OBJECTIVES
Iodide administration to animals, living in iodine-deficient areas, can induce oxidative processes in the thyroid gland and increase concentration of lipid peroxidation (LPO). Propylthiouracil (PTU)--a well-known antithyroid drug--may also act as an antioxidant. There are some reports, which consider the protective ability of this drug against LPO. The goal of the study was to evaluate oxidative processes and the protective role of PTU in three rat organs during treatment with pharmacological doses of iodide.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
Schiff's bases (SB) concentrations (a parameter of oxidative stress) were measured in liver, lung and kidney homogenates of male Wistar rats. For 2 weeks the animals received iodides in their diet in the following concentrations: Group 1--Controls (standard diet, approx. 0.7 mg of potassium iodide per kg; KI/kg); Group 2--diet containing 0.25 mg KI/kg; Group 3--diet with 4.0 mg KI/kg; Group 4--diet with 8.0 mg KI/kg. Group 5--standard diet with 0.1% of PTU in drinking water for two weeks. Subsequent tree groups (6-8) received KI in their diet in doses as above, respectively, together with PTU.

RESULTS
We noted increased SB levels in the lungs and in the liver, compared to those observed in the control group. We also found decreased SB concentrations in liver and lung homogenates after the administration of PTU but, unexpectedly, the level of SB increased in kidney homogenates of all the groups.

CONCLUSIONS
The results of this study indicate that iodine is involved in oxidative processes in different organs and PTU protects against iodine-induced oxidative stress.


Abstract The concept of heterochrony has long had a central place in evolutionary theory. During their long history, heterochrony and several associated concepts such as paedomorphosis and neoteny have often been contentious and they continue to be criticized. Despite these criticisms, we review many examples showing that heterochrony and its associated concepts are increasingly cited and used in many areas of evolutionary study. Furthermore, major strides are being made in our understanding of the underlying genetic and developmental mechanisms of heterochrony, and in the methods used to describe heterochronic changes. A general theme of this accumulating research is that some of the simplistic notions of heterochrony, such as terminal addition, simple rate genes, and "pure" heterochronic categories are invalid. However, this research also shows that a more sophisticated view of the hierarchical nature of heterochrony provides many useful insights and improves our understanding of how ontogenetic changes are translated into phylogenetic changes.


We describe a new technique that incorporates polarization modulation into near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) for nanometer scale polarimetry studies. By using this technique, we can quantitatively measure the optical anisotropy of materials with both the high sensitivity of dynamic polarimetry and the high spatial resolution of NSOM. The magnitude and relative orientation of linear birefringence or linear dichroism are obtained simultaneously. To demonstrate the sensitivity and resolution of the microscope, we map out stress-induced birefringence associated with submicrometer defects at the fusion boundaries of SrTiO3 bicrystals. Features as small as 150 nm were imaged with a retardance sensitivity of approximately 3 x 10(-3) rad.


Programming knowledge is often necessary for finding a solution to a biological problem. Based on the authors experience working for an agricultural biotechnology company, Python for Bioinformatics helps scientists solve their biological problems by helping them understand the basics of programming. Requiring no prior knowledge of programming-related concepts, the book focuses on the easy-to-use, yet powerful, Python computer language. The book begins with a very basic introduction that teaches the principles of programming. It then introduces the Biopython package, which can be useful in solving life science problems. The next section covers sophisticated tools for bioinformatics, including relational database management systems and XML. The last part illustrates applications with source code, such as sequence manipulation, filtering vector contamination, calculating DNA melting temperature, parsing a genbank file, inferring splicing sites, and more. The appendices provide a wealth of supplementary information, including instructions for installing Python and Biopython and a Python language and style guide. By incorporating examples in biology as well as code fragments throughout, the author places a special emphasis on practice, encouraging readers to experiment with the code. He shows how to use Python and the Biopython package for building web applications, genomic annotation, data manipulation, and countless other applications.


In this paper an optimal scheduling for energy resources and consumers for a single household is presented with the integration of renewable energy generation and battery storage systems. Based on the user's preference, three different optimization objectives are defined. The objectives are cost savings, reduction of CO2 emissions and user comfort. Two objectives are modeled as mixed integer linear programming (MILP) problems. The last one is modeled as a non-linear optimization problem. The approach furthermore utilizes several machine learning (ML) algorithms to forecast power generation and small load aggregation. The output of the ML forecast algorithms is therefore used as input for the optimization. The results show that the proposed approach is capable of optimizing energy supply at the level of a single household, based on user preferences for the objective of the optimization. In addition, better day-ahead planning of generation and demand is made possible by the use of a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) together with other ML forecasting algorithms.


Europe has experienced more than two months of the first transmissions and outbreak of the 2009 pandemic of A(H1N1)v. This article summarises some of the experience to date and looks towards the expected autumn increases of influenza activity that will affect every country. To date the distribution of transmission has been highly heterogenous between and within countries, with one country the United Kingdom (UK) experiencing the most cases and the highest transmission rates. Most infections are mild but there are steadily increasing numbers of people needing hospital care and more deaths are being reported. An initial difference in practice between Europe and North America was over case-finding and treatment with some authorities in Europe using active case-finding, contact tracing and treatment/prophylaxis with antivirals to try and delay transmission. This article details the history of this practice in the past two months and explains how and why countries are moving to mitigation, especially treating with antivirals those at higher risk of experiencing severe disease.


We use existential theory as a framework to explore the levels of and relationship between job and couple burnout reported by dual-earner couples in the "sandwich generation" (i.e., couples caring both for children and aging parents) in a sample of such couples in Israel and the United States. This comparison enables an examination of the influence of culture (which is rarely addressed in burnout research) and gender (a topic fraught with conflicting results) on both job and couple burnout in this growing yet understudied group of workers who are reaching middle age and starting to face existential issues as part of their own life cycle. Results revealed significant differences in burnout type (job burnout higher than couple burnout); gender (wives more burned out than husbands); and country (Americans more burned out than Israelis). Job related stressors and rewards as well as parent care stressors predicted job burnout, and marital stressors and rewards predicted couple burnout. In addition, there was evidence for both crossover and spillover.


