is not an answer to the gay marriage debate. This is both of domestic importance due to upcoming legislative proposals on the issue as well of European and international importance given the demands of globalisation and the growing number of international families. In the leading case of Schalk and Kopf v Austria the European Court of Human Rights relied on the concept of the margin of appreciation in refusing to find any violation of the European Convention on Human Rights where Austria had not provided for same-sex marriage. However, reliance on this concept is unhelpful as it lacks clarity, meaning that the European Court of Human Rights has not investigated the reasons behind States Parties' decisions on the issue of gay marriage. This article demonstrates by way of case analysis that this could mean that States Parties are acting both in relation to their legislation and their judicial supervision of statutes on the basis of erroneous or even discriminatory reasons.


Recent technological developments have increased the need for a restatement of some of the prescriptive concepts in labour law, consumer law, completion law, contract law as well as in other areas. Many researchers have increased their scrutiny of these concepts, and for this special issue of the Nordic Journal of Commercial Law, this article tries to deal with what might be an overarching legal issue - the issue of where to solve potential disputes. This paper is both investigative and exploratory in nature. Using doctrinal research method, and two examples, the author examines the possible legal approaches to disputes arising from work contracts entered into by individuals and platform companies. The analysis of two different jurisdictional clauses takes into account the character of the subject in the main contract, and finds potential difficulties and consequences in applying the current PIL regime to the sui generis contracts of the platform economy. Following the conclusions, while based on inductive reasoning, it could be hypothesized that there is a need for a restatement of some concepts in PIL. This paper argues, based on two examples, that jurisdictional agreements in platform work contracts, and the rules governing them, cause uncertainty and unpredictability. Further studies need to be done to support this.


Using the Spitzer Space Telescope, we have observed 90 weak-line and classical T Tauri stars in the vicinity of the Ophiuchus, Lupus, Chamaeleon, and Taurus star-forming regions as part of the Cores to Disks (c2d) Spitzer Legacy project. In addition to the Spitzer data, we have obtained contemporaneous optical photometry to assist in constructing spectral energy distributions. These objects were specifically chosen as solar-type young stars with low levels of Hα emission, strong X-ray emission, and lithium absorption, i.e., weak-line T Tauri stars, most of which were undetected in the mid- to far-IR by the IRAS survey. Weak-line T Tauri stars are potentially extremely important objects in determining the timescale over which disk evolution may take place. Our objective is to determine whether these young stars are diskless or have remnant disks that are below the detection threshold of previous infrared missions. We find that only 5/83 weak-line T Tauri stars have detectable excess emission between 3.6 and 70 μm, which would indicate the presence of dust from the inner few tenths of an AU out to the planet-forming regions a few tens of AU from the star. Of these sources, two have small excesses at 24 μm consistent with optically thin disks; the others have optically thick disks already detected by previous IR surveys. All of the seven classical T Tauri stars show excess emission at 24 and 70 μm although their properties vary at shorter wavelengths. Our initial results show that disks are rare among young stars selected for their weak Hα emission.


In this paper, the strength and stiffness of different roof structures has been investigated, in order to establish their ability to act as in-plane diaphragms for stressed skin design. A total of 10 roof panels were examined by testing with shear connectors placed along the rafters. In each test set-up, the roof was constructed using top-hat purlins and standard sheeting profiles or composite panels. Different types of roofs, such as single and double skin, have been investigated, all using top hat shaped purlins. The experimental strength and stiffness of each panel was then compared against established theoretical methods. It was demonstrated that although it is possible to closely estimate the ultimate strength of the structure using standard calculation methods, it is often more difficult to accurately calculate its stiffness. As the panel stiffness is a function of many variables, testing is still the recommended method, in order to investigate the flexibility of modern roof panels. © 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, London.


The error values of CMMs depends on the probing direction; hence its spatial variation is a key part of the probe inaccuracy. This paper presents genetically-generated fuzzy knowledge bases (FKBs) to model the spatial error characteristics of a CMM module-changing probe. Two automatically generated FKBs based on two optimization paradigms are used for the reconstruction of the directiondependent probe error w. The angles β and γ are used as input variables of the FKBs; they describe the spatial direction of probe triggering. The learning algorithm used to generate the FKBs is a real/ binary like coded genetic algorithm developed by the authors. The influence of the optimization criteria on the precision of the genetically-generated FKBs is presented.


