The most precise way of estimating the dissipation of tidal energy in the oceans is by evaluating the rate at which work is done by the tidal forces and this quantity is completely described by the fundamental harmonic in the ocean tide expansion that has the same degree and order as the forcing function. The contribution of all other harmonics to the work integral must vanish. These harmonics have been estimated for the principal M2 tide using several available numerical models and despite the often significant difference in the detail of the models, in the treatment of the boundary conditions and in the way dissipating forces are introduced, the results for the rate at which energy is dissipated are in good agreement. Equivalent phase lags, representing the global ocean-solid Earth response to the tidal forces and the rates of energy dissipation have been computed for other tidal frequencies, including the atmospheric tide, by using available tide models, age of tide observations and equilibrium theory. Orbits of close Earth satellites are periodically perturbed by the combined solid Earth and ocean tide and the delay of these perturbations compared with the tide potential defines the same terms as enter into the tidal dissipation problem. They provide, therefore, an independent estimate of dissipation. The results agree with the tide calculations and with the astronomical estimates. The satellite results are independent of dissipation in the Moon and a comparison of astronomical, satellite and tidal estimates of dissipation permits a separation of energy sinks in the solid Earth, the Moon and in the oceans. A precise separation is not yet possible since dissipation in the oceans dominates the other two sinks: dissipation occurs almost exclusively in the oceans and neither the solid Earth nor the Moon are important energy sinks. Lower limits to the Q of the solid Earth can be estimated by comparing the satellite results with the ocean calculations and by comparing the astronomical results with the latter. They result in Q > 120. The lunar acceleration n, the Earth's tidal acceleration OT and the total rate of energy dissipation E estimated by the three methods give astronomical based estimate —1.36 —28±3 —7.2 ± 0.7 4.1±0.4 satellite based estimate —1.03 —24 ±5 — 6.4 ± 1.5 3.6±0.8 numerical tide model — 1.49 —30 ±3 —7.5± 0.8 4.5±0.5 The mean value for OT corresponds to an increase in the length of day of 2.7 ms cy -1. The non-tidal acceleration of the Earth is (1.8 ± 1.0) 10-22s~2, resulting in a decrease in the length of day of 0.7 ± 0.4 ms cy-1 and is barely significant. This quantity remains the most unsatisfactory of the accelerations. The nature of the dissipating mechanism remains unclear but whatever it is it must also control the phase of the second degree harmonic in the ocean expansion. It is this harmonic that permits the transfer of angular momentum from the Earth to the Moon but the energy dissipation occurs at frequencies at the other end of the tide's spatial spectrum. The efficacity of the break-up of the second degree term into the higher modes governs the amount of energy that is eventually dissipated. It appears that the break-up is controlled by global ocean characteristics such as the ocean-continent geometry and sea floor topography. Friction in a few shallow seas does not appear to be as important as previously thought: New estimates for dissipation in the Bering Sea being almost an order of magnitude smaller than earlier estimates. If bottom friction is important then it must be more uniformly distributed over the world's continental shelves. Likewise, if turbulence provides an important dissipation mechanism it must be fairly uniformly distributed along, for example, coastlines or along continental margins. Such a global distribution of the dissipation makes it improbable that there has been a change in the rate of dissipation during the last few millennium as there is no evidence of changes in ocean volume, or ocean geometry or sea level beyond a few metres. It also suggests that the time scale problem can be resolved if past ocean-continent geometries led to a less efficient breakdown of the second degree harmonic into higher degree harmonics.


The saponite examined occurs as two 0.1 m thick layers in a Pliocene sequence consisting of dolomite and dolomitic marl. To characterize this material, mineralogical and structural analyses (XRD, SEM and FTIR), thermal analyses (DTA, TG) and chemical analyses (ICP-ES) were performed. From XRD patterns of randomly-oriented powder samples, the first basal reflection appears as an asymmetric and broad peak with d001 values varying between 16.55 and 17.32 Å. In oriented and air-dried samples, this reflection occurs between 14.45 and 16.42 Å and is fairly symmetrical with FWHM of 2.7o2y. Oriented and ethylene glycol-solvated samples produce a rational series of basal reflections, where 001 occurs at ~17.8 Å as an intense, narrow (1.1o2y) and fairly symmetrical reflection. Upon solvation with glycerol, the 001 reflection shifts to ~18.7 Å. The chemical composition of this saponite is similar to stevensite. However, the structural formula of Na0.114Ca0.013K0.003(Mg2.957Al0.004Fe0.028Ti0.004)(Si3.826Al0.174)O10(OH)2 indicates that vacancies in the octahedral sheet do not exist. The negative layer charge arises nearly entirely from the substitutions in the tetrahedral sheet, with the net layer charge of 0.148, smaller than for common smectites. Due to the XRD characteristics and particularly the layer-charge distribution, it was concluded that this mineral is a Mg-rich saponite with low layer charge. The saponite was formed by direct precipitation in an alkaline lake environment from Mgand Si-rich solutions at high pH.


Agentive awareness is the awareness one has of oneself as acting, or as performing a particular action. Theorists distinguish between high-level (e.g., Wegner 2002 ), low-level (e.g., Frith 2007), and integrative approaches (e.g., Pacherie 2008) to explaining this brand of subjective awareness. In this paper, I evaluate the commitment of both low-level and integrative approaches to the claim that the representations involved in sensorimotor control, specifically as described by the comparator model (e.g., Frith 1992), contribute in some significant way to agentive awareness. I examine the main empirical data offered in support of this claim and argue that it does not succeed in establishing a role for sensorimotor states in generating agentive awareness. This helps clear the way for high-level approaches to explaining this phenomenon.


The relation between diversity and genotype to phenotype mapping has been the focus of several studies. In those Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) where the genotype is a sequence of symbols, the contribution of each of those symbols in determining the phenotype may vary greatly possibly being null. In the latter case, the unused portions of the genotype may host a large amount of the population diversity. However, reasoning on coarse-grained measures makes it hard to validate such a claim and, more in general, to gain insights into the interactions between genotype-phenotype mapping and diversity. In this paper, we propose a novel visualization which summarizes in a single, compact heat map (the DU map), three kinds of information: (a) how diverse are the genotypes in the population at the level of single symbols; (b) if and to what degree each individual symbol in the genotype contributes to the phenotype; (c) how the two previous measures vary during the evolution. We experimentally verify the usefulness of the DU map w.r.t. its primary goal and, more broadly, when used to analyze different EA design options. We apply it to Grammatical Evolution (GE) as it constitutes an ideal testbed for the DU map, due to the availability of different mapping functions.


In the context of the liberalization of the European natural gas market former monopolists face a challenge to react to market opening by realigning their strategies. Three major groups of companies can be identified that are capable to influence the European gas market significantly each with a distinctive competitive advantage. They consist of the historical gas incumbents, the power incumbents moving into gas as well as the integrated oil and gas producers moving downwards the supply chain by enlarging their supply division. The aim of the paper is to identify the strategic opportunities of the aforementioned three groups and to asses their success. The analysis is done by means of 22 selected companies that are active in the EU gas market. First, a set of market data will be assessed and comparisons made between the three groups. Finally, the firms will be matched according to the potential strategic groups and an outlook given in terms of the development of competition in the European gas market. The results sustain the assumption that the playing field for European gas incumbents is going to decrease as both electricity incumbents and integrated oil and gas producers have significant competitive advantages in their potential moves.


Many universities have embraced e-learning with all the benefits that this new technology brings to education. However, most researchers focus on the development of course content and its presentation. Few researchers focus on the equally important question of assessment in the context of e-learning and how it relates to the stated objectives of the course or the graduate qualities assessment tasks are meant to develop. The problem is compounded where assessment needs to remain the same across different deliveries (face-to-face, distance and online) of programs. In e-learning, especially when delivered to students in diverse international settings, assessment tasks need to be formulated within culturally appropriate parameters in order to maintain the validity and coherence of assessment across differing cultures. Our research has been developed to address this issue. A growing number of universities (including the University of South Australia) are articulating a number of graduate qualities. Graduate qualities encapsulate the expectations of professional associations, employers and the community and they must be consistent with the requirements of a knowledge economy. Graduate qualities are designed to shape the teaching, learning and assessment that make up a program. They are especially relevant in the context of e-learning where instant feedback and cross-communication between lecturer and students and among students themselves is more difficult to implement effectively than in face-to-face learning. The main focus of this paper is to explain our research and to show how we have been mapping assessment tasks in relation to course objectives and graduate qualities. We have found that mapping assessment to the stated objectives of a course whether it is delivered in traditional face-to-face or online modes is a non-trivial task and often not even attempted by lecturers in any systematic fashion. A further mapping to the graduate qualities that assessment must develop is even more difficult without a systematic approach aided by an effective mapping tool. We have developed a mapping tool based in part on Bloom's Taxonomy and tested it using courses that are taught in face-to-face and online modes in Australia, Malaysia and Hong Kong. The mapping tool is of particular relevance to science or technology based courses.


