An up-to-date and practical reference book on piping engineering and stress analysis, this book emphasizes three main concepts: using engineering common sense to foresee a potential piping stress problem, performing the stress analysis to confirm the problem, and lastly, optimizing the design to solve the problem. Systematically, the book proceeds from basic piping flexibility analyses, spring hanger selections, and expansion joint applications, to vibration stress evaluations and general dynamic analyses. Emphasis is placed on the interface with connecting equipment such as vessels, tanks, heaters, turbines, pumps and compressors. Chapters dealing with discontinuity stresses, special thermal problems and cross-country pipelines are also included. The book is ideal for piping engineers, piping designers, plant engineers, and mechanical engineers working in the power, petroleum refining, chemical, food processing, and pharmaceutical industries. It will also serve as a reference for engineers working in building and transportation services. It can be used as an advance text for graduate students in these fields.


The Amazon Kindle eBook reader supports a wide range of capabilities beyond reading books. This functionality includes an inbuilt cellular data connection known as Whispernet. The Kindle provides web browsing, an application framework, eBook delivery and other services over this connection. The historic data left by user interaction with this device may be of forensic interest. Analysis of the Amazon Kindle device has resulted in a method to reliably extract and interpret data from these devices in a forensically complete manner.


Abstract This paper describes a methodology for assessing the applicability of the flow forming process for the manufacture of specific components. The process starts by filtering potential candidates for flow forming from a component collection and then carries out a detailed assessment of quantitative, technological and economic feasibility before determining a viable process plan. The process described uses analytical relationships and criteria drawn from the literature. For example, qualitative feasibility is evaluated using analytical relationships for ultimate strength prediction. Similarly technological validation is done estimating forming process forces and defects rate which are evaluated against threshold values. A process time model is used to develop a hybrid cost model in order to evaluate economic feasibility. Using these calculated values production feasibilities are established by comparison with reported reduction ratios and process parameters. The paper concluded with a brief summary of the results of applying the process to an industrial case study.


This study looks at the links between school and social inequalities, both the way in which school may cultivate such inequalities, and the educational policies that can play a role in limiting them. The booklet provides what is one of only very few summaries of the plentiful literature devoted to the subject. It reveals the scale and various aspects of social inequalities, and, with reference to sociological research, discusses their origin both within families and in the daily functioning of schools and the classroom. This is followed by a description of educational policies for reducing inequalities in the school careers of children and young people, ranging from classroom-based measures (including teaching practices, and the composition of classes), to policies with an impact on the structural parameters of the system. Finally, the author emphasizes that education policies will gain in strength if they are incorporated into a much more extensive set of policies for lessening social inequalities in the life of young people and their families.


Design for testability technique using oscillation-based test topology for KHN OTA-C filters is proposed. The oscillation-based test structure is a vectorless output test strategy easily extendable to built-in self-test. During test mode, the filter under test is converted into an oscillator by establishing the oscillation condition in its transfer function. The oscillator frequency can be measured using digital circuitry and deviations from the cut-off frequency indicate the faulty behaviour of the filter. The proposed method is suitable for both catastrophic and parametric fault diagnosis as well as effective in detecting single and multiple faults. The validity of the proposed method has been verified using comparison between faulty and fault-free simulation results of KHN OTA-C filter. Simulation results in 0.25mum CMOS technology show that the proposed oscillation-based test strategy has 84% fault coverage and with a minimum number of extra components, requires a negligible area overhead


In this paper we consider the identification of PieceWise Affine (PWA) models of Genetic Regulatory Networks (GRNs) and focus on data classification that is a task of the whole identification process. By assuming that gene expression profiles have been split into segments generated by a single affine mode, data classification amounts to group together segments that have been produced by the same mode. In particular, this operation must be performed in a noisy setting and without using any knowledge on the number of modes excited in the experiment. At a mathematical level, classification amounts to find all partitions of the set of segments that verify a statistical criterion and as such it has a combinatorial nature. In order to minimize the computational complexity we propose a pruning strategy for reducing the dimension of the search space. In particular, our approach hinges on a new algorithm for generating in an efficient way all partitions of a finite set that verify a bound on a monotone cost function.


In Screen Traffic , Charles R. Acland examines how, since the mid-1980s, the U.S. commercial movie business has altered conceptions of moviegoing both within the industry and among audiences. He shows how studios, in their increasing reliance on revenues from international audiences and from the ancillary markets of television, videotape, DVD, and pay-per-view, have cultivated an understanding of their commodities as mutating global products. Consequently, the cultural practice of moviegoing has changed significantly, as has the place of the cinema in relation to other sites of leisure.

Integrating film and cultural theory with close analysis of promotional materials, entertainment news, trade publications, and economic reports, Acland presents an array of evidence for the new understanding of movies and moviegoing that has developed within popular culture and the entertainment industry. In particular, he dissects a key development: the rise of the megaplex, characterized by large auditoriums, plentiful screens, and consumer activities other than film viewing. He traces its genesis from the re-entry of studios into the movie exhibition business in 1986 through 1998, when reports of the economic destabilization of exhibition began to surface, just as the rise of so-called e-cinema signaled another wave of change. Documenting the current tendency toward an accelerated cinema culture, one that appears to arrive simultaneously for everyone, everywhere, Screen Traffic unearths and critiques the corporate and cultural forces contributing to the "felt internationalism" of our global era.


Background: Ephedra sinica (ES) (Ma-huang) is a well-known plant due to its widespread therapeutic uses. However, many adverse effects such as hepatitis, nephritises, and cardiovascular toxicity have been reported for this plant. Few of these side effects are reversible whereas others are irreversible and may even lead to death. Aim of the Study: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical uses and toxicity cases/consequences associated with the use of ES. The review will compare and evaluate the cases reported for ES and identify the causes which make the plant a poisonous one. Materials and Methods: An extensive literature review was conducted from 2004 to 2017, and research literature regarding the clinical cases were collected using databases and books such as Google Scholar, Science Direct, Research gate, PubMed, and Web of Science/Thomson Reuters whereas the keywords searched were "Ephedra sinica," clinical cases of Ephedra sinica, "Ma-hung poisonous," "Ma-hung toxicity reported cases and treatment," and "Ephedra Sinica toxicity reported cases and treatment." Results: eleven different cases were identified which met the eligibility criteria and were studied in detail to extract out the findings. It turned out that most of the patients and participants developed adverse side effects following the use of ES, and after a proper course of treatment or trail, some of the side effects were reversible, whereas others were found irreversible. The most common adverse effects and toxicity observed in patients were liver problems, renal failures, and cardiac toxicity which resulted in two mortalities whereas the other two got recovered. On an in-depth study, it was revealed that most of the toxicities in such cases were associated with the use of ES in combination with other conventional drugs, long-term use, or use in patients with cardiac and renal problems without a medical supervision. Conclusion: Hence, it is concluded that ES may have reversible as well as irreversible adverse effects and may even result in death; however, the use of a plant with the proper knowledge and under sound medical supervision may reduce such exaggerations.


Since the publication of the 1982 Kydland and Prescott's paper, the business cycles literature has experienced significant changes. The traditional view characterized by product fluctuations mainly accounted for by nominal factors was replaced - at least in part - by models where all fluctuation sources are real. These models have shown to be capable of reproducing important features of the cycle, both for the United States and for Europe. In the less developed world, however, the view about fluctuations has remained relatively unchanged. There seems to be a generalized acceptance of the importance of money when uderstanding cycles in the region. Little evidence, however, has been provided in order to support or reject this believe. Recently, Kydland and Zarazaga (1997) offer an interesting description of the business cycle for Argentina and find no evidence of any significant differences with respect to business cycles in the developed world. More studies must be conducted in order to generalize their findings for the region. The main goal of this paper is to report evidence on the business cycles, nominal and real, for the Chilean economy complementing Kydland and Zarazaga's work. Our findings suggest that fluctuations in Chile are similar to those reported for Argentina and the United States. In some cases, even more similar to the latter. We expect our reports not only help to create a systematic and generalized set of facts on the behavior of cycles in the developing countries, but also facilitate the understanding of the kind of models we need to better mimic the world.


Current peer-to-peer systems are targeted for information sharing, file storage, searching and indexing often using an overlay network. In this paper we expand the scope of peer-to-peer systems to include the concept of "communities". Communities are like interest groups, modeled after human communities and can overlap. They can also exist without anyone knowing about their existence. Communities are created, implicitly when one or more entities claim an interest in the same topic. Our work focuses on efficient methods to discover the formation of these self-configuring communities. We investigate the behavior of randomly created communities and model the complexity of discovery algorithms. Discovering communities on the fly is essential to being able to perform community directed searching. In addition, efficient discovery algorithms allow us to manage quickly changing community structures (dynamic communities, failures, mobile nodes and so on). We use some simulations to discover the architecture of randomly created communities and then perform studies on techniques for discovering communities.