The healthcare industry in America consists of a multitude of specialty professions. While most of these require licensing through state agencies, the legislation involved largely rubber stamps the desires of the professional associations, self-perpetuating and self-regulating bodies that effectively impose restrictions on entry to the profession, type and location of practice, and advertising. Professionalism and the Public Interest provides a case study of one such profession—optometry and vision care—as a means of arriving at some valid general conclusions about professional practices, especially (but not exclusively) those in the medical field. To what extent does the practice of self-regulation promote self-interest over the public interest? And are the high, fixed-fee, noncompetitive, unadvertised prices set for services justified by the "noncommercial," "professional" quality of those services? One of the major conclusions of the book is that the high prices that prevail in optometry—and medicine generally—restrict full access to the affluent, which actually lowers the quality of health care available to the average citizen, whereas a competitive price structure would tend to raise the quality of such available to the public at large. Begun skillfully handles the instrumental resources in sociology, political science, and economics in his analysis, much of which is based on a data set that he assembled from a national survey of optometrists. State-by-state comparison of legislation relating to the optometric profession is provided, including information on which states require continuing education of optometrists, which states prohibit advertising by optometrists and opticians, and which states restrict mercantile location.


Marine mussels adhere to substrates within the intertidal zone by means of a bundle of threads called the mussel byssus which contains several collagen-like proteins responsible for the mechanical properties of the fibers. Here, we demonstrate the biotechnological production of one of three identified byssus collagens, preColD, from Mytilus galloprovincialis using Pichia pastoris as the expression host. Previously detected structural features of natural preColD, such as collagen triple helix formation, could also be detected in the recombinant preColD, even in the absence of hydroxylation of proline or tyrosine residues.


Purpose: The study defines the specifics and opportunities, that arise due to the application of statistical method in judicial research of manufacturing property. Design/Methodology/Approach: The authors put the ground of the study on the aggregation of a vast spectrum of statistical data and indicators of patent activity of leading countries in the sphere of technological innovation. Findings: The authors outlined the main tendencies of legal regulation of scientific and artistic results of intellectual property development and define the specifics and opportunities that arise due to the application of statistical method in judicial research of manufacturing property. Lack of coordination of approaches to protect manufacturing property on the international level, obstructs the development of patent activity amongst the members of the Paris Convention and significantly reduces the effectiveness of the current patent system. Practical implications: Authors' development could be utilized in future developments of Russian institute of manufacturing property and its legal framework. Originality/Value: The contribution of the article is the comprehensive analysis of legal background of intellectual property institute and its development prospects.


The Rosemead Psychology Series is a continuing series of studies written for professionals and students in the fields of psychology and theology and in related areas such as pastoral counseling. It seeks to present current thinking on the subject of the integration of psychology that grow out of the interface of psychology and theology. The data and theories of both theoretical and applied psychology are treated in this series, as well as fundamental theological concepts and issues that bear on psychological research, theory, and practice. These volumes are offered with the hope that they will stimulate further thinking and publication on the integration of psychology and the Christian faith.


Uptake of antigens and bacteria over the follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) is increased after chronic psychological stress. We investigated whether stress affects the immune response to particle-conjugated antigens taken up via the FAE. Rats were submitted to two 10-day periods of water avoidance stress and orally immunized during these periods. Stressed immunized rats displayed altered cell populations and a Th1-skewed immune response within the lymphoid follicles, together with enhanced delayed-type hypersensitivity. We conclude that chronic stress affects the cell-mediated immune response after oral immunization, which may have implications for the understanding of allergic and autoimmune diseases and development of oral vaccines.


Estimates of instrumental rules can be utilized to describe central bank's behavior and monetary policy stance. In the last decade, considerable attention has been given to time-varying parameter (TVP) specification of monetary policy rules. Constant-parameter reaction functions likely ignore the impact of model uncertainty, shifting preferences and nonlinearities of policymaker's choices. This paper examines the evolution of monetary policy reaction function in Iran via estimating a time-varying parameter (TVP) specification in the 1990:2-2014:4 period. We try to find out whether there is a significant time variation in coefficient of CBI (the Central Bank of Iran) reaction function. The main findings are threefold. First, monetary policy rules changed over time, hence making relevant the application of a time-varying estimation framework. Second, the monetary instrument smoothing parameter is much lower than typically reported by previous time-invariant estimates of policy rules. Third, CBI does not systematically follow instrumental rule to fight inflation. During the whole sample, there is no quarter in which the inflation gap coefficient is negative and significant; therefore, monetary policy has not counteracted inflationary pressures.


The objectives of this action research were: (1) to assess nutritional status of children under five years under five years under five yaers, and (2) to evaluate the effects of nutrition education and home gardening to nutritional status of children under five years under five years. The research was carried out in two sub-districts of Bogor: Sub-District of Ciomas and Sub-District of Darmaga. This research started with a preliminary study as the first step and experimental design as the second step.  As many as 16 posyandu  that met research requirements were obtained. A total number of 240 mothers had been divided into kontrol and intervention groups. Collected data included the data of household, children under five years under five years and mothers. Baseline data were collected during the pre-study, while endline data were collected after conducting intervention (experiment). The experiment had been conducted for five months in the form of providing  nutrition education once in two weeks and implementing home gardening. The data analysis included estimation of mean, standard deviation, minimum value, maximum value and proportion. The estimation results were then presented in tables and diagrams. Based on the analysis of nutrition intake data, it appears that intervention of nutrition education and home gardening has given great impacts on macronutrient and micronutrient improvement. The impacts of this nutrition intake improvement are not only because of the availability of vegetable garden in their home, but also because of the allocation of the family resources that is aimed at buying nutritious food. This has proved that knowledge about giving appropriate food is a prerequisite to improve access and sufficient and nutritious food, which has become a basis to reduce any kind of malnutrition.


