The purpose of this in vivo study was to determine and compare the antimicrobial effectiveness of three commercial mouthrinses and a water control. The antimicrobial efficacy of the products was determined against aerobic, micro-aerophilic, and anaerobic bacteria. Twenty human subjects participated in this study. At each experimental session for a given subject, a pre-test saliva sample was taken. This sample was divided and used to grow three bacteria cultures under the different incubation environments. After giving the pre-test sample, the subject rinsed with one of the mouthrinses or the water control for 30 seconds, then waited one hour, at which time a post-test saliva sample was collected. Again, the sample was divided and used to culture the different types of bacteria. Following a 48-hour incubation period, the numbers of microbial colonies on each plate were counted and compared. The results indicated that all of the mouthrinses tested performed significantly better than the water control. Herbal Mouth and Gum Therapy and Peridex did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference in inhibiting aerobic, microaerophilic, and anaerobic bacteria. Both Herbal Mouth and Gum Therapy and Peridex were significantly more effective than Listerine in inhibiting the three different types of bacteria.


Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness and visual impairment. In the clinic, glaucomatous damage can be characterized by structural changes in the optic nerve head (ONH) and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) that can be evaluated by various retinal-imaging techniques such as scanning laser polarimetry and optical coherence tomography (OCT). The structural damage can lead to functional damage in the visual field (VF), normally assessed with standard automated perimetry, which assesses the differential light sensitivity in the field of view. The clinical measurements of retinal structure and visual function play an important role in the detection and management of glaucoma, but the data generated is often complex and highly variable, thus making it hard to clinically interpret. The purpose of this thesis was to investigate knowledge mining procedures for extracting clinically useful information from these measurements. Knowledge mining describes iterative divide-and-conquer type analyses of large-scale questions: solutions to individual smaller problems are used to generate better quality knowledge, which in the case of work reported in this thesis can be translated into clinically useful analysis tools. This thesis describes five knowledge mining procedures specifically developed and applied to structural and functional measurements in glaucoma: (1) probabilistic inference to aid image acquisition of OCT images; (2) a robust and efficient segmentation algorithm to extract features of retina tissue layer structures in large-scale 3-dimensional image volumes acquired by OCT; (3) a predictive structure-function relationship model to bridge the retinal structure and visual function measurements in glaucoma; (4) quantification and visualization of structure-function discordance using the model about structure-function relationship; (5) integration of structural and functional measurements to improve the reproducibility of the measurements. In conclusion the knowledge mining approaches improved the acquisition and/or accuracy of the measurements and provide new clinical analysis tools to detect and manage glaucoma.


Dysregulation of smooth muscle contraction is linked to diseases such as atherosclerosis, asthma, hypertension, urinary incontinence, premature birth and others. The goal of this project is to contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms of smooth muscle regulation. Caldesmon and fesselin are actin-binding proteins abundant in smooth muscle that have multiple binding partners and are well positioned to alter smooth muscle contraction. Because fesselin is a heat-stable proline rich protein that has many properties in common with the natively unfolded COOH terminal fragment of caldesmon, we sought to determine whether fesselin is natively unfolded. We compared fesselin to a known globular protein (myosin S1) and the unfolded C-terminal 22 kDa fragment of caldesmon (CaD22) using techniques such as gel filtration, intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence and circular dichroism. We showed that fesselin is a natively unfolded protein. We also investigated the effects of phosphorylation by p21-activated kinase 3, PAK, and calmodulin on CaD22. We found a novel regulatory region between the residues 627-642 in the unfolded caldesmon C-terminus and identified four minor residues slowly phosphorylated by PAK. Phosphorylation of this region alters both the ability of caldesmon to inhibit actomyosin ATPase and the interactions between caldesmon and Ca2+-calmodulin that may contribute to the overall regulation of caldesmon's activity.


Research question: The mass media widely broadcasts scandals. However, previous literature lacks examinations of consumer reactions to athlete scandals. Given the detrimental impact, it is important to understand how athletes and brand managers can optimally respond when scandals occur. The purpose of this study is to develop the fundamental understanding of consumer reactions and the effective response strategies in athlete reputational crisis (ARC) settings. Research methods: A three factorial (performance relatedness × intentionality × involvement) experiment was conducted. One hundred ninety-three undergraduate students from a large university located in the southeastern United States participated in the experiment, with analysis based on 180 useful responses. Results and findings: The results indicate that high and low involvement spectators differ in their evaluations of scandalized athletes. The attitude of highly involved consumers is significantly more negative when ARCs are performance related and intentional. Low involvement consumers' attitude displayed a similar pattern, but only when they perceived ARCs as unintentional. Lastly, the results indicate consumers prefer rebuild response strategies (e.g. apology) in all ARC situations. Base strategies (e.g. explaining ARC situations) and sport-specific strategies (e.g. winning to make up) can be used to supplement in performance-related ARC situations. Implications: This study contributes to the fundamental knowledge regarding the potential impact of ARCs. Athlete brand managers can estimate the extent of impact based on ARC characteristics (i.e. performance relatedness and intentionality) and consumer characteristics (i.e. involvement). Furthermore, effective response strategies can be developed by examining the interplay between ARC and consumer characteristics.


Abstract In this paper, molten high density polyethylene (HDPE) was compounded with four kinds of high performance organic fibers: two types of aramid (KF29 and KF49), liquid crystalline polymer (LCP) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (VF), differing in their chemical structure and fiber lengths. From the SEM pictures, it is observed that shape and size of these organic fibers maintained almost the same even after cutting in pellets, following the mixing process. VF/HDPE and LCP/HDPE systems show generally lower rates of increase of both storage modulus and dynamic viscosity with fiber content than KF/HDPE composites. Comparison of these functions at the fixed fiber content has shown that the most effective parameter, affecting the viscoelastic behaviour of organic fiber filled systems, seems to be their rigidity/flexibility in the molten state. The influence of fiber rigidity/flexibility becomes gradually lower with the increase of both strain amplitude and angular frequency. The parameters of the equations describing relationship between relative values of viscoelastic functions and fiber content were found to be largely dependent on fiber content. Such finding remarkably differs from behaviour of short inorganic fiber filled systems, where these variables maintained constant values.


This paper provides information about a novel approach of rating agricultural soil quality (SQ) and crop yield potentials consistently over a range of spatial scales. The Muencheberg Soil Quality Rating is an indicator-based straightforward overall assessment method of agricultural SQ. It is a framework covering aspects of soil texture, structure, topography and climate which is based on 8 basic indicators and more than 12 hazard indicators. Ratings are performed by visual methods of soil evaluation. A field manual is then used to provide ratings from tables based on indicator thresholds. Finally, overall rating scores are given, ranging from 0 (worst) to 100 (best) to characterise crop yield potentials. The current approach is valid for grassland and cropland. Field tests in several countries confirmed the practicability and reliability of the method. At field scale, soil structure is a crucial, management induced criterion of agricultural SQ. At the global scale, climate controlled hazard indicators of drought risk and soil thermal regime are crucial for SQ and crop yield potentials. Final rating scores are well correlated with crop yields. We conclude that this system could be evolved for ranking and controlling agricultural SQ on a global scale.


A crucial prerequisite for the success of development interventions is their uptake by the targeted population. We use the set-up of interventions conducted in Indonesia and Pakistan to investigate dis-/incentivising factors for a programme's uptake and support. Making use of a framework grounded on psychological theory - The Theory of Planned Behaviour - we consider three determinants for intervention uptake: personal attitudes; subjective norms (influenced by important others); and the perceived ease of performing the desired behaviour. As most development interventions are characterised by a cooperation between local and international agents, we investigate a potentially important dis-/incentivising factor further: the salience of the implementer's background. Our findings show that attitudes, subjective norms, and ease of use are indeed associated with increased uptake in our two culturally different settings. Conducting a framed field experiment in Indonesia, we go on to show that the study population in the Acehnese context exhibits higher levels of support for the project if the participation of international actors is highlighted. We find that previous experience with the respective actor is pivotal. To strengthen supportive behaviour by the target population for locally led projects, it is essential to foster local capabilities to create positive experiences. Hence, our results encourage development research and cooperation, first, to consider personal attitudes, subjective norms, and the perceived ease of use in the design of interventions in order to increase uptake. Second, and depending on the country context, implementers should consider previous experience with and attitude towards partners - either local or international - when aiming to achieve behavioural change.