This thesis investigates using an approach based on the Actors paradigm for implementing a discrete event simulation system and comparing the results with more traditional approaches. The goal of this work is to determine if using Actors for sequential programming is viable. If Actors are viable for this type of programming, then it follows that they would be usable for general programming. One potential advantage of using Actors instead of traditional paradigms for general programming would be the elimination of a distinction between designing for a sequential environment and a concurrent/distributed one. Using Actors for general programming may also allow for a single implementation that can be deployed on both single core and multiple core systems. Most of the existing discussions about the Actors model focus on its strengths in distributed environments and its ability to scale with the amount of available computing resources. The chosen system for implementation is intentionally sequential to allow for examination of the behaviour of existing Actors implementations where managing concurrency complexity is not the primary task. Multiple implementations of the simulation system were built using different languages (C++, Erlang, and Java) and different paradigms, including traditional ones and Actors. These different implementations were compared quantitatively, based on their execution time, memory usage, and code complexity. The analysis of these comparisons indicates that for certain existing development environments, Erlang/OTP, following the Actors paradigm, produces a comparable or better implementation than traditional paradigms. Further research is suggested to solidify the validity of the results presented in this research and to extend their applicability.


BACKGROUND
Gadolinium formulations, which are administered as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging examinations, interfere with colorimetric serum calcium determinations.

METHODS
We performed an in vitro study to determine the extent to which three gadolinium formulations-gadodiamide (Omniscan), gadopentetate dimeglumine (Magnevist), and gadoversetamide (OptiMARK)-affect measurements by two methods that use o-cresolphthalein (Dade Behring, Inc. and Roche Diagnostics) and one that uses arsenazo dye (Equal Diagnostics). We also compared values from the o-cresolphthalein methods for 116 samples from patients administered gadodiamide.

RESULTS
Magnevist did not affect any of the methods evaluated, whereas Omniscan and OptiMARK were identical in their effects. For the Dade method, the differences from the control sample were < or =4.0 and 7.0 mg/L at 0.25 and 0.5 mmol/L gadolinium, respectively. For the Roche method, the differences were 19, 9.0, and 5.0 mg/L at 0.5, 0.25, and 0.125 mmol/L gadolinium, respectively. Falsely increased calcium values were seen when samples were measured by the arsenazo-based method: differences were 6.0 and 3.0 mg/L at 1.0 and 0.5 mmol/L gadolinium. Using patient data collected at our institution, we were able to generate a model for predicting, from a patient's glomerular filtration rate and the time elapsed since administration, the impact of Omniscan on calcium measurements by the o-cresolphthalein method from Roche Diagnostics.

CONCLUSIONS
The predictive model can be used to calculate, in patients who have received gadodiamide, the minimum length of time to wait before blood collection to avoid pseudohypocalcemia when the Roche o-cresolphthalein method is used.


ANALYSIS OF A ROTARY ULTRASONIC MOTOR FOR APPLICATION IN FORCE-FEEL SYSTEMS Devon Patrick Murphy A qualitative analysis of a rotary traveling wave-type ultrasonic motor (USM) used to supply feedback forces in force-feel systems is carried out. Prior to simulation, the subsystems and contact mechanics needed to define the motor's equations of motion are discussed along with the pitfalls of modeling a USM. A mathematical model is assembled and simulated in MATLAB Simulink. Accompanying the dynamic model, a new reduced model is presented from which predictions of USM performance can be made without a complicated dynamic model. Outputs from the reduced model are compared with those of the dynamic model to show the differences in the transient solution, agreement in the steady state solution, and above all that it is an efficient tool for approximating a motor's steady state response as a function of varying the motor parameters. In addition, the reduced model provides the means of exploring the USMs response to additive loading, loads acting in the direction of motor motion, where only resistive loads, those opposite to the motor rotation, had been considered previously. Fundamental differences between force-feel systems comprising standard DC brushless motors as the feedback actuators and the proposed system using the USM are explained by referencing the USM contact mechanics. Outputs from USM model simulations are explored, and methods by which the motor can be implemented in the force-feel system are derived and proven through simulation. The results show that USMs, while capable of providing feedback forces in feel systems, are far from ideal for the task. The speed and position of the motor can be controlled through varying stator excitation parameters, but the transient motor output torque cannot; it is solely a function of the motor load, whether additive or resistive. All images and figures are the property of Devon Patrick Murphy and were captured or created between August 2006 and August 2008.


A spatially reconfigurable antenna arrays consists of an antenna array of finite length and fixed geometry which is displaced within a given area. Using these reconfigurable components, the performance of MIMO systems is remarkably improved by effectively positioning the array in its displacement area. This paper studies the large-system performance of MIMO setups with spatially reconfigurable antenna arrays when the displacement area is large. Considering fading channels, the distribution of the input-output mutual information is derived, and the asymptotic hardening property is demonstrated to hold. As the size of the displacement area grows large, the mutual information is shown to converge in distribution to a type-one Gumbel random variable whose mean grows large proportional to the displacement size, and whose variance tends to zero. Our numerical investigations depict that the type-one Gumbel approximation closely tracks the empirical distribution even for a finite displacement size.


This thesis investigates the phenomenon of social interaction in shared virtual environments (SVEs), supported by virtual reality (VR) systems over time. SVEs are computer generated 3D graphical spaces where geographically distributed people can meet and interact with each other in a graphical space. Although there have been a number of studies about social interaction in SVEs, there has been a lack of research looking into changes over time, which this thesis does. In order to gain more knowledge about social interaction over the longer term, this thesis compares and contrasts four different types of VR systems that supported various SVEs. Two of the systems were internet based SVEs on desktop computers where many users could interact at the same time. One of the SVEs had voice based communication. The other SVE had text based communication. The other two were based in laboratory settings. One setting was networked immersive projection technologies (IPT) in which two participants performed a variety of tasks together. The other was one IPT connected to a desktop VR and participants changed systems half way through the trial in which they collaboratively solved a task together. In both settings voice based communication were used. Observations and other methods of analysis were carried out, focusing on differences and similarities in peoples behaviors in the process of social interaction over time in SVEs. The six papers contained in this thesis explore social interaction over time in shared virtual environments. This thesis argues that technology becomes not only a tool for social interaction; it also becomes a key aspect in social interaction. While the technology filters out some of the social cues we are familiar with from face to face situations, it also 'filters in' new cues that become important for how people can connect to each other in the shared virtual environment. Over time, these social cues, that people creates among themselves while using the technology, become essential for people learn about; otherwise they find it difficult to relate to each other and do things together in the shared virtual environments. The more difficulties people have in figuring out how to use the technology while interacting with others, the less they will accept the technology as an appropriate tool for connecting people and doing things together. The reason for this is that social and technical issues can only be separated analytically in shared virtual environments; in practice, as this thesis shows, they are highly intertwined. This thesis puts forward a dynamic model identifying the importance of looking more explicitly at individuals, technology, task and time while studying social interaction in SVEs. In this way, the thesis combines a number of insights both from previous social science theories of social interaction and practices - together with observations from the studies this thesis builds on. The thesis puts forward a concept that includes these insights - connected practice, defined as the dynamics of social interaction in technical systems. This concept can guide future studies to incorporate both technical and social aspects over time since it was shown to be the key to understanding the phenomenon of this thesis. It is finally suggested in the thesis that the concept connected practice can be utilized in other technical systems apart from SVEs in future research of social interaction in technical systems.


ABSTRACT We assessed the association of processed meat intake with the risk of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and bladder cancer. We used data from two Italian hospital-based case-control studies, including 1,115 RCC cases and 2,582 controls, and 1,417 bladder cancer cases and 1,732 controls. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) with unconditional logistic regression models, adjusted for major confounders. The median consumption of processed meat in cases and controls was around 2 portions/week (50 g/portion). The ORs for a daily 10 g increment of processed meat was 0.89 (95% CI 0.84–0.94) for RCC and 1.00 (95% CI 0.94–1.06) for bladder cancer. The OR for the highest vs. the lowest consumption was 0.80 (95% CI 0.66–0.96) for RCC and 0.98 (95% CI 0.80–1.21) for bladder cancer. The ORs were consistent in strata of various covariates. For bladder cancer, however, a significant 23% excess risk was found in women (95% CI 1.03–1.47) for a daily increase of 10 g, significantly heterogeneous from the risk recorded in men (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.90–1.02). The inconsistent results between men and women and the absence of association in both sexes combined indicate that the apparent association between processed meat and bladder cancer in women is unlikely to be causal.


This article offers a critical assessment of the Political Religion Theory on the basis of a comparative analysis of the Orthodox and Stalinist belief systems and ritual. The theory works under the assumption that sacralisation of secular objects endows these objects with a transcendental, divine aura. This article argues that the theory fails properly to distinguish between the sacred on one hand and the transcendental and divine on the other. Heroic belief systems such as Stalinism do not deify their leaders, which is why they should not be classified as political religions. Also, the belief systems and rituals spawned by heroic, innerworldly sacralisation differ fundamentally from those emerging in a religious context. The Stalinist leader cult spawned loyalty rituals rather than the kind of rituals of communion that are at the heart of Orthodoxy. Stalinist ideology represented a faith-evidence hybrid rather than a purely faith-based system.