In Iran, increasing demand for red meat, caused by increasing human
population, pasture limitations and increasing cost of production, has become an
impetus for sheep producers to change the system of farming and optimise meat
production for more efficient output per unit livestock. One way to achieve the latter
goal is by taking advantage of the effect of heterosis from crossbreeding.
Twenty seven rams and 473 ewes of three popular breeds of sheep in Iran,
namely the Chal, Moghani and Zel, were crossed reciprocally. The reproductive
performances of the ewes, and the growth performance, feed conversion ratio and
carcass traits of the offspring, under an intensive system of management, were
studied.
Zel ewes showed higher (P<0.05) overall apparent fertility, reproductivity and
productivity compared Chal and Moghani ewes.


Abstract

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is common among females. Many factors are associated with different levels of disability caused by low back pain, including Fear avoidance behavior. The fear avoidance beliefs of women with chronic low back pain are not clear. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to assess the disability level and fear avoidance beliefs of women with chronic LBP.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional survey of 227 females with chronic LBP. Demographic information was obtained from each participant. Disabilities due to LBP and fear-avoidance beliefs were assessed using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and the Fear Avoidance Belief Questionnaire (FABQ), respectively. Descriptive data were analyzed using the chi-square test and an ANOVA for continuous variables.

Results: The majority of them had minimal disability, and a higher number of episodes of LBP was associated with increased frequency in seeking health advice (p<.001) and greater interference in daily activities (p<.01). A correlation analysis showed that disability was positively correlated with scores on the physical activity (FABQ-PA; r = 0.39 at p ≤ .01) and work (FABQ–W; r = 0.26 at p ≤ .01) subscales.

Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first ever study done on females to investigate their health behaviors and beliefs related to disability due to LBP. Previous studies also have involved chronic condition but not considered exclusively females. Findings suggest that chronic LBPrelated disability is associated with fear avoidance beliefs. Such behavior among females should be considered while planning the management of the disability caused by LBP.


Synthetic nucleic acids can be programmed to form precise three-dimensional structures on the nanometer-scale. These thermodynamically stable complexes can serve as structural scaffolds to spatially organize functional molecules including multiple enzymes, chromophores, and force-sensing elements with internal dynamics that include substrate reaction-diffusion, excitonic energy transfer, and force-displacement response that often depend critically on both the local and global conformational dynamics of the nucleic acid assembly. However, high molecular weight assemblies exhibit long time-scale and large length-scale motions that cannot easily be sampled using all-atom computational procedures such as molecular dynamics. As an alternative, here we present a computational framework to compute the overdamped conformational dynamics of structured nucleic acid assemblies and apply it to a DNA-based tweezer, a nine-layer DNA origami ring, and a pointer-shaped DNA origami object, which consist of 204, 3,600, and over 7,000 basepairs, respectively. The framework employs a mechanical finite element model for the DNA nanostructure combined with an implicit solvent model to either simulate the Brownian dynamics of the assembly or alternatively compute its Brownian modes. Computational results are compared with an all-atom molecular dynamics simulation of the DNA-based tweezer. Several hundred microseconds of Brownian dynamics are simulated for the nine-layer ring origami object to reveal its long time-scale conformational dynamics, and the first ten Brownian modes of the pointer-shaped structure are predicted.


I use 2009 public opinion survey data from Pakistan to show that the relationship between education and support for terrorism varies by gender. Specifically: 1) as women become more educated, they are less likely to support militancy relative to similarly educated men, whereas uneducated women are more likely to support militancy relative to uneducated men, controlling for religiosity, demographics, region, and terrorist events in the district; 2) the effect of women's education is driven by the years of schooling immediately preceding and following high school; 3) educated women have more negative views of the United States and are more likely to support terror attacks against the U.S. relative to educated men, and uneducated women have more positive views of the United States relative to uneducated men. I discuss possible omitted factors which could explain the results, and use the Altonji Elder Taber test to show that a causal explanation is plausible.


The paper examines the correlation as well as the effect of tax rate on tax compliance in Africa using cross-country data. The study used all the African countries as population, upon which sample were selected using multi-stage approach. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 19.The findings showed that there is significant negative correlation between tax rate and tax compliance and tax rate has a negative effect on tax compliance. Thus, it is recommended that since average tax rate is 29.1985% in Africa, countries with tax rates above average that are experiencing noncompliance should reduce their tax rate to the mean tax rate in Africa. It is further recommended that future researchers on the subject should consider the increase in the sample size and observation years as data becomes available so as to increase the robustness of findings.


Re-use of patients' health records can provide tremendous benefits for clinical research. One of the first essential steps for many research studies, such as clinical trials or population health studies, is to effectively identify, from electronic health record systems, groups of well-characterized patients who meet specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. This procedure is called cohort exploration. Yet, when researchers need to compile specific cohorts of patients, privacy issues represent one of the major obstacles to accessing the data, especially when sensitive/identifying data, such as genomic data, are involved. Because of this, cohort exploration canbeextremelydifficultandtime-consuming.InthisjointpaperbetweentheE colePolytechniqueFe de raledeLausanne(EPFL)and the Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV), we address the challenge of designing and deploying in a real operational setting an efficient privacy-preserving explorer for genetic cohorts. Our solution is built on top of i2b2 (Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside), the state-of-the-art open-source framework for clinical cohorts exploration, and leverages cutting-edge privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) such as homomorphic encryption and differential privacy. Solutions involving homomorphic encryption are often believed to be costly and still immature for use in operational environments. Here, we show that, contrary to these assumptions, this kind of PETs can be very efficient enablers, at least for specific use cases. Indeed, the proposed solution outperforms the state-of-the-art by enabling a researcher to securely explore 3,000 genetic variants over a cohort of 5,000 individuals in less than 5 seconds with commodity hardware. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first privacy-preserving solution to be successfully deployed and tested in a real operational environment within a hospital, more specifically, as one of the services of the clinical research data-warehouse of CHUV.