This dissertation presents a multi-dimensional frost-heave modeling with coupled heat transfer, moisture transfer, and mechanical analysis. A series o f laboratory frost-heave tests was conducted to determine segregation potential (SP) values using the effect o f cooling rate and overburden pressure in two different freezing modes. Regardless of the freezing mode, consistent SP values were obtained at the formation o f the final ice lens. Continuous heave and water-intake measurements made it possible to determine the time at the formation o f the final ice lens. The SP porosity growth function was developed using simulations of the growing ice lens and frozen fringe. The developed frost-heave model was verified by laboratory frost-heave tests in one dimension. The simulated temperature distribution and amount o f heave were in good agreement with experimental values. The SP porosity growth function was then expanded to two dimensions to simulate the soilpipeline interaction of an experimental buried chilled pipeline constructed in Fairbanks, Alaska in the early 2000s. A two-dimensional frost-heave simulation was conducted at the free-field area, where the influence of pipeline resistance in frozen ground was negligible. This model, which considers the effect o f frozen soil creep on stress distribution due to temperature variation, analyzed the influence of stress fields on soil frost-heave susceptibility and deformation. Simulations of pipe displacement were conducted for two cases, with and without the use of the long-term creep characteristics of frozen soils. Using the long-term creep characteristics, the simulated result agreed well with the observed value, differing by only a few percentage points. However, without using long-term creep characteristics, the simulated pipe heave was approximately 75% o f the observed heave because o f an unrealistic stress buildup. Finally, the SP porosity growth function was expanded to predict soil-pipeline interaction around a frozen-unfrozen boundary. Temperature distribution was successfully predicted in both the pre-frozen soil and the unfrozen zones, as well as at the time when differential pipeline movement started. The developed three-dimensional frost-heave model could predict pipe movement and induced bending due to differential frost heave for a 20-year period.


Hairstyles have always been important to Black Africans and their descendants and are important in expressing identity. The transatlantic slave trade made it difficult to maintain these hairstyles, mostly due to separation from familial and other ties. Since Black phenotypes were viewed as inferior, Black hair and styles were seen as ugly and unacceptable. The American Civil Rights Movement (ACRM) ushered in a resurgence in 'natural' hairstyles, supporting a collective identity and a counterhegemonic movement. However, the success of this movement did not propel Black hairstyles on to the same plane as those that maintained the imperial aesthetic of the white ideal. The constant diminution of the Black identity through the disparagement of Black hairstyles has been used as a synonym for racism and can lead to psychological distress and mental instability. Although Black people have resided in Canada and Quebec since the 17th century, there is very little in Canadian academic literature addressing these issues. This theoretical paper presents a discourse on the importance of hair to the identity of Black people and will add to the limited literature by providing Canadian and Quebecois institutions with a greater appreciation of the prominence of Black hair and hairstyles to the identity and well-being of Black people.


In online convex optimization it is well known that certain subclasses of objective functions are much easier than arbitrary convex functions. We are interested in designing adaptive methods that can automatically get fast rates in as many such subclasses as possible, without any manual tuning. Previous adaptive methods are able to interpolate between strongly convex and general convex functions. We present a new method, MetaGrad, that adapts to a much broader class of functions, including exp-concave and strongly convex functions, but also various types of stochastic and non-stochastic functions without any curvature. For instance, MetaGrad can achieve logarithmic regret on the unregularized hinge loss, even though it has no curvature, if the data come from a favourable probability distribution. MetaGrad's main feature is that it simultaneously considers multiple learning rates. Unlike previous methods with provable regret guarantees, however, its learning rates are not monotonically decreasing over time and are not tuned based on a theoretically derived bound on the regret. Instead, they are weighted directly proportional to their empirical performance on the data using a tilted exponential weights master algorithm.


OBJECTIVE
We have previously shown that perfluorocarbon emulsions administered i.v. act as contrast material during sonography by creating moving echoes in veins. Accordingly, we performed a study on rabbits designed to establish the value of perfluorocarbon-enhanced sonography in detecting acute venous thrombi.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Constriction of the inferior vena cava (IVC) just above the renal veins was established surgically in 15 rabbits. Thrombus was induced in the IVC in 10 of these; the other five served as controls. Gray-scale and color Doppler sonography were performed before and after the i.v. infusion of 3 ml/kg of perflubron emulsion (formulation AF0102, Alliance Pharmaceutical, San Diego, CA). Sonograms were evaluated for the presence and extent of thrombus. Three additional rabbits with percutaneously induced IVC thrombosis were studied before and after the i.v. administration of 0.2 ml of a preparation of microbubbles of perfluorocarbon gas (formulation PRD002, Alliance Pharmaceutical). In these animals thrombi were confirmed at autopsy.

RESULTS
Unenhanced sonograms allowed detection of thrombi in the IVC in nine of the 10 animals with surgically induced thrombus but were inaccurate in determining clot extent. Filling the lumen of the IVC with moving echoes created by administration of perflubron emulsion allowed more complete delineation of the size and extent of thrombus and permitted detection of residual venous flow not observed on unenhanced scans. The perfluorocarbon gas microbubbles provided similar benefits.

CONCLUSION
Our results show that i.v. administration of perflubron emulsion or perfluorocarbon gas microbubbles improves imaging of veins on sonography and may aid in the assessment of thrombi.


A method is given for calculating the temperature that a surface, heated internally by air, will assume in specified conditions of icing. The method can be applied generally to predict the performance, under conditions of icing, of the thermal system for protecting aircraft. Calculations have been made for a section of the wing of the C-46 airplane, and the results agree closely with the temperature measured. The limit of protection when the temperature of the surface reaches 32 degrees F., has been predicted for the leading edge. The temperature of the surface in conditions of icing with air at 0 degree F. also has been calculated. The effect of kinetic heating and the effect of the concentration of free water and size of droplet in the cloud are demonstrated.


The traits that determine male reproductive success in Ceratitis capitata (medfly) are largely unknown. This comes despite decades of research into the reproductive behaviour of this agricultural pest. An understanding of what makes a successful male is of great importance in this lekking species, as one male has the ability to dominate access to females. In addition species-specific pest control techniques such as the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) and Release of Insects carrying a Dominant Lethal (RIDL) rely on the mating competitiveness of mass-reared 'sterile' males to disrupt natural mating systems and reduce population numbers. However, it is well known that the mass-rearing process required to generate these individuals produces less competitive males, despite this an understanding of the sexual selection processes that are involved is severely lacking. In this thesis I used the medfly as a model organism to investigate the context-dependent nature of male reproductive success. In Chapters 2 and 3 I investigate the effect of manipulating the adult sex ratio on pre- and post-mating reproductive traits. Chapter 2 uses proximate
manipulation of the adult sex ratio to show how the relationship between pre- and post-mating success is affected by the levels of male competition. Chapter 3 shows that selection lines are unable to select for the traits that predict male reproductive success under altered levels of male competition. Chapter 4 describes the attempts to produce RIDL genetic constructs with embryonic lethality. Chapter 5 demonstrates that RIDL lines of medfly display characteristics that make them suitable for wild population control and may exceed the performance of existing SIT lines. Chapter 6 shows that manipulation of the larval diet can alter the gut microbiota of adults; however these manipulations have no effect on reproductive behaviour. Instead there was a significant effect of high-sugar larval rearing on mating success and body mass. This effect persisted for a single generation in offspring of these flies, even when they were reared on an inferior starch-based larval diet. Finally Chapter 7 summarises the thesis and discusses the implications of this work and future directions for both research in the reproductive behaviour of the medfly, and the future of RIDL technology in medfly population control.


Although chronic illness is generally associated with the elderly or disabled, chronic conditions are widespread among working-age adults and pose significant challenges for employer-based health care plans. Indeed, a recent study found that the number of working-age adults with a major chronic condition has grown by 25 percent over the past 10 years, to a total of nearly 58 million in 2006. Chronic illness imposes significant costs on workers, employers, and the overall economy. This population accounts for three-quarters of all personal medical spending in the United States, and a Milken Institute study recently estimated that lost workdays and lower productivity as a result of the seven most common chronic diseases results in an annual loss of over $1 trillion dollars.I am focusing on this significant and growing population as a challenge for employers and as a critical test case for current health care reform proposals. Many of the cost-control methods used by employer-based plans simply shift rather than lower health care costs. This disproportionately burdens people with chronic illnesses and creates long-term social and economic costs. The experiences and challenges of workers with chronic illness provide an opportunity to examine the larger framework of health care reform, not just the employer's role in isolation, and they make clear that chronic illness is an issue that must be addressed by employers and policymakers.


Despite significant work on resource estimation for quantum simulation of electronic systems, the challenge of preparing states with sufficient ground state support has so far been largely neglected. In this work we investigate this issue in several systems of interest, including organic molecules, transition metal complexes, the uniform electron gas, Hubbard models, and quantum impurity models arising from embedding formalisms such as dynamical mean-field theory. Our approach uses a state-of-the-art classical technique for high-fidelity ground state approximation. We find that easy-to-prepare single Slater determinants such as the Hartree-Fock state often have surprisingly robust support on the ground state for many applications of interest. For the most difficult systems, single-determinant reference states may be insufficient, but low-complexity reference states may suffice. For this we introduce a method for preparation of multi-determinant states on quantum computers.