Journalists often debate whether to call Donald Trump's falsehoods "lies" or stop short of implying intent. This article proposes an empirical tool to supplement traditional fact-checking methods and address the practical challenge of identifying lies. Analyzing Trump's tweets with a regression function designed to predict true and false claims based on their language and composition, it finds significant evidence of intent underlying most of Trump's false claims, and makes the case for calling them lies when that outcome agrees with the results of traditional fact-checking procedures.


STUDY OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the efficacy of mindfulness meditation for the treatment of chronic insomnia.

DESIGN
Three-arm, single-site, randomized controlled trial.

SETTING
Academic medical center.

PARTICIPANTS
Fifty-four adults with chronic insomnia.

INTERVENTIONS
Participants were randomized to either mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), mindfulness-based therapy for insomnia (MBTI), or an eight-week self-monitoring (SM) condition.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS
Patient-reported outcome measures were total wake time (TWT) from sleep diaries, the pre-sleep arousal scale (PSAS), measuring a prominent waking correlate of insomnia, and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) to determine remission and response as clinical endpoints. Objective sleep measures were derived from laboratory polysomnography and wrist actigraphy. Linear mixed models showed that those receiving a meditation-based intervention (MBSR or MBTI) had significantly greater reductions on TWT minutes (43.75 vs 1.09), PSAS (7.13 vs 0.16), and ISI (4.56 vs 0.06) from baseline-to-post compared to SM. Post hoc analyses revealed that each intervention was superior to SM on each of the patient-reported measures, but no significant differences were found when comparing MBSR to MBTI from baseline-to-post. From baseline to 6-month follow-up, MBTI had greater reductions in ISI scores than MBSR (P < 0.05), with the largest difference occurring at the 3-month follow-up. Remission and response rates in MBTI and MBSR were sustained from post-treatment through follow-up, with MBTI showing the highest rates of treatment remission (50%) and response (78.6%) at the 6-month follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS
Mindfulness meditation appears to be a viable treatment option for adults with chronic insomnia and could provide an alternative to traditional treatments for insomnia.

TRIAL REGISTRATION
Mindfulness-Based Approaches to Insomnia: clinicaltrials.gov, identifier: NCT00768781.


Abstract Radioactive waste-handling operations at a potential high-level radioactive waste (HLW) geologic repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, would involve receiving, processing, aging, and emplacing HLW equivalent to 70 000 t of heavy metal. This paper presents results of an independent analysis of the external radiation dose fields for various designs at a potential repository underground facility, performed at the Center for Nuclear Waste Regulatory Analyses. In order to analyze dose fields, radiation source terms have been developed for commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF) assemblies. Full-scale three-dimensional models of waste packages and underground repository drifts were used in the Monte Carlo radiation transport simulations. Radiation dose rates along the drifts have been evaluated for multiple waste packages for SNF-emitted photons, neutrons, and 60Co photons. Analysis shows that SNF photons contribute >68%, 60Co photons contribute <30%, and neutrons contribute <2% to the total dose rates. The contribution of photons scattered off the drift walls is <10% of the total dose rates. The drift elbow significantly blocks direct radiation shine and reduces scattered dose rates at the junction of turnout and main access drifts where workers could be present.


BACKGROUND
Central venous catheter (CVC) placement increases the risk of thrombosis in cancer patients. Thrombosis often necessitates the removal of the CVC, resulting in treatment delays and thrombosis related morbidity and mortality.

OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the efficacy and safety of anticoagulation in cancer patients with a CVC.

SEARCH STRATEGY
We searched The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, Issue 1 2010), MEDLINE (January 1966 to February 2010; accessed via OVID), EMBASE (January 1980 to February 2010; accessed via OVID) and ISI the Web of Science (1975 to February 2010). We handsearched conference proceedings, checked references of included studies and used the "related article" feature within PubMed.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing any dose of unfractionated heparin (UFH), low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), vitamin K antagonists (VKA), or fondaparinux to no intervention or placebo or comparing two different anticoagulants in cancer patients with a CVC.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
Two authors independently extracted data from each included study and resolved their disagreements by discussion.