The Supply Chain Operations Reference model (SCOR) is the product of the Supply Chain Council. The supply chain operations reference model (SCOR) is a management tool used to address, improve, and communicate supply chain management decisions within a company and with suppliers and customers of a company. The model describes the business processes required to satisfy a customer's demands. It also helps to explain the processes along the entire supply chain and provides a basis for how to improve those processes. The model integrates business concepts of process reengineering, benchmarking, and measurement into its framework. This framework focuses on five areas of the supply chain: plan, source, make, deliver, and return. These areas repeat again and again along the supply chain in order to satisfy continuous improvement. This study is about determining the limitations of SCOR model in a manufacturing industry firm in Turkey. All the steps of SCOR model considered and adaptability, compatibility and sustainability of the model analyzed among all of its steps as and plan, source, make, deliver, and return


Background People with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) often experience mental health symptoms that exacerbate illness and increase mortality risk. Access to psychological support is low in people with T2DM. Detection of depression is variable in primary care and can be further hampered by mental health stigma. Electronic mental health (eMH) programs may provide an accessible, private, nonstigmatizing mental health solution for this group. Objective This study aims to evaluate the efficacy over 12 months of follow-up of an eMH program (myCompass) for improving social and occupational functioning in a community sample of people with T2DM and self-reported mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms. myCompass is a fully automated and self-guided web-based public health program for people with depression or anxiety. The effects of myCompass on depressive symptoms, diabetes-related distress, anxiety symptoms, and self-care behavior were also examined. Methods Adults with T2DM and mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms (N=780) were recruited via online advertisements, community organizations, and general practices. Screening, consent, and self-report questionnaires were administered online. Eligible participants were randomized to receive either myCompass (n=391) or an attention control generic health literacy program (Healthy Lifestyles; n=379) for 8 weeks. At baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 months postintervention, participants completed the Work and Social Adjustment Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 item, the Diabetes Distress Scale, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire-7 item, and items from the Self-Management Profile for Type 2 Diabetes. Glycosylated hemoglobin measurements were obtained at baseline and 6 and 12 months postintervention. Results A total of 38.9% (304/780) of the trial participants completed all postintervention assessments. myCompass users logged in on an average of 6 times and completed an average of 0.29 modules. Healthy Lifestyles users logged in on an average of 4 times and completed an average of 1.37 modules. At baseline, the mean scores on several outcome measures, including the primary outcome of work and social functioning, were close to the normal range, despite a varied and extensive recruitment process. Intention-to-treat analyses revealed slightly greater improvement at 12 months in work and social functioning for the Healthy Lifestyles group relative to the myCompass group. All participants reported equivalent improvements in depression anxiety, diabetes distress, diabetes self-management, and glycemic control across the trial. Conclusions The Healthy Lifestyles group reported higher ratings of social and occupational functioning than the myCompass group, but no differences were observed for any secondary outcome. Although these findings should be interpreted in light of the near-floor symptom scores at baseline, the trial yields important insights into how people with T2DM might be engaged in eMH programs and the challenges of focusing specifically on mental health. Several avenues emerge for continued investigation into how best to deal with the growing mental health burden in adults with T2DM. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Number (ACTRN) 12615000931572; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=368109&isReview=true


Objective To study the effect of individual nursing consultations in patients treated with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in a rheumatology outpatient setting. Methods Patients with inflammatory arthritides (IA) who had started with a DMARD regimen 3 months before were randomised to two different follow-up consultation systems: either follow-up by a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) or by a medical doctor (MD) in rheumatology 3, 9 and 21 months after randomisation. The primary outcome was patient satisfaction measured by Leeds Satisfaction Questionnaire (LSQ). Secondary outcomes included coping, disease activity, pain, fatigue, patient's global assessment of disease activity and health related quality of life. Effects at 9 and 21 months were estimated by Least Square means calculated from the final mixed model. Results Of 68 patients randomised, 65 patients completed assessments at 21 months. Statistically significant improvements in favour of the CNS group were found in all LSQ subscales (all p values <0.001) and in overall satisfaction at 9 months (adjusted mean between-group difference 0.74, 95% CI −0.96 to −0.52) and at 21 months (−0.69, 96% CI −0.87 to −0.50). Disease activity Score 28 joint count (DAS-28) was improved from baseline to 9 months in both groups and improvement was maintained at 21 months, but without any group difference. No statistically significant between-group differences were found in any of the other secondary outcomes. Conclusions Patients with IA are likely to benefit from nurse consultations in terms of increased satisfaction with care compared with MD consultations and without loss of efficacy in terms of clinical outcomes. The study is registered as a clinical trial at the ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00403676).