Abstract Context Musculoskeletal disorders are a common problem among ophthalmologists, likely due to ergonomic challenges. Most research on the topic has been survey-based studies, which carry inherent weaknesses. Objective To examine the frequency and pattern of musculoskeletal dysfunction induced by performing a surgical procedure and to quantify the improvement after ergonomic interventions. Methods Ophthalmology residents from a single academic institution were invited to participate in the study on a volunteer basis. Preexisting musculoskeletal disorders; previous spinal, cervical, or shoulder surgery; or limited range of motion of the upper body or arms were exclusion criteria. The interventions consisted of a surgical simulation session and a control session, each lasting 2 hours. For the surgical simulation session, a musculoskeletal examination was performed at the beginning and end of the 2-hour session after the participants used the Eyesi Cataract Surgery Simulator (VRmagic). A musculoskeletal examination was performed by the palpatory screener (M.A.Z.) at the beginning and conclusion of the 2-hour control session, which consisted of both passive and active tasks. The musculoskeletal screener was blinded as to which session the participant was completing at the time of the examinations, as well as any musculoskeletal examination findings from before the intervention. All participants completed both sessions, but they were randomized into which session they were to complete first. Participants completed each session one after the other. Results Eight participants completed both sessions, and 32 musculoskeletal examinations were performed. In the surgical simulation session, after using the simulator, 5 of 8 participants had an increase in the number of spinal levels with tissue texture abnormalities, and 3 had no change. Of those in the control session, 5 participants had a decrease in the number of spinal levels with tissue texture abnormalities after a period of rest. Three participants in the control session had an increase in the number of affected spinal levels. The mean (SD) change in number of affected spinal levels in the surgical simulation session and control session was 1.3 (1.2) and −0.6 (2.0), respectively (P=.125). Age, sex, level of training, baseline somatic dysfunction, and which session was completed first did not affect results. Conclusion The majority of participants in the surgical simulation session had an increase in degree of somatic dysfunction, whereas the majority in the control session had a decrease in degree of somatic dysfunction. Although the sample size of this pilot study was too small to show statistical significance, a trend was observed, and further study is warranted.


ABSTRACT The 2004 EU extension and the 2008 financial crisis triggered new migration flows within Europe, and subsequent debates about what the novelty of these migration flows consists of. We draw on adult Polish and Spanish migrants' in Norway's considerations about future mobility and settlement, and explore how these situate themselves in relation to conceptualisations of intra-European migration as 'liquid'. Family concerns, economic factors and working life conditions in countries of origin appear as significant in migrants' reflections about the future. This seems to contrast with conceptualisations of intra-European migration as 'liquid' in the sense of increasing individualisation, lifestyles of mobility and a migrant habitus. Rather a 'normal life' is emphasised by migrants' underscoring desires to lead more grounded lives, under less 'liquid' conditions. Migrants' already established lives in Norway, together with deregulated labour markets in Poland and Spain, are experienced as reasons not to return. Migrants' considerations about the future suggest that key characteristics of South–North and East–West intra-European migration flows to Norway, appear to be converging: with a trend of transition to longer-term settlement and a wish for more grounded lives, where dignity is central and ongoing mobility is less prominent.


We present a miniature fluorescence sectioning microscope which uses a diode-pumped solid-state (DPSS) laser as the light source and a fast translating diffuser to produce dynamically changing speckle patterns onto the back aperture of the objective to illuminate the sample. Optical sectioning, which originates from the statistical characteristics of laser speckles, is obtained by calculating the contrast of a series of fluorescence images. High contrast fluorescence sectioning images of bovine pulmonary artery endothelial (BPAE) cells are obtained. The image quality is similar to that of the images acquired by standard laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM). Compared with LSCM, the laser speckle fluorescence microscope (LSFM) presented in this letter has many advantages, such as simple configurations, low cost, compact, and easy to operate, which makes it possible to have wide spread applications in biomedicine.


In recent times globalization has had a significant impact on content-teaching methodologies. Mobility in Europe is also a major issue that stimulated the implementation of such practice. David Marsh and Peeter Mehisto have pointed out that many governments have adopted some form of second-language-medium instruction. But reading in a second language per se does not make an example of language teaching, as the focus is primarily on content, not language. The instrumental use of a vehicular language – generally a second or foreign language to learners – does not imply analyzing and practicing the communicative structures of the vehicular language itself. Conversely, as Andy Kirkpatrick argued, all good language teaching needs to be based on content that engages the learner, but this is meant to provide useful contexts of use which will enhance the learning experience. Integration of content and language can only be achieved through the combination of professional expertise and linguistic competence provided by subject teachers and language teachers. Yet, although team teaching would seem to be the ideal solution, this is very difficult to achieve in practice for a number of reasons. Drawing on the successful experience of Canadian immersion programmes, where teachers are trained to teach French, and the subject through French, we believe that a second-language medium of instruction should ideally use teachers trained in both language and content pedagogy. ICT plays a fundamental role in achieving this dual goal as the case study presented in this paper proves. By analyzing a scenario of content and language integrated learning based on the use of e-learning technologies, the paper points out the relevance of involving students in ICT-based activities which give them a combination of professional expertise and linguistic competence.


The need for a common theoretical framework with regards to the use of the term 'sustainability' in connection with food is important. Its current use covers a number of different meanings, ranging through economics and food supply systems to agrifood systems. This article explores the issue of sustainability, using the five-capital-assets model (natural capital; social capital; physical capital; human/political capital; and financial capital). Using this as a tool, the impacts of food security and the global food system are audited. This analysis is taken from a paper presented at the national conference of the Home Economics Institute of Australia in 2005 and is framed by the discussions that took place in the workshops. Conclusions are drawn for home economic teachers in terms of the role they play in food advocacy. This moves beyond teaching about the food system 'as-it-is', to education concerning the background to the food system and how we, as both consumers and citizens, can act and exercise power. The model can be used to both inform teaching practice about sustainability and to frame a response at a school/community level to wider influences in the food system. Education on its own is judged not to be sufficient and the need for action at a school level is explored.


Bertrand oligopoly needs global demand functions which apply to close substitutes. This is a problem, because economic theory never supplied anything but local definitions for substitutes. Lancaster's "new theory of demand†is therefore invoked to supply one. In its format one can also quantify closeness of substitutes and incorporate optimisation of design. The present study focuses the pure price dynamics for Bertrand oligopoly when the design of the competing products is given, though quantified through Lancaster's approach. Resulting is some complex dynamics, including high periodicity and chaos.


Stabilizing bio-friendly and cyto-mimetic fluid structures has important implications for drug and gene delivery, micro bio-reactors, single cell and microniche studies, and as protocells. The majority of stabilization techniques have been developed for oil-in-water and water-in-oil emulsions, which have limitations in their application to biological systems due to the presence of the oil phase. The structures built in this thesis are therefore made within water-in-water dispersions. These all water dispersions are from aqueous mixtures of two polymers that demix to form two phases, termed aqueous two phase systems (ATPSs). ATPSs are comprised of two water-rich phases and are therefore excellent candidates for hosting or implantation within biological systems. In this thesis, challenges to stabilizing ATPSs are identified and discussed, including the ultra-low interfacial tension characteristic of these systems, and new strategies are developed to overcome such challenges. The first system studied is that of casein and xanthan (a protein and a polysaccharide) which undergoes spinodal decomposition, resulting in a transient bicontinuous structure. Colloids present in this phase-separating mixture attach at the water-water interface owing to capillarity, despite the low interfacial tension. This occurs for both living and passive colloids. The living colloids, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria, ultimately break down and restructure the bicontinuous matrix, indicating the bacteria can cooperate with the structure. The second system studied is the aqueous mixture of two polymers, poly ethylene glycol (PEG) and dextran. The PEG-dextran system is used to study emulsion stabilization techniques and understand the nuances of building materials at all water interfaces, specifically using polyelectrolyte complexation. In this study, oppositely charged polyelectrolytes are delivered from droplet and continuous phases to form a complex layer at the interface that stabilizes a water-in-water emulsion. Since the polyelectrolytes are soluble in both phases, successful interfacial complexation requires that polyanion and polycation fluxes be balanced such that they meet at, rather than around, the interface. Otherwise, non-stabilizing complexes are formed either inside or external to the droplet, far from the interface. This strategy is utilized to create microcapsules that can support a microbial community within the lumen. Interestingly, when one of the polyelectrolytes is replaced with a charged nanoparticle, the formation of stabilizing complexes is far less dependent on nanoparticle flux, as nanoparticles remain in the phase in which they are originally dispersed. Intriguingly, nanoparticle-polyelectrolyte complexation favors spontaneous double emulsion formation; we name these structures AWE-somes as they are water emulsion bodies. The mechanism for their formation relies on the osmotic pressure imbalance between the droplet and continuous phases. The encapsulated double emulsion structure is reminiscent of membrane-less organelles within biological cells, which comprise internal membrane-less compartments enclosed by a permeable membrane. This motivates the study of transport within the AWE-some structures. Small and large molecules can diffuse into the lumen and selectively partition to the PEG or dextran phases inside the nanoparticle and polyelectrolyte membrane. One drawback of the nanoparticle-polyelectrolyte shell is less flexible than the membrane formed by the polyelectrolyte pair. To imbue the nanoparticle decorated capsules with both flexible membranes and spontaneous multiple compartments, compound capsules are fabricated in which the continuous phase initially includes both anionic polyelectrolyte and negatively charged nanoparticles. These compound capsules have tunable flexibility and stimulus responsive properties, which are important for fortifying the capsules for various biological environments. Future studies will include the incorporation of biological molecules including DNA and proteins to demonstrate further biological functionality. Degree Type Dissertation This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: https://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/2324 Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering First Advisor Kathleen J. Stebe Second Advisor Daeyeon Lee


Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) have made significant improvements to reach the desired accuracy to be employed in a wide variety of Machine Learning (ML) applications. Recently the Google Brain's team demonstrated the ability of Capsule Networks (CapsNets) to encode and learn spatial correlations between different input features, thereby obtaining superior learning capabilities compared to traditional (i.e., non-capsule based) DNNs. However, designing CapsNets using conventional methods is a tedious job and incurs significant training effort. Recent studies have shown that powerful methods to automatically select the best/optimal DNN model configuration for a given set of applications and a training dataset are based on the Neural Architecture Search (NAS) algorithms. Moreover, due to their extreme computational and memory requirements, DNNs are employed using the specialized hardware accelerators in IoT-Edge/CPS devices. In this paper, we propose NASCaps, an automated framework for the hardware-aware NAS of different types of DNNs, covering both traditional convolutional DNNs and CapsNets. We study the efficacy of deploying a multi-objective Genetic Algorithm (e.g., based on the NSGA-II algorithm). The proposed framework can jointly optimize the network accuracy and the corresponding hardware efficiency, expressed in terms of energy, memory, and latency of a given hardware accelerator executing the DNN inference. Besides supporting the traditional DNN layers (such as, convolutional and fully-connected), our framework is the first to model and supports the specialized capsule layers and dynamic routing in the NAS-flow. We evaluate our framework on different datasets, generating different network configurations, and demonstrate the tradeoffs between the different output metrics. We will open-source the complete framework and configurations of the Pareto-optimal architectures at https://github.com/ehw-fit/nascaps.


This research focuses on responses of 64 woven laminated composites whose phase shift in microstructure is different under uniaxial compression and biaxial compression. The motivation of this paper is to understand how the microstructure arrangement affects laminate responses, particularly on the maximum strength and the tangential stiffness. Each laminated composite consists of four layers of laminae. Each layer of lamina has the same constituent microstructures. The laminae in different layers are shifted in the x and y direction to create phase shift. The first (bottom) layer of lamina in laminates remains stationary while the second layer of lamina, third layer of lamina, and fourth (top) layer of lamina are shifted in the x direction by 0mm, 2mm, 4mm, and 5mm, respectively. The results show that, under uniaxial compression, phase shift has significant influence on the homogenized tangential stiffness and has significant influence on the maximum failure strength. Under biaxial compression, phase shift also affects maximum strength. No significant difference on the tangential modulus of different laminates is observed under biaxial compression. By optimally arranging phase shift, the maximum strength of laminates under uniaxial compression or biaxial compression can be reached. For laminates consisting of the same microstructures in each layer of lamina, merely using homogenized modulus obtained from one layer of lamina cannot predict the responses of multi-layer-laminae composites due to phase shift.


The aim of this study was to identify the physiotherapeutic management of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) in Northern Ireland. A postal questionnaire was distributed to physiotherapists working in outpatient settings in this region (n=106). A response rate of 71% (n=75) was achieved. Patients with FMS featured in the caseloads of all respondents. The most important reported goal of treatment was to 'increase daily function' (n=24; 32%). Exercise (n=44; 58.7%) and hydrotherapy (n=12; 16.0%) were the most common treatment approaches. A total of 45.3% (n=34) of respondents stated that they did not believe they could adequately assess patients with FMS and 41.3% (n=31) reported that they had no training in the management of FMS. Private practitioners were significantly (P=0.05) more likely to believe that physiotherapy was beneficial for patients with FMS than their NHS counterparts. In conclusion, physiotherapy treatments for patients with FMS in Northern Ireland are consistent with current evidence. However, practice varies and physiotherapists are uncomfortable with their level of training in FMS.


Modern Lithium-ion batteries based on intercalation chemistry hold more than twice as much energy by weight and are ten times cheaper than the first commercial versions sold by Sony. But today they are near its limits. Metal anodes for 'beyond Li-Ion' batteries, such as Lithium-sulfur or Lithium-air, promise higher energy density and lower cost. However, the formation of dendrites is a major security risk and prevented a commercialization of the technology in large scales.
Magnesium in term can be directly used as anode material due to its dendrite-free deposition and thus increases the safety as well as energy density. Two electrons are stored per Mg atom which compensates the generally lower discharge potential of magnesium-based cell chemistries. In recent years magnesium-sulfur batteries are discussed as an attractive next-generation energy storage system and provides a high capacity of 3832 mAh/cm3 and 2230 mAh/g with an energy density of over 3200 Wh/l [1]. Such an energy density is beyond that of lithium-sulfur batteries and is, therefore, very promising for automotive and stationary applications. Furthermore, magnesium and sulfur are both naturally abundant, low in price and non-toxic.
However, magnesium-sulfur batteries are in a very early stage of research and development. The system suffers from similar problems like the early Li-S batteries which are a low coulombic efficiency and cycle life, mainly associated with the well-known polysulfide shuttle. Moreover, the reactions at both the positive and negative electrode are not yet fully understood but similar sulfur reduction mechanisms are generally assumed [2].
In order to harvest the conceptual similarities between lithium and magnesium sulfur batteries we formulate a common framework for metal sulfur batteries. In a multiscale approach we describe the processes in sulfur host materials (e.g. meso/mricoporous carbons) and on cell level (1+1D). The transport of dissolved species is modeled by the Nernst-Planck equation and sulfur red/ox kinetics are described by a reduced mechanism which is able to reproduce the key experimental results for Me-S batteries [3]. Therefore, the model is able to capture the kinetics of sulfur redistribution in the cell during cycling driven by the polysulfide shuttle. By taking into account side reactions at the negative electrode we are able to describe the experimentally observed decrease in coulombic efficiency and capacity.
However, in our presentation we focus on the investigation of the OCV and self-discharge behavior of Li-S and Mg-S batteries and shed some light on the key differences between the two. The simulation results will be compared to in-house experimental data measured on sulfur/carbon composite electrodes. For these experiments the Mg-S and Li-S cells under investigation are identical with respect to dimensions, cathode material and electrolyte solvent. The insights gained from these can be used to focus the development of Mg-S batteries on certain aspects and thus accelerate it. In close collaboration with the experimental groups at DLR and HIU we aim at guiding new developments of the Mg-S system.


PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To identify factors associated with screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) and hepatitis B, because hepatitis B can increase the risk of liver cancer. DATA SOURCES MEDLINE®, CINAHL®, and PsycINFO databases from January 1998 to April 2012. DATA SYNTHESIS The 23 reviewed studies included 15 descriptive, 2 intervention, 3 qualitative, 2 chart or medical record review, and 1 mixed method. Most studies used an investigator-developed instrument with no reported reliability. Inconsistent operational definitions for contributing factors to screening made it challenging to make comparisons. CONCLUSIONS CRC and hepatitis B screening are consistently low among Vietnamese Americans. Contributing factors included sociodemographics, knowledge, cultural beliefs, and external factors. External factors such as having a regular place of care and a healthcare provider were crucial because they influenced adherence to screening recommendations. Use of a public media education plus healthcare provider model and a culturally tailored intervention using Vietnamese lay advisors appeared to be promising for improving CRC screening. Additional intervention studies are needed to increase screening. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Vietnamese is a fast-growing subgroup within the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) group that may require targeted approaches to screening for disease. Future studies should focus on immigrants or those who were born in the United States (men and women) as disaggregated subgroups. Such research can inform culturally sensitive and appropriate interventions that may improve cancer screening rates. KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION Although Vietnamese is the fourth largest racial-ethnic subgroup within the AAPI group, the literature about contributing factors to CRC and hepatitis B screening is limited among this subgroup. CRC and hepatitis B screening are consistently low among Vietnamese Americans. Use of public media education plus a healthcare provider model and a culturally tailored intervention using Vietnamese lay advisors appears promising for improving CRC screening.


OBJECTIVE
Investigate the photodynamic antimicrobial effect by the combination of a novel noncoherent broad spectrum visible light and low concentrations of curcumin and toluidine blue over suspensions of Streptococcus mutans.

BACKGROUND DATA
Long illumination times to activate photosensitizers (PS) and the use of high concentrations of these drugs in photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) are limitations of its application as an antimicrobial technology in dental practice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
Planktonic suspensions of S. mutans were standardized and submitted to PACT treatment at low concentrations of curcumin (C) (0.075; 0.75 and 7.5 μM) and toluidine blue (T) (0.25; 2.5 and 25 μM) exposed to 42 J/cm2 (12.2 sec; set power: 3.930 mW) of a white light (WL) (output wavelength range: 400-700 nm; beam diameter: 12 mm) (C+WL+ and T+WL+, PACT groups; incubation time, C: 60 sec; T: 5 min); isolated effect of both C (C+WL-) and T concentrations (T+WL-); effect of light source (C-WL+ and T-WL+) and suspensions neither submitted to PS nor to light-emitting diode (LED) illumination (control groups, C-WL- and T-WL-). Aliquots of each group were diluted and cultured on blood agar plates and the number of colony-forming units (CFU)/mL was recorded, transformed into log10 and analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey's test at a cutoff value at 0.05.

RESULTS
The groups submitted to PACT presented a bacterial reduction value of>5-log10 to both tested PS in comparison with control groups (p<0.05). PS or light source used alone demonstrated no antimicrobial effect on the number of viable bacterial counts.