Implementation processes of systems in organizations follow different strategies and one of these strategies is to understand the uncertainties associated with the integration of the new system into an existing system environment so as to limit any challenges that may arise during the system implementation. Systems are implemented to address specific organizational needs, that is, activities the organization engages in. This paper explores organization information processing theory (OIPT) and activity theory in enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems implementation. A framework for the ERP implementation has been developed from a conceptual model on the interaction of organizational culture and structure. The modified model incorporates the activity theory and the OIPT and provides a formal way of bringing on board various interplaying variables in the system implementation process, more so for ERP systems.


To combat climate change and hunger, a number of governments, foundations and aid agencies have called for a 'New Green Revolution'. Such calls obfuscate the dynamics of the Green Revolution. Using Arrighi's analysis of capital accumulation cycles, it is possible to trace a Long Green Revolution that spans the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Such an analysis illuminates commonalities in past and present Green Revolutions, including their bases in class struggles and crises of accumulation, modes of governance – particularly in the links between governments and philanthropic institutions – and the institutions through which truths about agricultural change were produced and became known. Such an analysis also suggests processes of continuity between the original Green Revolution and features of twenty-first-century agricultural change, while providing a historical grounding in international financial capital's structural changes to help explain some of the novel features that accompany the New Green Revolution, such as 'land grabs', patents on life, and nutritionism.


A 32x32 Sb-based Geiger-mode (GM) avalanche photodiode array, operating at 2 μm with three-dimensional imaging capability, is presented. The array is interfaced with a ROIC (readout integrated circuit) in which each pixel can detect a photon and record the arrival time. The hybridized unit for the 1000-element focal plane array, when operated at 77K with 1 V overbias range, shows an average dark count rate of 1.5 kHz. Three-dimensional range images of objects were acquired.


We examined the synergistic effect of combined fouling in MD process with three organic foulants – alginate, bovine serum albumin (BSA), and humic acid – in the presence of colloidal silica particles. Membrane fouling profiles were quantified by water flux decline and permeate conductivity. Mechanisms of the synergistic effect of combined fouling were revealed by light scattering measurements and infrared spectra of foulant–foulant interaction and foulant–membrane interaction. Membrane fouling morphology and element mapping provided further details of transport of colloidal silica particles and elucidated the mechanisms for silica-induced pore wetting. Specially, gelation of alginate formed an alginate layer on membrane surface and prevented penetration of silica particles into the membrane matrix, which was confirmed by silicon element mapping as well as infrared spectra. Adsorption of BSA protein by colloidal silica aggregates led to a sharp water flux decline and a partial pore wetting. Humic acid, forming a coil structure in high salinity, exhibited limited interaction with colloidal silica that penetrated into the membrane matrix and wetted membrane pores, thereby compromising the product water quality. Results showed that the combined organic fouling with colloidal silica particle not only deteriorated water production, but also compromised product quality by partial membrane wetting.


The APETALA2/ethylene response factor (AP2/ERF) superfamily of transcription factors (TFs) plays essential roles in the regulation of various growth and developmental programs including stress responses. Members of these TFs in other plant species have been implicated to play a role in the regulation of cell wall biosynthesis. Here, we identified a total of 207 AP2/ERF TF genes in the switchgrass genome and grouped into four gene families comprised of 25 AP2-, 121 ERF-, 55 DREB (dehydration responsive element binding)-, and 5 RAV (related to API3/VP) genes, as well as a singleton gene not fitting any of the above families. The ERF and DREB subfamilies comprised seven and four distinct groups, respectively. Analysis of exon/intron structures of switchgrass AP2/ERF genes showed high diversity in the distribution of introns in AP2 genes versus a single or no intron in most genes in the ERF and RAV families. The majority of the subfamilies or groups within it were characterized by the presence of one or more specific conserved protein motifs. In silico functional analysis revealed that many genes in these families might be associated with the regulation of responses to environmental stimuli via transcriptional regulation of the response genes. Moreover, these genes had diverse endogenous expression patterns in switchgrass during seed germination, vegetative growth, flower development, and seed formation. Interestingly, several members of the ERF and DREB families were found to be highly expressed in plant tissues where active lignification occurs. These results provide vital resources to select candidate genes to potentially impart tolerance to environmental stress as well as reduced recalcitrance. Overexpression of one of the ERF genes (PvERF001) in switchgrass was associated with increased biomass yield and sugar release efficiency in transgenic lines, exemplifying the potential of these TFs in the development of lignocellulosic feedstocks with improved biomass characteristics for biofuels.


Introduction: The aim of the current study was to introduce the use of the inferior gluteal artery perforator flap (IGAPF) as a new alternative surgical technique for closure of sacral defects after pilonidal sinus surgery. Patients and Methods: Inferior gluteal artery perforators were used on 15 male patients operated in the plastic and reconstructive surgery department of our tertiary care centers between March 2014 and May 2017. Age, size of the defect, duration of follow-up, complications, and recurrence rate were assessed. Results: The average age was 30.2 (range: 17–54) years, and the mean duration of follow-up was 8.2 (range: 7–16) months. No recurrence was detected within the follow-up period, and the only remarkable complication reported was total flap necrosis attributed to venous congestion in one patient. The mean size of the defects after excision was 21.6 cm2. Conclusion: Our preliminary results imply that IGAPF can be a safe and effective alternative for closure of large defects after pilonidal sinus surgery. Further controlled trials on larger series are warranted to establish the advantages and disadvantages of this alternative technique.


Due to the dynamic evolution of food chains during the past years, currently available chain models are no longer able to meet the needs of operators. This article introduces a model for chain analysis which is used in an analysis of the supply chains of the entire Italian production of Animal Origin which constitute a complex network in which the actors of the agro-food system operate. The new model is innovative for two reasons: it represents many supply chains of products of animal origin from different productive species in a single model and, in addition, allows to represent the complexity of the chain network.


Higher order finite-difference time-domain schemes are generally used to either improve the accuracy of the numerical solution of Maxwell's equations, or take advantage of the reduced truncation errors to be able to use a coarser grid discretization of the electrical domain. In this paper we propose an algorithm to optimize the normally fixed co-efficients used in the four-point central-differences for the standard higher order (2, 4) finite-difference time-domain algorithm. This allows us to use a coarse discretization of the three-dimensional environment, that reduces the high demand for memory (> 23 times) and the overall computational runtime (> 28 times) compared to the standard finite-difference time-domain method, and still produces very accurate results for less dense discretizations. A theoretical analysis of the expected very low numerical dispersion errors has been carried out, as well as numerical simulations to confirm these values. The usefulness of the model under realistic circumstances has also been validated by performing a large-scale three-dimensional simulation of a typical Wi-Fi environment.


In the rapidly changing global scenario, it became increasingly clear that new thinking was required to make businesses competitive given the challenges of liberalised trade regimes, free flow of capital and knowledge. The prodigious marriage of computers, communications and technology provided lot more options to the consumers, competitors, employees, suppliers and providers of money alike. Customers and Consumers have become more demanding, not only in terms of product quality or costs but also innovations and detect free services.
The Author, anticipating the change, advised the Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, (with sales and assets in excess of 6 billion US dollars and having manufacturing sites in India, Thailand, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt and Canada), to focus on lifting the standards of Manufacturing in all his Units. The Author joined the Group in late 1996 as The President of World Class Manufacturing, a Corporate Function, as a direct reporter to the Chairman
Some companies in the Group, which are making good profits, perceived themselves as World Class since they had obtained ISO Certification, and a few other Awards. Yet others were pursuing customers with their own definition of quality, costs and delivery. And some
were pursuing improvement programs under external consultant's guidance. The business went on as usual, except more explanation of how competition was increasing, and generic statements like "ve are doing all we can to deal with the situation which should improve soon"
It was in the above context that Author thought of trying holistic approach for Good Governance at all levels, at all locations, involving all employees and all activities with focus on Manufacturing since best of marketing efforts would be in vain if not backed up by a World Class product with right cost and delivery. Anticipating the future needs, Author wanted everyone to focus on Innovations and Intellectual Capital and highest levels of
Productivity from the six Ms [we call it. Men or Women (People), Material, Machines, Methods, Measurement and Markets].
After studying current literature and case studies on the subject and interacting with his former employers in Europe, America, Africa and Asia, and his potential customers (the 67 Plants in 1997) Author devised a Model that was futuristic, holistic, simple to be understood
as the `Art of Managing the Workplace', small or big. This was supported by a detailed Road Map and Methodology for Implementation of the Revolution for Excellence in the
Group. A set of unique actions that would change the Mindset and Inspire the troops were developed and applied. Each of the 67 Plants have developed and deployed its own actions for percolating the philosophy, concept, tools and technique for the Deployment, Assessment and Review for becoming a world class manufacturer (WCM) The results are most satisfying as, the Model, its Road Map and Methodology with actions for Sustaining the Momentum has led to significant improvements in Products, Processes,
Mindset and Culture of the People; they have attained higher knowledge level in their work, become extremely customer focused and have sent positive signals to all the stakeholders about their ability to protect the future, enhancing the competitiveness of their business, and
therefore the Nation, and thereby protect the future of the next generation of employees, investors as well as other stakeholders.
The tangible savings (over a period of approximately 5 years) in both Indian rupees and UK Pounds Sterling are summarized here under.
On an average there are savings of about 9.5 millions UK £ per year. The turnover of the group is about 5500 millions UK (E). The savings thus comes equivalent to about 0.2 % of
the Group's turnover which is a substantial amount creating a big impact on bottom line.


Cognitive Bias Modification for interpretation bias (CBM-I) is a procedure which has
been found to successfully modify interpretation bias and anxiety symptoms. To date,
very few studies have investigated the efficacy of CBM-I with adolescents. This research
investigated the application of a multi-session CBM-I programme in a clinical adolescent
population. Eight adolescents (14 to 17 years old) with clinical levels of social phobia
symptoms completed a seven session CBM-I programme at home via the internet. The
programme trained adolescents to interpret ambiguous situations in a positive manner.
Imagery of oneself in the scenarios was also encouraged in an attempt to enhance the
potential effects. Participants completed a battery of self-report measures to identify
changes in interpretation biases and symptomology. Four participants made
improvements on social phobia symptoms after the CBM-I training, which were
maintained at follow-up. Six participants experienced reduced negative interpretation
biases post-CBM-I, with three participants moving from a negative interpretation bias
pre-CBM-I, to a positive interpretation bias post-CBM-I. Participants and their parents
completed questionnaires to investigate their opinions of the CBM-I procedure.
Interestingly, participants who reported enjoying the task were more likely to have a
reduction in symptomology. The participants also reported that the scenarios would
benefit from being tailored to their specific interests and presentations. Parents noted that
the procedure was practical and easy to use, but felt that the training did not significantly
impact upon their child's presentation. Overall, the results indicate the potential value of
CBM-I in modifying negative interpretative biases and symptomology in adolescents
with social phobia. However, the findings were not absolute, with variability amongst
participants making it difficult to draw strong conclusions. Further research is therefore
needed to confirm and add weight to the current findings.


Secret international agreements have a bad reputation. Ever since states misused secret agreements during World War I, commentators have condemned these agreements as pernicious and destabilizing to international peace and security. The concerns triggered by these agreements were so salient that states crafting the League of Nations Covenant and then the United Nations Charter included provisions intended to eliminate their use. Conventional wisdom holds that the Charter largely achieved this goal — that secret agreements are rare, and that we should celebrate this. But the story is wrong, descriptively and normatively. Secret international commitments are pervasive today, and they are not always problematic.
This article sets out to describe and defend — with certain qualifications — the use of secret commitments in contemporary practice, with a focus on those to which the United States is a party. Notwithstanding their opacity, these commitments perform a critical role in shaping legal and strategic interactions between the United States and other states. Further, the evidence belies the idea that states predominately resort to secrecy when they intend to violate international norms. Most of those commitments that have come to light are — counter-intuitively, perhaps — consistent with the U.N. Charter, and in some cases actually advance the Charter's purposes.
Certain secret commitments remain troubling or deeply opaque, however, and so this article also identifies various existing dynamics in the U.S. system that might assuage concerns about the abuse of secret commitments and proposes procedural protections that all states might develop to minimize the democratic challenges posed by secret commitments. Further, a more complete understanding of secret commitments provides new insights into the literature on executive power and lawmaking, government secrecy, and compliance with international agreements. In particular, the fact that the secret commitments studied here largely respect the limits of international and domestic law sheds light on the debate about the extent to which the Executive is bound — and perceives itself to be bound — by law in the national security realm.


Reperfusion injury can exacerbate tissue damage in ischemic stroke, but little is known about the mechanisms linking ROS to stroke severity. Here, we tested the hypothesis that protein methionine oxidation potentiates NF-κB activation and contributes to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. We found that overexpression of methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA), an antioxidant enzyme that reverses protein methionine oxidation, attenuated ROS-augmented NF-κB activation in endothelial cells, in part, by protecting against the oxidation of methionine residues in the regulatory domain of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). In a murine model, MsrA deficiency resulted in increased NF-κB activation and neutrophil infiltration, larger infarct volumes, and more severe neurological impairment after transient cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. This phenotype was prevented by inhibition of NF-κB or CaMKII. MsrA-deficient mice also exhibited enhanced leukocyte rolling and upregulation of E-selectin, an endothelial NF-κB-dependent adhesion molecule known to contribute to neurovascular inflammation in ischemic stroke. Finally, bone marrow transplantation experiments demonstrated that the neuroprotective effect was mediated by MsrA expressed in nonhematopoietic cells. These findings suggest that protein methionine oxidation in nonmyeloid cells is a key mechanism of postischemic oxidative injury mediated by NF-κB activation, leading to neutrophil recruitment and neurovascular inflammation in acute ischemic stroke.


We analyze a remarkable class of centrally symmetric polytopes, the Hansen polytopes of split graphs. We confirm Kalai's $3^d$ conjecture for such polytopes (they all have at least $3^d$ nonempty faces) and show that the Hanner polytopes among them (which have exactly $3^d$ nonempty faces) correspond to threshold graphs. Our study produces a new family of Hansen polytopes that have only $3^d+16$ nonempty faces.


Hollow cathode discharges (HCDs) have found a wide variety of applications for trace elemental analysis with the use of spectroscopic techniques such as atomic emission spectroscopy (AES), atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), and atomic fluorescence spectroscopy (AFS). In AES, the emission intensity output: of an HCD is rather limited compared to the emission intensity output of other electrical discharges. There are numerous ways by which the emission signal in HCDs can be increased. These ways include the application of external fields such as microwaves, radio-frequency, or magnetic fields. Reducing the diameter of the hollow to <2 mm was observed to give a substantial enhancement in the emission intensity, and such a discharge is referred to as a microcavity HCD.


P. G. Wodehouse wrote some of the greatest comic masterpieces of all time. So, naturally, we find the same humor and wit in his letters. He offers hilarious accounts of living in England and France, the effects of prohibition, and how to deal with publishers. He even recounts cricket matches played while in a Nazi internment camp (Wodehouse wanted to show the stiff upper lip of the British in the toughest situations). Over the years, Wodehouse corresponded with relatives, friends, and some of the greatest figures of the twentieth century: Agatha Christie, Ira Gershwin, Evelyn Waugh, George Orwell, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The letters are arranged chronologically with intersecting sections of biography written by Sophie Ratcliffe. This is the only book you will need to understand the man behind the characters.


Objective:There is currently little information on the acceptability of male circumcision in India. This study investigated the acceptability of male circumcision among Indian mothers with male children. Design:A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 795 women attending a reproductive health clinic in Mysore, India, between January and April 2007. Results:Of the 1012 invited eligible participants, 795 women agreed to participate (response rate = 78.5%). The majority of women were Hindus (78%), 18% were Muslims, and 4% were Christians. About 26% of respondents had no schooling, 29% had 7 years of schooling, 42% had 8–12 years, and 3% had more than 12 years. After women were informed about the risks and benefits of male circumcision, a majority of women with uncircumcised children (n = 564, 81%) said they would definitely circumcise their children if the procedure were offered in a safe hospital setting, free of charge, and a smaller number (n = 50, 7%) said they would probably consider the procedure. Only seven women (1%) said that they would definitely/probably not consider male circumcision, and 63 (9%) were unsure. Conclusion:Since male circumcision has been found to decrease risk of HIV infection among men, it is important to determine its acceptability as a potential HIV prevention strategy in India. This study found male circumcision to be highly acceptable among a broad range of mothers with male children in Mysore, India. Further studies of acceptability among fathers and other populations are warranted.


Background: The incidence of central venous catheter (CVC)–related complications reported in pediatric sarcoma patients is not established as reports in available literature are limited. The analysis of risk factors is part of the strategy to reduce the incidence of CVC complications. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of CVC complications in children with bone sarcomas and if defined clinical variables represent a risk factor. Methods: During an 8-year period, 155 pediatric patients with bone sarcomas were prospectively followed up for CVC complications. Incidence and correlation with clinical features including gender, age, body mass index, histology, disease stage, and use of thromboprophylaxis with low-molecular-weight heparin were analyzed. Results: Thirty-three CVC complications were recorded among 42 687 CVC-days (0.77 per 1000 CVC-days). No correlation between the specific clinical variables and the CVC complications was found. A high incidence of CVC-related sepsis secondary to gram-negative bacteria was observed. Conclusions: The analysis of CVC complications and their potential risk factors in this sizable and relatively homogeneous pediatric population with bone sarcomas has led to the implementation of a multimodal approach by doctors and nurses to reduce the incidence and morbidity of the CVC-related infections, particularly those related to gram-negative bacteria. Implications for Practice: As a result of this joint medical and nursing study, a multimodal approach that included equipping faucets with water filters, the reeducation of doctors and nurses, and the systematic review of CVC protocol was implemented.


The garment industry is one of the world's largest industries, yet there are few sustained examinations of its importance to the global economy and the very vital role that immigrant entrepreneurship has played. Focusing on the garment industry in seven world cities -Paris, London, Birmingham, Amsterdam, New York, Miami and Los Angeles- this book tackles the complex relationship between the development of immigrant entrepreneurship and the shift to global, post-industrial urban economies. The interconnections among immigrant entrepreneurs, social networks, market conditions and regulatory matters are thoroughly explored in a comparative way. Starting from the idea that general social, economic and political processes manifest themselves in ever changing, historically specific shapes, the contributors offer intriguing insights into the dynamics of entrepreneurial management against the backdrop of such processes as: the differential spatial impact of economic restructuring; the significance of governance at various levels; and the conditional use of social capital. With contributions from leading experts in the field, this is a must for those wishing to supplement their knowledge in globalization, labour, economics, immigration and the garment industry broadly speaking.


Quality and quality assurance are among the most critical issues facing the fresh produce industry. This paper shows that while quality is widely noted to be an important concept, it is not clearly defined in the literature. Several definitions of quality are presented. The terminology associated with quality assurance is analyzed. An array of quality assurance systems used in the European fresh product sector are presented. Conclusions are drawn that while fresh produce quality will always be a factor retailers use to compete for consumers, there is evidence of industry consensus on some quality attributes, particularly, safety, environmental, and social attributes.


The Dutch rail network is one of the busiest rail networks in the world. Still the pressure on the
network is increasing. With an increasing demand of traffic, also costs for maintenance, reliability
and noise reduction increase. This thesis is focussing on the aspect of noise reduction. The Dutch
railway manager ProRail has started research to lubricate the railroad by existing rolling stock. This
method is called Wheel-Rail-Conditioning (WRC). Trains equipped with WRC lubricate the track
and thereby influence the coefficient of friction. By reducing the coefficient of friction to the lowest
level within the safety limits, sound production can be reduced, especially the squeal, the high
squeaking sound when a train goes through a curve.
The aim of this thesis is to determine how many and which trains in the Netherlands have to be
equipped with Wheel-Rail Conditioning (WRC) to achieve a countrywide covering of the track
with the lubricant. This thesis is focusing on NSR, the largest passenger carrier on the Dutch
railways.
A brief introduction on the theoretical results of lubricating railways is given in order to find a
solution. Also a short overview of the different pilots where WRC is tested is given. Currently tests
are still in progress, on the Valleilijn, the track between Amersfoort and Ede and on the track
between Nijmegen en Zutphen. Out of these pilots crucial information for countrywide
implementation needs to be extracted. Especially the duration of a lubricant applied by a train is of
great importance.
To get insight in the circulation of trains on the Dutch railway, data of NSR is analysed with
respect to the first half of 'dienstregeling 2011'. Out of this data train types are divided in groups
with regional bindings.
To determine which trains have to be equipped with WRC, four different approaches are proposed.
These approaches differ in complexity and are based on various pilots and theoretical results. One
of these approaches is chosen and worked out in depth. The underlying model is based on the fact
that trains equipped with WRC fully lubricate a track by passing over it. The lubricant wears by
every train passage until no lubricant is left. The solutionmethod is based on local search and built
specifically for this application. Hereby it makes use of simulated annealing to avoid being stuck in
local minima. In addition computation time is significantly reduced by effectively calculating
constraints and by keeping track of a tabulist. These adaptions result in a model that calculates
which trains have to be equipped with WRC in about eighty hours. This approach is calculated
several times whereby the fraction of passages on unlubricated track and the duration of the
lubricant are varied.
For different combinations of parameters an allocation of the WRC units is found for each
traintypegroup. An overview is given of the conditions under which the anser holds. The results are
also compared to intuitive allocations of WRC units given by ProRail.


Composition of sterol fraction and content of identified compounds in herb of fireweed (Chamaenerion angustifolium /L./ Scop.) and leaves of evening primrose (Oenothera biennis L.) obtained from several populations of these species growing wild in Poland were determined by HPLC. The investigated species differed in respect of the composition and content of identified sterols. High intraspecific variability concerning accumulation of sterols was also observed. Herb of fireweed was characterised by relatively high content of β-sitosterol (85.80–171.18 mg/100 g), campesterol (24.24–334.49 mg/100 g), and β-sitosterol D-glucoside (26.33–86.32 mg/100 g). Leaves of evening primrose appeared to be much poorer source of sterols. Content of β-sitosterol (the dominant compound in the sterol fraction) in this raw material ranged from 5.21 to 34.66 mg/100 g.


Natural language generation (NLG) systems rely on corpora for both hand-crafted approaches in a traditional NLG architecture and for statistical end-to-end (learned) generation systems. Limitations in existing resources, however, make it difficult to develop systems which can vary the linguistic properties of an utterance as needed. For example, when users' attention is split between a linguistic and a secondary task such as driving, a generation system may need to reduce the information density of an utterance to compensate for the reduction in user attention. We introduce a new corpus in the restaurant recommendation and comparison domain, collected in a paraphrasing paradigm, where subjects wrote texts targeting either a general audience or an elderly family member. This design resulted in a corpus of more than 5000 texts which exhibit a variety of lexical and syntactic choices and differ with respect to average word & sentence length and surprisal. The corpus includes two levels of meaning representation: flat 'semantic stacks' for propositional content and Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST) relations between these propositions.


The purpose of this article is to review literature that provides insight on how immigrant Muslim mothers raise their children. In this article we acknowledge Muslim mothers' struggle to maintain and transmit their religious values and cultural traditions to their children. We begin the article with an overview of parenthood practices as they are illustrated in the religious writings of Islam, from the Qur'an and the Hadith. We then discuss how mothers' traditional values, specifically regarding parenting practices, are shaped by their culture of origin and by Islam as religion and a way of life. Finally, we discuss how these values together (the religious and cultural) with the acculturation or the effect of the dominant new culture may shape the parenting practices of immigrant Muslim mothers in the United States. A conceptual model using these constructs and their relationship to parenting practices of immigrant Muslim mothers is presented in appendix A.


The contributions assembled in the present volume proceed from the lectures of the 2009 ALERT Geomaterials School devoted to the Failure in the multiphase geomaterials. The multiphase behaviour of geomaterials used to be mainly considered from the point of view of the serviceability of the structures, or in other terms, of deformation analysis (REGC, Vol. 9, 2005). On the other hand, our understanding of the failure mechanisms in geomaterials exposed to thermal, chemical, and atmospheric fields with all their multiphysical coupling has reached today a fairly mature stage. Just the variety of failure modes and variables involved has expanded significantly. The editors of this volume believe that focusing on failure of geomaterials in the presence of multiphysical phenomena will provide an excellent tool for discussion, learning and outlining future developments in this fascinating and critically important area. The discussed topics aim at providing theoretical, experimental and numerical tools that allow to deal with a large number of applications like underground structures (storage, civil engineering), surface structures (earth and concrete dams, embankments), natural sites (slopes, cliffs) as well as the use of the geosphere (petroleum and gas extraction, mines and quarries, both underground and surface). When dealing with the behaviour of multiphase geomaterials, instances of complexity and interaction are numerous, mainly because of the coexistence of several constituents and phases, their physical and mechanical interactions, their reactivity, and their often non-linear behaviour. Flow involves fluids and transport of chemical species. Exothermic reactions can occur within geomaterials (degradation of the waste, chemical reactions) and the emitted heat is conducted by soil, rock or concrete. Geomaterial deformation depends not only on the classically understood effective stress, but also on suction and temperature, as well as on the chemical history of material. Coupled transient analyses are in fact a characteristic feature in this field. This volume contains nine chapters. Emphasis is given to the presentation of the fundamentals and new concepts that help understanding failure mechanisms in multiphase materials. A special attention is given to the potential of the presented tools for analysing practical multiphysical geomechanical problems. As an introduction to the School, the conventional and advanced concepts of failure for geomaterials are introduced by R. Nova. The conditions for shear band occurrence (non-homogeneous bifurcation) are given. It is shown that homogeneous bifurcations can occur in the hardening regime (e.g. the so-called static liquefaction) even before the occurrence of failure by shear banding. Other instability conditions of this kind are discussed and connected with the nullity of the second order work. It is also shown that the familiar concept of undrained strength can be better understood as a condition of controllability loss. Chapter Two by R. Charlier is an introduction to the constitutive multiphysical processes with an emphasis on the modelling and coupling aspects. A number of different couplings are discussed, with respect to fluid flow (saturated and unsaturated) and the thermal transfers in deformable porous media. Some aspects of the numerical modelling with the finite element method are also discussed. Failure conditions in soils occurring during or as a result of heating or by altering their chemical environment appear to be strongly dependent on the history of the application of stress and temperature and or the chemical change. In Chapter Three, T. Hueckel discusses several cases of such history leading to various modes of failure. He identifies and interprets them in terms of Thermal and Chemical Cam-Clay models. Particular attention is given to the influence of thermal variability of the coefficient of the critical state, M, or the angle of internal friction. A detailed analysis of the material history offers an explanation of an apparent confusion about whether the soil strength is decreased or increased by temperature. Cases of dependence of failure conditions of clay on the ion concentration in pore water and on its acidity in the context of a landslide triggering mechanism are also discussed. The scope of Chapter Four by L. Laloui is to present global mechanisms of soil desiccation, including drying shrinkage and cracking. The results of an experimental study of desiccation are presented, in which strains, suction, water content, degree of saturation and crack geometry are investigated. Those results show that cracking initiates close to the onset of de-saturation. Insights into the micro-scale are proposed to explain this observation. A scenario for the processes leading to crack initiation is further established in terms of the macroscopic variables: an assessment of the stress building up is proposed, until a critical point at which the tensile strength is met. Desiccation crack pattern formation is finally discussed. The physical processes which occur during an earthquake exhibit several coupled phenomena as large variations of stress, pore pressure and temperature take place in the slip zone. The multiphysics aspects of the seismic slip are presented by J. Sulem in Chapter Five. It is shown how the thermo-poro-mechanical couplings due to shear heating can be associated with phase transition such as vaporization of the pore fluid, melting of fault gouge and to chemical effects such as dehydration of minerals. The different competing effects that may influence dynamic slip and affect the weakening of the shear stress are discussed. Coupled phenomena are of paramount importance for a correct understanding and a reliable description of the mechanical response of geomaterials to external actions. Given the variability of the conditions influencing the response of geomaterials, laboratory investigations often require advanced multiphysical testing techniques capable to approach the real conditions in terms of intensive state variables. The contribution by V. De Gennaro in Chapter Six presents some results obtained using advanced laboratory testing to characterise failure in chalk addressing their intrinsically multiphysical nature. Underground nuclear waste storage constitutes one of the major application fields for the multiphysics geomechanics. A rational design of repositories requires a good understanding of the interacting thermo-hydro-mechanical phenomena that occur in the engineered barrier and adjacent rock. A. Gens presents in Chapter Seven multiphysical and numerical tools that are applied to the simulation of two large scale tests: a mine-by test involving the excavation of a shaft in an argillaceous rock and a large-scale high- temperature heating test in fractured rock. The serviceability of concrete structures is a coupled problem in which fracture and damage are coupled with several environmental attacks. G. Pijaudier-Cabot deals in Chapter Eight with the mechanical damage, chemical damage and permeability in quasi-brittle cementitious materials. A description of chemo-mechanical damage and the case of calcium leaching, which is relevant to waste containment vessels is made. The second example of implementation of continuum damage models discussed deals with coupled damage-permeability effects. In the case of diffuse damage, the material permeability is controlled by the decrease of average stiffness due to micro-cracking. A relationship between permeability and damage, consistent with the two above asymptotic cases, is defined. A critical issue in the analysis of the various presented multiphysical problems is the development of numerical methods for post-failure behaviour. This is the topic presented in Chapter Nine by F. Collin. Rupture in geomaterials is often preceded by a localization of the deformations within thin bands. The strain localization is thus an important process. To deal with interactions occurring between the different phases of porous media, a regularization technique based on the second gradient model is extended to multi-physics couplings. We believe that this volume provides to the postgraduate students, researchers and practitioners, a valuable introduction and a sound basis for further progress in the challenging field of coupled multiphysical processes in geomechanics in general, and in failure mechanics problems in particular.


We present a global self-consistent model of the laser cutting process where we have taken into account the main parameters of the process that are the laser beam intensity distribution, the thermal phenomena controlling the melt parameters, the fluid, both cutting gas and melt hydrodynamics, and the local equilibrium of the geometry of the cutting front. This steady state approach provides us with different fluid velocities, surface temperature, and molten layer thickness along the front profile, and as a matter of fact available cutting thickness for a set of given input operating parameters. In a second step, data provided by these simulations are compared with experiments and a good correlation is observed.


From literature and wind tunnel studies it had already been concluded that noise barriers might make a significant contribution to improving air quality. Within the Dutch Air Quality Innovation Programme (IPL) several trials have been conducted at a test site along a highway to assess the impact of noise barriers on air quality along arterial roads. In 2007 IPL did organise a competition challenging companies to come up with innovative barrier designs having an additional impact on air quality compared with conventional barriers. M+P – consulting engineers was commissioned to measure the impact of standard and optimised barriers on concentrations of NO2, NOx, PM10 and PM2.5 behind the barrier. In five monitoring sessions each lasting around three months, the performance of nine different barriers was investigated. The measurements were done at thirteen different positions. From the results it became clear that noise barriers reduce concentrations of nitrogen oxides and airborne particulates along motorways significantly. For example, effects of 20% for NOx were found at 10 m behind the reference barrier. The measurements show that the barrier height is a relevant parameter for the effect of the barrier. A 7m-barrier shows considerably higher reductions compared to the 4m-barrier. From the results it is also clear that the measured effects of the innovative barriers were consistently lower than for the "reference barrier". It should be kept in mind that because of the major uncertainties involved, in many cases the effects statistically do not differ significantly. It is unknown why the reference barrier performs somewhat better than the other 4-meter-high innovative barriers.


Actions by local groups and leaders constitute an essential but poorly understood element of many rural economic development efforts. Previous studies suggest that local development efforts can influence community changes, but questions remain about why localities differ in economic development efforts. Drawing upon community capital framework and human ecological theory, the purpose of this research was to examine the effects of community capital on economic development efforts in rural communities. Hierarchical regression results indicate that social capital, cultural capital, built capital significantly predict economic development effort to develop recreation and tourism and human services. Despite that, only built capital and natural capital predict effort to develop local business and industry – a keystone of rural development. Hypothesis that community capitals would predict economic development efforts than would be predicted by ecological variables alone was borne out.


Differential privacy has recently emerged as the de facto standard for private data release. This makes it possible to provide strong theoretical guarantees on the privacy and utility of released data. While it is well-understood how to release data based on counts and simple functions under this guarantee, it remains to provide general purpose techniques to release data that is useful for a variety of queries. In this paper, we focus on spatial data such as locations and more generally any multi-dimensional data that can be indexed by a tree structure. Directly applying existing differential privacy methods to this type of data simply generates noise. We propose instead the class of "private spatial decompositions'': these adapt standard spatial indexing methods such as quad trees and kd-trees to provide a private description of the data distribution. Equipping such structures with differential privacy requires several steps to ensure that they provide meaningful privacy guarantees. Various basic steps, such as choosing splitting points and describing the distribution of points within a region, must be done privately, and the guarantees of the different building blocks composed to provide an overall guarantee. Consequently, we expose the design space for private spatial decompositions, and analyze some key examples. A major contribution of our work is to provide new techniques for parameter setting and post-processing the output to improve the accuracy of query answers. Our experimental study demonstrates that it is possible to build such decompositions efficiently, and use them to answer a variety of queries privately with high accuracy.


This research stemmed from the observation that much netball coaching is based on relatively superficial and subjective observations of a team's performance and a lack of longer term coaching strategy or recognised 'benchmarks' for relevant aspects of technical and strategic play. A review of the netball literature revealed prolific advice about how to perform technical skills, but little strategic information and even less evidence of relevant benchmarks' for judging the quality of technical or tactical aspects of performance at given levels of play.The findings of the literature review, combined with discussions with the national coach for netball, led to the development of two main aims for this project. The first aim was to develop a means of providing netball coaches and players with useful post-game feedback from individual matches, which of itself could be accumulated into individual and squad performance statistics over periods of time. The second aim was to investigate the possibility of developing a model of 'winning' netball performance which coaches might use as an aid to coaching. In order to pursue these aims it was decided to take an inductive approach based on the national coach's expert opinion as to what parameters of netball performance should be analysed and to analyse play at the highest level. A microcomputer-based match analysis system utilising purpose-designed software and a specially built keyboard was developed and tested for acceptable reliability. The analysis process was based on the concept of a team's possession of the ball: data was recorded concerning how a possession started, which players were involved, through which areas of the court the possession moved the ball and how the possession ended, including the scoring of goals. Data were abstracted and recorded from video-recordings of 28 matches taken from two international tournaments.In terms of providing short term feedback, the system analysed the pattern of goal scoring across quarters, the rate and efficiency of shooting technique, the outcome of centre plays in terms of turnovers, creation of goal scoring chances and goals scored, loss of possession and whether such loss resulted in opponents scoring, together with player profiles of positive and negative aspects of technical performance. It was concluded that this system met the first aim of the project, the national coach using the system during one of the tournaments to analyse both her own team's performance and to 'scout' that of future opponents. Whilst the system did provide relevant information for coach and players in usable form there still exists the major limitation that there exist no benchmarks' against which to judge whether the rates of success, error or efficiency recorded for individual players or squads on selected aspects of performance represent relatively high' or 'low' levels of play.After further consultation with the national coach, aspects of shooting & scoring, the ability of teams to score from their own and from their opponents' centre plays, and, the area of the court in which teams lost possession, were selected for further analysis in order to pursue the project's second aim of developing a model of 'winning' performance at netball. The database was split into three sets: data derived from teams which won their match; data from teams which lost their match; data from teams who were judged to have 'drawn' their match. The 'drawers' category was based on a statistically defined goal difference between teams of less than 5: ie, matches in which the probability of chance rather than skillfulness determining the outcome was greater than 5%. This investigation led to development of a 'profile' of winning performance which is statistically different from losing performance and which is based on nine performance characteristics. The results of this analysis suggested that winners and drawers have quite similar performance characteristics, both differing from losers: hence a close/equal score line probably results from a meeting between two teams who both display winning characteristics. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.).


The next enormous trend in the technology domain following on from computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones is predicted to be in the market of wearable sports technology products (WSTPs), with analysts expecting this market to be worth over $150 billion by 2026 (Cheng & Mitomo, 2017). Despite the continued growth in the WSTP market, the sales of WSTPs faces vast challenges if they are to increase. To date, there is no reliable evidence for how to motivate and increase consumer purchase behaviour. This indicates that more research is needed on potential consumers' intentions leading to actual purchase behaviour in order to increase sales of WSTPs. These products have been broadly applied in the fields of sports, healthcare and individual communications, and are often associated with creativity, innovation and even novelty. A number of studies has focused on WSTPs using several models related to technology, yet few have examined the role of the marketing communication strategy as the external stimulus in this market. From this perspective, the study seeks to remedy these problems by hypothesizing a model encompassing motives, marketing communication, cognition, purchase intentions and actual purchase behaviour.
A review of the literature and empirical theories, including the theory of reasoned action (Fishbein & Ajzen,1975), the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1985, 1991), the technology acceptance model (Davis, 1989), the unified theory of acceptance and the use of technology (Venkatesh et al., 2003) followed by the technology readiness and acceptance model (Lin et al., 2007) and the stimulus-organism-response paradigm (Mehrabian & Russell, 1974), was initially undertaken to confirm the relevance of the study. The methods used to examine this study integrated the triangulation approach of mixed methods research. This informed the subsequent examination of data from 15 interviews (12 consumers and 3 marketers), leading to the development of a questionnaire. An online questionnaire was posted via social media and other social networks for pilot testing and collected in person, resulting in 301 samples. The responses were analysed by using SPSS software, while structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed and smart partial least squares (Smart PLS) utilised to identify specific constructs and path models. Seven constructs were identified, including IT innovation, health issues, word of mouth, advertising, cognition, purchase intentions and actual purchases. Two full mediation and four complementary mediation effects were also confirmed. A final stage involving six structured face-to-face interviews was organized to examine the reliability and validity of the outcomes of consumer behaviour decision-making in the WSTP market.
The contribution of this study is related to the understanding of the constructs and mediating effects that marketers will apply to their marketing strategies, based on this model association with motives, marketing communication, cognition, purchase intentions and actual purchase behaviour in the WSTP context. It also facilitates the improvement of purchase velleity and supports marketers in targeting consumers in different market segments. Furthermore, this research can also enlighten WSTP marketers so as to exploit the mediators in the decision-making process in order to eventually accomplish the buying goal of consumers. In light of the findings, the study finishes by reviewing the issues and implications for academics, researchers and practitioners.
Keywords: wearable sports technology products, consumer decision-making, motive, actual purchase behaviour, SPSS, SEM, SmartPLS, the mediation effect


The analysis in this paper was motivated by the apparent puzzle that, despite substantial uncertainty about future inflation rates, private pensions are almost universally unindexed. Moreover, although a variable annuity invested in short-term money market instruments provides a good inflation hedge, almost all private pensions provide a fixed annuity. The results of the analysis indicate that the existence of unindexed pensions and fixed annuities is not at all surprising. Even without Social Security, it may be optimal to have a completely unindexed private pension and it is generally not optimal to have a completely indexed pension. The availability of an optimal (or greater than optimal) amount of Social Security generally reduces the desired degree of indexing and, under a variety of conditions, makes it optimal to have no indexing at all in the private pension. Because unexpected changes in the price level do not alter the value of Social Security pensions, the existence of inflation uncertainty makes a Social Security pension optimal when it would not otherwise be and an increase in inflation uncertainty is likely to increase the optimal reliance on Social Security. But despite these conclusions, the analysis shows that including some Social Security in an overall pension program is necessarily optimal only when both money market instruments and Social Security have rates of return that are known with certainty. When the real yield on money market instruments is uncertain, the optimal pension arrangement may be a partially indexed private pension even though Social Security is risk-free and has a return that is higher than the expected rate on the money market instruments. Similarly, when Social Security is risky, the optimal arrangement my be to exclude Social Security and to use a partially indexed private pension. In all cases, an individual who has a low enough degree of risk aversion will prefer no Social Security and a completely unindexed private pension.


Complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus are one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality around the world. Diabetic foot infections remain one of the major complications leading to a leg loss every 3 seconds due to amputations causing mental trauma and distress. In diabetic foot ulcers aerobes, anaerobes and fungus often interact with each other and form biofilms which is difficult to treat, enhancing antimicrobial resistance and lead to a non-healing ulcer. Co-existing peripheral vascular disease and neuropathy exacerbate the problems. In T2DM patients' minor cuts and wounds, often lead to hard to treat and chronic ulcers which can worsen to gangrene formation which may lead to osteomyelitis compromising the mechanics of the foot. It is necessary to identify the virulence factors of these clinically significant microbes and to identify the resistance patterns regularly to limit the antibiotic usage and target to the specific organisms.
A Cohort studies were carried out in India and in the UK to identify the risk factors among the diabetic foot patients along with their microbial aetiology and antibiotic resistance patterns from the tissue and pus samples. This part of the research has shown the presence of mixed cultures mainly from the Indian diabetic foot ulcer specimens with higher percentages of anaerobes than aerobes. Multi-drug resistant organisms were one of the peculiar characteristics of the diabetic foot ulcer profiles of Indian patients. As compared to the Indian patients, UK patients had few resistant organisms and the patients admitted to hospitals in India were at the last stage of foot ulcers whereas in the UK, surveillance and preventative strategies allow early detection and intervention.
Currently there is a lack of rapid, robust and an inexpensive diagnostic method for the rapid typing and identification of clinically significant anaerobes. Another part of the research focussed on utilising the glycan-lectin interactions by developing a simple enzyme linked lectin sorbent assay by employing biotinylated lectins to develop to an enzyme linked lectin sorbent assay (ELLA) on whole cells, Proteinase K treated cells and glycolipids of clinically significant aerobes and anaerobes. This study is concluded by utilising the glycan-lectin interactions and to develop a rapid typing method for clinically significant Methicillin resistant and sensitive Staphylococcus aureus and epidermidis species. The rapid identification of anaerobes and typing of Peptostreptococcus species was also by facilitated by the developed ELLA method.
Finegoldia magna is one of the most significant anaerobes from soft tissue infections and the Gas Chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC-MS) of the glycolipids of Finegoldia magna on composition analysis using show the presence of sialic acid which could be involved in pathogenesis. This sugar may be one of virulence factor employed by this organism in either attachment to the host or to other organisms.


Recent trends in U.S. higher education have led many institutions to adopt or refine strategic planning efforts. Strategic planning at the academic department level (in alignment with university-wide planning) is crucial to identify opportunities and to provide a quality education to students. Rather than taking a proactive approach, too often academic departments engage in traditional (ad-hoc or activity-based) planning and leave genuinely strategic planning to be guided by administrators. In this paper, the authors emphasize not only the importance of strategic planning at the department level but also a process that can be used. This process includes following what they refer to as the C-SALT principles (Communication, Specificity, Assessment, Leadership, and Transparency) and collaborating with academic support units such as Institutional Research and Information Technology to aid in the development and implementation of successful strategic plans. The paper concludes with a "real-life" example of a chair who utilized the described process in her department to design a three-year strategic plan.


We consider the asymptotic performance of a class of linear receivers in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) multiple access channels (MAC). Under the assumption that the number of transmitters K and the number of receive antennas N grow large at the same rate and that the receiver has only an imperfect estimate of the channel matrix, we derive deterministic equivalents for the signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR) at the receiver output. Since we assume that the channel matrix has a variance profile, i.e., different matrix entries exhibit different variances, the results are useful for the analysis of network MIMO systems where a user terminal (UT) sees a different path loss to different cooperative base stations (BSs). Our simulation results show that the asymptotic performance predictions are accurate for even small values of N and K.


It is documented that almost 98% of all voltage generated by electric utilities has up to 3% unbalance. Single phasing fault deserves special attention since phase loss is considered the worst case of unbalanced supply voltage. This paper focuses on unbalanced supply condition diagnosis and discrimination between an unbalance in the supply and phase loss fault. The discrimination will be based on the ratio of third harmonic to fundamental Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) magnitude components (RTHF-FFT) of the three-phase stator line currents and supply voltages under different load conditions and using artificial neural network (ANN). The proposed approach achieves high accuracy in detecting the unbalanced supply voltage condition in induction motor and identifying the level of severity of the fault. In addition, the proposed algorithm will discriminate between the effects of unbalanced supply voltage and those due to phase losses fault. The paper proposed a reliable approach for detection and diagnosis of unbalanced supply voltage condition. Possible loss of winding insulation under different percentages of unbalanced supply voltages will be predicted which could help preventing sudden failure of the motor during operation. The approach will be proved through experimental validation.


In this project explanations were studied along a continuum ranging from human-human interactions to human-expert system interactions with the goal of identifying features of successful expert system explanations. The project consisted of five distinct phases or steps: (a) defining what a successful explanation entails, (b) observing human-human explanation and formulating hypotheses about the features of successful explanations, (c) testing hypotheses formulated in step b, (d) extending results to an expert system domain and testing again, and (e) from this empirical data, formulating recommendations for expert system explanation designers. The progressive nature of this study allowed conclusions to be drawn about both human-human and human-expert system interactions and the role explanations play in these exchanges. The most salient conclusion drawn from these studies was that explanatory interactions are complex and explanation success is dependent on more than just features of the explanations involved. Individual differences such as an explanation recipient's initial abilities and their participation level in the interaction influence their understanding and performance as much, if not more so, than explanation features. Consistently subjects' participation level interacted with explanation content level. Individuals who are active participants in interactions with an expert perform better when given explanations with low levels of content, whereas passive participants benefit from explanations with high levels of content. Overall, an active participation level increases performance and understanding in human-human interactions, but this result does not generalize to human-expert system interactions where an active participation style is detrimental to performance. This and other inconsistencies between human-human and human-expert system interactions are discussed as well as the advantages of the research approach employed in this project. Finally, recommendations based on the results of these studies are provided for expert system explanation designers.


The aim of this book is to explore digital media and intercultural interaction at an arts college in Tanzania through innovative forms of ethnographic representation. The book and the series website weave together visual and aural narratives, interviews and observations, life stories and video documentaries, art performances and productions. It paints a vivid portrayal of everyday life in East Africa's only institute for practical art training, while tracing the rich cultural history of a state that has mixed tribalism, nationalism, Pan-Africanism, and cosmopolitanism in astonishingly creative ways. While following the anthropological tradition of thick description, Digital Drama employs a more artistic and accessible style of writing. Dramatic, ethnographic details are interspersed with theoretical postulations to explain and make sense of the unfolding narratives. The accompanying website visualizes and sensualizes the stories narrated in the book, unfolding a dramatic world of African dance, music, theater, and digital culture.


Because changes in organizations and information technology environments are enduring, the alignment of the IT function with business objectives must not only be understood, but constantly renewed and adjusted. This is amply reflected in recent surveys of CIOs, which consistently suggest that the notion of alignment is a top challenge and management priority. Many CIOs face a double challenge when addressing the issue of alignment: they must first clarify top management's expectations and assumptions about IT, which may be contradictory, and then understand their implications for how the IT department should be managed (i.e., translate the function's strategic mission into an IT management model that adds value to the organization).

The characterization of the IT function has constituted a central and growing subject of research in the information systems field. Although the extant literature has much to teach us, knowledge in this area is nevertheless fragmented and has not been properly integrated. In response to these limitations, this study proposes and tests a new theory of the contribution of the IT function. Specifically, our objective is to offer an explanation of the contribution of the IT function in organizations with a typology of ideal profiles.

A field study was conducted in 24 large Canadian companies in order to validate a set of research propositions. Our results first suggest that there are five distinct "ideal" IT management profiles in organizations and each of these profiles tends to focus on specific sources of value. Next, we observed that IT functions that are close to the ideal of any given profile seem to be outperforming those with hybrid profiles. Finally, our findings provide a compelling explanation as to how ideal IT management profiles are adopted in organizations. The article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of the proposed theory.


The profusion of metal images made in the Tanjavur region, going back to the early medieval Chola
bronzes of the 9th-13th century ranks amongst the finest of Indian artistic expressions. Clusters of artistic and
artisanal activities have thrived over generations in the Tanjavur district including metalworking workshops for
bronze and bell metal casting of images and ritual objects especially around Swamimalai and Kumbakonam.
Ethnometallurgical and archaeometallurgical insights on the making of icons at Swamimalai are highlighted from
observations made over the past couple of decades, especially in relation to making comparisons with historical
practices of bronze casting going back to Chola times. Since the processes are rapidly undergoing change, to get
a better sense of the trajectory of past practices, this paper particularly aims to highlight unpublished observations
made by the author going back to her first visits in 1990-1, as background to her doctoral work (Srinivasan 1996)
and in relation to observations reported by other scholars going back to the early landmark efforts of Reeves (1962).
These observations were particularly made by the author at the workshop of late master craftsman Devasena
Sthapathy, in his time the most renowned of Swamimalai Sthapathis. His son Radhakrishna Sthapathy has now
inherited this mantle. While Levy et al (2008) give a more recent account of image casting at the workshop of
Radhakrishna Sthapathy, this paper attempts to also contextualise the previous trajectory that has not been covered
much therein. Since their workshop now goes under the name of Sri Jayam Industries, for the sake of convenience
it will be referred here by the same name.


This report provides a strategic approach developed by a Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies interagency working group for conservation of sagebrush ecosystems, Greater sage-grouse, and Gunnison sage-grouse. It uses information on (1) factors that influence sagebrush ecosystem resilience to disturbance and resistance to nonnative invasive annual grasses and (2) distribution and relative abundance of sage-grouse populations to address persistent ecosystem threats, such as invasive annual grasses and wildfire, and land use and development threats, such as oil and gas development and cropland conversion, to develop effective management strategies. A sage-grouse habitat matrix links relative resilience and resistance of sagebrush ecosystems with modeled sage-grouse breeding habitat probabilities to help decisionmakers assess risks and determine appropriate management strategies at both landscape and site scales. Areas for targeted management are assessed by overlaying matrix components with Greater sage-grouse Priority Areas for Conservation and Gunnison sage-grouse critical habitat and linkages, breeding bird concentration areas, and specific habitat threats. Decision tools are discussed for determining the suitability of target areas for management and the most appropriate management actions. A similar approach was developed for the Great Basin that was incorporated into the Federal land use plan amendments and served as the basis of a Bureau of Land Management Fire and Invasives Assessment Tool, which was used to prioritize sage-grouse habitat for targeted management activities.


Iron deficiency anemia poses an important public health problem for women of reproductive age living in developing countries. We assessed the prevalence of iron deficiency and anemia and associated risk factors in a community-based sample of women living in a rural province of northwest Vietnam. A cross-sectional survey, comprised of written questionnaires and laboratory analysis of hemoglobin (Hb), ferritin, transferrin receptor, and stool hookworm egg count, was undertaken, and the soluble transferrin receptor/log ferritin index was calculated. Of 349 non-pregnant women, 37.53% were anemic (Hb < 12 g/dL), and 23.10% were iron deficient (ferritin < 15 ng/L). Hookworm infection was present in 78.15% of women, although heavy infection was uncommon (6.29%). Iron deficiency was more prevalent in anemic than non-anemic women (38.21% versus 14.08%, P < 0.001). Consumption of meat at least three times a week was more common in non-anemic women (51.15% versus 66.67%, P = 0.042). Mean ferritin was lower in anemic women (18.99 versus 35.66 ng/mL, P < 0.001). There was no evidence of a difference in prevalence (15.20% versus 17.23%, P = 0.629) or intensity (171.07 versus 129.93 eggs/g, P = 0.412) of hookworm infection between anemic and non-anemic women. Although intensity of hookworm infection and meat consumption were associated with indices of iron deficiency in a multiple regression model, their relationship with hemoglobin was not significant. Anemia, iron deficiency, and hookworm infection were prevalent in this population. Intake of meat was more clearly associated with hemoglobin and iron indices than hookworm. An approach to addressing iron deficiency in this population should emphasize both iron supplementation and deworming.


It is widely recognized that career management and counseling require a consideration of work and nonwork roles. I present a career counseling intervention framework to help clients self-direct their careers and attain work-nonwork balance. Based on an action-regulation approach, the framework consists of four phases: (1) Clarifying goals across work and nonwork roles; (2) mapping resources and barriers related to goal attainment; (3) developing action strategies for goal attainment; and (4) monitoring and adapting goal pursuit across work and nonwork goals. I outline the theoretical foundations of this framework, provide a case study on how the framework can be applied in individual counseling, and give examples of specific intervention contents. The framework provides a foundation for career counseling practice to assist clients in managing their careers under considerations of nonwork roles. Research can use the framework to gain a better understanding of career self-management from a whole-life perspective.


OBJECTIVE
To present a practical approach to the diagnosis and management of allergy to beta-lactam antibiotics.

SOURCES
Allergy journals indexed in MEDLINE and LILACS, as well as seminal studies and texts.

SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS
Allergy to penicillin is commonly reported. In many cases, this results in the decision not to use this drug. About 10% of drug allergy reports are confirmed. The clinical manifestations due to allergic reaction to penicillin vary widely, with emphasis on skin disorders. Gell & Coombs' four hypersensitivity mechanisms are involved in allergic reactions. Penicillin is degraded to a major (95%) and minor determinants (5%). Immediate IgE-mediated reactions causing anaphylaxis are associated with minor determinants in 95% of the cases. Hypersensitivity to these products can be assessed using cutaneous tests performed with major and minor determinants, thus avoiding anaphylactic shock in allergic individuals. The present article underscores the basic body of knowledge on allergy to penicillin, providing support for a more accurate diagnosis of this event and for the choice of management in cases of suspected beta-lactam allergy.

CONCLUSIONS
The incorrect diagnosis of penicillin allergy frequently leads to the exclusion of this drug as a therapeutic option. A better recognition of these situations will enable the use of penicillin and reduce the risks associated with hypersensitivity.


Interdisciplinarity, multidisciplinarity and counter-disciplinarity are the hallmark of cultural studies and qualitative research, as scholars over the past three decades have discussed through extensive self-reflexive inquiry into their own unstable and ever-shifting methods (Denzin and Lincoln, 2018; Dicks et al., 2006: 78; Grossberg, 2010). Building on the interdisciplinary thought of Jacques Rancière and Caroline Levine on the one hand and traditions of participatory action research and activist anthropology on the other, we bring the methods conversation forward by shifting the focus from disciplines to forms and by making a case for aesthetic practice as qualitative research process. In this paper, the question of methods is approached through the action-based Cartonera Publishing Project with editoriales cartoneras in Latin America – community publishers who make low-cost books out of materials recovered from the street in the attempt to democratise and decolonise literary/artistic production – and specifically through our process-oriented, collaborative work with four cartonera publishers in Brazil and Mexico. Guided by the multiple forms of cartonera knowledge production, which are rooted not in academic research but rather in aesthetic practice and community relations, we offer an innovative 'trans-formal' methodological framework, which opens up new pathways for practitioners and researchers to work, think and act across social, cultural and aesthetic forms.


Now in its ninth successful edition, "Research Methods in Psychology" unites students' passion for psychology with their interest in answering questions about behavior and mental processes. The text introduces students to an array of methodological tools psychologists use in their research - from the basics of scientific inquiry, ethical conduct, and controlled observation to correlational, experimental, and applied approaches to research. Throughout, students learn research methods within the context of classic and contemporary studies from diverse areas of psychology.


This paper presents previously unreported data on relatively rare head-final relatives in Thompson River Salish. I show that head-final relatives are used in discourse contexts where narrow focus falls on the relative clause itself, excluding the final head noun. As a result, this is the first report of narrow focus marking within a nominal domain in Salishan; previous accounts of focus marking in Salish have observed that the focus is always associated with the matrix predicate. While focus marking in both the nominal and predicate domain can be characterized as following a linear focus >> background order, focus sensitive expressions ( only ) cannot associate with in situ nominals. This suggests that there are two focus marking strategies at work in the language: a syntactic strategy (focus=predicate), and a prosodic one (left alignment). Only the former is relevant for truth-conditional uses of focus (e.g. association with only ).


Reconfigurable computing has become an essential part of research since last few decades. By placing computationally intensive applications in the reconfigurable logic area of the system, the remarkable performance gains have been found. Among the different research directions in the domain of reconfigurable computing, the use of multiple reconfigurable devices has become the most promising solution for highly expandable reconfigurable computing platforms. In this research paper an emerging design of a Multi-FPGA based platform has been presented with the characteristics of being highly expandable for incorporating many devices according to future needs. The design of this platform is encountering the capability of being usable for highly scalable reconfigurable computing applications. The presented platform is based on an emerging concept of using multidimensional computing nodes with most optimal configuration propagation latencies.


Mulching is the application of any covering at the surface of the ground constituting a physical barrier to the energy transference and water vapor between the soil and atmosphere. This technique is used to reduce the infestation of weeds, to reduce the losses of water and to modify the microclimate. The present work was carried out at Embrapa (Brazilian Enterprise of Agriculture Research) Temperate Climate - Pelotas, with the objective to evaluate the effect of different mulching types on strawberry production. Polypropylene (called TNT or non woven) was evaluated in colors white and black and polyethylene film of low density with thickness of 30 micras was used as a control. The strawberry cultivars used were 'Oso Grande', 'Aromas' and 'Camarosa'. The experimental design used was block randomized with three repetitions and sixteen plants for repetitions. The black polyethylene film, used as the control, gave the highest strawberry production followed by the black polypropylene (TNT). 'Camarosa' when planted under polyethylene film produced more fruits per plant (386.66 g) and also, more fruits per area (19.33 tons.ha -1 ), when compared with other mulching types and cultivars. Polypropylene showed interesting responses to the three cultivars. At the variable fruit weight, 'Camarosa' had similar behavior when comparing polyethylene film (20.50 g) and TNT black (16.49 g). We concluded that, even though, polyethylene film showed better results, the black TNT is promising.


In this letter, we develop a novel, fast, nonlinear, and automated compound smoother, called RMMEH, to efficiently reduce noise of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series and to reconstruct the MODIS NDVI time-series data with the two following main advantages: 1) ancillary data is not required, and 2) the whole procedure is automatically taken without any expert support. This new method involves several operations, including running medians smoother, arithmetic average, maximum (MAX) operation, and weighted moving average (WMA). The method is tested with the MODIS NDVI time series of MODIS/Terra Vegetation Indices 16-Day L3 Global 250m SIN Grid. Compared with other widely used smoothing techniques, this novel technique is proven to be more robust. It is simple in theory, easy to implement, efficient to operate, and resistant to most types of noise.


International banking regulation comprises, inter alia, transnational quasi-legal standards concerning the capital adequacy of internationally active banks, though their usage is normally much wider. These standards originate from the Basle Committee on banking supervision. The main rationale for their emergence has been the fashioning of national and transnational regulatory systems that are adept at preventing systemic crises and protect bank depositors from bank failures. This article suggests that, in addition to systemic stability and depositor protection, international capital adequacy standards may be utilized to facilitate access to finance. The degree of access to finance is a major criterion of financial sector development (FSD). FSD is generally viewed as an essential ingredient of sustained economic growth and thus a very effective means to foster development and fight poverty in developing countries. The first step in utilizing international capital adequacy standards to facilitate access to finance is through the assignment of lower capital requirements to private development finance loans under the Basle framework, in order to reflect their very low default rate. Such an amendment of the Basle framework would give international banking institutions a clear incentive to be involved in private development lending lowering interest rates for microfinance and other similar schemes. Relevant lending would be greatly facilitated by the intermediation of centralized country schemes that would on-lend funds to the end lenders.


This technical report is about the mission and the experience gained during the reconnaissance of an industrial hall with hazardous substances after a major fire in Berlin. During this operation, only UAVs and cameras were used to obtain information about the site and the building. First, a geo-referenced 3D model of the building was created in order to plan the entry into the hall. Subsequently, the UAVs were used to fly in the heavily damaged interior and take pictures from inside of the hall. A 360° camera mounted under the UAV was used to collect images of the surrounding area especially from sections that were difficult to fly into. Since the collected data set contained similar images as well as blurred images, it was cleaned from non-optimal images using visual SLAM, bundle adjustment and blur detection so that a 3D model and overviews could be calculated. It was shown that the emergency services were not able to extract the necessary information from the 3D model. Therefore, an interactive panorama viewer with links to other 360° images was implemented where the links to the other images depends on the semi dense point cloud and located camera positions of the visual SLAM algorithm so that the emergency forces could view the surroundings.


A new method for the directed meta acylation of aromatic compounds is described. This method involves an ortho lithiation procedure combined with zirconocene−benzyne chemistry. 3-Acyl-1-substituted benzene derivatives were obtained by acidic hydrolysis of the azazirconacycle intermediate which results from the coupling of a nitrile with a zirconocene−benzyne complex. Similarly, 3-acyl-2-iodo-1-substituted benzene derivatives were obtained by the iodination of the same intermediate followed by acidic hydrolysis. These procedures, which utilize simple, readily available starting materials, give good yields of regiochemically pure products.


Long glass fiber pellets has emerged as a potential substitute for metals in the making of non-load bearing automotive structural components and panels for the past five years. Their weight can be reduced and the part design can be more flexible. Long fiber now finds its balance between the mechanical performance and the easiness of processing. Since maintaining the fiber length is crucial to the superior performance of the long fiber, it is crucial to consider the machinery design along the melt pathway, including the screw, nozzle, runner, and the gate so as not to pose high stress on the fiber causing breakage. We presented in this paper a simulation method to predict the fiber length degradation during the plastication of the injection molding process. The screw design and the processing setting proved to be important for the fiber breakage. This method serves as the missing element by considering the effect of screw and barrel, which has not been addressed before with injection molding simulation.