The Controlled Source ElectroMagnetic (CSEM) method has been developed over the
past two decades, to provide information on oceanic crustal structure. The stark contrast
between the low resistivity of rock structure saturated with salt water, compared to the high
resistivity of oil, has meant that the method is increasingly being adopted by the hydrocarbon
industry at the exploration stage. During initial assessment, and subsequent development of
oil and gas fields, wells are routinely drilled for a variety of purposes. The boreholes provide a
possible means of placing either EMsources or receivers within or beneath the target reservoir.
This in turn presents the opportunity of applying CSEM methods, using a combination of
seafloor and borehole sources and receivers to improve the characterisation and monitoring
of the reservoir. In this thesis, forward modelling is used to test out the various survey
configurations, in terms of the improvement Borehole CSEM (BCSEM) affords the appraisal
and monitoring of hydrocarbon reserves.
The results from 1D modelling have shown that the use of downhole instruments (either
source or receivers) increased the amplitude anomalies associated with target layers when
compared to conventional CSEM. The edge detection capabilities of BCSEM were tested
and it was found that a single downhole receiver and a towed seafloor source produced a
significant change in the amplitude of the electric field as the source moved over the edge of
the modelled reservoir. The method also returned promising results for 3D bodies, showing
sensitivity to small structures that are below the detection threshold for conventional CSEM.
There is evidence to support that BCSEM could prove to be a useful 4D tool in monitoring
reservoir changes during production. The modelling of a depleting anticline reservoir showed
that the anomalies associated with the depletion are at potentially detectable levels.


The incidence of exclusively epidural spinal arteriovenous malformation (EESAVM) is extremely low and there are only a few case-reports in literature. Early, correct recognition of the pathology is mandatory to halt the progression of the disease and minimize permanent spinal cord injury. This review depicts EESAVM's characteristics, from the aspect of pathophysiology, clinical presentation, treatment strategies, and outcome. EESAVMs are located entirely in the epidural space and fed by radicular vessels or segmental arteries. The nidus of EESAVM purely locates in the spinal epidural space. The drainage of nidus flows into the epidural venous plexus or intradural vein. The retrograde blood flow from the AVM results in a diminished intramedullary blood flow and symptoms due to spinal cord ischemia and myelopathy. There is no gender predilection (male 52.9%), age distribution by the time of diagnosis shows most cases are younger than 20-year (64.7%), most cases present as spontaneous epidural hematoma (64.7%), and the majority of those lesions are located on cervicothoracic junction or upper thoracic segment (75%). Generally, the clinical presentation of EESAVM is slighter than intradural/intramedullary AVMs. Unruptured EESAVM may symptomless, or present as protracted, progressive neurological decline. Ruptured EESAVM may present acute back or thoracic pain subsequently with paraplegia. Epidural haemorrhage is common and urgent condition for EESAVM. Up to now, spinal angiography remains the gold standard and the first choice for diagnosis and characterization of spinal vascular lesion. The best management for EESAVM is still surgical operation. Prompt diagnosis and emergency surgical treatment are crucial. Long-term functional prognosis of EESAVM is good, but delayed surgical operation
leave residual symptoms.


Providing end-to-end communication in heterogeneous internetworking environments is a challenge. Two fundamental problems are bridging between different internetworking technologies and hiding of network complexity and differences from both applications and application developers. This paper presents abstraction and naming mechanisms that address these challenges in the Ambient Networks project. Connectivity abstractions hide the differences of heterogeneous internetworking technologies and enable applications to operate across them. A common naming framework enables end-to-end communication across otherwise independent internetworks and supports advanced networking capabilities, such as indirection or delegation, through dynamic bindings between named entities


The objective of this study was to assess the impact of pedigree, historical data, dominance, and data unbalance on the estimation and precision of genetic variances and breeding values and on the selection efficiency in annual crop breeding. Expansion volume and grain yield from 12 trials of inbred progeny and four tests of non-inbred families were used in the analyses. The S₁ to S₅ progeny trials were designed as incomplete blocks, the S₆ progeny trials were designed as complete blocks, and the half- and full-sib family trials were designed as lattices. The half-sib, full-sib, and inbred family models were fitted in across-generation analyses. One complete and four reduced models were used to assess the relevance of pedigree, historical data, and dominance. Simulated plot losses of 30% in the half- and full-sib progeny trials were used to study the influence of data unbalance. All analyses were performed using ASReml. Ignoring pedigree information or ancestor data and simulating plot losses determined relevant biases in estimating the additive and dominance variances, marked reduction in the precision of the predicted breeding values, significant changes in the classification of the breeding values, and errors in identifying superior individuals, i.e., a significant reduction in the selection efficiency. In contrast, excluding dominance had no significant effect on either the ranking of breeding values or selection efficiency. Our results revealed that best linear unbiased prediction including pedigree and historical data, based on a model with dominance, is the ideal method for genetic evaluation by plant breeders even when lost records are considered.


Remarkably, grassroots-based community planning flourishes in New York City--the self-proclaimed "real estate capital of the world"--with at least seventy community plans for different neighborhoods throughout the city. Most of these were developed during fierce struggles against gentrification, displacement, and environmental hazards, and most got little or no support from government. In fact, community-based plans in New York far outnumber the land use plans produced by government agencies. In New York for Sale, Tom Angotti tells some of the stories of community planning in New York City: how activists moved beyond simple protests and began to formulate community plans to protect neighborhoods against urban renewal, real estate mega-projects, gentrification, and environmental hazards. Angotti, both observer of and longtime participant in New York community planning, focuses on the close relationships among community planning, political strategy, and control over land. After describing the political economy of New York City real estate, its close ties to global financial capital, and the roots of community planning in social movements and community organizing, Angotti turns to specifics. He tells of two pioneering plans forged in reaction to urban renewal plans (including the first community plan in the city, the 1961 Cooper Square Alternate Plan--a response to a Robert Moses urban renewal scheme); struggles for environmental justice, including battles over incinerators, sludge, and garbage; plans officially adopted by the city; and plans dominated by powerful real estate interests. Finally, Angotti proposes strategies for progressive, inclusive community planning not only for New York City but for anywhere that neighborhoods want to protect themselves and their land. New York for Sale teaches the empowering lesson that community plans can challenge market-driven development even in global cities with powerful real estate industries