Leadership is one of the major factors in bringing up the success of an organization. Therefore, the effectiveness of leadership style will ensure a simultaneous effect of progressing the teacher' performance and leading the success of the special education
programme. This study investigates senior assistants' leadership styles and teachers' job performance in Integrated Special Education Programme (ISEP) in Kuching. A sample of 64 special education teachers out of 102 populations in the Kuching District
was chosen through simple random sampling technique. It was found that the transformational leadership style was most practiced leadership style among Senior Assistants of Special Education. Teachers' job performance was also found to have
significant difference between genders, however teachers' job performance showed no significant difference when compared to teachers' length of service. Leadership style revealed no relationship with teachers' job performance in general. However, laissezfaire leadership style showed a significant relationship with teachers' job performance in two of the schools being investigated. Therefore, it is concluded that there was no
best leadership styles, nevertheless the best practiced is by matching appropriate leadership style with current situation of the organization. The use of laissez-faire style should be applied when teachers are knowledgeable and in favor of authority in
making their own decisions. It was recommended that senior assistants should have multiple leadership style and able to analyze the situation to match with appropriate leadership style in order to enhance better job performance among special education
teachers.


We have measured the one-photon, resonant nonlinear optical properties of sputter-deposited nanocomposite CdS:ZnO thin films with a characteristic grain size of about 3 nm. These films show a completely reversible photodarkening at low fluences as well as fast recovery, making them useful for optical limiting applications. The observed photoresponse can be ascribed to excited-state absorption and is in good agreement with a semiquantitative, four-level model proposed by us.


This presentation is aimed at cultural institutions which includes museums, libraries and archives which usually have overlapping roles. It is not aimed at national or governmental organizations such as national libraries, archives, or libraries in government ministries. They have their own specific reasons for international activities which are not covered here.

This paper aims to give reasons for participation in international activities to local government and educational sector libraries, archives and museums including private museums.

Additionally, professional organisations are mentioned as they can often be a means for individuals to get involved internationally, for example through conference attendance or through representing them at international events. Of course there are already some institutions in the UK such as the Museum Documentation Association who have developed a set of rules for documenting museum objects in association with other organisations across the Atlantic and are evidently aware of the value of international cooperation. Additionally this paper is aimed primarily at discussing the benefits of cooperation with Europe.


Social media platforms are increasingly becoming important channels for disseminating effective and interactive brand-related communications between brand managers and consumers. Previous researchers have categorized social media brand-related contents into Firm-Created Contents (FCC) and User-Generated Contents (UGC). However, researchers are yet to consider delving into the differential functions of these contents as marketing communications. As such, this paper identifies four types of marketing communications on social media; advertising, sales promotion, interactive marketing and word-of-mouth and evaluates the validity and reliability of the scales for measuring social media marketing communications.  The Content Validity Index (CVI) of both the items-level and the scale-level CVIs from the ratings of seven (7) experts revealed that the items in the scale proposed have good content validity. Furthermore, with the use of the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with Varimax rotation, it was revealed that from the 34 items used to measure the social media marketing communications, a total of 28 items were retained. Finally, the findings also demonstrate that all four scales of social media advertising, promotions, interactive marketing and word-of-mouth have acceptable values of reliability.


A new study by the economist William Cline quantifies sharp reductions in agricultural productivity in many of Africa's poorest countries by the 2080s if greenhouse gas emissions continue to increase. Such declines are particularly grave in Africa, where most people still depend on farming. Mr. Cline, a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and the Peterson Institute for International Economics, projects that Sudan and Senegal could see agricultural production fall by more than half, while it would decline by 30 to 40 percent in other parts of Africa. South Asia would also suffer, with declines of 38 percent in India and 22 percent in Bangladesh.


We have investigated greigite (Fe3S4) using a combination of neutron powder diffraction and polarized neutron diffraction to give the first unambiguous assignment of its magnetic structure. Our results confirm that greigite has a collinear ferrimagnetic structure with antiferromagnetic coupling between the tetrahedral (A) and octahedral (B) sites. Our analysis also indicates that greigite does not have a significant vacancy concentration or spin canting. High-resolution neutron powder diffraction results enable determination of sublattice magnetizations of the A and B sites. At room temperature, the average magnetic moments on the two sites are almost the same (?3.0 ? B), with a net magnetic moment of ?3.0 ? B per formula unit (fu). The magnetic moment of the B sites decreases slightly between 10 K and room temperature, while the A site moment is relatively stable as a function of temperature; this indicates that greigite is probably an R-type ferrimagnet. At 10 K, the average magnetic moments of the A and B sites are 3.0 ? B and 3.25 ? B, respectively. Neutron diffraction measurements, coupled with magnetic measurements, on our pure synthetic greigite samples indicate that the saturation magnetization of greigite is lower than that of magnetite (Fe3O4). It is proposed that the lower magnetic moment in greigite (saturation magnetization is ?59 A m2 kg?1) compared to magnetite is probably caused by an increased degree of covalency between iron and sulfur compared to oxygen ligands or by greater delocalization of the 3d electrons in greigite.


World demand for paper is increasing. Short rotation pulpwood is needed. Sesbania grandiflora also known as Turi, is a fast growing and straight log species. The scholarly information of Turi as pulpwood are still limited. This paper aims to provide information of sodium hydroxide effect on the paper made from pulp derived from Turi. Sodium hydroxide is a common chemical using as part of full stage chemical bleaching in pulp industrial. Kraft pulp that produced using Turi, was bleached with sodium hydroxide at 3%, 6% and 9% based on pulp weight, respectively. Unbleached pulp was served as blank test. The optical and mechanical properties of handsheet paper made from bleached kraft pulp were evaluated according to TAPPI standard. The brightness and opacity of handsheet made from bleached pulp were improved with increasing the concentration of sodium hydroxide. The mechanical properties of handsheet were improved with using 3% sodium hydroxide and gradually decreased after 3% sodium hydroxide. In conclusion, sodium hydroxide is potential to improve optical properties of Turi pulp and improve the mechanical properties of paper made from Turi pulp at certain level. Excessive usage of sodium hydroxide brings adverse effect to mechanical properties of paper made from Turi pulp.


Migration of formation fines into a gravel pack frequently causes a severe reduction of gravel pack permeability and consequently affects well's productivity. In sand-producing formations, a cased hole gravel-pack is usually the preferred completion method. The unsteady state migration of formation fines into gravel-filled perforations during single phase flow has not been included in previous models. In this study, a new approach is proposed to predict gravel-pack permeability reduction due to fine migration considering non-Darcy flow and particle transport in gravel filled perforation. The model focuses on mobilisation of formation fines from the pore wall and simultaneous deposition on to gravel filled perforations. The non-linear differential momentum and continuity equations have been discretised by means of an implicit finite difference scheme. Results can be used to predict any impairment to gravel-pack permeability and to evaluate the skin factor outside the casing. The selective perforating effect on a well's performance is also studied and gravel-pack permeability reduction is determined for a given perforation design. The results indicate that perforation parameters including perforation density, perforation diameter and perforation phase angle are the most dominant parameters in controlling the long-term performance of gravel filled perforated wells.


A distinctive change in the character of acoustic basement has been mapped within the Mesozoic (Keathley) magnetic anomaly sequence in the western North Atlantic basin. This boundary, known as the rough-smooth basement boundary, separates relatively smooth acoustic basement on the older (western) side of the boundary from much rougher basement to the east. South of Bermuda, the boundary is well defined and nearly isochronous, corresponding to anomaly M-12 or M-13 (∼128 m.y. B.P.). North of Bermuda the boundary is diachronous and more transitional, with the change in basement relief occurring in a zone between anomaly M-21 and M-16–age crust (132 to 142 m.y. B.P.). Both the well-defined and transitional changes in basement relief found in the western basin are also identifiable in seismic-reflection records from the eastern (Canary) basin, and an analysis of magnetic-anomaly patterns in the central North Atlantic basin indicates that these changes occurred simultaneously on both sides of the ridge. These results strongly suggest a primary seafloor-spreading origin for the rough-smooth basement boundary, with the greater basement relief associated with slower spreading rates, changing directions of relative plate motion, and ridge jumps of isolated accretionary segments beginning in Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous time.


This case study documents the story of the HIV/AIDS Prevention Group in Bela Bela, Limpopo province, in South Africa. HAPG has led the way in pioneering layperson-managed clinics supervised by an HIV and AIDS specialist administering antiretroviral treatment (ART), in a province (Limpopo) that is still struggling to provide an effective primary health care system. The document describes the work of HAPG through the words of the authors, of the founding members, of the current team, of the medical staff, of patients, and of members of the Bela Bela community. Three sections, learning together , building together , and making change happen outline the development of the organisation and provide a critical analysis of its success. Through the work of HAPG, the people in Bela Bela have come to see that they can turn around a situation of death, despair, fear and shame, making it one where people can come forward and claim the right to stay alive.  This document is one of a number of publications highlighting NGO good practice and innovations from partner organisations supported by Oxfam in South Africa.


Purpose Although heart failure (HF) is recognized as a leading contributor to healthcare costs and a significant economic burden worldwide, studies of HF-related costs in South Korea are limited. This study aimed to estimate HF-related costs per Korean patient per year and per visit. Materials and Methods This retrospective cohort study analyzed data obtained from six hospitals in South Korea. Patients with HF who experienced ≥one hospitalization or ≥two outpatient visits between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013 were included. Patients were followed up for 1 year [in Korean won (KRW)]. Results Among a total of 500 patients (mean age, 66.1 years; male sex, 54.4%), the mean 1-year HF-related cost per patient was KRW 2,607,173, which included both, outpatient care (KRW 952,863) and inpatient care (KRW 1,654,309). During the post-index period, 22.2% of patients had at least one hospitalization, and their 1-year costs per patient (KRW 8,530,290) were higher than those of patients who had only visited a hospital over a 12-month period (77.8%; KRW 917,029). Among 111 hospitalized patients, the 1-year costs were 1.7-fold greater in patients (n=52) who were admitted to the hospital via the emergency department (ED) than in those (n=59) who were not (KRW 11,040,453 vs. KRW 6,317,942; p<0.001). Conclusion The majority of healthcare costs for HF patients in South Korea was related to hospitalization, especially admissions via the ED. Appropriate treatment strategies including modification of risk factors to prevent or decrease hospitalization are needed to reduce the economic burden on HF patients.