CONCLUSIONS
The combination of a novel noncoherent light at short illumination exposure time with low concentrations of studied PS achieved a lethal photoinactivation of S. mutans, and can be considered an effective antimicrobial in vitro approach for reducing the number of micro-organisms involved with the dental caries process.


Stable isotope analysis of oxygen (O) is increasingly used to determine the origin of nitrate (NO(3)-) and nitrous oxide (N(2)O) in the environment. The assumption underlying these studies is that the (18)O signature of NO(3)- and N(2)O provides information on the different O sources (O(2) and H(2)O) during the production of these compounds by various biochemical pathways. However, exchange of O atoms between H(2)O and intermediates of the (de)nitrification pathways may change the isotopic signal and thereby bias its interpretation for source determination. Chemical exchange of O between H(2)O and various nitrogenous oxides has been reported, but the probability and extent of its occurrence in terrestrial ecosystems remain unclear. Biochemical O exchange between H(2)O and nitrogenous oxides, NO(2)- in particular, has been reported for monocultures of many nitrifiers and denitrifiers that are abundant in nature, with exchange rates of up to 100%. Therefore, biochemical O exchange is likely to be important in most soil ecosystems, and should be taken into account in source determination studies. Failing to do so might lead to (i) an overestimation of nitrification as NO(3)- source, and (ii) an overestimation of nitrifier denitrification and nitrification-coupled denitrification as N(2)O production pathways. A method to quantify the rate and controls of biochemical O exchange in ecosystems is needed, and we argue this can only be done reliably with artificially enriched (18)O compounds. We conclude that in N source determination studies, the O isotopic signature of especially N(2)O should only be used with extreme caution.


Online game addiction has a negative image and is becoming a public concern in Taiwan. We look at this phenomenon from another perspective, through interviews with gamers who were addicted to a MMORPG but have quit playing, we believe that the multiple reasons causing gamers to leave their game can reflect some more aspects of online game addiction. We then map out how a gamer's attachment to a game changes over time due to many factors, stressing the importance of dynamic quitting and addiction patterns to better understand the addicted gamer's game experience over time. Lastly, we observed self consciousness in these addicted players as they selfmonitored and sought help in many ways to quit a game. We hope this study will be useful for researchers who are trying to better understand online game addiction.


Debate about the concept of flexicurity has focused on the European employment strategy which has attracted attention in the number of European countries. Especially, the process of improving labour market flexibility has stimulated a renew interest in the issue of European Social Model. As employment prospect is one of the determinants of labour flows, the flexicurity model may be applicable to workers' movement situation in the EU. This derives from the fact that level of mobility in the European Union (EU) is low, despite the right to live and work in another member state contained in Articles 39-42 of EC Treaty. The EU has introduced a number of measures to make it easier for citizens to move from one member state to another, but within the EU system no concrete instruments or guidlines as to how to achieve higher mobility is yet to be materialised. Although the flexicurity model has introduced mechanisms to rectify problems in the social policies of the member states, under the prevailing conditions, the existing problems may become more intense. The basic quesion is whether the flexicurity model will enchance policy dimension of mobility, since the member states have their own national social models. This article aims to explore the significance of flexicurity for movement of labour in the EU.


Ubuntu as an African ethic has been embraced in Africa as one that defines an individual's African-ness. Its influence has gone beyond the African borders with other continents pondering how it can be embraced in their contexts. Scholars from Africa and beyond have eulogised the indispensability of ubuntu . However, it is a fact that most academic writings on the concept by various scholars have neglected to look at ubuntu and how it intersects with gender – especially with a particular focus on its ambivalence in the lives of women in Africa. This article, therefore, seeks to make a critical reflection on the ambivalence of the concept focussing mainly on the cultural traditions of the Shona of Zimbabwe from the perspective of a womanist.


Optical design may be thought of as an exercise in the solution of sets of simultaneous, nonlinear, algebraic equations with prescribed boundary conditions. Several methods for solving such sets of equations are discussed, and numerical examples are given for some of them. These methods are believed suitable for use with automatic computing machinery.In the optical problem there are usually many more equations than variables, so that an exact solution is seldom possible. If, however, the quality of a system is specified by a merit function φ, then a set of parameters which make φ a minimum can be interpreted as a solution of the equations.


In October of 1998, the European Union Data Privacy Directive ("Directive") became effective.1 Consistent with Europe's serious approach to consumer privacy, the Directive mandates that Member States adopt the most rigorous privacy legislation the world has seen. The specific requirements of the Directive are complex, and I have discussed them in some detail in another article.2 Very generally, the Directive places obligations on data collectors and provides rights to data subjects. The most significant of these protections from a global privacy perspective is the Directive's "opt-in" approach, which presumes an expectation of data privacy as the default position, and (with certain exceptions) allows the processing of personal information only if "the data subject has unambiguously given his consent."3 Beyond this substantive provision, which differs from the "opt-out" presumption that underlies US privacy policy, the Directive contains an interesting data-flow restriction. Because of its potential effect on other nations that interact with or do business in Europe, it may be the most controversial feature of the Directive.4 According to Article 25 of the Directive: The Member States shall provide that the transfer to a third country of personal data which are undergoing processing or are intended for processing after transfer may take place only if, without prejudice to compliance with national provisions adopted pursuant to the other provisions of this Directive, the third country in question ensures an adequate level of protection.5 Section 2 of Article 25 enumerates circumstances that help determine whether adequate protection is provided by a given third country. These include the nature of the data, the purpose and duration of the proposed processing operation or operations, the country of origin and country of final destination, the rules of law, both general and sectoral, in force in the third country in question and the professional rules and security measures which are complied with in that country.6 Countries that fail to ensure adequate protection under the provisions of Article 25 may still receive personal data transfers under the following conditions: 1. By way of derogation from Article 25 and save where otherwise provided by domestic law governing particular cases, Member States shall provide that a transfer or a set of transfers of personal data to a third country which does not ensure an adequate level of protection within the meaning of Article 25 (2) may take place on condition that: (a) the data subject has given his consent unambiguously to the proposed transfer; or (b) the transfer is necessary for the performance of a contract between the data subject and the controller or the implementation of precontractual measures taken in response to the data subjects request; or (c) the transfer is necessary for the conclusion or performance of a contract concluded in the interest of the data subject between the controller and a third party; or (d) the transfer is necessary or legally required on important public interest grounds, or for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims; or (e) the transfer is necessary in order to protect the vital interests of the data subject; or the transfer is made from a register which according to laws or regulations is intended to provide information to the public and which is open to consultation either by the public in general or by any person who can demonstrate legitimate interest, to the extent that the conditions laid down in law for consultation are fulfilled in the particular case. 2. Without prejudice to paragraph 1, a Member State may authorize a transfer or a set of transfers of personal data to a third country which does not ensure an adequate level of protection within the meaning of Article 25 (2), where the controller adduces adequate safeguards with respect to the protection of the privacy and fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals and as regards the exercise of the corresponding rights; such safeguards may in particular result from appropriate contractual clauses. …


Pinch-the-Sky Dome is a large immersive installation where several users can interact simultaneously with omni-directional data inside of a tilted geodesic dome. Our system consists of an omni-directional projector-camera unit in the center of the dome. The projector is able to project an image spanning the entire 360 degrees and a camera is used to track freehand gestures for navigation of the content. The interactive demos include: 1) the exploration of the astronomical data provided by World Wide Telescope, 2) social networking 3D graph visualizations, 3) immersive panoramic images, and 4) 360 degree video conferencing. We combine speech commands with freehand pinch gestures to provide a highly immersive and interactive experience to several users inside the dome, with a very wide field of view for each user.


In a model of evolution driven by conflict between societies more powerful states have an advantage. When the influence of outsiders is small we show that this results in a tendency to hegemony. In a simple example in which institutions differ in their "exclusiveness" we find that these hegemonies will be inefficiently "extractive" in the sense of having inefficiently high taxes, high compensation for state officials, and low welfare.


We have proposed a new approach to tune the operation wavelength of Franz-Keldysh Ge electro-absorption modulation in Si photonics by controlling the local strain environment to cover the whole range of C + L bands (1.53 - 1.62 μm). The present paper shows a proof of strain-tuning modulator concept by the shift of the Ge absorption edge using SiN(x) stressor films and Franz-Keldysh effect in strain-controlled Ge.


Ubiquitous computing applications commonly use digital compass sensors to obtain orientation of a device relative to the magnetic north of the earth. However, these compass readings are always prone to significant errors in indoor environments due to presence of metallic objects in close proximity. Such errors can adversely affect the performance and quality of user experience of the applications utilizing digital compass sensors.
 In this paper, we propose Polaris, a novel approach to provide reliable orientation information for mobile devices in indoor environments. Polaris achieves this by aggregating pictures of the ceiling of an indoor environment and applies computer vision based pattern matching techniques to utilize them as orientation references for correcting digital compass readings. To show the feasibility of the Polaris system, we implemented the Polaris system on mobile devices, and field tested the system in multiple office buildings. Our results show that Polaris achieves 4.5° average orientation accuracy, which is about 3.5 times better than what can be achieved through sole use of raw digital compass readings.