MAIN RESULTS
Of 8187 identified citations, we included 12 RCTs enrolling 3611 patients and assessing either prophylactic dose heparin or low dose VKAs. Prophylactic dose heparin was not associated with a statistically significant effect on death (relative risk (RR) = 0.85; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.53 to 1.37), symptomatic deep venous thrombosis (DVT) (RR = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.28 to 1.05) asymptomatic DVT (RR = 0.81; 95% CI: 0.64 to 1.02), major bleeding (RR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.10 to 4.78), thrombocytopenia (RR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.49 to 1.46), or infection (RR = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.49 to 1.68). Similarly, low dose VKAs were not associated with a statistically significant effect on death (RR = 0.97; 95% CI: 0.82 to 1.15), symptomatic DVT (RR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.35 to 1.11) or major bleeding (RR = 6.93; 95% CI: 0.86 to 56.08). However, they were associated with a statistically significant reduction in asymptomatic DVT (RR = 0.42; 95% CI: 0.28 to 0.61). Studies comparing heparin to VKA found no effects on any of the outcomes of interest.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS
We found no statistically significant effect of heparin or VKA on the outcomes of interest. However, the findings did not rule out clinically important benefits and harms. Patients with cancer with CVCs considering anticoagulation should balance the possible benefit of reduced thromboembolic complications with the possible harms and burden of anticoagulants.


We present a simple synthetic route to hierarchically porous geopolymers using triglyceride oil for a reactive emulsion template. In the new synthetic method, highly alkaline geopolymer resin was first mixed with canola oil to form a homogeneous viscous emulsion which was then cured at 60°C to give a hard monolithic material. During the process, the oil in the alkaline emulsion undergoes a saponification reaction to be decomposed to water-soluble soap and glycerol molecules which were then extracted with hot water to finally yield porous geopolymers. Nitrogen adsorption studies indicated the presence of mesopores, whereas the SEM studies revealed that the mesoporous geopolymer matrix are dotted with spherical macropores (10–50 lm) which are due to oil droplet template in the emulsion. Various synthetic parameters including the precursor compositions were examined to control the porosity. BET surface area and BJH pore volume of the materials were up to 124 m 2 /g and 0.7 cm 3 /g, respectively, and the total pore volumes up to 2.1 cm 3 /g from pycnometry.


The use of high flux research reactors, such as the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), to produce a wide variety of both industrial and medical isotopes has been well documented and proven to be economically feasible. However, due to the lack of access to these high flux facilities by most countries, isotope production methods utilizing reactors with low to moderate flux levels are needed, especially for short lived medical isotopes whose production must be relatively close to the location where they will be administered. In recent years medical isotopes that can both be used for treatment and diagnostic uses have become of great interest. One of the most popular of these theragnostic radionuclides is lutetium-177. Production of high-grade Lu-177 can be achieved in both high and low flux reactors through two different production methods. The current work looks to determine the feasibility of producing Lu-177 via the indirect route, using the relatively low flux of PUR-1. This will be accomplished through the use of high-fidelity models and simulations to predict the resulting production rates of the desired products. The results of these models and simulations will then be compared to the results obtained from the experimental irradiation of various samples of ytterbium oxide in PUR-1. Many studies have successfully produced Lu-177 using moderate and high flux reactors and several papers have studied the predicted production rate for low to moderate flux reactors by using the reported thermal flux of various research reactors and the reported cross-section values for ytterbium. A Monte Carlo based model of PUR-1 will be developed to determine the radiative capture reaction rates for the ytterbium targets across all neutron energies. This model in conjunction with a simplified MATLAB model, to solve the series of partial differential equations describing the production and decay of each product isotope, will be used to predict isotope production rates and will be compared to experimentally obtained results.