Transferring fundamental concepts across contexts is difficult, even when deep similarities exist. This article leverages Desmos-enhanced visualizations to unify conceptual understanding of the behavior of sinusoidal function graphs through envelope curve analogies across Cartesian and polar coordinate systems.


This paper outlines the operating principles and application of ultrasonic gas flow metering for custody transfer. Basic principles and underlying equations are discussed, as are considerations for applying ultrasonic flow meter technology to station design, installation, and operation. These applications are illustrated based on operating experience with the SICK ultrasonic flow meter, however many of these issues can be generalized to other meter manufacturers.


We test the hypothesis that the cerebellar cortex is required for the extinction of conditioned eyelid responses in rabbits trained using standard Pavlovian delay procedures. Following 10 daily training sessions during which rabbits achieved asymptotic performance, lesions of the ipsilateral hemisphere of the cerebellar cortex were made by aspiration. The target of these lesions was the anterior lobe, as suggested by previous observations that this region is necessary for the learning-dependent timing of conditioned eyelid responses (Perrett et al., 1993). We report that anterior lobe damage, as indicated by disrupted response timing and confirmed by tissue analysis, produces severe deficits in conditioned response extinction. Postlesion responses show no significant decline over ten training sessions, whereas response timing and extinction are unaffected by lesions that do not include the anterior lobe. These conditioned responses that do not extinguish display stimulus specificity, excluding the possibility that they are unlearned responses unmasked by cerebellar cortex lesions. These observations suggest that Pavlovian eyelid conditioning is mediated by synaptic plasticity in at least two sites and the anterior lobe of the cerebellar cortex influences one of these sites during extinction. Based on these and previous data, we propose the hypothesis that eyelid conditioning can involve plasticity in both the cerebellar cortex and interpositus nucleus and that plasticity in the nucleus is controlled by input from Purkinje cell activity in the cortex. This hypothesis is consistent with observations that the cerebellar cortex may not always be required for the expression of conditioned responses, but it is necessary for response timing and for extinction.


Sub-Saharan Africa trails other regions in providing access to electricity for poor urban and rural residents. This poor performance can be linked to various factors, including political interference in utility policy, higher investment costs and lower profitability of extending service to rural areas. But a major obstacle to wider access is the high charges consumers must pay to connect to the electricity network. The connection charges in Sub-Saharan Africa are among the highest in the world, which has resulted in low rates of electrification in many countries. This paper reviews ways to improve electrification rates by addressing the issue of high connection charges. Essential to the success of such efforts is concurrent political commitment to identify, examine, and implement various low-cost electrification approaches and financing solutions as part of a broad plan to improve access. Electricity companies can lower their connection-related costs, and thus consumer charges, by using a variety of low-cost technologies and materials in distribution networks and household connections; making bulk purchases of materials; and adjusting technical standards to reflect the lower loads of households that use a minimum amount of electricity. Strategies for lowering connection charges may also include spreading charges over a reasonable period, rolling them into monthly service payments, subsidizing connections, or amortizing them through loans. Lowering connection charges is not the only step, but it is an essential part of any strategy for addressing the electricity access gap between rich and poor households in Sub-Saharan Africa, a gap that denies millions of poor Africans the benefits of electricity.


Foreword

In previous columns under this heading I have covered some fundamental attributes of the Internet and how to use it for obtaining information of interest to seismologists. In this issue we leave the Internet for a while to take a look at a new computer program I have found quite exciting. Jonathan Lees of Yale University has been developing a GIS type of interactive display program for geological and geophysical data, which seems to fall into a niche between conventional 2-D commercial GIS programs and expensive, general purpose, 3-D display and rendering systems. This program, called "Xmap8," is designed with a seismologist's needs in mind. Similar to the mapping program GMT or the waveform display program SAC, Xmap8 is being actively distributed to the seismological community and feedback from users has been incorporated into it. While it is far from a commercial "shrink-wrapped" product and still has some rough...


Abstract It is well known that geographical distances between nations cause differences in cul-tural resemblances as well as affinity. Defined, affinity is inheriting similarities between nations in familiarity, language and mutual understanding. It cause variations in the uni-lateral trade volume flowing towards the destination countries and can be estimated by a traditional gravity model (GM). So far Swedish affinity towards Czech Republic (CZ) has remained unexplored. Hence, this paper investigates Swedish firm´s export perfor-mance and affinity towards CZ, both through the aggregate export and the extensive margin (average number of exporters). The investigation aims to seek clarification of what particular factors influence unilateral export towards CZ as well as stronger affini-ty in contrast to similar markets. To answer those questions, a one sided GM is re-gressed on two gravity equations, covering panel data for 177 destination countries from year 1997 to 2006. Results are in line with the expected behavior of the GM and show evidently; distance as well as land lock features have negative effects on unilateral ex-ports to CZ. Additionally, evidence of positive influence on unilateral export is found for GDP and familiarity to the nation. Both regressions for the gravity equations are showing high goodness of fit for the panel data. Findings of positive residuals in both the equations conclude that Swedish export have stronger affinity to CZ and solider country characteristics than its resembling countries Slovenia and Slovakia. However, positive residuals also indicate larger export flows to CZ than motivated by the tradi-tional GM coefficients. Various explanations are suggested as origins for those, such as differences in purchasing power and regions, were Prague was found to be the most suitable option for export and other regions rather for outsourcing possibilities.


This project addresses the design, construction and evaluation of a peeling hook with force measurement capability for in-vivo intra-ocular vitreoretinal surgery. The force sensor consists of a miniature multi-degree-offreedom flexure where deformations induced by contact forces are measured using optical fiber white light interferometry. This instrument will be used for epiretinal membrane peeling procedures and should then lead to the creation of a new generation of force sensitive surgical tools.


Optical free space communications have been of exponential interest in recent years. Some future important applications are large range free space optical communications and high altitude platforms. For these applications, non-mechanical beam steering is desired, basically because small, lightweight, stable and easily calibrated devices are required. In this work it is proposed a LC beam steering that overpass the typical LC phase modulators, it has a very simple voltage control (only four electrodes are necessary), and for this reason, is lighter and smaller than previous proposals. The deflection angles are totally configurable in analog way. Deflections angles can be tuned from -1.5mo to +1.5mo analogy. Then for higher voltages the device can be used as a tunable 2D diffraction grating. This benefit is to come in the form of compact, low-power, lightweight optical phased arrays that provide greater flexibility in their steering capability.


This article investigates whether traffic light color-coded nutrition information helps low- (vs. high-) self-control consumers make more healthful food choices within a given product category. Two in-store lab studies assess the effects of traffic light colors. The colors indicate low (green), medium (amber), and high (red) levels of four negative food nutrients (sugar, fat, saturated fat, and salt). The color-coding was implemented on nutrition labeling schemes shown on the front of actual food packages (pasta meals in Study 1; cereal bars in Study 2). Consumers with low self-control to resist food temptations, but not those with high self-control, make more healthful food choices in response to the color-coded labeling. The behavior is congruent with their long-term goals of controlling their food choices and is evident when traffic light colors vary between both nutrients and products (Study 1) and when traffic light colors vary between nutrients but not products (Study 2). The authors derive theoretical implications and draw conclusions from the perspectives of public policy, retailing, and manufacturers.


In order to solve the toxicity problem of gallic acid and its esters as food antioxidant,using the advantages of microcrystalline cellulose security and not to be absorbed by the body, a new type of polymeric anti-oxidants was exploited. Gallic acid microcrystalline cellulose ester was prepared by indirect esterification method ,which gallic acid and microcrystalline cellulose were used as raw materials. The structures of reaction materials and products were characterized and its oxidation resistance, stability, acute toxicology were studied by infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy .The results showed that: gallic acid microcrystalline cellulose ester was successfully synthesized ; its ability to remove all kinds of free radicals was higher than or approximate equal to gallic acid; suitable for room temperature storage, high temperature sterilization, ultraviolet sterilizer, pH3.0~9.0,under these conditions it was stability;it was non-toxic substance, the safety was higher than gallic acid and gallic acid propyl. This study established the technical foundation for the further development of a new type of functional macromolecular compound which could be used for antioxidation.


A proper evaluation on the power supply capability of urban distribution system is of enormous social and economical significance. In competitive marketing environment, to satisfy the sustainable growth of distribution loads, electric utilities must judge whether the return of power supply capability is sustainable and valued against the certain amount of investment. Therefore, to make up the insufficiency of traditional methods referring from the concept of total transfer capability of transmission system, this paper proposes a straightforward method to evaluate the power supply capability of distribution system, which is based on "N−1" simulation analysis of interconnected main-transformers under the "N−1" guideline. Firstly, a series of interconnected main-transformer groups are drawn from the main-transformers' interconnection analysis after the topological simplification of distribution system. Secondly, the maximum average load rates of main-transformers are concluded through the "N−1" simulation analysis of every interconnected group. Finally, based on a comprehensive analysis of all the interconnected groups' results, the maximum permissible load rate of each main-transformer can be obtained, thus the power supply capability of the entire distribution system can be calculated. Through the application in a district of Shanghai, China, the effectiveness and the accuracy of the method are demonstrated. The application results suggest that, the method presented in this paper based on "N−1" simulation analysis of interconnected main-transformers is a simple and practical tool, to evaluate the power supply capability of a distribution system, which will need only once calculation with constraint to the "N−1" guideline. Moreover, the interconnection weak-points and the interconnection bottlenecks of the distribution system can be identified easily with this approach, thus providing effective references for urban distribution network planning and the following project investment decisions.


CASE DESCRIPTION This case concerns design of a database for an accounting system. It compares two databases: a database from an actual market-leading accounting system and a database designed using the REA database design methodology. REA is often taught in accounting information system courses. This course is written for students that have had some exposure to both REA and database design. Its most common use would be in an accounting information system course, either at the undergraduate or the graduate level, but it could also be taught in a database design course if the students were to spend extra time learning the REA methodology. The case is designed to require approximately one hour in-class discussion and two hours out-of-class student preparation for students familiar with both REA and database design basics. Other students will need to spend additional time mastering these topics based on the level of their knowledge. CASE SYNOPSIS A recent college graduate is hired as an accountant attempts to reconcile what he learned in college with an actual accounting system. The underlying database structure of the actual accounting system is significantly different than how he learned a database system should be structured. In understanding the actual accounting database, he attempts to work out why the actual system is different. This case is designed to help students develop skills in analyzing accounting databases and understanding the structure of accounting databases. Textbooks, research, and educational cases related to databases focus on using REA as a design methodology of accounting systems. Although accounting systems in practice include some elements of REA, they also include elements that REA eliminates. In this case, students compare an accounting database from Great Plains to the REA methodology and evaluate why the differences exist. THE DATABASE CASE John Taylor was recently hired to be controller of Jackson Behavioral Health Center (JBHC). He now manages an accounts payable, accounts receivable, and payroll clerical staff. He personally performs budgeting, financial reporting, and contract reporting on major contracts. JBHC obtains the majority of its funding through grants and contracts from various government agencies. Each of these contracts requires distinct financial reports. John spends a large part of his time preparing these reports. All of the reports use information from JBHC's accounting system, but all are prepared offline, as JBHC's accounting software does not include the functionality to prepare the reports. JBHC uses two major information system applications. For accounting and financial reporting, JBHC uses Great Plains. Great Plains provides accounts payable, payroll, and financial reporting. Client appointments, medical histories, and funding information are kept in BHS, specialized software used in the behavioral health industry. BHS also manages accounts receivable. Services provided by JBHC may be paid by the individuals receiving services, insurance companies, Medicaid, or government agency contracts. BHS tracks the funding for each individual and prints the appropriate bills for individual, insurance, and Medicaid billing. John uses information from BHS as well as accounting information from Great Plains to generate billings and reports for government agency contracts. Furthermore, he uses data from BHS to update revenue and receivable account balances in Great Plains. John finds it frustrating integrating data from Great Plains and BHS for contract reporting. The standard reports provided by the software are not sufficient for his purposes. He has decided to understand the underlying data to more efficiently prepare the reports. He feels confident that he will be able to navigate the applications' databases, as he had enrolled in an accounting information system class in college and had developed several small databases using Microsoft Access. …


The recent development of dense and continuously operating Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) networks worldwide has led to a significant increase in geodetic data sets that sometimes capture transient‐deformation signals. It is challenging, however, to extract such transients of geophysical origin from the background noise inherent to GNSS time series and, even more so, to separate them from other signals, such as seasonal redistributions of geophysical fluid mass loads. In addition, because of the very large number of continuously recording GNSS stations now available, it has become impossible to systematically inspect each time series and visually compare them at all neighboring sites. Here we show that Multichannel Singular Spectrum Analysis (M‐SSA), a method derived from the analysis of dynamical systems, can be used to extract transient deformations, seasonal oscillations, and background noise present in GNSS time series. M‐SSA is a multivariate, nonparametric, statistical method that simultaneously exploits the spatial and temporal correlations of geophysical fields. The method allows for the extraction of common modes of variability, such as trends with nonconstant slopes and oscillations shared across time series, without a priori hypotheses about their spatiotemporal structure or their noise characteristics. We illustrate this method using synthetic examples and show applications to actual GPS data from Alaska to detect seasonal signals and microdeformation at the Akutan active volcano. The geophysically coherent spatiotemporal patterns of uplift and subsidence thus detected are compared to the results of an idealized model of such processes in the presence of a magma chamber source.


Corporate governance is an important element in monitoring the process of financial reporting system. There are three monitoring mechanisms that are theoretically used to ensure the credibility of corporate governance, namely,
external auditor, an internal auditing and the directorships. The trends of corporate governance model in developed countries cannot explain the reality of monitoring process of financial reporting in developing countries especially in Asian countries like Malaysia. Therefore, it is important to
know to what extent the corporate governance of the Malaysian listed
companies has been effective in meeting the responsibility of monitoring the
process of financial reporting system? Generally, this study intended to
examine an effective component of corporate governance in a Malaysian
listed companies and relationship with the audit quality. A total of 655
companies were selected as the sample representing 73.84% of total number
of companies across industries in year 2003. The analysis of logistic regression
was used to investigate the relationship between dependent and independent
variables. Results show that two independent variables had a significant
relationship with audit firm size. They were board independence and nonfinancial
institutional ownership. The executive directors' ownership and
CEO/chairman had a negative relationship but not significant with audit
quality. Whereas non-executive directors' ownership and financial
institutional ownership showed a positive relationship with audit quality
however, it was not significant. The findings posit that both board
independence and institutional ownership are important factors to the
companies listed at Bursa Malaysia perform effectively. These two elements
will improve the decision making process to be more transparent and
objective and enhance the independence in selecting quality of external
auditor. This study suggests that companies tend to audit by Big 4 if the level
of board independence and institutional ownership increase. So, these
criteria should be taken seriously by companies' top management as well as regulator in order to increase the audit quality and then the quality of financial
reporting.


This report presents results and findings of the Phase II Iowa Department of Transportation Roller Integrated Compaction Monitoring (RICM) Technology Research and Implementation program. During this phase of the project, special provisions (SPs) were developed that required RICM technologies on three hot mix asphalt (HMA) overlay pilot projects in Iowa. The field results are presented for each project. The bid item cost for implementing the RICM-HMA SPs on each project varied from 0.9% to 1.4% of total project cost. The SP on US30 Harrison County project required RICM roller coverage including temperature, pass count, and compaction measurements on one break down roller. The SP on US20 Ida County project required RICM roller coverage including temperature and pass count on one break down roller. The SP on IA9 Kossuth County project required roller pass count coverage for all compaction equipment. The SPs were successfully implemented on US30 and US20 projects and the information from the RICM rollers conveniently met the requirements of the SPs for roller coverage. The IA9 project encountered problems with roller data storage/export during construction leading to not meeting the coverage requirements of the project SP. Testing was conducted on each project by the Iowa State University research team beyond the requirements of the project specifications to analyze asphalt density, RICM values, and asphalt surface temperature changes with pass count and time. Comparisons between RICM values and asphalt density/percent compaction yielded poor correlations, but relationship with falling weight deflectometer modulus values revealed good correlations. Influence of the foundation support conditions under the asphalt surface layer is a major contributor to characterizing correlations between RICM measurements and asphalt density measurements. Geostatistical analysis of pass coverage information revealed differences in pass coverage uniformity between projects. The key benefits of implementing RICM technology for HMA overly projects are documenting the pass coverage/uniformity and the compaction-time-surface temperature history. Future research should be conducted to evaluate this technology on full-depth HMA projects.


In studies on the composition of prophetic literature, the larger textual layers reinterpreting earlier texts, the so-called Fortschreibungen, received much attention. It is well-known that beside these larger literary elaborations prophetic books also contain shorter explanatory interpolations, often called glosses, which intend to clarify a particular imagery of the prophecy (e.g., Isa 9:14). A systematic reading of these short annotations has been neglected, however, in studying the formation of prophetic books. The present article reconsiders the Isaiah-Memoir from this perspective. It identifies editorial interpolations in three distinct pericopes, Isa 8:2, 8:6-7a and 8:23b. It is argued here that the identification of such explanatory additions is the key to understanding notorious textual complexities. Moreover, it points out that these interpolations tend to expose recognisable patterns and common hermeneutical principles. Unlike Fortschreibungen, however, these interpolations are not concerned with the reapplication of the prophecy to the era of the editor, but they intend to guide the reader in understanding the prophecies in their original historical setting.