Anoxic hypersaline basins have been found in two different tectonic environments in the eastern Mediterranean. Within the Tyro area (the western Strabo Trench) there are three pull apart basins: the Tyro Basin, presently filled with anoxic hypersaline bottomwater, and the Poseidon and Kretheus Basins, thought to have been anoxic and filled with hypersaline water in the past. The Mediterranean Ridge shows a "cobblestone topography" (Camerlenghi, 1990). The Bannock Basin is the largest depression found within this area and is divided into nine sub-basins. Tectonic deformations of Messinian evaporites are thought to be the major processes involved in the formation of these anoxic hypersaline basins. The interstitial water chemistry of sediments from these basins have been studied. The fact that the Poseidon and Kretheus Basins have been filled with hypersaline bottomwater is reflected by an increase of the CI and Na concentration in the pore waters downcore. These brines are thought to have been similar to that of the Tyro Basin. A diffusionadvection model has been applied to the CI profiles. From time calculations it was possible to estimate the time elapsed since hypersaline conditions in the Poseidon and Kretheus Basins changed into normal saline conditions. A renewal time between 2000 - 3000 years was found. Organic matter reaching the sediments is decomposed by sulphate reducing bacteria. Despite the high salinity (260 %0) in the Tyro and Bannock Basins, sulphate reduction rates are higher than in the sediments from the Poseidon and Kretheus Basins. These higher sulphate reduction rates could be related to a better "preservation" of the organic matter in the anoxic brine. The release of inorganic metabolites, such as ammonium, alkalinity, phosphate and sulphide leads to the formation of authigenic minerals in these sediments such as dolomite, gypsum and sulphides. The sulphur chemistry in the anoxic hypersaline sediments from the Tyro and Bannock Basins have been studied in detail. Despite the difference in major element chemistry of the brines (De Lange et aI., 1990a) their sulphur chemistry in the sediments is very similar. The following sulphur species have been determined and quantified: elemental sulphur, Acid Volatile Sulphur (AVS), organic polysulphides, humic sulphur (0.5 M NaOH extractable) and pyritic sulphur. Pyritic sulphur was found to be the main phase of the inorganic reduced sulphur (50 - 80% of the total sulphur pool) and was at the same level (250 pmoles per gram dry weight) in both cores. Remarkably, humic sulphur was found to account for 17 to 28% of the total sulphur pool in the Tyro Basin and for 10 - 43 % in the Bannock Basin. Sulphur isotope data show negative 634S values for both pyritic sulphur (-16 to -40 %0) and humic sulphur (-16 to -30 %0). Pyritic and humic sulphur are thought to be mainly formed at the interface of oxic seawater and anoxic hypersaline bottom water. At this interface material is captured due to the large density difference. Higher amounts of particulate and dissolved organic carbon have been observed at these interfaces as well as sulphate reduction and sulphide oxidation processes. Turbiditic deposition transports pyritic and humic sulphur compounds to the sediments in the Tyro and Bannock Basins.


Multimodal streams of sensory information are naturally parsed and integrated by humans using signal-level feature extraction and higher level cognitive processes. Detection of attention-invoking audiovisual segments is formulated in this work on the basis of saliency models for the audio, visual, and textual information conveyed in a video stream. Aural or auditory saliency is assessed by cues that quantify multifrequency waveform modulations, extracted through nonlinear operators and energy tracking. Visual saliency is measured through a spatiotemporal attention model driven by intensity, color, and orientation. Textual or linguistic saliency is extracted from part-of-speech tagging on the subtitles information available with most movie distributions. The individual saliency streams, obtained from modality-depended cues, are integrated in a multimodal saliency curve, modeling the time-varying perceptual importance of the composite video stream and signifying prevailing sensory events. The multimodal saliency representation forms the basis of a generic, bottom-up video summarization algorithm. Different fusion schemes are evaluated on a movie database of multimodal saliency annotations with comparative results provided across modalities. The produced summaries, based on low-level features and content-independent fusion and selection, are of subjectively high aesthetic and informative quality.


Introduction: Machakos County health facilities have poor healthcare waste segregation, treatment and disposal practices; patients, health workers including waste handlers and the general population are exposed to risks of needle stick injuries and infection of HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B&C. All population is exposed to risks associated with furans, dioxins and heavy metals released to the environment through open and crude burning of healthcare waste. World Health Organization recommends supporting and strengthening a health system based on six health system building blocks that includes quality service delivery. The study focused on strengthening the service delivery pillar of health systems in which good health services are expressed as both personal and non-personal quality care, through addressing aspects of safe healthcare waste management (HCWM) herein viewed as non-personal services that directly or indirectly affect patient, health workers and the general population health. The purpose of this study was to determine factors affecting HCWM system in Machakos County. Specific objectives were to determine the healthcare waste management process, health Managers role, human resource factors, and how healthcare waste management policy implementation affect HCWM system in health facilities in Machakos County. Methods: We used survey research design. A sample size of 120 respondents was drawn using both stratified random and purposive sampling techniques. Data was collected using questionnaires and an interview guide. Results: The findings showed that the role of health managers (β2 = .436, P < .001), human resource factors (β3 = .065, P < .002), and healthcare waste management policy implementation (β4 = .275, P < .001) influenced management of healthcare waste system. Conclusions: Health managers' role had the strongest positive and significant influence on HCWM. Recommendations: i) adoption of safe technologies for treatment and disposal of healthcare waste, ii) refresher trainings on HCWM to all healthcare staff on existing HCWM policies in Kenya, iii) provision of adequate budget to procure enough HCWM commodities, iv) provision of adequate personal protective equipment to all health staff, and v) vaccination of health staff against Hepatitis B.


Abstract. Ground deformation and gravity changes in restless calderas during periods of unrest can signal an impending eruption and thus must be correctly interpreted for hazard evaluation. It is critical to differentiate variation of geophysical observables related to volume and pressure changes induced by magma migration from shallow hydrothermal activity associated with hot fluids of magmatic origin rising from depth. In this paper we present a numerical model to evaluate the thermo-poroelastic response of the hydrothermal system in a caldera setting by simulating pore pressure and thermal expansion associated with deep injection of hot fluids (water and carbon dioxide). Hydrothermal fluid circulation is simulated using TOUGH2, a multicomponent multiphase simulator of fluid flows in porous media. Changes in pore pressure and temperature are then evaluated and fed into a thermo-poroelastic model (one-way coupling), which is based on a finite-difference numerical method designed for axi-symmetric problems in unbounded domains. Informed by constraints available for the Campi Flegrei caldera (Italy), a series of simulations assess the influence of fluid injection rates and mechanical properties on the hydrothermal system, uplift and gravity. Heterogeneities in hydrological and mechanical properties associated with the presence of ring faults are a key determinant of the fluid flow pattern and consequently the geophysical observables. Peaks (in absolute value) of uplift and gravity change profiles computed at the ground surface are located close to injection points (namely at the centre of the model and fault areas). Temporal evolution of the ground deformation indicates that the contribution of thermal effects to the total uplift is almost negligible with respect to the pore pressure contribution during the first years of the unrest, but increases in time and becomes dominant after a long period of the simulation. After a transient increase over the first years of unrest, gravity changes become negative and decrease monotonically towards a steady-state value. Since the physics of the investigated hydrothermal system is similar to any fluid-filled reservoir, such as oil fields or CO2 reservoirs produced by sequestration, the generic formulation of the model will allow it to be employed in monitoring and interpretation of deformation and gravity data associated with other geophysical hazards that pose a risk to human activity.


This study explores the value implications of good corporate governance for a sample of 54 ADR issuing emerging market firms (EMFs) from 9 countries primarily located in the regions of Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America and the and employs recently constructed company composite corporate governance metric along with some alternative corporate governance measures associated with the origin of the issuing firm. Although the ADR literature primarily focuses on the impact of subscription to US disclosure requirements we contend that company and country specific corporate governance standards play a significant role in the risk reduction and ensuing value capture.  The fundamental inquiry in this study has the following foci: The primary focus is on the impact of corporate governance structures on firm performance as to whether adherence to standards creates market value for ADR issuing EMFs.  Do good corporate governance practices affect the value of EMFs? The secondary focus is concerned with whether the impact of corruption level and legal system in a firm's home country affect the corporate structures of EMFs thus affecting the market value of firms.  In this study, we utilize Tobin's q as the measure of firm performance/market value.  Our findings suggest that there is a significant correlation between corporate governance structures of ADR issuing EMFs and their market values and/or performances.  The results also indicate that the level of corruption and legal structures in home countries of EMFs strongly impact the corporate governance structures of these firms and sequentially affect their market values. Therefore, this research further contributes to the scholarly findings and suppositions that corporate structures of firms do create consequences on firm value.


The Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) is a test of functional movement in infants from 32 weeks' post-conceptional age to 4 months postterm. The purpose of this study was to assess in 96 infants (44 females, 52 males) with varying risk, the relation between measures on the TIMP at 7, 30, 60, and 90 days after term age and percentile ranks (PR) on the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). Correlation between scores on the TIMP and the AIMS was highest for TIMP tests at 90 days and AIMS testing at 6 months (r=0.67, p=0.0001), but all comparisons were statistically significant except those between the TIMP at 7 days and AIMS PR at 9 months. In a multiple regression analysis combining a perinatal risk score and 7-day TIMP measures to predict 12-month AIMS PR, risk, but not TIMP, predicted outcome (21% of variance explained). At older ages TIMP measures made increasing contributions to prediction of 12-month AIMS PR (30% of variance explained by 90-day TIMP). The best TIMP score to maximize specificity and correctly identify 84% of the infants above versus below the 10th PR at 6 months was a cut-off point of 1 SD below the mean. The same cut-off point correctly identified 88% of the infants at 12 months. A cut-off of -0.5 SD, however, maximized sensitivity at 92%. A negative test result, i.e. score above -0.5 SD at 3 months, carried only a 2% probability of a poor 12-month outcome. We conclude that TIMP scores significantly predict AIMS PR 6 to 12 months later, but the TIMP at 3 months of age has the greatest degree of validity for predicting motor performance on the AIMS at 12 months and can be used clinically to identify infants likely to benefit from intervention.


Multicystic epithelioid mesothelioma is a rare benign tumor that arises from changes in peritoneal mesothelial cells. We report a large multicystic epithelioid mesothelioma case in a female patient with infiltration into the abdominal wall and thigh. Extensive tumor resection and reconstruction were performed with multiple fasciocutaneous flaps randomized in the abdominal region, flanks, right and left thigh flaps and vulva flap. It has been in full healing for nine months without recurrence and complaints. ■ ABSTRACT


I am pleased by the publication of Whitford and Wong's article, "Political and Social Foundations for Environmental Sustainability," in Political Research Quarterly because of the importance of the topic they address and the need for social scientists in various disciplines to empirically assess the types of hypotheses they articulate. I am well aware of the many challenges (e.g., measurement and data availability issues) researchers face in developing quantitative macro-comparative models and am sympathetic to dieir efforts. Although there are a variety of aspects of Whitford and Wong's study with which I could take issue, in many respects, I think the study is reasonably well done. However, there is one major problem that cannot be overlooked: the use of the Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI) and its components as the dependent variables in the analyses undermines the validity of the conclusions, since the ESI is a fundamentally flawed measure of sustainability. Thus, I will focus my comments here on the flaws of the ESI in the hope of improving social science research on the vital topic of environmental sustainability. The most basic problem with the ESI is that the components that make it up are combined through an effectively arbitrary weighting system and are themselves produced through combining arbitrarily weighted subcomponents that are the arbitrarily weighted combination of variables, some of which themselves are based on arbitrarily weighted indices. The result is that except for the base variables that are not indices themselves, none of which are directly modeled by Whitford and Wong, the units of the ESI, its components, and its subcomponents are largely meaningless. What, after all, would it mean if the ESI or one of its components, such as the Environmental Systems component, increased by one unit? This may in fact not indicate an improvement in sustainability, since it could reflect a variety of changes. For example, the air quality indicator could increase substantially because the concentration of sulfur dioxide in the air decreases significantly, while the biodiversity indicator decreases modestly because of an additional listing of an endangered species, with a net effect of an increase in the Environmental Systems component, and thus, the ESI. However, is it really reasonable to think that the indicators of air quality and biodiversity are of equal importance to sustainability? How does sulfur dioxide concentration compare in importance with species endangerment? It is rather hard to say, and this is exactly why I refer to the ESI and its components as arbitrarily weighted. If one slightly changed the weighting, the scenario I just mentioned (decrease in sulfur dioxide concentration and the endangerment of a species) might well lead to a decrease in the ESI instead of an increase. So, it is hard to make much of what it means to talk about improving or worsening sustainability when using the ESI. I am, of course, aware that indices of this nature are not uncommon in the social sciences, so Whitford and Wong are not deviating here from a common practice. However, the use of such arbitrarily weighted measures, particularly as dependent variables, has always been controversial, and it seems to me reasonable to avoid their use when possible. There are clearly better options than using the ESI as a sustainability measure. One can, of course, use direct measures of environmental problems or stressors, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. These have the advantage of measuring something quite real and in meaningful units. The downside is, of course, that any one such indicator is not necessarily a good indicator of sustainability in general. Another option is to use a broader measure that is based on combining different environmental impacts in a theoretically meaningful way using a logic of weighting that connects to a real unit. The "ecological footprint" (originally developed by Wackernagel and Rees [1996]) is just such a measure that converts a variety of human demands on the environment into a land area measure - that is, the land area necessary to support human consumption and waste production. …


In this paper, we revisit the debate on the merits of the stack-and-roll hedging strategy employed by Metallgesellschaft's American subsidiary, MGRM. Since the profitability of this hedging strategy depends on whether or not backwardation was the norm in energy futures contracts, we first provide the evidence on backwardation with an updated data set. We then examine the two major risks that such a hedging strategy faces margin call risk due to price declines and contango risk. Based on the data up to 1992, we find that the strategy could be expected to be profitable while the risks were not very high. Based on the updated data (up to 2000), the program's expected profits are smaller but still significant, however, the risks are higher. The probabilities of encountering a similar problem to the one MGRM faced are twice as high with the updated data than with the data up to 1992. In other words, the risk-return pattern of such a strategy is less appealing now than when MGRM implemented its hedging program.


Significance In a study including 17 societies, we found that people are motivated to trust and cooperate more with their ingroup, than harm the outgroup. Reputation-based indirect reciprocity may offset this ingroup favoritism, because we found that reputational concern universally increases cooperation with both ingroup and outgroup members. We also found that people who are dispositionally cooperative are less parochial and more universal in their cooperation. In a time of increasing parochialism in both domestic and international relations, our findings affirm us of the danger of the strong human universal toward parochial altruism. Yet, our findings suggest that in all societies, there exist people whose cooperation transcends group boundaries and provides a solution to combating parochialism: reputation-based indirect reciprocity. International challenges such as climate change, poverty, and intergroup conflict require countries to cooperate to solve these complex problems. However, the political tide in many countries has shifted inward, with skepticism and reluctance to cooperate with other countries. Thus, cross-societal investigations are needed to test theory about trust and cooperation within and between groups. We conducted an experimental study in 17 countries designed to test several theories that explain why, who, and where people trust and cooperate more with ingroup members, compared with outgroup members. The experiment involved several interactions in the trust game, either as a trustor or trustee. We manipulated partner group membership in the trust game (ingroup, outgroup, or unknown) and if their reputation was at stake during the interaction. In addition to the standard finding that participants trust and cooperate more with ingroup than outgroup members, we obtained findings that reputational concerns play a decisive role for promoting trust and cooperation universally across societies. Furthermore, men discriminated more in favor of their ingroup than women. Individual differences in cooperative preferences, as measured by social value orientation, predicted cooperation with both ingroup and outgroup members. Finally, we did not find support for three theories about the cross-societal conditions that influence the degree of ingroup favoritism observed across societies (e.g., material security, religiosity, and pathogen stress). We discuss the implications for promoting cooperation within and between countries.


A modified version of the nonlinear iterative Chahine algorithm is presented and applied to the inversion of spectral extinction data for particle sizing. Simulated data were generated in a λ range of 0.2-2 µm,and particle-size distributions were recovered with radii in the range of 0.14-1.4 µm. Our results show that distributions and sample concentrations can be recovered to a high degree of accuracy when the indices of refraction of the sample and of the solvent are known. The inversion method needs no a priori assumptions and no constraints on the particle distributions. Compared with the algorithm originally proposed by Chahine, our method is much more stable with respect to random noise, permits a better quality of the retrieved distributions, and improves the overall reliability of the fitting. The accuracy and resolution of the method as functions of noise were investigated and showed that the retrieved distributions are quite reliable up to noise levels of several rms percent in the data. The sensitivity to errors in the real and imaginary parts of the refraction index of the particles was also examined.


We present the supernova (SN) sample and Type-Ia SN (SN Ia) rates from the Cluster Lensing And Supernova survey with Hubble (CLASH). Using the Advanced Camera for Surveys and the Wide Field Camera 3 on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), we have imaged 25 galaxy-cluster fields and parallel fields of non-cluster galaxies. We report a sample of 27 SNe discovered in the parallel fields. Of these SNe, ∼13 are classified as SN Ia candidates, including four SN Ia candidates at redshifts z > 1.2. We measure volumetric SN Ia rates to redshift 1.8 and add the first upper limit on the SN Ia rate in the range 1.8 < z < 2.4. The results are consistent with the rates measured by the HST/GOODS and Subaru Deep Field SN surveys. We model these results together with previous measurements at z < 1 from the literature. The best-fitting SN Ia delay-time distribution (DTD; the distribution of times that elapse between a short burst of star formation and subsequent SN Ia explosions) is a power law with an index of , where the statistical uncertainty is a result of the 68% and 95% (in parentheses) statistical uncertainties reported for the various SN Ia rates (from this work and from the literature), and the systematic uncertainty reflects the range of possible cosmic star-formation histories. We also test DTD models produced by an assortment of published binary population synthesis (BPS) simulations. The shapes of all BPS double-degenerate DTDs are consistent with the volumetric SN Ia measurements, when the DTD models are scaled up by factors of 3–9. In contrast, all BPS single-degenerate DTDs are ruled out by the measurements at >99% significance level.