In this paper, we propose a new programming paradigm designed to simplify the process of safely creating, manipulating and disposing of complex mutable data structures. In our system, programmers construct data structures by specifying the shapes they want at a high level of abstraction, using linear logical formulas rather than low-level pointer operations. Likewise, programmers deconstruct data structures using a new form of pattern matching, where the patterns are again drawn from the syntax of linear logic. In order to ensure that algorithms for construction, inspection and deconstruction of heap values are well-defined and safe, we analyze the programmer's linear logical specifications using a mode analysis inspired by similar analysis used in logic programming languages. This mode analysis is incorporated into a broader type system that ensures the memory safety of the overall programming language.


Abstract Power and reproducibility are key to enabling refined scientific discoveries in contemporary big data applications with general high-dimensional nonlinear models. In this article, we provide theoretical foundations on the power and robustness for the model-X knockoffs procedure introduced recently in Candès, Fan, Janson and Lv in high-dimensional setting when the covariate distribution is characterized by Gaussian graphical model. We establish that under mild regularity conditions, the power of the oracle knockoffs procedure with known covariate distribution in high-dimensional linear models is asymptotically one as sample size goes to infinity. When moving away from the ideal case, we suggest the modified model-X knockoffs method called graphical nonlinear knockoffs (RANK) to accommodate the unknown covariate distribution. We provide theoretical justifications on the robustness of our modified procedure by showing that the false discovery rate (FDR) is asymptotically controlled at the target level and the power is asymptotically one with the estimated covariate distribution. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first formal theoretical result on the power for the knockoffs procedure. Simulation results demonstrate that compared to existing approaches, our method performs competitively in both FDR control and power. A real dataset is analyzed to further assess the performance of the suggested knockoffs procedure. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.


The Asian financial crisis led to a major devaluation of the Indonesian exchange rate, macro instability, and the need for a "structural adjustment" program. The real devaluation affects prices throughout the economy and has a major impact on growth, production, deforestation, and income distribution in the Sumatera region. This paper uses computable general equilibrium (CGE) models —a national model and a regional model of Sumatera— that focus on agriculture to explore the impact of a real devaluation on the economy of Sumatera. The model incorporates commodity and factor market linkages between Sumatera, the rest of Indonesia, and the world (through commodity trade). We analyze a possible policy response of imposing an export tax of 5-20 percent on processed wood to discourage further deforestation in the region. The results show that the proposed export tax reduces production of raw timber and processed wood, but at the cost of lowering exports and hence making the macro adjustment more difficult. Given the current situation, it is impossible to predict exactly how the resolution of the current macro crisis will unfold. We model two alternative macro adjustment scenarios that should bracket the likely response of the Sumatera region to the devaluation and structural adjustment program. In the first, we assume that regional investment is a proportion of regional aggregate income (or regional absorption), and that the adjustment burden is shared proportionately between aggregate consumption and investment. In the second, regional savings and investment are assumed to fall more, as the region's trade balance is forced to improve dramatically to reflect the large required changes in the national trade balance.


Quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) analysis on arylbenzofuran derivatives were performed for their antihistaminic (H3-receptor antagonist activity) using VlifeQSARPro software. Partial least square (PLS) linear regression analysis coupled with stepwise variable selection method was applied to derive QSAR models which were further validated for statistical significance by internal and external validation. Statistically significant QSAR model generated have squared correlation coefficient (r2) 0.8662, cross validated correlation coefficient (q2) 0.6029 and predictive correlation coefficient (pred_r2) 0.3940. The QSAR model indicated that the T_3_N_5 (count of number of triple bonded atoms separated from nitrogen atom by five bond in a molecule), T_C_C_7 [count of number of Carbon atoms (single or double bonded) separated from any other Carbon atom (single or double bonded) by 7 bonds in a molecule] and T_2_3_5 [count of number of double bonded atoms (i.e. any double bonded atom, T_2) separated from any other triple bonded atom by 5 bonds in a molecule] were the important determinants for H3-receptor antagonistic activity.


In this paper an ocean scatter propagation model, developed for aircraft-to-satellite (aeronautical) applications, is described. The purpose of the propagation model is to characterize the behaviour of sea reflected multipath as a function of physical propagation path parameters. An accurate validation against the theoretical far-field solution for a perfectly conducting sinusoidal surface is provided. Simulation results for typical L-band aeronautical applications with low complexity antennas are presented. INTRODUCTION For L-band oceanic mobile satellite communications, sea reflected multipath is the most significant propagation component, especially when relatively low gain, non-directive antennas are employed. A propagation model is required to characterize the behaviour of sea reflected multipath as a function of the elevation angle to the satellite, aircraft altitude, sea state (surface roughness), aircraft antenna characteristics, aircraft velocity, and signal polarization. Evaluating the electromagnetic field scattered by a rough surface is an extremely difficult problem. Most theoretical approaches are based on the Helmholtz surface integral, with the electric field on the surface assumed to match that present on a tangent plane at that point [1]. In general, complicated integrals that are difficult to solve are obtained. In many theoretical treatments, attention is restricted to perfectly conducting surfaces in order to simplify the scattering solution. In the perfectly conducting case, the surface reflection coefficient has unity magnitude, independent of grazing angle. This is not appropriate for the sea surface, as is evident from the behaviour of the reflection coefficients at L-band shown in Figure 1. In most theoretical treatments, shadowing and blockage by the surface is ignored for mathematical tractability. Unfortunately, this makes low elevation angle scatter predictions suspect. The propagation model described in this paper incorporates the variability of the surface reflection coefficient as well as shadowing and blockage effects.


I. INTRODUCTION The continuing progress of the European Community (EC) countries toward the formation of a "common market" has been an important element of the globalization of the world economy.(1) A major goal of any common market is the elimination of economic barriers inhibiting the free transfer of goods across national borders.(2) While the goal of the common market is clearly economic, the attempt to create equal opportunities for competitiveness within each Member State for all businesses operating in the EC necessarily involves legal concerns as well. One such concern has been the nature of liability laws relating to defective products. Differing standards between Member States regarding the definition of a defective product, the extent of liability, responsible parties, and burdens of proof in litigation have made it extremely difficult for businesses to ascertain the degree of care required of them and to predict their exposure to liability when manufacturing and marketing products in countries across western Europe. In response to this concern, the Commission of the European Community(3) proposed a harmonization of Member State product liability laws in July 1976.(4) In 1985 the Council of Ministers adopted and issued a Directive(5) requiring each Member State to pass legislation which would establish a single, new products liability regime within the EC.(6) Since the issuance of the Directive in 1985, there has been much criticism of the compromise position taken by the Directive. Most commentators have taken a dim view of the effectiveness and positive impact the resulting legislation will have on the international competitiveness of European businesses within the borders of the EC.(7) This article examines in Part II the Directive and its goals, and then explores two examples of the differing national laws generated by the Directive. In Part III, the Consumer Protection Act of 1987 passed by the United Kingdom (the first Member State to enact the required legislation) is compared to the Federal Republic of Germany's Products Liability Act of 1990. These two liability systems are compared to the EC Directive in order to highlight the important areas of conflict and similarity. Part IV discusses the potential impact on U.S. manufacturers of the differences in legislation from country to country within the EC. Part V concludes with a brief discussion of the future of product liability laws in the EC and the implications of these laws for manufacturers. II. THE EC DIRECTIVE When the Directive was finally issued by the Council of Ministers, it represented a compromise of different concerns expressed by the Member States. Originally, the Directive was designed to advance three general interests of the Community. The first was the elimination of all distortions in competition. The Council recognized that different national standards of liability for defective products would subject manufacturers to unequal levels of exposure in the different Member States, resulting in unequal and inequitable costs to manufacturers across the Member States.(8) The second goal was the promotion of the free movement of goods within the Community. The Council believed that manufacturers' inability to predict exposure to product liability actions in the different Member States would inhibit the free flow of goods across national borders.(9) Finally, the Council sought to provide protection to the consumer against personal and property damage. Because the civil codes of the EC countries in general do not specifically address product liability concerns,(10) the laws in these countries have been less favorable to consumers than to industry.(11) Consumers injured by defective products have been forced to rely on theories of contract and negligence. Contractual liability in many EC countries requires privity of contract between the plaintiff and defendant, a relationship which often does not exist between the injured consumer or bystander and the manufacturer. …


The majority of the literature about CBM is American in origin, and (inter alia) notes that there were differing uses of similar technology, indicating that context has an important role to play in the use of CBM. The literature maps the psychological effects of CBM in considerable detail, but only two published studies examine the context of CBM. These grounded results provide scant support for any systematic, quantitative, large scale analysis of computer based monitoring in the UK context. This thesis thus aims to systemically examine the context of CBM using discourse analysis. Forty four interviewees were theoretically sampled using a structured sample technique in four organizations. All were national or multinational enterprises. The interviews were semi structured in nature and divided into three sections. The first addressed the respondents' thoughts and perceptions about CBM, the second elicited talk about the departmental context (focusing the management - worker relationship), and the final section addressed the organizational context. The cases demonstrated variation in the use of CBM, measured according to the criteria of Westin (1987, 1988) and according to the interpretive repertoires used by the respondents in each case. Seven analytical categories of talk emerged from the data: three at the organizational level and four at the departmental level of analysis. Discourse analysis revealed two discrete interpretive repertories - the procedural and the substantive repertoires - in respondents' talk whose main variation occurred at the departmental level of analysis. Furthermore, patterns were found in the use of these repertories within cases and between categories. Between the cases, variation in the use of the repertories matched the between case variation according to the criteria of Westin. It would thus appear that the source of variation in the use of CBM lies in its context, more specifically in the relative emphasis of humanistic, interpersonal and idiosyncratic values within the management worker relationship.


Gestational risk factors such as birth weight, gestational age and parity have been repeatedly found to be related to pediatric cancers, but few reports have emerged from Asian countries. Here we report on demographic and gestational factors in a Taiwanese cohort. Our study included all children born in Taiwan 2004–2014 for whom there was a birth record (n = 2,079,037), of which 1900 children had been diagnosed with cancer prior to age 12. We conducted multivariable hazard regression to examine associations between demographic and gestational factors with cancer. Greater parity (family with 2+ older children) was related to acute myeloid leukemia [Hazard ratio (HR) = 2.15, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.31, 3.55), central nervous system tumors (HR = 1.67, CI: 1.13, 2.48) and neuroblastoma (HR = 1.67, CI: 1.07, 2.63). Hepatoblastoma cases had a higher risk of low birth weight (<2,500 g; HR = 3.01, CI: 1.85, 4.91), very preterm birth (<33 weeks gestation; HR = 13.71, CI: 7.45, 25.23), plural pregnancies (HR = 2.37, CI: 1.10, 5.14) and both small (HR = 2.13, CI: 1.23, 3.67) and large (HR = 1.83, CI: 1.01, 3.32) for gestational age. Germ cell tumors were more common among children born in rural areas (HR = 1.63, CI: 1.02, 2.60). Despite that Taiwan has lower rates of both high and low birthweight compared to other developed nations, we observed several similar associations to those reported in Western Countries. Further research should examine unique exposures in Taiwan that may be contributing to higher incidence of certain cancer types.


The implications of a context with household heterogeneity and incomplete financial markets have been mostly studied under the assumption that households own the physical capital and undertake the intertemporal investment decision. Further, firms rent capital and labor from the households to maximize period profits. The present paper provides the conditions under which this assumption is still irrelevant when markets are incomplete. It is shown that, if firms choose the optimal investment to maximize their asset value, in the sense that they discount future cash flows with state price processes that are consistent with security prices, the equilibrium allocations are the same as in the standard setting with static firms. On the other hand, the firm valuation of future cash flows only coincides with the valuation of the unconstrained shareholders. Given this, value maximization might still lead to shareholder disagreement in the presence of effectively binding portfolio restrictions.


Throughout our lifespan we face many challenges which are often referred to as transitions. The move to university is one such transition which may place individuals at risk of suffering ongoing significant life stress, anxiety and uncertainty. Optimism, promotion of independent functioning (PIF), promotion of volitional functioning (PVF) and perceived social support (PSS) appear to be beneficial in coping with university transition and positive adaptation to adversity as well as being associated both directly and indirectly with resilience. This study was conducted in two stages which examined the mechanisms of optimism, PIF, PVF and PSS and their predictive relationship with resilience in first year university students during two semesters. The results indicated that students with higher levels of optimism, PIF, PVF and PSS experienced higher levels of resilience. In Stage One (N = 95), the multiple regression analysis (MRA) indicated optimism (ps <.01), PIF (ps <.05) and PVF (ps <.05) independently and significantly predicted resilience. In Stage Two (N= 103) the MRA indicated that only optimism and PSS uniquely predicted resilience (ps < .01). This study contributed to the limited research conducted in Australia concerning the resilience of first year university students.


In all fifty states, in urban and suburban schools, from kindergarten to college girls are outperforming boys in all subject areas. The achievement gap between girls and boys is widening and boys are falling further and further behind. This study was conducted to research teaching strategies that can be used to teach boys effectively. A questionnaire was administered to a total of five middle school teachers who current! y teach at an all-boys school. The questionnaire included teaching strategies and participants were to rate each one to determine the most effective strategy and least effective strategy (out of the strategies given). The results from the questionnaire indicated that using multiple forms of directions and the use of visuals were the two strategies that the participants found to be most effective when teaching boys. The other strategies were less effective, some more than others. It is important for every child to learn, no matter what gender. It is apparent boys are no measuring upto girls at all levels and subjects. a result, teachers need to learn what strategies work best with boys in order to be more effective in the classroom. Overall, more research needs to be conducted in the area of boys' education. A larger participant group would enhance this study greatly and also �..,1,......., ... ""'01-a'�""1 '1"l l'f' it in different settings and levels.


Despite the exciting progress in image captioning, generating diverse captions for a given image remains as an open problem. Existing methods typically apply generative models such as Variational Auto-Encoder to diversify the captions, which however neglect two key factors of diverse expression, i.e., the lexical diversity and the syntactic diversity. To model these two inherent diversities in image captioning, we propose a Variational Structured Semantic Inferring model (termed VSSI-cap) executed in a novel structured encoder-inferer-decoder schema. VSSI-cap mainly innovates in a novel structure, i.e., Variational Multi-modal Inferring tree (termed VarMI-tree). In particular, conditioned on the visual-textual features from the encoder, the VarMI-tree models the lexical and syntactic diversities by inferring their latent variables (with variations) in an approximate posterior inference guided by a visual semantic prior. Then, a reconstruction loss and the posterior-prior KL-divergence are jointly estimated to optimize the VSSI-cap model. Finally, diverse captions are generated upon the visual features and the latent variables from this structured encoder-inferer-decoder model. Experiments on the benchmark dataset show that the proposed VSSI-cap achieves significant improvements over the state-of-the-arts.


The paper will describe the application of various techniques to improve the management of the wheel-rail interface for light rail systems. The authors show how simulation tools, measurement and data analytics can be applied to give significant improvements in asset management. The authors experience ranges from legacy lightrail, through new build to modern metro systems enabling them to provide practical examples of the range of techniques discussed. Previous work, conducted on-behalf of ORR, UKTram and EU research projects, has demonstrated the variation in wheel-rail profiles, rail steel grades and maintenance limits (e.g. wheel-rail wear) adopted by UK and International light-rail systems.
Optimising the selection of these parameters can provide significant benefits and costs for light-rail systems through; (a) maximising the life of the rail and reduction in premature rail replacement, (b) improved planning of maintenance and renewals, (c) reduction in carbon footprint and (d) reduction in disruption to passenger service. Results from current UKTram 'low impact light-rail' project will be summarised along with observations from the completed EU research project PM'n'IDEA. This will include examples of how effective management of the wheel-rail interface and the use of simulation tools can lead to optimal selection rail wear limits and rail steel grade.


Enterprise systems (ES) are industry-specific, customizable software packages that integrate information and business process in organizations. Despite the advantages associated with implementing ES, their success has been mixed. This has attracted the interest of researchers and resulted in a proliferation of literature on implementation. However, the extant ES studies lack a theoretical framework for the examination of ES use and its implications for change in organizations. We seek to bridge this research gap by proposing a theoretical framework for change induced through ES use. This paper contributes to theory in two areas. First, by analytically separating the notions of structure, institution, and organization, we illustrate a consistent application of Giddens' structuration theory to ES use. Second, we develop a structurational model of ES-induced change that explicates the relationship between specific characteristics of ES and the nature of change occasioned through their use by human agents within a historically shaped organizational context. Towards this objective, we distinguish ES from other information systems. Implications for practitioners and researchers are presented.


The ideal cycle concept is poorly defined yet implicit and potentially useful in many stratigraphic analyses. A new method allows quantitative definition of ideal cycles and provides a simple but robust method to analyze stratal order and quantify stratigraphic interpretations. The method calculates transition probability (TP) matrices from a vertical succession of strata for all possible permutations of facies-class row numbering in the matrices. The ordering of facies classes that gives highest transition probabilities along diagonals of the TP matrix can be taken as a quantitative definition of an ideal cycle for the strata being analyzed. Application to a synthetic example shows how an ideal cycle can be identified, even in noisy strata, without any assumptions about or prior knowledge of cyclicity. Application to two outcrop examples shows how it can be useful to define the most optimal cycle and determine how much evidence is present for ordered and cyclical facies successions.


In the present age smart materials are widely used in smart mechanical structure because of its unique properties. One of the most used smart materials is functionally graded piezoelectric materials. Now a days the use of functionally graded piezoelectric materials (FGPMs) is increasing highly in making actuator and sensor and many energy harvesting technique. In this scientific paper free vibration is analyzed for FGPM annular plate. Shear effect is produced by using d15 piezoelectric coupling coefficient. Piezoelectric coupling coefficient d15 has higher value in comparison to d31 or d33. D15 piezoelectric coupling is less used for application due to complex nature of shear vibration. So to utilize d15 effect and analysis of shear induced flexural vibration a three dimensional functionally graded piezoelectric plat is used. The annular FGPM plate is polarized in radial direction and piezoelectric plate is grounded in Z-direction along the thickness. Fixed –free boundary condition is used for obtain the result. Power law is used to vary material property. COMSOL multiphysics is used for obtain the result and plot mode shapes. This result will very helpful for researcher for developing present and new actuator and sensors.


Part of the motivation behind the evolution of learning environments is the idea of providing students with individualized instructional strategies that allow them to learn as much as possible. It has been suggested that the goals an individual holds create a framework or orientation from which they react and respond to events. There is a large evidence-based literature which supports the notion of mastery and performance approaches to learning and which identifies distinct behavioural patterns associated with each. However, it remains unclear how these orientations manifest themselves within the individual: an important question to address when applying goal theory to the development of a goal-sensitive learner model. This paper exposes some of these issues by describing two empirical studies. They approach the subject from different perspectives, one from the implementation of an affective computing system and the other a classroom-based study, have both encountered the same empirical and theoretical problems: the dispositional/situational aspect and the dimensionality of goal orientation.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To evaluate the effect of ginger as an antiemetic modality for the control of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV).

DATA SOURCES
Databases searched included MEDLINE® (PubMed), Embase, CINAHL®, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Korean Studies Information Service System, Research Information Sharing Service by the Korean Education and Research Information Service, and Dissertation Central.

DATA SYNTHESIS
A systematic review was conducted of five randomized, controlled trials involving 872 patients with cancer. Ginger was compared with placebo or metoclopramide. The participant characteristics, chemotherapy regimen and antiemetic control, ginger preparation and protocol, measurements, results of the studies, adherence to the treatment protocol, and side effects were reviewed systematically. The incidence and severity of acute and delayed CINV were subject to meta-analysis. The incidence of acute nausea (p = 0.67), incidence of acute vomiting (p = 0.37), and severity of acute nausea (p = 0.12) did not differ significantly between the ginger and control groups.

CONCLUSIONS
Current evidence does not support the use of ginger for the control of CINV. Ginger did not contribute to control of the incidence of acute nausea and vomiting or of the severity of acute nausea.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING
Ginger has long been regarded as a traditional antiemetic modality, but its effectiveness remains to be established. The findings of this study could be incorporated into clinical guidelines, such as the Oncology Nursing Society's Putting Evidence Into Practice resources. Current evidence supports the need for more methodologically rigorous studies in this area.

KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION
Although ginger is known as a traditional antiemetic, current evidence does not support the effect of ginger in CINV control. The findings of this study inform healthcare providers that its effectiveness remains to be established from methodologically rigorous future trials.