Soil carbon (C) stocks and fluxes represent significant components of the global C cycle. Application of the soil C saturation theory can help identify soils with large C storage potentials and estimate rates and durations needed to reach maximal soil C storage. The goal of my dissertation was to test the soil C saturation theory by estimating C saturation levels of fine soil particles and quantifying changes in soil organic matter (SOM) stability as fine soil particles approach C saturation. Current model using least-squares linear regression generally underestimates C the maximal amount of soil C stabilization in fine soil particles. Using an analysis of published data, I proposed two alternative methods (boundary line analysis and the organic C loading method) to improve estimates, and found that while the organic C loading method is better since it incorporated mineral specific surface areas which would influence C saturation, it requires information about soil mineralogy and further tests to determine whether the monolayer-equivalent C loading indeed represents a maximal C stabilization potential. Laboratory batch sorption experiment of dissolved organic matter onto soil minerals generated organo-mineral complexes with a range of organic C loadings. These organo-mineral complexes, as well as silt+clay fractions physically isolated from soil samples from three long-term agroecosystem field experiments with differing fertilizer and manure addition treatments, were used to test for differences in SOM stability as a function of organic C loading. Biological, chemical, and thermal test of SOM stability showed little change or the increase trend of SOM stability with increasing organic C inputs, which do not support the notion of the soil C saturation theory that SOM stability decreases as organic C inputs increase. This observation of SOM stability is likely due to the fact that most samples did not exhibit C saturation behavior. The results show that most soils are likely well below C saturation, and further studies of the driving factors (e.g., chemical composition of organic C inputs, mineralogy, and organo-mineral binding types and strength) is needed to determine maximal C loadings and estimate the maximal soil C storage potentials. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Earth & Environmental Science First Advisor Alain F. Plante Second Advisor Arthur H. Johnson This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/edissertations/507


Recent work showed that unsupervised learning of a complex environment activates synaptic proteins essential for the stabilization of long-term potentiation (LTP). The present study used automated methods to construct maps of excitatory synapses associated with high concentrations of one of these LTP-related proteins [CaMKII phosphorylated at T286/287, (pCaMKII)]. Labeling patterns across 42 sampling zones covering entire cross sections through rostral hippocampus were assessed for two groups of rats that explored a novel two-room arena for 30 min, with or without a response contingency involving mildly aversive cues. The number of pCaMKII-immunopositive (+) synapses was highly correlated between the two groups for the 21 sampling zones covering the dentate gyrus, CA3c/hilus, and apical dendrites of field CA1, but not for the remainder of the cross section. The distribution of pCaMKII+ synapses in the large uncorrelated segment differed markedly between the groups. Subtracting home-cage values removed high scores (i.e., sampling zones with a high percentage of pCaMKII+ contacts) in the negative contingency group, but not in the free-exploration animals. Three sites in the latter had values that were markedly elevated above other fields. These mapping results suggest that encoding of a form of memory that is dependent upon rostral hippocampus reliably occurs at high levels in discrete anatomical zones, and that this regionally differentiated response is blocked when animals are inhibited from freely exploring the environment by the introduction of a mildly aversive stimulus.


INTRODUCTION
The increased demand for colonoscopy, coupled with the introduction of new bowel cleansing preparations and recent caution advisories in Canada, has prompted a review of bowel preparations by the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology.

METHODS
The present review was conducted by the Clinical Affairs group of committees including the endoscopy, hepatobiliary/transplant, liaison, pediatrics, practice affairs and regional representation committees, along with the assistance of Canadian experts in the field. An effort was made to systematically assess randomized prospective trials evaluating commonly used bowel cleansing preparations in Canada.

RESULTS
Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-; sodium phosphate (NaP)-; magnesium citrate (Mg-citrate)-; and sodium picosulphate, citric acid and magnesium oxide (PSMC)-containing preparations were reviewed. Regimens of PEG 2 L with bisacodyl (10 mg to 20 mg) or Mg-citrate (296 mL) are as effective as standard PEG 4 L regimens, but are better tolerated. NaP preparations appear more effective and better tolerated than standard PEG solutions. PSMC has good efficacy and tolerability but head-to-head trials with NaP solutions remain few, and conclusions equivocal. Adequate hydration during preparation and up to the time of colonoscopy is critical in minimizing side effects and improving bowel cleansing in patients receiving NaP and PSMC preparations. All preparations may cause adverse events, including rare, serious outcomes. NaP should not be used in patients with cardiac or renal dysfunction (PEG solution is preferable in these patients), bowel obstruction or ascites, and caution should be exercised when used in patients with pre-existing electrolyte disturbances, those taking medications that may affect electrolyte levels and elderly or debilitated patients. Health Canada's recommended NaP dosing for most patients is two 45 mL doses 24 h apart. However, both safety and efficacy data on this dosing schedule are lacking. Many members of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology expert panel administer both doses within 24 h, as studied in clinical trials, after careful one-on-one discussion of risks and benefits in carefully selected patients. Safety data on PSMC and combination preparations in North America are limited and clinicians are encouraged to keep abreast of developments in this area.

CONCLUSIONS
All four preparations reviewed provided effective bowel cleansing for colonoscopy in the majority of patients, with varying tolerability. Adequate hydration is essential in patients receiving the preparations.


In a recent study of the characteristics of early states, Steiner suggests that Iron Age Moab had two economic spheres: the royal economy and the local economy. The local sphere consists of the economy of people living in villages and in small, fortified towns, and of the pastoral population. While agriculture was the backbone of this economy, crafts and industries such as pottery production, metalworking, and the production of textiles were designed to meet the needs of the local market. As more evidence becomes available through current excavations, this description of one facet of a small state's economic organization can now be tested against the archaeological record. Finds from a pillared industrial building in the fortified town of Khirbat al-Mudayna on the Wadi ath-Thamad include two inscribed scale weights and one uninscribed weight. Also recovered from Iron Age contexts are seven seals and three bullae. Although this corpus is small in number, it represents a group of artifacts directly related to the local economy and includes the first occurrence of inscribed weights in Moab. This paper presents those weights, seals, and bullae in their archaeological context and studies their implications.


This research aims to: 1) determine the mathematical comprehension of class VII  Kasokandel  Junior  High  School     2  Kasokandel,  2)  determine  the  ability  of mathematics connection class VII Kasokandel Junior High School  2 Kasokandel, and 3) determine how much  influence the  mathematical  comprehension  of  the mathematical connection  capability  class  VII  Junior  High  School    2  Kasokandel.  The  variables measured in this study include the independent variable is the comprehension of mathematics, as well as variables related to an ability to connect math class VII Junior High School 2 Kasokandel bounded on kogntif aspects. Research methods using quantitative methods. Desian research used in this study is the One Shot model, ie a model approach that uses one-time collection of data at a time. The population in this study were all students of class VII totaling 163 students. Sampling was conducted using cluster random sampling technique that researchers randomly assigned to take one class from some existing class. Methods of data collection in this study using a test instrument. Data analysis techniques with Analyisis regression. The results showed that (1) the value of sig. (l-tailed) = 0.00 t_tabel 3.981> 2.056, then ��0  is rejected, it can be concluded that there are significant mathematical comprehension of the mathematical connection capabilities. (3) based on the results of hypothesis testing, it can be concluded that the comprehension of mathematics has an influence on the ability to connect math class VII junior high school 2 Kasokandel, has a coefficient of determination (R Square) of 37.9% with a regression equation  of  Y  =  36,713  +  0,485X,  stating  that  each  additional  comprehension  of mathematics will affect the improvement of connections capabilities of 0.485 students math. Keywords: Comprehension of mathematics, mathematical connections


Dahlia mosaic is a serious disease affecting dahlias. In addition to the Dahlia mosaic virus (DMV) reported previously, we characterized two putative new caulimoviruses, tentatively designated as DMV-D10 and Dahlia common mosaic virus (DCMV), from dahlia. To better understand their relative incidence in dahlia, a total of 213 samples were collected during 2007 and 2008 from several varieties of cultivated dahlia (D. variabilis) in the United States. Samples were tested for the three caulimoviruses using virus-specific primers in a polymerase chain reaction. Amplicons were cloned and sequenced to confirm the infection of dahlia with these viruses. Results showed that DMV-D10 was the most prevalent (94%) followed by DCMV (48.5%) and DMV (23%). Mixed infections were common and viruses were detected irrespective of symptom expression at the time of sampling. Two percent of the samples were not infected by any of the three tested caulimoviruses. Results suggest that caulimovirus infections are widespread in dahlia and highlight the need for testing and production of virus-free material to reduce their spread.


Background: A reversible rise in creatinine with fibrates has been previously documented. However, this phenomenon remains poorly understood with no associated factors described. We wished to study changes seen in creatinine following fibrate therapy in a routine outpatient setting and identify related risk factors.  Methods: Data was collected from the records of patients started on fibrates (n = 132) in the lipid clinic at Good Hope Hospital, Sutton Coldfield between 2002 and 2008. Pre and post-fibrate creatinine concentrations were obtained from the pathology database. Creatinine was measured using the Jaffe method on the Roche modular P Unit.  Results: Fenofibrate was used in 117 (88.6%) patients while the remaining 15 patients were on bezafibrate. Creatinine increased from a mean of 81.9 (sd = 17.3, median = 83, range: 33 - 127) umol/L to 93.8 (sd = 20.4, median = 91, range: 52 - 143) umol/L following fibrate treatment. Regression analyses showed that male gender (coefficient = 6.64 (95% CI: 0.99/12.29), P = 0.022), pre-treatment creatinine concentration (coefficient = -0.20 (95% CI: -0.35/-0.046), P = 0.011), diabetes (coefficient = -6.37 (95% CI: -12.36/-0.38), P = 0.037) and change in TG (coefficient: -1.02, 95% CI -1.39/-0.65, P <= 0.001) were significantly associated with creatinine change. All the above remained significant when entered into a multiple regression model suggesting independence.  Conclusions: This study confirms that creatinine increased in our group of patients when fibrates were commenced. Further studies are required to confirm and further explore our findings. doi:10.4021/wjnu27w


In this book the authors argue for a paradigm shift in the way African wetlands are considered. Current policies and wetland management are too frequently underpinned by a perspective that views agriculture simply as a threat and disregards its important contribution to livelihoods. In rural areas where people are entrenched in poverty, wetlands (in particular wetland agriculture) have a critical role to play in supporting and developing peoples' livelihoods. Furthermore, as populations rise and climate change takes grip they will be increasingly important.

The authors argue that an approach to wetland management that is much more people focused is required. That is an approach that instead of being concerned primarily with environmental outcomes is centred on livelihood outcomes supported by the sustainable use of natural wetland resources.

The authors stress the need for Integrated Water Resource Management and landscape approaches to ensure sustainable use of wetlands throughout a river catchment and the need for wetland management interventions to engage with a wide range of stakeholders. They also assess the feasibility of creating incentives and value in wetlands to support sustainable use. Drawing on nine empirical case studies, this book highlights the different ways in which sustainable use of wetlands has been sought, each case focusing on specific issues about wetlands, agriculture and livelihoods.


The protection of trademarks, when it raises a conflict with the protection of geographical indications is one of the most contested issues on the international trade and intellectual property arena. In European Communities - Protection of Trademarks and Geographical Indications for Agricultural Products and Foodstuffs a WTO panel was faced with this issue. The panel report gives some insight into what international trademark law mandates as well as some pointers on how conflicts between different IP rights should be solved. This article attempts a deeper analysis of the coexistence of rights in the framework of the TRIPS Agreement that will inevitably grow in importance, when trade-related aspects start permeating all intellectual property issues in WTO fora. The article adopts a new approach to analyzing international trademark law. The Western concept of trademarks as property is contrasted to another concept of property that is derived from the use of property. While the property discussion in itself is not new to trademark law, nor is a discussion on the significance of trademark use in trademark law, here, the discussions are combined and refined in an attempt to provide an analytical framework for deciding international trademark cases. It is argued that the property right in a trademark should be assessed through how it is used, and any finding of infringement hinges upon whether the use of the trademark by its proprietor is unlawfully affected by a third party's use of an identical or similar sign. Informed by property theory and international law, the analytical framework is applied to the issues raised in the panel report. This leads to the conclusion that the panel report is flawed in certain respects.


Among the factors affecting cassava yield, the leaf nutrients content has received little attention since cassava genotypes may grow well under inappropriate nutrient supply, however showing inadequate nutritional quality of tuberous roots. Considering this aspect, the genetic diversity should be explored in order to determine standard leaf nutrients in cassava genotypes. Thus, this study aimed at verifying leaf nutrient content (NC) as well as relationships among leaf nutrients (NR) in order to establish standard leaf nutrient level in twelve cassava genotypes. The experiment was performed during 2014/2015 crop seasons in northern region of Espirito Santo State, Brazil. A total of 24 samples were collected from each cassava genotype for quantification of leaf nutrient contents (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn and B). UPGMA method for quantifying genetic diversity as well as Scott-Knott for grouping averages were used. Our results reported low genetic diversity for both NC and NR, corroborating with grouping Scott-Knott test. Therefore, our leaf nutrients content values can represent an adequate nutritional status of cassava genotypes, which can be used as reference values for such specie


Now Russia is undergoing a reform of the control and supervisory activity of the "regulatory guillotine", which is designed to significantly reduce the number of mandatory requirements in the legislation, leaving only those that are necessary and should be controlled among them. In the presented article, the principles of this reform are applied to the Federal State Educational Standards (FSES). Russian legislation understands the quality of education as compliance with these standards, but their number is extremely large, which previously made it difficult to systematically study them. However, the application of methods of computational jurisprudence made it possible to analyze one of the sections "Conditions for the implementation of the program" for 720 FSES of higher education (specialist's, bachelor's, and master's). The computer program generated a "generalized summary" of texts without loss of content (for all federal state educational standards of each level of education). In it, duplicated and similar fragments were combined, differences and variations in wording, noted and visualized. The volume of analysis has decreased by more than 35 times, and an expert assessment of all the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard became possible. Previously, this method has not been used in computational jurisprudence. As a result, the original tens of thousands of requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard were divided into four categories, three of which are recommended for exclusion (for appropriate reasons), the rest is "mandatory requirements". These 5 generalized universal requirements are suitable for use in control and supervision activities, and liability can be established for their violation.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE The public prosecutor's department of Bobigny in Paris, France on July 8, 2013 decided to open an investigation on a complaint lodged against Samsung France on February 26, 2013 by three organizations: Peuples Solidaires, Sherpa, and Indecosa-CGT. Some primary evidence of the complaint is based in part on the China Labor Watch's investigative report of eight factories producing for Samsung in China, published on September 4, 2012. The complaint accuses Samsung France of advertising misleading commercial practices by promoting a code of conduct for the treatment of the workers who make Samsung's products that Samsung does not necessarily enforce. This is the first investigation of its kind in Europe. It is the first time that a public prosecutor has begun an inquiry on the gap between the ethical commitments of a company and its contradicting practices. The goal of the complaint is to establish that the ethical commitments of a brand constitute an advertisement and, thus, can mislead consumers as to the social conditions under which the brand's products are manufactured. More information on the complaint can be found on the website (French) of Peuples Solidaires .


The authors address the dichotomy around 'proximate' and 'distant' learning processes by looking specifically at the characteristics of the knowledge-creation process. By way of suggesting an alternative conceptualization to the well-known tacit–codified knowledge dichotomy they propose a distinction between 'analytical' and 'synthetic' modes of knowledge creation. Analytical knowledge creation refers to the understanding and explaining of features of the (natural) world. Synthetic knowledge creation refers to the design or construction of something to attain functional goals. By applying this framework to qualitative empirics from the Medicon Valley life-science cluster, the authors demonstrate the complementarity of globally distributed analytical knowledge creation and locally oriented synthetic knowledge creation.


Even as big data is turning the world upside down, the next phase of the revolution is already taking shape: real-time data analysis. This hands-on guide introduces you to Storm, a distributed, JVM-based system for processing streaming data. Through simple tutorials, sample Java code, and a complete real-world scenario, youll learn how to build fast, fault-tolerant solutions that process results as soon as the data arrives.Discover how easy it is to set up Storm clusters for solving various problems, including continuous data computation, distributed remote procedure calls, and data stream processing.Learn how to program Storm components: spouts for data input and bolts for data transformation Discover how data is exchanged between spouts and bolts in a Storm topology Make spouts fault-tolerant with several commonly used design strategies Explore boltstheir life cycle, strategies for design, and ways to implement them Scale your solution by defining each components level of parallelism Study a real-time web analytics system built with Node.js, a Redis server, and a Storm topology Write spouts and bolts with non-JVM languages such as Python, Ruby, and Javascript


Ethiopia's poor have suffered from the global economic crisis, as the price of goods consumed increase. Rural women and girls bear the greatest burdens of this situation, since they have a role in livestock maintenance and management, crop production and marketing of agricultural produce (EMFA, 2010). Ethiopian women suffer from low literacy levels and poor access to public services, and most of them derive their income from small scale production. Lacks of investment make it difficult for women to earn a living from agriculture. Financially independence of women's doesn't always lead in decision making on issues related income utilization and choices of life. This research aimed to assess the influence of small scale business on women's decision making capacity. For the assessment the case of a credit and saving association in Muketure was taken. Using simple random sampling method 52 members were selected. 10 non-members were included as check. The tools of data collection were interview and questionnaires. Employment opportunities were extremely limited due to gender-based factors. As a result of tradition and a stereotyped gender division of labour between men and women, women and girls were placed in a subordinate position. The lack of access to and control over resources has forced females to bear the burden of poverty, be dependent on men and powerless to make decisions on family's incomes. Women were subjected to various types of gender based violence. The study showed that the flow of capital in women's hands has improved their decision making capacity on issues related with the family and community. Women were able to generate income from their business, buy materials for the family, and meet and bargain with people without the consent of their husbands. However, women's decision making capacity has depended on the family background. The study found out that small scale business has pragmatic and significant impact in improving women's decision making capacity within the family as well as in the community.  Key words: small scale business; decision making capacity; saving and credit and poverty


The problem of computing functions of values at the nodes in a network in a fully distributed manner, where nodes do not have unique identities and make decisions based only on local information, has applications in sensor, peer-to-peer, and ad hoc networks. The task of computing separable functions, which can be written as linear combinations of functions of individual variables, is studied in this context. Known iterative algorithms for averaging can be used to compute the normalized values of such functions, but these algorithms do not extend, in general, to the computation of the actual values of separable functions. The main contribution of this paper is the design of a distributed randomized algorithm for computing separable functions. The running time of the algorithm is shown to depend on the running time of a minimum computation algorithm used as a subroutine. Using a randomized gossip mechanism for minimum computation as the subroutine yields a complete fully distributed algorithm for computing separable functions. For a class of graphs with small spectral gap, such as grid graphs, the time used by the algorithm to compute averages is of a smaller order than the time required by a known iterative averaging scheme.


Specific binding sites for human pancreatic secretory trypsin inhibitor (PSTI) on 3T3 Swiss albino cells were studied using radioiodinated recombinant PSTI. Some ion species, pH, and temperature significantly influenced the binding of 125I-PSTI. Kinetic studies showed that the binding of 125I-PSTI to 3T3 Swiss albino cells reached the maximum level within 120 min at 4 degrees C, with a slow dissociation rate. The half-maximal inhibition (ID50) of 125I-PSTI binding by unlabeled PSTI occurred at 1.0 x 10(-10) M. On Scatchard analysis of the competitive binding data, linear plots indicated a single class of receptors with high affinity (Kd = 5.3 x 10(-10) M) on 3T3 Swiss albino cells, the number of receptors being 5,400 per cell. Treatment of surface-bound radiolabeled PSTI with a chemical crosslinker (disuccinimidyl suberate) led to the identification of a membrane polypeptide of Mr 140,000 to which PSTI was crosslinked. The formation was inhibited by an excess amount of unlabeled PSTI in a dose-dependent manner. The binding of 125I-PSTI to 3T3 Swiss albino cells was competitively inhibited by unlabeled PSTI but not by other peptide hormones, such as epidermal growth factor (EGF), bovine fibroblast growth factor, insulin-like growth factor, transforming growth factor alpha, platelet-derived growth factor, and tumor necrosis factor, indicating the presence of receptors specific for PSTI. Various protease inhibitors had no or only a little effect, and mercaptoethanol and dithiothreitol strongly decreased the binding of 125I-PSTI. Incubation at 37 degrees C resulted in rapid internalization of cell-bound 125I-PSTI, followed by the appearance of trichloroacetic acid-soluble 125I-radioactivity in the culture medium, due to degradation of internalized PSTI. In addition, PSTI stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation into DNA on 3T3 Swiss albino cells in a dose-dependent manner. The combined addition of PSTI and EGF stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation to an extent greater than that seen with either agent alone. These results indicated that the biological effect of PSTI was mediated by high affinity plasma membrane receptors, which were not a cell-surface proteinase(s). Specific binding of 125I-PSTI was noted with the following cells: WI- 38, 3T3 Swiss albino, HUVE, BDC-1, and H4-II-E-C3.


Worldwide, primary hepatocellular carcinoma is the fifth most commonly diagnosed solid cancer and the third most common cause of cancer related death. Because of its constantly increasing incidence in developed countries and its poor prognosis, HCC represents a major health problem. Diagnostic markers for early-stage HCC are of great need but still lacking due to the high complexity and heterogeneity of HCC.
The purpose of this study was to examine Wisp1 expression in different liver tumor stages and its functional role in epithelial- and fibroblastoid-type HCC cell lines. By
immunohistochemical staining of HCC patient samples, we demonstrated that Wisp1 expression is enhanced in well- and moderately differentiated HCC and is associated with inflammation and steatosis, but is absent in poorly differentiated HCC. Furthermore, we found that Wisp1 is expressed and secreted in HCC cell lines(FLC4, HLF). Treatment of the epithelial-type HCC cell lines with human recombinant Wisp1 led to an increase in proliferation, while fibroblastoid-type HCC cell lines showed an increase in migration. Interestingly, both types of cell lines displayed the activation of the same phosphokinases upon Wisp1 stimulation. Knockdown of Wisp1 with shRNA in the epithelial-type HCC cell line consequently decreased proliferation and, more importantly, led to apoptosis.
Our study thus identified Wisp1 as a novel immunohistochemical marker for the detection of well differentiated, early-stage HCC as well as a regulator of proliferation in the epithelial-type HCC cell line and a regulator of migration in the fibroblastoidtype
HCC cell lines via activation of distinct HCC related phosphokinases. These results pose Wisp1 as a possible diagnostic marker for HCC for which currently only
poor therapies are available.


The Neandertals from Krapina, Croatia represent some of the geologically oldest Neandertals known, and they comprise the largest Neandertal collection from a single site in the world. However, comparisons of the Krapina material with other, later Neandertals have been limited both because of their fragmentary condition and because the sample has a disproportionate number of females and/or young individuals. This paper presents a preliminary description of our new reconstruction of Krapina 5, an adult male, and provides comparisons with females from Krapina and with later Neandertal males from Western Europe. Like other hominid sites with large samples, there is considerable cranial variation at Krapina; we believe that some, but clearly not all of it is due to sexual dimorphism. Although Krapina 5 differs from the later males in a number of features, such as cranial thickness, cranial height, and sagittal curvature, it fits well within the male Neandertal range for most other metric variables, including cranial capacity.


Governance of Innovation takes the multidimensional nature of innovation as its point of departure, bringing together leading scholars from a variety of backgrounds to provide an authoritative and comprehensive overview of contemporary innovation challenges.


Primarily, oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics at fuel cell cathode is slower on pure platinum due to its low activity in acidic medium. Owing to the excellent electrocatalytic property of Pt-Co/C nanoparticles for the oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) in fuel cell cathodes, a cubical phase face-centered cubic (FCC) Pt-Co/C electrocatalyst has been synthesized via solvothermal method using water as solvent. Various characterization techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) have been carried out for determining the crystallinity, surface morphology, particles size and elemental composition of Pt-Co/C electrocatalyst alloy, respectively. The XRD, EDX and TEM confirm the presence of well faceted FCC Pt-Co/C electrocatalyst with uniform distribution of these nano-size particles with atomic ratio of 3:1. The electrocatalytic activity of synthesized Pt-Co/C electrocatalyst for ORR was investigated by Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) test in acidic medium using HClO4. Further, as CV stop crossing is increased, the activity of Pt-Co/C electrocatalyst increases due to less activation polarization with appreciable shifting of Pt-Co/C oxygen reduction peak potential towards more positive scale confirming better electrocatalytic property of the synthesized Pt-Co/C electrocatalyst for ORR.


Foy, R. J. Survival, growth, and morphology of blue king crabs: effect of ocean acidification decreases with exposure time. 74: Ocean acidification is an altering marine carbonate chemistry resulting in potential effects to marine life. In this study, we determine the effects of decreased pH on the morphology, growth, and survival of juvenile blue king crab, Paralithodes platypus . Crabs were reared at three pH levels: ambient (control, pH (cid:2) 8.1), pH 7.8, and pH 7.5, for 1 year and monitored for morphological changes, survival, and growth. Exposure to seawater at pH 7.8 had no effect on morphology or mortality and had only a minor effect on growth compared with the ambient treatment. However, exposure to seawater at pH 7.5 substantially increased mortality and decreased growth compared with the ambient treatment. The best fit model of mortality rate at pH 7.5 showed an initially high mortality rate, which dropped to become comparable to the mortality rate in the other treatments. This suggests phenotypic variability or plasticity in juveniles and may indicate acclimation by blue king crab to ocean acidification. As such, blue king crab may have scope for evolutionary adaptation in response to gradually changing pH lev-els. However, effects on other life-history stages, sub-lethal effects, carryover or transgenerational effects, and interactions with other stressors, such as increased temperature, still need to be investigated.


A common approach in positive-unlabeled learning is to train a classification model between labeled and unlabeled data. This strategy is in fact known to give an optimal classifier under mild conditions; however, it results in biased empirical estimates of the classifier performance. In this work, we show that the typically used performance measures such as the receiver operating characteristic curve, or the precision recall curve obtained on such data can be corrected with the knowledge of class priors; i.e., the proportions of the positive and negative examples in the unlabeled data. We extend the results to a noisy setting where some of the examples labeled positive are in fact negative and show that the correction also requires the knowledge of the proportion of noisy examples in the labeled positives. Using state-of-the-art algorithms to estimate the positive class prior and the proportion of noise, we experimentally evaluate two correction approaches and demonstrate their efficacy on real-life data.


NASA's Capacity Building Program (CBP) works to empower communities around the globe to use Earth observation data and products in their decision making. Working through program and element activities, CBP is focused on engagement around user needs. A capacity building framework is used to identify the appropriate path for engagement based on geography, discipline, data needs and availability, depth of support required, partnerships involved, length of engagement, and desired outcomes. These decision factors determine which CBP element takes on the effort - ARSET, DEVELOP, or SERVIR, and which approach would be implemented - training or co-development. Each approach offers participants different benefits and leads to outcomes that fall on a spectrum from increased awareness to sustained use of Earth observations. This presentation was given at the Earth Science Information Partners (ESIP) Summer Meeting held online in July 2020.


Purely elastic, partially and fully plastic stress states in a thick-walled spherical pressure vessel with an inner functionally graded material (FG) coating subjected to internal and external pressures are developed analytically in this paper. The modulus of elasticity and the uniaxial yield limit of the FG coating layer are considered to vary nonlinearly through the thickness. Using Tresca's yield criterion and ideal plastic material behavior, the plastic model is established. Under pressure loading, the scenario in which the plastic deformation starts from inner surface of FG coating layer is taken into account. Having increased the pressure loading, it is assumed that the FG coating layer becomes fully plastic and the yielding commences subsequently at the inner surface of homogenous part. Essentially, the variation of FG parameters in the radial direction is properly adjusted in order to achieve the stated yielding scenario. Furthermore, axisymmetric finite element model is performed to validate the accuracy of the analytical results. It is concluded that the elastic and plastic response of the spherical pressure vessel are influenced by grading parameters and coating behavior.