Starting with the idea that the notion pronoun is not a primitive of linguistic theory, we propose that it is necessary to recognize (at least) three pronoun types: pro-DP, pro-fP, and pro-NP. Evidence supporting this three-way split comes from the sensitivity of certain proforms to the predicate/argument distinction, the internal structure of proforms, and the binding-theoretic properties of proforms. Recognizing different pronoun types also sheds light on the formal (dis)similarities between obviation and switch-reference.


Vascularization (hemoglobin concentration) is the main intrinsic contrast in near infrared optics and may be considered as the background heterogeneity or biological noise. This noise causes complexity of the assessment of boundary measurements and uncertainty of the detectability of an optical anomaly in the medium. We have investigated the influence of this biological noise on boundary measurements with its varying degrees. We have studied an infinite-slab medium hosting an absorbing anomaly in transmission mode. In order to model this optical heterogeneity in the volume of interest we have employed a spatially random distribution pattern of absorption and observed that the amplitude of measured signals at air-tissue boundary is even decreased by 26% for low contrast heterogeneity having 40% volume fraction of heterogeneity. Furthermore optical signal measured along the detectors has been flattened as the amount of heterogeneity in the medium increases. As a measure of flatness, we have defined the contrast of the measured signals along the detectors and observed that the contrast decreases approximately linearly with an increasing heterogeneity. It is 0.79 for the heterogeneity having 40% volume fraction (VF), 0.82 for VF = %20 whereas it is 0.85 for VF = 0% suggesting that as heterogeneity (aka biological noise) increases, the detectability of an inhomogeneity diminishes.


Historic towns and cities are a distinctive element of Italian settlement. Despite their strategic role in structuring the Italian territorial framework, over the last few years they have been troubled by widespread abandonment and decay. While a major transition from preservation to regeneration policies has taken place, it has become evident that a crucial aspect is the evaluation of achieved goals and final success. Against this background, the main purpose of this study is to highlight the need to provide a crosscutting and fully accessible set of indicators for measuring regeneration strategies for historic towns, and to develop a methodological proposal helping local authorities in assessing the effectiveness of their development strategies and supporting the possible rescheduling of interventions while raising the interest about the use of indicators. An operational tool – the Set of Indicators for historic cities – is proposed based on the analysis and the selection of indicators adopted internationally. The conceptual structuring of indicators is explored with a discussion of the selection process and the definition of a scoring framework. The casestudy analysis is also reported – indicators being applied to Toscana and Sardegna to test the extent and the validity of the proposed indicators. Conclusions are drawn concerning potential benefits and the applicability of the set of Indicators for historic towns.


Edward I (1272-1307) is one of the most commanding of all English rulers. He fought in southwest France, in Wales, In Scotland and in northern France, he ruled with ruthlessness and confidence, undoing the chaotic failure of his father, Henry III's reign. He reshaped England's legal system and came close to bringing the whole island of Great Britain under his rule. He promoted the idea of himself as the new King Arthur, his Round Table still hanging in Winchester Castle to this day. His greatest monuments are the extraordinary castles - Caernarfon, Beaumaris, Harlech and Conwy - built to ensure his rule of Wales and some of the largest of all medieval buildings. Andy King's brilliant short biography brings to life a strange, complex man whose triumphs raise all kinds of questions about the nature of kingship - how could someone who established so many key elements in England's unique legal and parliamentary system also have been such a harsh, militarily brutal warrior?


Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors contain a region encompassing the second and third transmembrane domains that is rich in conserved aspartic acid residues. To investigate the role of four conserved aspartic acids at positions 71, 99, 105, and 122 in muscarinic receptor function, point mutations in the rat m1 muscarinic receptor gene were made that converted each Asp to Asn, and wild type or mutant genes were stably expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells that normally lack muscarinic receptors. Substitution of Asp71 or Asp122 with Asn produced mutant receptors that displayed high affinity for carbachol but decreased efficacy and potency, respectively, in agonist-induced activation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis, suggesting that these residues may mediate receptor-GTP binding protein interactions. Substitution of Asp99 or Asp105 with Asn produced marked decreases in ligand binding affinities and/or covalent incorporation of [3H] propylbenzilylcholine mustard, suggesting that these residues may be involved in receptor-ligand interactions.


TRADITION: An all-important word among the Hopi Indians who live in the high plateau country of northeastern Arizona. Tradition, including the creation of beautiful arts and crafts, links the present and the ancient past. The cliff-dwelling ancestors of the Hopis made intricately designed pottery and tightly woven baskets. They fashioned jewelry from shell and turquoise, pecked design into or painted them onto cliff walls, and wore clothing woven from native-grown hand-spun cotton. Like their ancestors, today's Hopi artists work in a variety of media, including painting, basket and textile weaving, sculpting, and the making of pottery and jewelry. However, they are probably best known for their kachina carvings. Kachinas are part of the Pueblo culture, particularly the Hopis; kachinas carved by non-Puebloans are never authentic, and usually are not particularly well done. Kachina carvings were originally made to be given as gifts to girls during ceremonies. Through the years, some recipients began to sell their kachinas. This led to carving kachinas strictly for commercial purposes, a practice that evolved into fine art, turning out kachina carvings to be exhibited and sold in museums and galleries. Kachina art continues to evolve. Today many artists create exemplary works from one solid piece of cottonwood root, with no accouterments added, and flowing free-form from the natural shape of the wood. Kachina carving comes from the heart of those immersed in Hopi culture. Because of the importance of kachinas and the strong emotions they evoke, artists pay homage to them in other types of Hopi art. "My paintings emphasize the kachinas because they are so important to the Hopi People," Richard Lomahinma Dawavendewa explained. "I use images from our ceremonies, and try to portray what they represent and how I feel about them. When I paint, I put my heart and spirit into it. I try to give life to each painting. Kachinas are the backbone of our culture." As the Hopi life-style revolves around their ceremonies, it is a rare piece of art that lacks spiritual connotations, how could it be otherwise when ritual is the heart and soul of "being Hopi?" And as kachinas are an essential part of spiritual life, it seems only natural that they offer an endless source of inspiration and are the most prominent figures in Hopi art. Although paintings include a variety of media from oils to acrylics to watercolors to prints, spirituality is always a central theme. Most Hopi artists learn their skills at an early age from their own people, particularly family members. Perhaps the most important artistic influence for youngsters is that their entire world is immersed in art. Making pottery or jewelry, weaving baskets, carving kachinas, or painting is simply something that most everyone does. There seems to be little doubt that talent is an inherent trait, but the artistic environment undoubtedly also has a profound effect. The ancient villages, extraordinary landscapes of ragged mesas, and endless vistas, contribute to the artist's vision, as do the rumbling thunderstorms. Timeless legends inspire the imagination, and ceremonies provide colorful visual experiences. However, at times, something very different stirs the artistic imagination. Michael Dean Jenkins (also known as Dean Michaels) won a first prize for his Mocking Kachina at the 1997 Museum of northern Arizona Hopi Marketplace. "We were in Hollywood last fall, walking down the Strip, looking at guitars," Dean explained. "We went into one of those old comic-book stores. They had porcelain figures of comic-book characters standing around. …


The complexity of modern embedded systems requires the cooperation of several teams belonging to different cultures and using different languages as well as the reuse of software, hardware and communication IP modules at the early design steps. The key issue for the design of such systems is the overall system validation and the synthesis of the communication between the different subsystems. In this paper we focus on the problem of multi-level communication synthesis and show the results of the application of this methodology on an example. Designers get feedback at all design steps via the cosimulation engine that permits fast evaluation.


Studies investigating the bicultural experiences of people of African descent are significantly underrepresented in the literature. The primary purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the relationship between experiences of bicultural stress and mental well-being. In investigating this relationship, perceived social support and education were examined as protective factors, and its relationship to bicultural stress for this population. With the ultimate goal of this information contributing to the understanding of bicultural processes within this population and the relationship to mental health outcomes. A non-experimental (nonrandomized) research design was utilized to examine the study research questions and hypotheses. The participants include self-identified bicultural adults of African descent. Correlational and regression analyses indicated that in the study's sample: (a) bicultural stress was related to symptoms of depression, perceived social support and education, (b) symptoms of depression were correlated with bicultural stressors, (c) social support and education served as protective factors against endorsement of depressive symptoms, (d) social support and education were correlated. The findings from this study may help to elucidate mental health outcomes as it relates to bicultural experiences among people of African descent. The findings may also serve to highlight culturally-sensitive approaches and information that better inform psychologists and health practitioners in serving this population. Furthermore, the findings of this study supports continued research that seeks to address the bicultural experiences of this diverse subgroup as it relates to mental health outcomes.


A flow chemistry-based technique is presented herein for Cu(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloadditions with a copper on iron bimetallic system as the catalyst and iron powder as a readily available copper scavenger. The method proved to be rapid and safe as compared with the conventional batch experiment; and by using an in-line copper scavenger, the level of copper impurities in the triazole products could readily be reduced to negligibly small amounts. The process was widely applicable, as not only terminal alkynes, but also various disubstituted acetylenes were nicely tolerated as dipolarophiles leading to useful 1,4,5-trisubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles.