Most executives know the basics of negotiation; some are spectacularly adept. Yet even experienced negotiators routinely leave money on the table, end up in deadlock, damage relationships, or allow conflicts to spiral. They fall prey to common mistakes that keep them from solving the right negotiation problem. In any negotiation, each side ultimately chooses between two options: accepting a deal or taking its best no-deal option--that is, the course of action if a deal were not possible. As a negotiator, you seek to advance your interests by persuading the other side to say yes to a proposal that meets your interests better than your best no-deal option. Because the other side will say yes only to a proposal that meets its own interests better than its best no-deal option, you must understand and shape your counterpart's decision so that it chooses in its own interest what you want. Far from being exercises in manipulation, understanding your counterpart's interests and shaping the decision so that the other side agrees to a proposal for its own reasons are the keys to jointly creating and claiming sustainable value from a negotiation. In this article, James Sebenius compares good negotiating practice with bad, providing examples from the business world and insights from 50 years of research and analysis on negotiation. The author describes six common mistakes that result in merely effective negotiation: neglecting your counterpart's problem, letting price bulldoze other interests, letting positions drive out interests, searching too hard for common ground, neglecting no-deal alternatives, and failing to correct for skewed vision.


Dividing the labor for achieving a common goal is a routinized practice that is found in both request and offer environments in English and Finnish everyday conversations. There are specific linguistic resources deployed in the two languages for this practice. Divisions of labor are typically proposed with a bi-partite construction that consists schematically of a Request to Other to carry out some action X, and a Commitment by Self to carry out a complementary action Y. Where there is a possible chronological order for the actions X and Y, the request and commitment are ordered accordingly. Although in both languages there is a common schematic structure underlying the linguistic constructions used in proposing divisions of labor, the attested patterns vary in the degree of certainty that they express concerning the future actions. In addition, the patterns in Finnish vary in the explicitness with which the agents of the future actions are expressed. In neither of the languages are the variant patterns interchangeable. Instead, the patterns have distinct sequential home environments: the more certainty and explicitness the pattern expresses, the later in the sequence it occurs. Division-of labor proposals divide not only the labor, but also deontic primacy (the right to decide) and responsibility. By construing the venture as a joint one, they transform asymmetric actions such as offers and requests into more symmetric ones. This may explain why divisions of labor typically occur in request and offer sequences that are problematic and run the risk of miscarrying.


Abstract: This essay examines how the contemporary city is being redefined as a fundamental crucible in which new and emerging modes of cultural capital are being forged. Drawing inspiration from the links Bourdieu draws between physical and social space, we use comprehensive quantitative surveys from Belgium and the UK to explore the accelerating interplay between large urban centres and the generation of 'cosmopolitan cultural capital'. We show a close association between urban sites and the location of residents with new kinds of emerging cultural capital. This appreciation allows us to understand the increasing prominence of large metropolitan centres, which stand in growing tension with their suburban and rural hinterlands. This process is simultaneously cultural, economic, social and political and marks a remaking of the nature of cultural hierarchy and cultural capital itself, away from the older model of the Kantian aesthetic, as elaborated by Bourdieu in, which venerates a 'highbrow' aesthetic removed from everyday life, towards 'emerging' forms of cultural capital that valorize activity, engagement and intense forms of contemporary cultural activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]


Qualitative interviews conducted in the Isle of Man investigate local perceptions of a tourism industry in long-term decline: a development stage typically overlooked. Negative impacts of decline are revealed; including facilities loss, landscape erosion, and a heightened sense of peripherality. Together such impacts undermine local identity and attractiveness of place. Tourists are welcomed as they help to affirm the pride residents have in their island, create atmosphere, provide social interaction opportunities, stimulate positive emotions and combat negative stereotyping. Emphasised is the on-going importance of tourism impacts in a peripheral location. Practioner recommendations are therefore made calling attention to the need to more carefully manage the process of decline. Potential strategies for achieving this are signposted.


Millions of people in the world struggle to survive in extreme economic deprivation, and deteriorating conditions have highlighted the failure of international development policies to "lift all boats." The complex and globalized context of poverty compels social justice lawyers to innovate transnational advocacy strategies, expanding human rights norms as part of those efforts. This Article suggests a cross-border, collaborative advocacy model for clinical education. The model is premised on theories of global interconnectedness that integrate progressive lawyering, social change theory and anti-poverty work in the global era, thereby contributing to the discourse about and praxis of combating international economic injustice. Specifically, the Article proposes a clinical partnership with a Chinese law school to advance workers' rights in China and across the globe. Because China commands unparalleled power in setting working conditions, the consequences of attacking international indifference and inaction toward abysmal labor standards in China will reverberate for low wage workers throughout the world. In targeting the particularly vulnerable low-skilled migrant Chinese work force, the clinic would incorporate culturally sensitive lawyering tactics designed to nurture the incipient legal consciousness among Chinese workers and provide legal representation that can begin to elevate labor standards for low-wage laborers across borders. This pioneering model inaugurates a new paradigm of the "rule of law" that incorporates explicit social justice goals rather than the purportedly neutral concepts that have been historically advanced. Although the piece proposes a clinical template, the underlying theory can inspire broader transnational advocacy collaborations that engender the rights-consciousness, strategic alliances and global solidarity that are necessary precursors to meaningful social change.


This is the second of two books about African-American female chemists. The first book (African-American Women Chemists, 2011) focused on the early pioneers--women chemists from the Civil War to the Civil Rights Act. African American Women Chemists in the Modern Era focuses on contemporary women who have benefited from the Civil Rights Act and are now working as chemists or chemical engineers. This book was produced by taking the oral history of women who are leaders in their field and who wanted to tell the world how they suceeded. It features eighteen amazing women in this book and each of them has a claim to fame, despite hiding in plain sight. These women reveal the history of their lives from youth to adult. Overall, Jeannette Brown aims to inspire women and minorities to pursue careers in the sciences, as evidenced by the successful career paths of the women that came before them.


For private firms, public disclosure of financial information is often at management's discretion. We argue that differences in incentives to publicly disclose result in differences in data availability for private firms, which in turn can affect the conclusions of studies that rely on private firm data. We examine this point in the context of the literature documenting mixed evidence on differences between public and private firm financial reporting quality (FRQ). Using data surrounding a 2006 regulation change that dramatically strengthened enforcement of public disclosure requirements for German private firms, we compare the FRQ of three groups of firms: Private firms that voluntarily disclose financial statement information ("private voluntary" firms), private firms that disclose only due to effective enforcement of mandatory disclosure requirements ("private mandatory" firms), and public firms that are all subject to mandatory disclosure requirements. We find little or no evidence that private voluntary firms have different FRQ from public firms. However, we find consistent evidence that private mandatory firms have lower FRQ than both public firms and private voluntary firms. The results suggest that understanding the effect of disclosure incentives on private firm data availability is critical to interpreting the results of studies that rely on private firm data.


The book describes the main directions for the development of the digital society. The author angles its book to those who are interested to know what would replace search engines, and how social networks would evolve; what profit can be made of different forms of informational collaboration (crowdsourcing, collaborative filtering). And, the main thing, how it will influence the structure of the society and human pursuit for happiness. The author does not confine himself to a theory, he sets and solves practical questions: How talent, success and stardom are interconnected, how to make money in social networks, what is the business model for the development of entertainment and media, how to measure cultural values, and what is the subjective time of the individual and how to make it qualitative? There have been no answers to these questions before. Internet and social networks have provided tools and data that Alexander Dolgin was the first to use in economics.


Based on the most recent data, the average amount of sweet cherry produced in Hungary is around 10-12 thousand tons. Therefore fast and effective method is important for sweet cherry fruit quality analyses. The aim of the study was to examine the applicability of reflectance measurements for sweet cherry fruit quality analyses. In our experiment five cherry species (Vera, Cristalina, Germersdorfi, Noir de Mechet, Canada Giant were examined in order to measure the spectral differences between species. Further more, spectral alteration was examined between different health and maturity status of the fruits in the case of a specified, the Germesdorfi species. The four new indices are appropriate tools for cherry quality analysis. Thus reflectance measurements can also support more precise and automated fruit selections. The methods for the differentiation of species could also be viable at a concerned habitat; however, the climate, habitat and soil conditions strongly affect the yield quality. Concerning the fast determination of water content, WBI could be a reliable method for the assessment .


I investigate the skill of mutual fund managers by focusing in their holdings of a special type of stock. Kumar (2009) classifies low price, high idiosyncratic risk and skewness stocks as 'Lottery Stocks', and shows that these securities severely under-perform. I look at the effect that these investments have on the performance of U.S. equity mutual funds, and how they reflect on the skill of the manager. As part of this analysis I introduce the 'Lottery Score', the percentage of equity assets invested in Lottery Stocks. I find that the Lottery Stocks that fund managers pick tend to outperform the rest of the market, and the funds themselves persistently outperform similar funds that don't invest in these stocks. An investable strategy that buys Lottery Stocks held by the funds and sells those ignored by them attains a monthly alpha of 2%. The Lottery Score is shown to be a good predictor of fund performance, even after controlling for a number of previously introduced measures of skill. Since the funds' out-performance cannot be fully explained by their allocation to Lottery Stocks, this behavior uncovers a more general ability for asset management.


Marine prawns are divided into two common genera of Penaeus and Fenneropenaeus. Fenneropenaeus merguiensis is locally known as banana prawn while Penaeus monodon is tiger prawn. These prawns are widely distributed and are extensively cultured in the tropical and subtropical waters. Information on the genetic structure and diversity of natural populations for both the species is still limited eventhough it has long been exploited. Thus, the present study is to genetically characterize the wild and cultured populations by using morphological and microsatellite markers. A total of 16 populations were randomly selected representing 12 from Peninsular Malaysia and 4 from East Malaysia. Nineteen characters were measured using the conventional morphometric method and were analyzed according to the ratios of abdominal length and total length to reduce the allometric effects. The T-test analysis showed that the two species are statistically different from each other in the majority of the morphological traits. A total number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 to 9 with the allele size ranging from 100 to 300 base pairs. Overall FST value was high (73.4%), with great differentiation among the populations of both the species. FIT and FIS values were low but highly significant (P<0.05), suggesting a slight deficiency of heterozygosity. Chi-square (χ2) and likelihood ratio (G2) tests showed significant deviation (p<0.05) from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium except for two loci. Considerable genetic distances were observed among all the populations with values ranging from 0.0103 to 0.6296. The genetic structure among the prawns within each region implies that mixing of individuals might have occurred, UPGMA dendrogram showed two major clusters, representing the two species. The wild and the cultured populations were also grouped separately. The genetic relationship between both the species was close, probably because the prawns are marine-estuarine species. There are no specific barrier to prevent migrations and genetic flow thus, there is still some form of interaction via migration and mating between the populations despite their geographical distance.


Like many fields, energy law has had its ups and downs. A period of remarkable activity in the 1970s and early 1980s focused on the efficiencies arising from deregulation of energy markets, but the field attracted much less attention during the 1990s. In the last decade, a new burst of activity has occurred, driven largely by the implications of energy production and use for climate change. In effect, this new scholarship is asking what efficiency means in a carbon-constrained world. Accounting for carbon has induced scholars to challenge the implicit assumption of the early scholarship that the price of energy reflects all important externalities, and that efficiency therefore can be assumed to mean the generation of the most energy at the lowest cost. Accounting for carbon also has contributed to the growing nexus between energy and environmental law, and has called on practitioners, regulators, and scholars to develop new regulatory solutions that integrate these previously distinct areas. This brief essay introduces the papers published in the Vanderbilt Law Review symposium issue, "Supply and Demand: Barriers to a New Energy Future" (2012).


This paper will be in three parts; the first section will examine the current tertiary education situation in Ireland amid the global economic crisis and will review what higher education's contribution be to help alleviate the crisis. Building stronger links with the academy and the economy to help raise skills, efficiency and productivity is becoming more important in ensuring global competitiveness and retaining equality and accessibility in the academy (see Gaffikin and Morrissey, 2003: 98 [14]). The second section will look at the merge of entrepreneurship and education. As the lifelong learning society is conceptualised largely in terms of maintaining a flexible and competitive economy in the knowledge society, the concept of an entrepreneurial society will be proposed to fill the gap which has emerged since the exit of many international companies for cheaper labour elsewhere. Within all levels of education entrepreneurship should be encouraged and embedded in the curricula from the earliest stages as a prevention rather than cure to the current economic crisis in Ireland. The final section will illustrate a brief analysis of students' perspectives on how higher education can help meet the ever-changing needs of the Irish economy.


1. A protein component, fraction B, of lobster nerve extracts has been isolated and purified by differential ultracentrifugation and precipitation with zinc acetate. 2. Physicochemical data obtained from this protein and from fraction C are summarized. 3. Fraction B is present in lobster nerve extracts in higher concentration (relative to fraction A) than in blood. 4. A second component, fraction C, of sedimentation constant S20o = 13.2 has been isolated from lobster nerve extracts.


Antibodies that recognize intact proteins can be produced through the use of synthetic peptides based on short stretches of the protein sequence, without first having to isolate the protein. The steps to produce an effective antibody include: (1) designing the peptide sequence based on the sequence of the protein; (2) synthesizing the peptide; (3) preparing the immunogen either by coupling the synthetic peptide to a carrier protein or through the use of a multiple antigenic peptide (MAP); (4) immunizing the host animal; (5) assaying antibody titer in the host animal's serum; and (6) obtaining the antiserum and/or isolating the antibody. This unit covers steps 1 and 3. Once the coupling procedure has been performed, it is possible to determine the approximate degree of coupling by amino acid analysis. Also presented are methods for assaying free sulfhydryl content and for reducing disulfide bonds in synthetic peptides.


This chapter provides a small scale, qualitative study of ESL students' perceptions of positive and negative creative and academic writing experiences. Previous research has suggested that creative writing provides a more positive experience than academic writing and involves a different set of features. Nineteen ESL students were interviewed about their second language literacy instructional histories and focused on understandings of their experiences of writing. Interview data was coded for positive and negative experiences. The results suggest that creative writing and academic writing involve different sets of experiences and that creative writing involves fewer negative experiences. The chapter argues for the inclusion of creative writing as a component of the second language literacy curriculum.


The growing demands for food, feed, and bioenergy worldwide will require a 2% per annum increase in global maize (Zea mays L.) production. Maize is one of the most important staple food crops across the developing world as well as being an important feed crop for global livestock production and the emerging biofuel industry. Maize genotypes can range from 0.5 to 5 m standing height at fl owering, mature in 60 to 330 d from planting, produce 1 to 4 ears per plant, 10 to 1800 kernels per ear and yield from 0.5 to 23.5 Mg of grain per hectare. Even greater genetic diversity is present in related species yet surprisingly little of the maizerelated biodiversity is present in the current elite breeding pools. Improved methods and tools for germplasm conservation, characterization, and data sharing, as well as for population improvement, gene pool enhancement, and genomics-aided breeding are urgently needed if increases in maize productivity, particularly in the developing world, are to keep pace with predicted increases in demand. Progress in the private sector, particularly with the development of temperate maize cultivars, is far beyond that of the public sector, particularly regarding tropical maize cultivar development. This article provides an overview of progress at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) with national partners across the developing world. Particular emphasis is given to issues related to the continued development of elite maize breeding material as global public goods, especially regarding the introgression of new variations from genetic resources and the legal and phytosanitary issues related to international exchange of maize germplasm. Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maiz y Trigo (CIMMYT), Apdo. Postal 6-641, 06600 Mexico, D.F., Mexico. Received 7 June 2009. *Corresponding author (firstname.lastname@example.com).


L2 speakers of Nigerian English in parts of northeastern Nigeria occasionally insert a coronal stop [t] or fricative [s] following another coronal pre-pausally and phrase-internally. The paper discusses this typologically unusual phenomenon for the L2 Nigerian English of speakers whose L1 is the Adamawa language Bena (ISO 639-3: yun). At least the [t] epenthesis is not restricted to Bena L1 speakers, but the exact areal distribution of this phenomenon is not known for the moment.
The [t] and [s] epenthesis occurs in Bena English in the following environments. A [t] is inserted after pre-pausal (especially, utterance-final) coronal continuants [n], [l] and [s]. A [s] is inserted pre-pausally (especially, utterance-finally) after a coronal stop [t] and phrase-internally after coronal continuants [n] and [l]. The insertion is not obligatory and speakers vary in its frequency. I do not yet fully understand the driving forces behind the phrase-internal [s] epenthesis, but the pre-pausal insertion of [t] and [s] arguably results from an imperfect approximation in Bena English of the durational properties and release of pre-pausal coronal obstruents of more standard varieties of Nigerian English. The following phonetic properties of Bena as L1 normally absent from Nigerian English appear to contribute to the observed outcome in particular. First, in Bena, pre-pausal obstruents are voiceless, and being followed by a glottal closure, they normally lack an audible release. In fact, pre-pausal glottalization is a more general feature of Bena prosody and is not restricted to obstruents. The glottal closure tends to have an audible release in the case of utterance-final pauses but may lack it with other types of pauses. Second, at least the pre-pausal continuant obstruents in Bena are normally also lengthened, which implies a sustained articulatory effort in their realization. Thus, if we take the case of the pre-pausal [t] insertion as an example, the following scenario for its appearance may be proposed. The Bena pre-pausal glottal closure is transferred into Bena English. However, in accordance with the overall shorter durations of pre-pausal obstruents in Nigerian English, it is released much too quickly, while the oral articulation of the preceding continuant coronal obstruent is still largely sustained. This may occasionally result in a percept of a released [t], which can later become phonologized.


The objective for this software project was to create a fully functional online helpdesk to assist people in their daily struggles with technology. The idea was to save people time, create a community and increase everyone's level of IT knowledge.

Technology is growing at a rate of knots these days and it doesn't show any signs of slowing down. People of all ages are using smartphones, tablets, laptops, computers etc. everyday.

Unfortunately, technology isn't perfect and many people suffer issues with their devices on a day to day basis. Users have issues such as a draining battery, broken screens, a damaged motherboard and other hardware problems. They also struggle with software glitches, devices not turning on and simply not knowing how to use their machine.

Help2Connect is a huge help to these people instead of them searching for hours on the internet or travelling from place to place to get a solution to their problem. With Help2Connect, people can simply fill out a form of what their issue is. They are then given advice on the trouble that they are having either via comments or useful links/Chatbot. Unfortunately, I could not get the recommender system working which would provide useful links.

Users can simply create an account and login to the website. Once this is done, they post any problems that they are experiencing or they can comment on other users issues to give them support. They can also use the Chatbot to navigate the website.

The useful links would've been very helpful for those wanting an immediate solution or for people looking for a shop that'll repair their device. Example: If someone is having an issue with their iPhone, an Apple Premium Reseller would be suggested as a place to go to get their iPhone fixed. Hopefully I can get this issue resolved in the near future.


Marine mammals are consumers of production at most trophic levels Because of their large body size and abundance, they are thought to have a major influence on the structure and function of some aquatic communities. However, there is relatively little empirical evidence of these roles. There are several reasons for this: research in marine ecosystems is expensive, man~pulatlve experiments are rarely possible, interactions occur at quite different spatial and temporal scales mahng measurement of system properties difficult, and there is an inherent indeterrmnacy in the behavior of these complex systems which makes simplifying deterministic explanations problematic. Nevertheless, experimental studies have demonstrated clearly that sea otters Enhydra lutris strongly affect kelp forest communities through predation on sea urchins, they also suggest that gray whale Eschrichtius robustus and walrus Odobenus rosmarus feeding can affect the structure of benthic invertebrate communities, and that dugongs Dugong dugon may cultivate the seagrass community upon which they feed. Changes in the abundance of many species following large-scale harvesting of whales in the Southern Ocean and perhaps also in the Bering Sea further suggest top-down effects of marine mammals. Nevertheless, the top-down effects of marine mammal predation in the open ocean remain poorly understood.


Pascasius Justus Turcq was born in the Flemish town of Eeklo. As a young man, he travelled through Spain before devoting himself to the study of philosophy and medicine in Italy. On gaining his doctorate, he returned north and settled in Bergen-op-Zoom, where he worked as a physician and eventually became the city's mayor. He attended to William the Silent as one of the physicians who worked to save the Prince's life after the assassination attempt of 1582. Alongside tales of gambling princes and perceptive accounts of the mental suffering experienced by problem gamblers, Pascasius' De alea is remarkable for its singular insights into 16th-century medical science. Basing himself on the authority of the ancient, late-antique and mediaeval traditions, Pascasius first fuses discrete theoretical systems into an innovative framework, allowing him to propose a novel description of compulsive gambling as a psychological disorder. Secondly, Pascasius articulates a series of pioneering cures. He describes this therapy in cognitive terms reminiscent of approaches to non-substance addiction in use today. On Gambling was routinely referenced in scholarship on gambling into the 18th century before disappearing almost entirely from view. Newly available here, with a critical Latin text and English translation, On Gambling epitomises the creative potential of 16th-century medical humanism.


This study examined the impact of institutional quality on the attraction of foreign direct investment in Burkina Faso over the period 1985-2005. Different analyzes on variables allowed use of error correction modeling (VECM). The results reveal a longterm relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI), corruption, external conflicts and socio-economic conditions. They show that corruption and external conflicts are determinants of the attractiveness of FDIin the country. Therefore, there is a need to develop appropriate policies such as strengthening judicial governance and improving existing anti-corruption strategies in Burkina Faso. The country must also be involved in the appropriate way of resolution of external conflicts that keep potential investors away, especially in the West African sub region.


Today's property/casualty insurance (including workers compensation) and employee benefits environment would seem to present turnaround professionals with a bleak forecast of tight capacity, risk-averse carriers, and mounting costs. But the fact is that for most businesses in most sectors—especially those poised for a turnaround—these can be two of the most controllable and reducible elements in your total cost of risk. How can you capitalize on decisive cost-saving opportunities? This article takes us beyond the traditional shop-and-bid process to a cost-controlling methodology known as managed risk.


Eviscerated sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax were irradiated by Cobalt-60 at commercial irradiation facility at dose of 2.5 and 5 kGy at 2–4°C. The influences of the irradiation on proximate, fatty acid and amino acid composition in cultured sea bass were investigated. Significant differences (P<0.0.5) were found between non-irradiated and irradiated sea bass in terms of moisture, protein, fat, ash and carbohydrate contents. Total saturated and total monounsaturated fatty acid contents were 27.97-24.72% for non-irradiated sea bass respectively. The amonts of these two fatty acids in irradiated samples increased to 28.1825.75% for 2.5 kGy and 29.08-28.54% for 5 kGy. Total polyunsaturated fatty acid content for irradiated samples was higher than nonirradiated samples. Aspartic acid, glutamic acid, asparagines, histidine, serine, glycine, arginine, alanine, tyrosine, cystine, methionine, lysine, hydroxyproline and proline contents for 2.5 and 5 kGy irradiated sea bass were significantly different (P<0.05).


The paper stresses the potential of a Design Studio as a critical part of the inquiryprocess in Urbanism Research, using the experience of Studio Sao Paulo as casestudy. It explores what is a process of inquiry in a context of research in urbanism,discoursing on the potential of the design process as a tool to reveal hidden questionsand processes on a territorial scale The research and its case study led to theestablishment of Studio Sao Paulo, an undergraduate design studio in KULeuven, inwhich students develop their masters thesis in the context of Tiete´s flood plain. Theexperience so far, more than defining conclusions, stress some challenges toovercome, regarding research by design as methodological tool in an Urbanism PHDcontext.Keywords: Research by design research, urbanism, urban design studio.


Biometric authentication modalities such as face and iris recognition provide a minimally invasive means to uniquely identify individuals and verify identity. Most commercially available biometric systems perform authentication based on a single modality and/or only capture features from a short distance. Most existing standoff iris sensors capture at a lower frame rate, lower resolution, and wider field of view than our system. This work describes the design of a prototype standoff biometric sensor. The complete system is comprised of three sensors, their respective software control modules, and a command and control graphical user interface. Sensor 1 is a high resolution monochrome camera with telephoto zoom and video rate image acquisition. Co-aligned, collimated near infrared (NIR) light emitting diodes (LEDs) provide controlled illumination to facilitate the capture of face and iris images. Sensor 2 is a monochrome stereo camera that acquires low resolution frontal face images and scene depth information. Sensor 3 is dual spectrum camera that acquires pixel registered visible and NIR images at video rate. Ambient room light and NIR flood LEDs provide illumination for capturing profile face and gait images. Real-time analysis of the stereo camera output provides feedback for pan, tilt, zoom, and focus of the sensor platform. A Modularized software control system provides scalability and flexible management. Commodity hardware can be used to control all system components with the exception of sensor 1.


We present a method for the learning and detection of multiple rigid texture-less 3D objects intended to operate at frame rate speeds for video input. The method is geared for fast and scalable learning and detection by combining tractable extraction of edgelet constellations with library lookup based on rotation-and scale-invariant descriptors. The approach learns object views in real-time, and is generative - enabling more objects to be learnt without the need for re-training. During testing, a random sample of edgelet constellations is tested for the presence of known objects. We perform testing of single and multi-object detection on a 30 objects dataset showing detections of any of them within milliseconds from the object's visibility. The results show the scalability of the approach and its framerate performance.


Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) motion artifact is common in clinic which affects the doctor to accurately locate the lesion and diagnose the condition. MRI motion artifact is caused by the physiological movements of the patient while scanning the organ. Most of the current methods do artifact suppression and image restoration on the inverse Fourier transform level. They are neither effective nor efficient and can not be utilized in clinic. In this paper, the method that transfers deep learning into this domain with adopting a novel approach in Multi-scale mechanism for MRI motion artifact correction was proposed. What' more, a newer residual block with the deeper and wider architecture was proposed. With the deeper and wider residual block, the correction effect is greatly improved. The Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) and Structural Similarity (SSIM) were adopted as the evaluation metrics. In short, our model is trainable in an end-to-end network, can be tested in real-time and achieves the state-of-the-art results for MRI motion artifact correction.


Virtual Organization Breeding Environments (VOBE) represents a framework of organizations, institutions and individuals that cohere to long term base co-operations and infrastructures, mainly towards ensuring the ability of rapid configurations of temporary alliances working in potential Virtual Organizations. In order to produce positive road safety outcomes, strong management in all aspects of road safety is required. Integrating road safety management technologies with VOBE will provide a unique resource sharing capability that will improve road safety .In this paper, we propose a framework based on the VOBE concept to model the functional structures and processes between diverse interdisciplinary entities (e.g. police stations, health institutes, intelligent systems etc.).Unified Modeling Language (UML) is used as a standard way to visualize the design of the new framework. We demonstrate the applicability of the proposed framework by applying it to two case studies representing major problems on the road. The evaluation of the framework shows that it is both applicable for resource sharing in road safety management scenarios. The framework is designed in a conceptual way without committing to any specific programming or technical aspects of implementation which make it very scalable


Global navigation satellite systems-reflectometry (GNSS-R) is an emerging technique that uses navigation opportunistic signals as a multistatic radar. Most GNSS systems operate at L-band, which is affected by the ionosphere. At present, there is only a GNSS-R space-borne scatterometer on board the UK TechDemoSat-1, but in late 2016, NASA will launch the CYGNSS constellation, and in 2019, ESA will carry out the GEROS experiment on board the International Space Station. In GNSS-R, reflected signals are typically processed in open loop using a short coherent integration time (~1 ms), followed by long incoherent averaging (~1000 times, ~1 s) to increase the signal-to-noise ratio. In this study, the global ionospheric scintillation model is first used to evaluate the total electron content and the scintillation index S4. The ionospheric scintillation impact is then evaluated as a degradation of the signal-to-noise ratio, which can be used to assess the altimetry and scatterometry performance degradation in a generic GNSS-R mission. Since ionospheric scintillations are mostly produced by a layer of electron density irregularities at ~350 km height, underneath most LEO satellites, but closer to them than to the Earth's surface, intensity scintillations occur especially in the GNSS transmitter-to-ground transect, therefore, the impact is very similar in conventional and interferometric GNSS-R. Using UK TechDemoSat-1 data, signal-to-noise ratio fluctuations are computed and geo-located, finding that they occur in the open ocean along ~±20° from the geomagnetic equator where S4 exhibits a maximum, and in low wind speed regions, where reflected signals contain a non-negligible coherent component.


Abstract Psoas syndrome is an easily missed diagnosis. However, it is important to consider this condition as part of the differential diagnosis for patients presenting with low back pain—particularly for osteopathic physicians, because patients may view these practitioners as experts in musculoskeletal conditions. The authors describe the case of a 48-year-old man with a 6-month history of low back pain that had been attributed to "weak core muscles." The diagnosis of psoas syndrome was initially overlooked in this patient. After the correct diagnosis was made, he was treated by an osteopathic physician using osteopathic manipulative treatment, in conjunction with at-home stretches between office treatments. At his 1-month follow-up appointment, he demonstrated continued improvement of symptoms and a desire for further osteopathic manipulative treatment.


Adapting new learning and teaching practices during COVID-19 pandemic has impacted students' learning in higher education. Using a cross-sectional research methodology, the study attempted to understand the cross-cultural impacts of COVID-19 on higher education students in Cambodia, Nigeria, Oman and Spain to determine the changes that COVID-19 has brought about in higher education students; examine how students' learning behaviour and attitudes have changed during COVID-19; identify the challenges they have experienced; and identify the changes that have taken place in learning and teaching in the selected countries. A total sample of 242 students was randomly selected from four higher education institutions in each of the selected countries. The study provided a cross-cultural understanding of how COVID-19 has affected students' well-being, behaviors and learning. The results show that COVID-19 had adverse effects on the well-being of students in the four countries. Students received inadequate social support and security protection from others and instructors when they needed it. Omani students received less social support compared with the other three countries. COVID-19 had the worse effect on students' employment in the four countries. The effect pressed much concern on Nigerian students who experience a great job loss. Students from the four countries were required to put a lot of effort and energy to fulfil the requirements in the program.


In this paper, reducing the friction losses in a radial inflow turbine rotor surface by adding engineered features (riblets) is explored. Initially, computational fluid dynamics analysis was used to study the operating mechanism of riblets and to test their ability to reduce drag within the rotor passage when running the turbine at the design point. Thereafter, riblets with different heights and spacing have been implemented at the rotor hub to study the effect of riblets geometry and arrangement on the drag reduction, which leads to determine the riblet geometry where the maximum benefit on turbine performance can be achieved. The effect of riblets on boundary layer development and on the secondary flow generation within the rotor passage has been examined. It was found that the introduction of riblets could reduce the wall shear stress at the hub surface, and on the other hand, they contribute to increasing the stream-wise vorticity within the rotor passage. The maximum wall shear reduction was achieved with riblet with relative height hrel = 2.5% equivalent to 19.3 wall units, while the maximum performance happens when using riblets with hrel = 1.5% equivalent to 11.8 wall units as the later contributes less in secondary flow generation within the passage. For riblets with height more than 19.3 wall units, the overall effect is negative, as they cause an increase in drag and give rise to secondary flow leading to lower turbine performance.


I INTRODUCTION The brave new world of genomics, spurred on by the Human Genome Project, presents tantalizing possibilities for developments in criminal law as well as advances in medicine and understanding disease. DNA identification testing has become commonplace in the courts, transforming the criminal justice system, demonstrating innocence, and identifying perpetrators. Already it is clear that DNA testing will be used as a way of predicting which medical treatments will be effective. With predictive medicine becoming a reality, surely predicting human behavior cannot be far behind. The link between crime and genetics is hardly a new idea. Since at least the late nineteenth century, courts and prisons have reflected attempts to discriminate between the innately criminal and those who acted merely by force of circumstance, whose crimes would not pose a future danger to society. (1) To aid this distinction, predictions of future dangerousness became vital to the criminal justice system. This legacy has persisted despite the enactment of civil rights legislation that did away with the more overtly racist laws derived from eugenics. As a result, predictions of future dangerousness now dominate death penalty sentencing determinations and the commitment proceedings of sexually violent predators. (2) Surprisingly, although the stakes are high for their subjects, the predictions receive little judicial or legislative scrutiny. Courts and legislatures are well aware of the unscientific nature of these predictions; nonetheless, they continue to demand them. (3) Responding to this continued demand, researchers have attempted to improve the accuracy of their predictions of future dangerousness by developing actuarial instruments to assess the risk of repeated violence in offenders and psychiatric patients by examining a number of factors, scored on a scale with points varying according to the particular instrument. (4) Each instrument evaluates different risk factors, and scores each differently. No one method is particularly predictive; (5) but the general consensus is that such instruments are superior to clinical judgment alone. (6) Whether future dangerousness predictions can meet standards of scientific validity, and what, if anything, can be done to improve them, are highly debatable issues. (7) The question posed by behavioral genetics is whether molecular biology can improve this record. Genetic information, including behavioral genetics, has exploded under the influence of the Human Genome Project. (8) Virtually everyone agrees that genes influence behavior. (9) Scandinavian studies of adopted twins are widely touted as supporting the role of genes in crime. (10) That the cycle of violence is repeated across generations is common knowledge. (11) Recently, alleles of specific genes, like those transcribing for monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), have been identified and linked with propensities to violence. (12) Should adding genetic information to the mix not produce more accurate predictions of future dangerousness? This question must be answered with a qualified yes and no. First, there is unfortunate history in this regard, and while we might wish to put the bad old days behind us, the shocking absence of scientific scrutiny for eugenics assertions has managed to persist in the astonishing failure of courts and legislatures to examine the scientific validity of expert future dangerousness predictions. (13) Throwing away the key when someone has committed a grisly crime is an all-too-human response to the specter of tragedy and nasty headlines. But it is precisely to counter such responses that we have the rule of law. Inquiry into the relevance and reliability of proffered evidence is a foundational aspect of this process. Second, although information from the biology of violence, including genomics, could vastly improve the way predictions are made, such information must be tested, scrutinized, and properly limited so that the promise of science is not once again perverted into the cynicism of political expediency. …


CONTEXT
Germline mutations in genes coding succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) subunits A, B, C, and D have been identified in familial paragangliomas (PGLs)/pheochromocytomas (PHEOs) and other tumors. We described a GH-secreting pituitary adenoma (PA) caused by SDHD mutation in a patient with familial PGLs. Additional patients with PAs and SDHx defects have since been reported.

DESIGN
We studied 168 patients with unselected sporadic PA and with the association of PAs, PGLs, and/or pheochromocytomas, a condition we named the 3P association (3PAs) for SDHx germline mutations. We also studied the pituitary gland and hormonal profile of Sdhb(+/-) mice and their wild-type littermates at different ages.

RESULTS
No SDHx mutations were detected among sporadic PA, whereas three of four familial cases were positive for a mutation (75%). Most of the SDHx-deficient PAs were either prolactinomas or somatotropinomas. Pituitaries of Sdhb(+/-) mice older than 12 months had an increased number mainly of prolactin-secreting cells and several ultrastructural abnormalities such as intranuclear inclusions, altered chromatin nuclear pattern, and abnormal mitochondria. Igf-1 levels of mutant mice tended to be higher across age groups, whereas Prl and Gh levels varied according to age and sex.

CONCLUSION
The present study confirms the existence of a new association that we termed 3PAs. It is due mostly to germline SDHx defects, although sporadic cases of 3PAs without SDHx defects also exist. Using Sdhb(+/-) mice, we provide evidence that pituitary hyperplasia in SDHx-deficient cells may be the initial abnormality in the cascade of events leading to PA formation.


The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the positive and negative effects of budgeting in charitable communities. This research is exploratory in terms of practical purpose and in terms of implementation method. The statistical population in this study was 25 experts and financial managers in Abrar Charity. In order to collect information, questionnaires were distributed among these experts and the collected data were analysed using Super Decision software and the results showed that positive effects are more important than negative effects of budgeting in charitable communities and also examining the dimensions. shows; The importance of the indicators are: improving the quality of decision-making, reducing corruption, the need for reliable information on the unit cost of the product or its consequences, the possibility of effective monitoring of operations, improving the performance of charitable activities, the possibility of two-part goals in Programs are the change of organizational nature from non-profit to for-profit.


Abstract We define and study the so-called extreme version of the notion of a projective normed module. The relevant definition takes into account the exact value of the norm of the module in question, in contrast with the standard known definition that is formulated in terms of norm topology. After the discussion of the case where our normed algebra $A$ is just $\mathbb{C}$ , we concentrate on the case of the next degree of complication, where $A$ is a sequence algebra satisfying some natural conditions. The main results give a full characterization of extremely projective objects within the subcategory of the category of non-degenerate normed $A$ -modules, consisting of the so-called homogeneous modules. We consider two cases, 'non-complete' and 'complete', and the respective answers turn out to be essentially different. In particular, all Banach non-degenerate homogeneous modules consisting of sequences are extremely projective within the category of Banach non-degenerate homogeneous modules. However, neither of them, provided it is infinite-dimensional, is extremely projective within the category of all normed non-degenerate homogeneous modules. On the other hand, submodules of these modules consisting of finite sequences are extremely projective within the latter category.


A fundamental issue with reference to the translation process concerns the type of relation between the original and the translated text. Peirce indicates three possibilities: icon, index and symbol. For many scholars it is a given that the relation of similarity between the original text and the translated text predominates and that the iconic relation ordinarily describes the character of translation. However, evidence is provided in this paper to show from a theoretical viewpoint (i.e. from that of translation studies) and a practical viewpoint (with examples provided) that a relationship between source text and target text which is characterised as iconic can only be weakly iconic because a target text can never fully resemble its source text in every respect linguistically and culturally. Furthermore in certain cases an indexical or symbolic relationship rather than an iconic one may even predominate. Since the 1980s, discourses about translation have broadened steadily. An outflow of these developments is a greater understanding of the superordinate categories of translation and the fact that the relation between source and target text is no longer only one of resemblance (i.e. iconicity). An example of iconicity from the Koran and its translation is provided as evidence for a predominant, but weak iconic relationship between source text and target text. Examples from the Sesotho Bible translation and Das neue Testament illustrate that the predominant relationship can also be indexical or symbolic (rather than iconic), respectively.


OBJECTIVE: Vasodilator stress echocardiography can cause myocardial ischaemia in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis and angiographically normal coronary arteries. The aim of the study was to determine the mechanism of ischaemia in this clinical model. METHODS: The study group comprised patients with severe aortic valve stenosis and normal coronary arteries: 25 patients (17 males, eight females; age 63 (SD 11) years) underwent a high dose (up to 0.84 mg/kg over 10 min) dipyridamole echocardiography test both before (2-4 d) and after (10-15 d) aortic valve replacement. Mean aortic pressure gradient was 96 (15) mm Hg, with a left ventricular mass index of 228 (49) g/m2. The dipyridamole echocardiography test was well tolerated and interpretable in all patients. RESULTS: Dipyridamole infusion induced chest pain in seven patients before and in no patient after surgery (28 v 0%, P < 0.01), ST segment depression in 12 patients before and two after surgery (48 v 8%, P < 0.01), and a transient regional dyssynergy in 10 patients before and two after surgery (40 v 8%, P < 0.01). In the preoperative evaluation, patients with an echocardiographically positive dipyridamole echocardiography test were comparable with patients with negative test as far as left ventricular mass index [240 (67) v 230 (64) g/m2, NS] and mean aortic pressure gradient [95 (22) v 92 (21) mm Hg, NS] were concerned. When compared to the preoperative assessment, the resting echo assessment in the postoperative evaluation showed unchanged values of left ventricular mass index [pre 228 (49) g/m2 v post 220 (36) g/m2, NS], but markedly decreased values of mean aortic gradient [pre 95 (15) mm Hg v post 22 (5) mm Hg, P < 0.01] and left ventricular wall stress index [pre 134 (30) g/cm2 v post 89 (19) g/cm2]. CONCLUSIONS: Dipyridamole echocardiography is a suitable clinical technique for assessing the ischaemic vulnerability of the left ventricle in severe aortic valve stenosis with angiographically normal coronary arteries. The frequent disappearance of the ischaemic response early after aortic valve replacement suggests that haemodynamic factors such as compressive diastolic wall stress or afterload reduction are important components of myocardial ischaemic vulnerability under these circumstances.


Since the Middle Ages, Africans have lived in Germany as slaves and scholars, guest workers and refugees. After Germany became a unified nation in 1871, it acquired several African colonies but lost them after World War I. Children born of German mothers and African fathers during the French occupation of Germany were persecuted by the Nazis. After World War II, many children were born to African American GIs stationed in Germany and German mothers. Today there are 500,000 Afro-Germans in Germany out of a population of 80 million. Nevertheless, German society still sees them as "foreigners," assuming they are either African or African American but never German. In recent years, the subject of Afro-Germans has captured the interest of scholars across the humanities for several reasons. Looking at Afro-Germans allows us to see another dimension of the nineteenth- and early twentieth-century ideas of race that led to the Holocaust. Furthermore, the experience of Afro-Germans provides insight into contemporary Germany's transformation, willing or not, into a multicultural society. The volume breaks new ground not only by addressing the topic of Afro-Germans but also by combining scholars from many disciplines. Patricia Mazon is associate professor in the Department of History at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Reinhild Steingrover is assistant professor in the Department of Humanities at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester.


This article examines gender bias in our nation' s schools. Studies reveal that in the early years of their education, girls are equal to or ahead of their male counterparts on standardized and psychological assessments. However, research has shown that upon graduation from high school, girls have often fallen behind their male counterparts. In addition, this article suggests some practical solutions that can be used to expand and enhance commitments to gender equality. ********** This article examines gender bias in our schools. Studies reveal that in the early years of their education, girls are equal to or ahead of their male counterparts on standardized and psychological assessments. However, upon graduation from high school, girls have often fallen behind their male counterparts. This occurs in all subject areas. The greatest deficiencies and variances, though, have been identified in the areas of math and science. This article focuses on three aspects of gender bias in American schools: (a) the historical struggle fought by women to gain participation in America's schools, (b) how our schools encourage gender inequalities, and (c) practical solutions to help bring gender differences to an end in American schools. Historical Struggle Sadker and Sadker (1994) reported a startling fact that few people realize. Today's girls continue a three-hundred year-old struggle for full participation in America's educational system. During colonial times school doors were closed for young women seeking knowledge, and the home was considered the learning place for young women. The home, serving as the girls' classroom, was where young girls learned the practical domestic skills for their inevitable role as wife and mother. However, in 1767 a school in Providence, Rhode Island, began advertising it would teach reading and writing to girls. At the bottom of the advertisement, in small print, was noted the inconvenient hours of instruction. The girls were being taught either before or after the boys' regular instructional time. At this time the teachers of the boys needed additional income and opted to teach girls before and after school for an awesome fee. Thus, the idea of educating girls was formulated (Sadker & Sadker, 1994). During the early nineteenth century, many cities began establishing separate high schools for girls. Most communities built one high school, but designated separate entrances for the sexes. The classes were on separate floors in single-sex areas where girls were taught by women and boys by men. Single-sex schools were now born! Following a considerable amount of frustration from attempting to receive an education at male-dominated colleges, men and women created a bold alternative--colleges for women. Finally, in 1972, a historic victory was achieved. Congress enacted Title IX as part of the Education Amendments. The preamble (Valentin, 1997) to Title IX states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational programs or activity receiving federal assistance" (p. 1). Miraculously, a federal law made sex discriminations in schools illegal. Under Title IX, sex bias was outlawed in school athletics, career counseling, medical services, financial aid, admission practices, and the treatment of students. From elementary school through the university, Title IX violators were threatened with the loss of federal funds (Sadker & Sadker, 1994). Title IX legislation changed the mode of operation in our schools. Better athletic programs for girls were instituted. Teachers began to carefully analyze books and resource materials for bias. As the 1970s came to an end, high hopes for Title IX ending gender bias mounted. However, many schools simply did not take this law seriously. In many schools vocational programs remained segregated with cosmetology and secretarial courses only for women and electrical and automotive courses only for men. …


Mashups allow users to bring together data and services from various web applications in order to create a new integrated tool that serves their needs. In the last few years, a variety of mashups frameworks has been proposed that promise to simplify the mashup creation process so that every user is able to create mashups. In this paper, we give an overview about these approaches and identify their limitations. The main insight is that the average user will not possess the necessary skills to create mashups that meet his needs with these tools. We therefore propose that a tool is needed that allows for the automatic ad-hoc generation of mashups.


Effect of three surface finishes of roughness 4 to 5, 20 to 25, and 70 to 80 micro inches rms on fatigue properties were determined for low-carbon N-155 alloy of grain size A.S.T.M. 1 at temperatures of 80 , 1000, 1350, and 1500 F. The fatigue properties for the various finishes differed appreciably at room temperature; however, after short periods at 1000 F and for all periods investigated at temperatures above 1000 F, the specimen finishes had the same fatigue strength. It was concluded that the primary cause of the difference in room-temperature strength was due to compressive stresses set up in the surface and that at elevated temperatures these compressive stresses were relieved by annealing. Apparently, roughness alone did not significantly affect fatigue strength.


This paper makes a contribution to the discussion on micro-foundations of dynamic capabilities – actions and interactions in organizations that enable continuous organizational renewal. More specifically, we propose the idea that dynamic capabilities of an organization are a positive function of corresponding dynamic capabilities of individual and collective actors in the organization. Further, we develop the assumption that not only individual acts of managers but also those of individuals and teams without managerial responsibility relate to dynamic capabilities of the organization. Following a holistic view, we also take into consideration empowering working conditions as an enhancing factor of this function. To examine these roots of dynamic capabilities, we use a multi-level model of competence provided by Wilkens, Keller, and Schmette (2006) that operationalizes the concept of dynamic capabilities provided by Teece (2007) on a concisely behavioral base. We investigated our hypotheses with a standardized questionnaire in a case study of a German plant engineering company with 112 participants and found primary support for our assumptions. Our results show an impact of individual dynamic capabilities on dynamic capabilities of the organization that is mediated by team dynamic capabilities. Psychological and social–structural empowerment moderated this relationship. A case-specific interpretation and implications for future research and practice are discussed.


The main aim of the paper was to establish the effect of operating cash flow on stock return of firms listed in NSE. The study was informed by Free Cash Flow (FCF) theory. Census survey was adapted to review financial statements for 29 listed non-financial firms at NSE that had consistent data for all the study variables. Secondary data was extracted for 12 years from 2007-2019 with the aid of a data collection sheet. Explanatory research design which is panel in nature was followed by this study. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used in data analysis. Panel data regression was used to make inferences and test research hypothesis. Fixed and Random effects methods were used to analyze the balanced panel data using STATA statistical package and Hausman test established that Random effect model was the most ideal method to analyze data in this study. The findings indicated that operating cash flow positively and significantly influenced the stock returns for firms listed at NSE. The study concludes that operating cash flow information affects stock returns. Therefore, the study advocates for firms to increase their levels of operating cash flows through prudent utilization of cash resources since it enhances the stock returns.


This thesis explores the participation of student teachers during their part time in-service initial teacher education course based on the campus of a higher education institution in the North West of England. It investigates the extent to which initial teacher education prepares teachers as professional practitioners in the lifelong learning sector. The research was conducted in a university campus forming part of a higher education institution, using a qualitative, reflexive methodology. The data is derived from naturally-occurring class discussions, a range of course-related artefacts and semi-structured interviews with participants. The fieldwork took place in during the period 2008-2010.
The participation of student teachers is examined within the context of work-based learning (WBL) in the lifelong learning sector (LLS), drawing upon the work of John Dewey and a Bourdieusian concept of habitus. The study broadly contributes to debates about the nature of professional knowledge and practice in work based learning. The literature review presents a picture of a sector struggling to define itself and of initial teacher education (the focus of the research) buffeted by external regulation and control. It concludes that restrictive notions of confidence, a contested notion of what constitutes excellence, and routinised practices restrict and constrain the participation, experiences and development of teachers.
The data suggests that participants experienced funnelled and routinised practices, resulting not only from initial teacher education curricula, but also from evidence-based practices and workplace regulation. It argues that time and space are crucial elements of the development of professional knowledge and practice, recommending that both the teacher education curricula and the workplace should work more closely to inculcate the processes and practices of an expansive educational experience for developing teachers


Introduction: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) has emerged as a global concern in the world, due to its harmful impact on health, social, economic, and legal aspects. Several established treatment approaches, both pharmacological and nonpharmacological are available but have only modest success. Relapse in alcohol use is noted to be common following treatment, hence efficacy of newer modalities of treatment or therapies is needed. Aim: This study aims to assess the efficacy of audiovisual psychoeducation on the level of knowledge and attitude of harmful effects of alcohol among AUD patients admitted to mental health units of selected hospitals of Western Maharashtra. Materials and Methodology: A quantitative research approach with pretest-posttest control design was adopted in the study. The sample size was estimated to be 70 based on the pilot study and settings were mental health units of selected hospitals in Western Maharashtra. A simple random sampling technique was used with random allocation of subjects into experimental group and control group by lottery method. A structured tool to assess knowledge was developed, validated by experts and reliability was tested. Alcohol Decisional Balance Scale, which is a standardized tool was used for assessing the attitude. Pretest knowledge assessment was done for control and experimental groups. Audiovisual psychoeducation was given to the experimental group. Both the groups were receiving routine care. A posttest assessment was done after 7 days of intervention. Results: Findings revealed that there is statistically significant increase in the level of knowledge from pretest mean score of 9.37 + 3.191–14.06 + 4.179 in posttest of the experimental group by Wilcoxon Z value test at the level of significance P < 0.0001 showing the efficacy of audio-visual psychoeducation in changing the level of knowledge. Similarly, postintervention attitude distribution assessment in the experimental group revealed a statistically significant difference in positive attitude from 6 (17%) in pretest to 12 (34%) in posttest with the McNemar's test at level of significance of P < 0.031. Correlation in level of knowledge with attitude revealed a weak positive correlation with r = 0.17. There was no significant association of pretest knowledge with selected socio-demographic data. Conclusion: Audiovisual psychoeducation is efficient in increasing the level of knowledge and change in attitude toward harmful effects of alcohol.


The patch dynamics (recruitment, growth and mortality) of seagrass Cymodocea nodosa were examined at the landscape scale (Le, the scale at which disturbances occur) by means of 3-dimensional (X. Y dimensions and depth) mapping of shoot internal density and age structure within the basic units (patches) forming the landscape. Highly skewed patch size and age distributions ~ n d i cated a high exponential patch mortality rate ( m = 0.82 * 0 07 yr-l) and a slightly higher exponential patch recruitment rate (1.04 yr-l) that ensures the maintenance and fast turnover of this population of patches Patch growth (i.e. increase in number of shoots per patch) proceeded at an exponential growth rate of 2 28 t 0 14 yr.', indicating a doubling time of 11 1 d for the shoot population within each patch Moreover, average patch growth rate accelerates with increasing patch size and age. This selfacceleration of patch growth means that this seagrass species has a remarkable potential for rapid space occupation due to its intense clonal growth. The results obtained emphasize the power of a landscape approach for describing the intense dynamics of colonising seagrass populations.


In this paper, we propose an automatic analysis system for the Arabic handwriting postal addresses recognition, by using the beta elliptical model. Our system is divided into different steps: analysis, pre-processing and classification. The first operation is the filtering of image. In the second, we remove the border print, stamps and graphics. After locating the address on the envelope, the address segmentation allows the extraction of postal code and city name separately. The pre-processing system and the modeling approach are based on two basic steps. The first step is the extraction of the temporal order in the image of the handwritten trajectory. The second step is based on the use of Beta-Elliptical model for the representation of handwritten script. The recognition system is based on Graph-matching algorithm. Our modeling and recognition approaches were validated by using the postal code and city names extracted from the Tunisian postal envelopes data. The recognition rate obtained is about 98%.


Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and transmitted by ticks, was initially considered a recent, rare and regional occurrence. We now have evidence that very similar bacteria infected humans in Europe during the ice age (Keller et al., 2012). Evidence-based data are scarce therefore many aspects of the disease remain controversial (Auwaerter et al., 2011; Lee and Vielmeyer, 2011; Perronne, 2012), but in 2013 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revised their annual estimates from 30,000 cases to 300,000 cases in the USA alone. Having dramatically increased their numbers, the CDC are now calling Lyme disease "a tremendous public health problem in the United States" (CDC, 2011).

The lack of a gold standard for diagnosis makes producing accurate statistics difficult. Some pathogenic strains belonging to the B. burgdorferi sensu lato complex have a worldwide distribution, yet they are rarely considered or tested for (Varela et al., 2004; Lopes de Carvalho et al., 2009; Rudenko et al., 2009; Stanek and Reiter, 2011; Branda and Rosenberg, 2013; Clark et al., 2013; Lee et al., 2014; Margos et al., 2014). Borrelia miyamotoi, for instance, phylogenetically close to relapsing fever borreliae, is now recognized as a cause of Lyme-like disease and relapsing fever in Asia, Europe and North America. It usually does not cross react with B. burgdorferi tests (Branda and Rosenberg, 2013; Lee et al., 2014). A novel isolate of Borrelia has been isolated by PCR in a post-treatment serum from a patient with neurologic Lyme disease (Lee et al., 2014).

These recent historical, geographical and microbial data should prompt the medical community to realize that cases of persisting post tick-bite syndromes are probably due to multiple pathogens and that these occult infections will require a new approach if not an actual paradigm shift.


New Frontiers in Ocean Exploration: The Ocean Exploration Trust, NOAA Ocean Exploration, and Schmidt Ocean Institute 2021 Field Season is the twelfth consecutive supplement on ocean exploration to accompany Oceanography. These booklets provide details about the innovative technologies deployed to investigate the seafloor and water column and explain how telepresence can both convey the excitement of ocean exploration to global audiences and allow scientists as well as the public on shore to participate in expeditions in real time. The supplements also describe the variety of educational programs the Ocean Exploration Trust, NOAA Ocean Exploration, and Schmidt Ocean Institute support in conjunction with schools, museums, visitors centers, and aquariums, as well as internships that bring high school students, undergraduates, graduate students, teachers, and artists on board ships. Through these supplements, we have explored the geology, chemistry, biology, and archaeology of parts of the global ocean and seas. We hope you enjoy this booklet and share it widely.


Recognizing the unique vulnerabilities of immigrants who become victims of crime in the United States, Congress enacted the U visa, a form of immigration relief that provides victims, including survivors of domestic violence, a path to legal status. Along with this humanitarian aim, the U visa was intended to aid law enforcement in efforts to investigate and prosecute crime, based on the notion that victims without legal status might otherwise be too fearful to "come out of the shadows" by reporting offenses to the police. Although these two goals were purportedly coequal, in practice, by requiring survivors to cooperate with law enforcement in order to obtain U nonimmigrant status, the benefits to police and prosecutors are achieved at the expense of the victims Congress sought to protect, exacerbating the very vulnerabilities the U visa was intended to address. This article posits that this marginalization of immigrant victims' interest should have been foreseen, as U visa requirements are analogous to other mandatory interventions in cases of domestic violence that have disempowered and destabilized survivors, particularly poor women of color. In tracing the history of the public response to domestic violence, from the time when spousal abuse was ignored or condoned to the overcorrection that has led to compulsory state involvement in women's lives, it becomes clear that the U visa has perpetuated the swing of the pendulum away from victim autonomy and toward an aggressive criminal justice response to domestic violence. This article details why such a shift is particularly damaging for immigrant survivors – due to language barriers, complicated relationships with police, familial ties and economic constraints – and proposes novel solutions that mitigate the harmful effects of the U visa certification requirement and break away from ineffective conventions surrounding assistance for survivors of domestic violence.


Excitation in the epicardial border zone of 3-5-day-old canine infarcts was mapped with an array of 192 bipolar electrodes during sustained ventricular tachycardia. Reentrant circuits were found in which activation occurred around long lines of apparent conduction block based on the criterion that excitation on opposite sides of the lines occurred with marked disparity in time. When the lines of apparent block were functional (i.e., occurred only during tachycardia and not during sinus rhythm or ventricular pacing) they were oriented parallel to the long axis of epicardial muscle fiber bundles. Isochrones distal to the lines were oriented parallel to them because widely separate sites within these isochrones were activated nearly simultaneously. This suggested that excitation not only occurred around the lines of block but also slowly across them. This slow activation occurred transverse to the long axis of the myocardial fibers and therefore might result because of the anisotropic tissue properties. To test this hypothesis, the epicardial border zone was stimulated during sinus rhythm through electrodes around its margin and at the center of the recording array. Activation transverse to the myocardial fibers in regions where lines of block occurred during tachycardia was slow, whereas it was rapid parallel to fibers' orientation. During tachycardia electrograms along the lines of apparent block had long durations and were fractionated, a characteristic that can also result from activation transverse to the myocardial fiber long axis. Therefore, we propose that the parallel orientation of the muscle bundles in the epicardial border zone is an important cause of ventricular tachycardia because activation transverse to myocardial fibers is sufficiently slow to permit the occurrence of reentry.


Canada is the world's largest producer and exporter of flaxseed. In 2009, DNA from a deregistered genetically modified organism (GMO) CDC Triffid was detected in a shipment of Canadian flaxseed exported to Europe, causing a large decrease in the amount of flax planted in Canada and a major shift in export markets. The flax industry in Canada undertook major changes to ensure the removal of transgenic flax from the supply chain. To demonstrate compliance, Canada adopted a protocol involving testing grain samples (post-harvest) using an RT-PCR test for the construct found in CDC Triffid. Efforts to remove the presence of GM flax from the value chain included reconstituting major flax varieties from GM-free plants. The reconstituted varieties represented the majority of planting seed in 2014. This study re-evaluates GM flax presence in Canadian grain stocks for an updated dataset (2009-2015) using a previously described simulation model to estimate low-level GM presence. Additionally, losses to the Canadian economy resulting from the reduction in flax production and export opportunities, costs associated with reconstituting major flax varieties, and testing for the presence of GM flax along the flax value chain are estimated.


In this article, we discuss important aspects of the perceived problematic relationship between self-management and standardization. The article presents data from three case studies conducted within manufacturing companies in Sweden, where the popularity of lean production has led to a renaissance for short-cycle and standardized assembly work in settings that traditionally have made use of sociotechnical production design. The data suggest that the implementation has not contributed to an increased commitment, smooth operations, and capacity for change and innovation. Despite these not so positive results, it is argued that it is possible to combine self-management principles with lean production and standardization if 1) the implementation of lean is done with a contextual sensitivity, 2) a balance is reached between the use of standards on the one hand and work enrichment on the other, and 3) a feeling of ownership as regards both implementation and production process is upheld among the product on personnel.


Background: Innovation in prosthetic devices for adults with upper limb loss is necessary to meet the demand for effective devices to optimize participation in daily activity. We evaluate the SoftHand Pro (SHP) as a terminal device to determine the application of this biologically-inspired prosthetic hand for use for a person with transradial limb deficiency. Method: This case study describes and measures the first use of the SHP by an individual with transradial limb deficiency in their home environment. This paper reports the features and functionality of the SHP prototype and provides recommendations for changes to further optimize function. Results: The participant found the simple mechanics, durability, and ease of use of the SHP to be beneficial. She praised the SHP's positive impact on quality of life and suggested areas for optimization. Objective assessments of dexterity and function showed improvements. Conclusion: Using a biologically-inspired myoelectric hand provides an opportunity for intuitively controlled grasp of common large and small objects. The simplicity of use and the lightweight, durable design of the SHP has the potential to provide a positive impact on quality of life, and this case study has provided valuable feedback to further improve the hand and enable larger at-home trials.


The bone marrow transplantation community mourns the death of its undisputed leader, Nobel laureate E. Donnall Thomas, who passed away October 20, 2012, at the age of 92 (Figure (Figure11).

Figure 1

Photo credit: Suzie Fitzhugh.

Don was born March 15, 1920, in Mart, a small town in rural Texas. His father, Edward E. Thomas, was a general practitioner, and his mother, Angie Hill Donnall, was a teacher. In his Nobel acceptance speech, Don described himself as a mediocre student in high school and during his first year at the University of Texas in Austin in 1937. To support himself during his undergraduate studies, Don worked various jobs; he met his future wife, Dorothy ("Dottie") Martin, during a snowball fight after waiting tables in her dormitory. They married in 1942 and had an exceptional life together in a partnership that included a dynamic loving family life with three children and grandchildren, as well as his research family. Dottie worked as a lab technician, administrator, and editor in chief of the many research papers and books produced by Don and the team. Don received a BA (1941) and a MA (1943) in chemistry and chemical engineering and enrolled in Harvard Medical School, where he received his MD in 1946. He completed an internship, a year of hematology training, two years in the Army, a year of postdoctoral research at MIT, and two years of medical residency at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston.

Don developed his interest in bone marrow and leukemia during medical school. Inspired by the successes of Sydney Farber with antifolate therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, he initially studied marrow-stimulating factors under John Loofborrow, then later in his own laboratory. However, he was also intrigued by the studies of Jacobson and Lorenz, who demonstrated that shielding of the spleen or marrow infusion could protect a mouse against lethal irradiation, and those of Main and Prehn, who showed that a mouse protected from lethal irradiation by marrow infusion would acquire tolerance to a skin graft from the donor. Based on those and other studies, it became clear that radiation protection by marrow infusion relied on the transplantation of cells and not growth factors, and Don set out to develop bone marrow transplantation (BMT) as a therapy for patients with malignancies or congenital or acquired bone marrow failure.

In 1955, he was recruited by Joseph Ferrebee to be chief of the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, and it was there that he began his BMT studies in an outbred large animal (dog) and his first clinical attempts to perform BMT in patients. By 1957, the first six patients had died within 100 days, the sole survivor a patient with leukemia who received a marrow infusion from his twin sibling. That patient survived the transplant, but unfortunately later died from a relapse of his malignancy. In his Nobel lecture, Don described the intense focus of those years: "The long cold winters, absence of commuting problems and opportunity for long discussions were conducive to our work. Those years had a deep and abiding influence on subsequent work since most of the basic concepts were laid out during that time."

In 1963, Don was recruited by Robert Williams to the University of Washington, Seattle, and relocated his research program to the United States Public Health Service Hospital in Seattle. His BMT program was one of the few of its kind; the technique was so unknown that Rainer Storb, who joined his group in 1965, recalled that the university print shop provided them with letterhead reading "Division of Hematology and Transportation." Patients received their radiation in an underground World War II bunker. Don and his team immunized horses to obtain antiserum to inhibit rejection and graft-versus-host disease, a technique complicated by escaping and kicking horses. The initial progress was slow, and excepting those with twin donors, none of the first 54 bone marrow graft recipients survived, due to rejection, infection, graft-versus-host disease, or malignant relapse. In response to these failed efforts, many colleagues declared the pursuit of BMT between individuals a lost cause. However, Don persisted when others abandoned the field, and, using the emerging knowledge of the human histocompatibility system as well as a better understanding of clinical complications and care, he performed the first BMT for a leukemia patient in March 1968 and the first BMT using a matched unrelated donor in 1979.

In 1975, he moved his program to the new Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, where it further developed into one of the most prominent programs in the world. Don remained head of the Seattle transplant program, Director of Clinical Research for the Hutchinson Center, and head of the Division of Medical Oncology for the University of Washington through his retirement in 1989. In addition, he served as the first Chief of Medical Oncology and later as its Director of Clinical Research.

In 1990, Don shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Joseph Murray, who performed the first successful kidney transplantation. Throughout his career, he received many other awards, including membership of the National Academy of Sciences (1982) and the National Medal of Science (1990).

Don was a visionary and true pioneer who led the development of BMT from the laboratory to the bedside against all odds. His legacy is enormous: BMT is now an accepted and potentially life-saving therapy for many patients — in 2010, the one millionth patient received a BMT. Just within the United States, more than 120 centers perform BMT, and more than 15 million volunteer donors worldwide are registered. Many transplant programs around the world were started by his trainees. Apart from his enduring legacy in BMT, his work has also paved the way for the clinical translation of other emerging stem cell therapies. The effects of Don's accomplishments have been profound, and his dream lives on and is more relevant than ever.


Singapore's water resources system is a strong illustration of the value of an integrated water resources management in urban enviroments. Today, urban water resources planning and environmental engineering are essential partners in the planning of tomorrow's urban environments - and not just as passive projects unnoticed by the public.

In Singapore we can see the specific evolution from the separate development of water catchments and the control of monsoon flooding to the integrated water management strategy as exemplified today in the Marina Barrage. The multi-purpose project boosts Singapore's water supply by creating its first reservoir in the city, helps flood control and enhances the living environment of the city.

Marina Barrage presented many interesting challenges in the development of a project whose impact was designed to far transcend the normal functional aspect of a large public works project.

This paper will present the many potential public uses that were considered in the planning for the final facility. The motivation is that the 3P (people, public and private) sectors play an important part in sustaining water resources. Instead of designing the Marina Barrage as a conventional functional facility accessible only to operational staff, the project breaks new ground in taking an unconventional design approach. The facility was designed as an open facility to engage and inspire the public to care for water. Features for public education, lifestyle attraction, eating experiences, options for families to relax, play areas for children, attractions for overseas visitors, spaces for dedicated conferences and many more were considered. A multi-functional team of interior designers, landscape architects, researchers, art specialists, lighting specialists, environmentalists, etc was assembled and met continually as the design evolved. These evolving goals had to be integrated into the overall functional characteristics of the barrage.

The resulting project is a world-class example of how a project initially conceived for water resources functional purpose can evolve not just into an iconic structure but one whose multi-functional capabilities have attracted huge attention from tourists and the people of Singapore. This is evidenced by more than 250,000 people visiting the facility in its first 6 months of operations, and the many families who spend relaxing time enjoying the various spaces at the Barrage.

The evolution of the Marina Barrage in design and operation can act as a lesson for other cities considering similar large flood control or water supply projects. The success of the Marina Barrage's 3P mission indicates how for a relatively little increase in cost these facilities can play a major role in enhancing urban lifestyle in sustainable cities.


Introduction: The term sport psychology refers to psychological aspects of sport, physical recreation, physical education, exercise, health, and related physical activities. The European Sport Psychology Federation (FEPSAC) works for the development of the field of sport psychology and exercise from a European and global perspective. Due to Sport Psychology professionals' specialised knowledge and the hypothetical potential for harm, the ethical principles are guidelines for FEPSAC professionals to act responsibly and ethically in the provision of professional services. These principles are intended to ensure the dignity and welfare of all groups, organisations and individuals with whom FEPSAC professionals may interact with and provide professional services to. Altogether seven ethical principles is stated that guides FEPSAC research and applied sport psychology. These are: a) Professional and Social Responsibility, b) Competence, c) Consent, d) Confidentiality, e) Integrity, f) Personal Conduct, g) Research. Recommendations: a) FEPSAC members are responsible for safeguarding the public and the FEPSAC from members who are deficient in ethical conduct. They should uphold professional and social standards of conduct and accept appropriate responsibility for their behaviour. b) FEPSAC members should strive to maintain the highest standards of competence in their work. c) No FEPSAC members should undertake any work without first having the informed consent of all participating clients. This is done primarily, through the client signing a document setting detailing all information relevant to the proposed investigation, intervention, treatments or test. d) FEPSAC members should preserve the confidentiality of the information acquired in their work which should not be developed without prior written consent of a client. Clients should be informed that they have a right to a copy of such information relating to them if so requested. f) FEPSAC members should promote integrity in research, teaching, and practice of sport psychology. g) FEPSAC members shall conduct themselves in a manner beneficial to the well-being of their clients and in a way that brings credit to the field of sport psychology. h) FEPSAC members should comply with codes, statements, guidelines and other directives developed. Moreover, they should accurately report the data they have gathered and the results of their research, and state clearly if any data on which the publication is based have been published previously.


The term 'last known well' (LKW) is ingrained in the culture of stroke treatment. There are good reasons for this. Successful acute thrombolytic trials used LKW as an entry criterion to prove the efficacy of IV thrombolysis.1 ,2 Based on the results of those trials, treatment of acute stroke with IV thrombolysis is a class 1 recommendation for patients presenting with acute stroke symptoms within 3–4.5 h of LKW.3 Few vascular neurologists will recommend IV thrombolysis for patients outside the time window established by LKW, and hence this term represents a crucial time metric for thrombolytic therapy and is here to stay.

Patient entry into the successful randomized trials of mechanical thrombectomy in all cases also included a (varying) criterion for LKW.4–8 Hence, the class 1, level of evidence A recommendation for mechanical thrombectomy also includes a time of onset metric, based on a time of LKW of 6 h.9

One problem with LKW is that it assumes the worst case scenario—for example, that a patient's stroke started the minute the last person to see them left the room. Although this may be a necessary assumption, it is a potentially detrimental assumption for patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO). Consider two identical twins, over 18 years of age, who both had an onset of symptoms from a middle cerebral artery embolus at 13:00, and were both discovered 30 min later at 13:30. One was last seen normal at 7:00, and one was last seen normal at 10:00. They are both transported by the emergency medical services and both arrive at the emergency department at 14:00 (they are both just 1 h into their stroke). In many hospitals across the country, one of these patients will receive an acute evaluation and consideration for mechanical thrombectomy (the one LKW 4 h ago), and …


We present a principled approach to selecting a surface reflectance model and setting its parameters. The approach is based on fundamental physical principles, comparisons between different models, and practical insight into the characteristics of real surfaces. Four models of surface reflectance were evaluated by comparing them with physical measurements on five different sample surfaces. Conclusions are drawn about which of the models are best to represent different surfaces, since no one model was a clear winner in all cases. Principles and visual checks are derived to help practitioners model a variety of surfaces with good accuracy.


A Flexibook for both the specialist and non-specialist, the new book offers accessible information on hematology in a succinct format. In addition to providing basic methodology, the book utilizes more than 260 color illustrations to detail the most up-to-date clinical procedures. Numerous tables and flow charts are included to assist in differential diagnosis, making this a valuable didactic reference for nurses, practicing physicians and residents preparing for board examinations.


A circular holographic video display system reconstructs holographic video. Phase-only spatial light modulators are tiled in a circular configuration in order to increase the field of view. A beam-splitter is used to align the active area of the SLMs side by side without any gap. With the help of this configuration observers can see 3D ghost-like image floating in space and can move and rotate around the object. The 3D reconstructions can be observed binocularly. Experimental results are satisfactory.


Year-end 2006 is scheduled as the date when 1,500 TV stations cease analog broadcasts, continuing in digital format only. Yet, according to a safeguard provision, analog stations will remain in any TV market where fewer than 85 percent of households are equipped to receive digital transmissions over-the-air. Of 33 million TV sets sold in the U.S. in 2000, just 37,000 (0.1 percent) possessed digital reception functionality. This lack of customer interest, combined with the 85% trigger, assures substantial delays. Ironically, a parallel transition to digital TV proceeds spontaneously. About 35% of U.S. TV households subscribe to digital cable or digital satellite service; this level is projected to double by 2006. Subscription TV viewers use set-top converters to translate analog or digital signals for either analog or digital TV sets; the technology transition is inexpensive and seamless to customers. More broadly, the success of subscription TV service is reducing the TV Band to irrelevance. At year-end 2001, 87% of U.S. households will receive their television by wire or satellite link, a proportion expected to grow to 91% in 2004. At that point, fewer than ten million U.S. households will rely on over?the?air TV. If something less than $3 billion is invested to move remaining over-the-air TV viewers to a "limited basic" cable or satellite TV service, substantial social gains result. First, consumers avoid expenditures for new digital TV receivers, saving 50--150 billion dollars. Second, the 402 MHz of prime radio spectrum now allocated to over-the-air TV broadcasting could provide alternative uses (such as mobile telephony or high- speed Internet access) worth 50--470 billion dollars. Public interest considerations also strongly recommend a migration of broadcast TV to subscription services. As the opportunity costs of a spectrum allocation originally conceived in 1939 have grown enormous, gains from allowing market reallocation are commensurate.


The implications of habitat fragmentation go beyond changes in the size and composition of suitable habitat patches. In fragmented landscapes, "matrix permeability" influences the dispersal of organisms, thereby affecting the persistence of populations in such landscapes. We investigated the effect of habitat composition on the movement of adult and recently metamorphosed juvenile common frogs (Rana temporaria) emigrating from a pond in an agricultural landscape. One question driving our research was: do the numbers of captured individuals differ between habitat types? Such a difference would indicate avoidance of or preference for certain habitats. A subsidiary question was: does the response to landscape composition differ between adults and juveniles? We found significant differences in the numbers of frogs trapped in various habitat types. Adult and juvenile common frogs preferred extensive meadows and hedgerows above other habitat types. Arable land was the most avoided habitat type, but short-cut pastures and road verges were also avoided. For instance, almost 10 times more juveniles and four times more adults were caught in meadows than in arable land. Hedgerows were also frequented often, with four times more juveniles and 2.2 times more adults captured compared to arable land. Juveniles displayed more clear-cut preference and avoidance of habitat types than adults. These findings suggest that intensively farmed landscapes form a larger barrier for juveniles than for adults, from which we conclude that different life stages of the same species may react differently to matrix composition. The demonstrated influence of matrix composition on frog dispersal underlines the importance of having well-connected habitat networks to ensure the sustainability of amphibian communities in agricultural landscapes.