The recent paper by Dahlgren et al. (2006), which
builds on the earlier paper of Beck et al. (2001), proposes
a classification system to identify important
marine nursery habitats to aid in directing future
research and to provide managers with a tool for the
protection of important habitats. This work is important
in recognising the need for a clearer nursery
ground definition, and particularly in emphasising that
the value of a nursery ground goes beyond the abundance
or density of juveniles it supports (Beck et al.
2001, Sheaves & Molony 2001, Dahlgren et al. 2006).
However, we believe that this approach is oversimplistic
and does not account for many key aspects of nursery
ground value. In particular, the approach focuses
solely on one aspect of nursery ground function, the
provision of a physical area of habitat occupied by
juveniles, and one measure of importance, the proportion
of individuals contributed by a nursery ground.
Consequently, the nursery ground concept of Dahlgren
et al. (2006) fails to (1) identify and account for the
effects of scale, (2) recognise the importance of complexity
and connectivity, (3) recognise the importance
of ecosystems, resources and processes in supporting
juveniles, and (4) recognise that the value of a nursery
ground is a function of the reproductive output of individuals
from the nursery and not just the numbers of
individuals it provides.
Reproductive output, not numbers of recruits.
Dahlgren et al. (2006), and Beck et al. (2001) before
them, measured the value of nursery grounds in terms
of numbers contributed to adult populations, either the
average number of individuals per unit area (Beck et
al. 2001) or the proportion of individuals (Dahlgren et
al. 2006). This approach relates to the value of a nursery
from a purely exploitive, short-term, fisheries perspective;
it does not recognise that—in an evolutionary,
ecological and a sustainable fisheries sense—it is
the contribution to the production of succeeding generations
that determines real nursery-ground value.
Through its effect on size and growth, the quality of a
juvenile habitat can have a large influence on the lifetime
reproductive output of an individual (Chigbu &
Sibley 1994, Sedinger et al. 1995). Consequently, individuals
from some habitats will be more fecund than
those from others, so that any classification of the
importance of habitats based only on the number of
individuals recruiting to adult populations is likely to
be invalid and misleading.


This thesis is mainly concerned with the preparation of a range of novel poly(thiophene)s incorporating fused redox active substituents. Confirmation of the structure of the monomer units was carried out by NMR ([1]H and [13]C), mass spectral analysis, C,H,N analysis and where applicable, single crystal X-ray structural determination. Electrochemical studies on a number of the systems synthesised was also investigated, and voltammetric measurements were made using cyclic voltammetry. The novel fused TTF-thiophene monomer 2,5-dibromothieno[3,4-d]-1,3-dithiole-2-ylidine-4,5-bis(hexylsulfanyl)-1,3-dithiole has been prepared and polymerised using Yamamoto methodology. The resulting polymer exhibits significant electrical conductivity in the neutral state and is the first example of an annelated TTF-thiophene polymer. The development of terthiophene and bithienyl furan derivatives bearing the synthetically versatile 1,3-dithiole-2-thione functionality is also described, and conversion to a tetrathiafulvalene derivative via a phosphite mediated coupling reaction has been investigated. However, electropolymerisation of this system was unsuccessful which highlights unfavourable interactions arising between the two redox units. Synthesis of analogous terthiophene derivatives bearing a fused dithiino spacer group between the polythiophene chain and the 1,3-dithiole-2-thione moiety is also discussed. A series of bis-substituted alkylsulfanyl terthiophene derivatives have been synthesised which can be electrochemically polymerised; a hexylsulfanyl derivative can also be polymerised chemically. Preliminary photoinduced absorption studies show that an ethylene bridged derivative exhibits interesting properties, which has been studied in collaboration with the Johannes Keppler University, Linz, Austria. A polythiophene bearing a fused quinoxaline moiety has been prepared and electropolymerised to form polymer films which are capable of molecular recognition of transition metal cations. This is the first example of a conducting polymer which is able to detect selectively and reversibly Hg[2+] and Ag[+] ions in aqueous and organic media.


Introduction: The prediction of post- operative bleeding is one of the main tasks of nurses in the intensive care unit. The researcher of the study found that there is not a valuable tool passing through the validation and Clinimetrics process. Objectives: The present study aimed to design and do the Clinimetrics of post-operative bleeding prediction tool (POPBT) in Intensive Care Unit. Materials and Methods: This study is a methodological study of Clinical Metric Validation (Clinimetrics), performed on patients undergoing cardiac surgery in Valiasr Hospital, Naja during 2015-2016. Sampling in this study was non-random,, accessible and target oriented. The deductive-inductive approach was used to identify the essence of the structure. Considering the essence of the structure of the bleeding prediction, the designed tool was a kind of combined index. so the tool was designed in two steps based on Wright and Feinstein proposed model. In the first stage, the design of the primary version of the tool (index), and in the second phase of clinical validation (Clinimetrics), initial version of the tool (index) was designed in five steps. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics by SPSS.16. It was investigated by the designed tools, its validation-seeking steps including face, content and structure validity and also its reliability were evaluated unanimously Results: Based on the results of CVI, CVR and Face validity of one item in the pre -operative dimension and 4 items during the operation were retained. Based on these results, the final tool was designed. The CVI of the questionnaire was 80.03. For determining the reliability of tools, 10 nurses in 5 dual groups were applied, kappa coefficient in 5 groups was 0.99, 0.95, 0.99, 0.99, 0.99 and 0.99, respectively. Discussion and Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the designed tool was favorably reliable and variable for predicting post- operative (heart surgery) bleeding


Heart failure (HF) is a major factor contributing to premature death in patients with established cardiovascular (CV) disease. There is a large body of evidence that biological markers presumably natriuretic peptides, galectin-3, soluble ST2 and cardiac troponins could be the best tool for prediction of poor clinical outcomes in general population as well as in individuals with suspected or established CV diseases including HF. However, recent clinical trials have shown that abilities of these biomarkers regarding identification of morbidity and mortality risks distinguished in wide range and depended on numerous factors, i.e. age, sex, comorbidities, treatment regime and phenotypes of HF. Additionally, not all of these biomarkers except natriuretic peptides were best fitted to guided therapy of HF and consequently serial measures of them did not warrant improving of predictive value in follow-up especially in patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. Growth-differentiation factor-15 (GDF-15) belongs to the transforming growth factor-β superfamily that regulates mitochondrial function of wide range of cells that involve in inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, immune reaction, fibrosis, reparation and malignancy. This editorial is depicted the possibilities to extrapolate the predictive capabilities of GDF-15 from metabolic and tumor diseases to CV diseases including HF.


Platonic dialogues are self-concealing, presenting ideas by indirection or in riddling form, often exploring a difficulty or aporia without arriving at a solution. Since philosophers have begun to see Plato's work as imbued with irony, double meaning, and ambiguity, literary techniques that accommodate such layered meanings become a necessary adjunct to interpretation. The dialogue Politicus explores through an aporetic process a central Platonic concern, the relation between ideal and real. Close analysis of the important section dealing with law and constitutions reveals some of the complexity. By his wayward conduct of the argument, the Eleatic stranger repeatedly forces reevaluation of earlier arguments or conclusions. At the close of the cosmic myth (274e1-275c4), the Stranger warned against confusing the divine monarch, a true shepherd, with his mortal counterpart, the best ruler, whose discovery is the aim of the dialogue. The distinction that was made then is simple in context, but complex in view of the conclusion at 303b8-c5 that the participants in all governments except the ideal monarchy are supreme wizards and fakers. The truly real (ὄντως ὤν) statesman thus recedes into a distance remote from the world of practical politics, while the familiar regimes are marked as irretrievably flawed and inauthentic. The ability of the fake statesmen to deceive by impersonating the true king also means that it may be impossible to make the crucial distinction between king and tyrant, since either may disregard the laws. The strange fable of legalism run wild (300a) confirms the ludicrous and destructive results of rigid obedience to law, but concludes that rigidity is necessary to the false regimes. The corollary is that seekers after truth, like Socrates or even the Stranger himself, must always be rejected by law-based societies.


We present a formal approach to implement and certify fault-tolerance in real-time embedded systems. The fault-intolerant initial system consists of a set of independent periodic tasks scheduled onto a set of fail-silent processors. We transform the tasks such that, assuming the availability of an additional spare processor, the system tolerates one failure at a time (transient or permanent). Failure detection is implemented using heartbeating, and failure masking using checkpointing and roll-back. These techniques are described and implemented by automatic program transformations on the tasks' programs. The proposed formal approach to fault-tolerance by program transformation highlights the benefits of separation of concerns and allows us to establish correctness properties.


Many instructors bemoan the lack of meaningful undergraduate student interaction during office hours (Rees, 2014), but little research has been done to determine the best means of fostering faculty/student interaction outside the classroom. Much of the pedagogical research has been dedicated to the promotion of mobile learning devices, including smartphones and tablets, for teaching and learning in the classroom environment (GIkas & Grant, 2013). However, far less scholarship has examined the potential to use apps and other mobile technologies to increase faculty/student interaction outside the formal learning spaces. As a part of a Digital Learning Fellowship grant funded by Northwestern University's Provost, we developed two blended-learning undergraduate-level courses in ethics and leadership for media students. The goal of these courses was to combine face-to-face instruction with asynchronous instruction while students were not in Qatar. To assist with this, we proposed the use of several educational technologies, including communication app Slack. Literature suggests successful use of Slack by instructors in other fields, including medicine (Perkel, 2016) and other graduate-level settings. Although Slack operates similarly to WhatsApp, it is more widely used in professional settings – including the very media organizations where many of our undergraduate students will go to work in a professional capacity. Prior to offering these blended-learning courses in Summer 2018, we undertook a pilot study of the use of Slack in a traditional undergraduate classroom setting. The goal of the pilot study was to understand student preferences for engagement with faculty and to evaluate the effectiveness of Slack a means of fostering communication between faculty and students. We hypothesized that our students, who are digital natives, would have a preference for the use of chat apps as a means of engaging with faculty. In part, our hypothesis was informed by survey data that shows 94% of those aged 18-24 in Qatar use WhatsApp to communicate directly with individuals or groups, which is in line with regional norms. In addition, we knew that informal WhatsApp groups had been created in previous sections of courses we had taught at Northwestern University in Qatar. Because of students' heavy reliance on mobile technologies and the ability of this technology to provide more timely responses than traditional office hours, we expected heavy use by the students. At the beginning of the fall semester, two courses of students (a large-enrollment, required course for first-year students and a small-enrollment elective course open to all students) were surveyed to evaluate their preferences for engagement with faculty as well as use of chat apps as part of their daily lives. Early in the semester, the students were introduced to Slack via an in-class instructional session, where they set up their accounts on the mobile phones and laptops. Students were encouraged to use Slack to get answers to quick questions from their peers and instructors. Multiple channels (such as deadlines, announcements, etc) were created to assist with categorizing the conversations. Data was collected and analyzed to evaluate undergraduate students' use of Slack for engagement with faculty in both courses. Our presentation at the Qatar Foundation Annual Research Conference presents an overview of our experiences piloting the use of Slack as tool for undergraduate student engagement with faculty outside the classroom. Additionally, it is informed by a survey of undergraduate students to assess their perceptions of engagement with faculty, with a specific focus on use of technology. Although we expected undergraduate students would use Slack heavily, their usage habits suggest the application is not as effective as other research has shown it to be at the graduate level (Talbot, 2015). Given their limited experience in a university setting, student may be more reluctant to use, and rely on, Slack as a crowd-sourcing tool to address the questions and queries. In addition, some students expressed a distinct preference for Slack's direct-messaging capabilities over the group forum, suggesting they may lack the confidence of graduate students in expressing their ideas and uncertainties. Relevant Pillar: Social Sciences, Arts & Humanities: Education, Labor & Migration Our pilot study is aimed at improving education here in Qatar by providing a better understanding of how students from a variety of secondary school backgrounds aim to engage with faculty members outside the formal classroom setting. Our study uses both quantitative and qualitative methods to address our research question and serves as a strong foundation for future pedagogy research in the realm of undergraduate education in Qatar. Ideally, this and subsequent research can help university professors better engage with their students, increasing student learning and encouraging discussion and dialogue beyond class hours. References Dennis, E. E., Martin, J. D., & Wood, R. (2017). Media use in the Middle East, 2017: A seven-nation survey. Northwestern University in Qatar. Retrieved from www.mideastmedia.org/survey/2017. Gikas, J., & Grant, M. M. (2013). Mobile computing devices in higher education: Student perspectives on learning with cellphones, smartphones & social media. The Internet and Higher Education, 19, 18-26. Perkel, Jeffrey M. (2016). "How Scientists Use Slack: Eight Ways Labs Benefit from the Popular Workplace Messaging Tool." Nature. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/news/how-scientists-use-slack-1.21228 Rees, J. (2014). "Office Hours Are Obsolete." Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://chroniclevitae.com/news/534-office-hours-are-obsolete Talbot, B. (2015). "Slack: Solution to Persistent Issues in Online Teaching?". Retrieved from https://medium.com/@Bud_T/slack-solution-to-persistent-issues-in-online-teaching-492b60d6ff0e


Within the last 30 years, entrepreneurship education (EE) has continued to gain massive interest both in the field of research and among policy makers. This surge in interest can be attributed to the perceived importance EE plays in the equipping of potential entrepreneurs and as a 21st century strategy to foster economic growth and development. This paper sets out to ascertain the correlation between EE and economic growth and development. A desk research approach was adopted where a multiplicity of literatures in the field were studied intensely. The findings reveal that indeed EE has a positive effect on entrepreneurship engagement thereby fostering economic growth and development. However, some research studies reported the contrary. That although EE may be able to equip potential entrepreneurs with requisite entrepreneurial skills and competencies, it will only be successful in producing entrepreneurs if they are internally driven to become entrepreneurs, because we cannot make people what they are not. The findings also reveal that countries that adopted EE early have more innovations inspired by entrepreneurs and are more developed than those that only recently adopted EE as a viable tool for entrepreneurship and economic development. Keywords—Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship education, economic development, economic growth, sustainable development.


There is great uncertainty about when and under what circumstances there is a need for a presentence report prior to the sentencing of a young offender. To clear up this confusion, various judgements have addressed the matter. It emerged as a general rule that presentencing reports 'should' be obtained for all offenders under the age of 18 years. However, a court is obliged to obtain a presentence report if a young offender under the age of 18 years:
has committed a serious offence, or
has previous convictions, or
when a sentence of imprisonment, including suspended imprisonment, is about to be imposed.
On the grounds of these criteria, an exclusive strategy is postulated. It can be concluded that, in the case of young offenders in particular who committed less serious offences and who have not yet been officially in conflict with the law, there is no need for a presentence report and the evidence of a probation officer.
The author argues that such a strategy makes no operational sense from a proactive point of view, while certain anomalies cast doubt on the instrumentality of such a practice. International juvenile justice instruments aim at the prevention of crime through the proper socialisation of children as an integral part of the administration of juvenile justice. This cannot be achieved without a proper presentence investigation that takes into account the totality of a child's offending behaviour as well as the interactional circumstances in which it took place.


Does an individual's effort to acquire employer-sponsored health insurance through employment affect whether they are deserving of health insurance? Much of the current literature that examines the deservingness of federally-funded health insurance focuses on an individual's responsibility in becoming ill. However, logic from the welfare literature would suggest the willingness to work for one's welfare, or reciprocity, is an important determinant of deservingness. The relevance of employment-seeking in Medicaid deservingness comes at a crucial time given recent attempts by state governments to implement work requirements as a part of Medicaid eligibility. Using a series of survey experiments, I compare the importance of responsibility versus reciprocity and find that responsibility, what one does to become ill, is the primary driver of judgments of deservingness. What one does to earn their Medicaid by working plays a negligible role in driving attitudes. These findings have implications for how we understand the determinants of support for Medicaid policy.


In this thesis I use cooperative game theory – the Shapley value – to analyze the power structure in the supply chain for Russian gas and, furthermore, to evaluate the strategic impact of different investment options for creating new capacities. My results show that the possibilities to increase capacities along the existing tracks in Ukraine and Belarus, in order to bypass one of the transit countries, do not change the balance of power dramatically, whereas a direct, though very costly, link through the Baltic Sea, the Nord Stream pipeline, significantly strengthens Russia's strategic position. I also look into various factors on demand and supply side and investigate whether the construction of the Nord Stream pipeline may be superfluous.


This paper presents the results from a one-year study of 12 patients with moderate dementia in an adult day program who played a novel whack-a-mole game-based measurement instrument for cognitive behavior and performance. The ongoing measurement of cognition and changes associated with dementia is a challenge for healthcare providers. Measurement methods based on a tablet-based instrument are proposed. Partnership with the adult day program greatly eased recruitment: all but 1 eligible participant joined our study, compared to one in five, or lower, for previous studies with similar populations. There are three unique aspects to the design of our game: first, it has two distinct targets requiring different actions, which increases the cognitive processing for the users; second, each level is systematically more difficult; third, it records and analyzes player performance. The results show that the patients' game performance improves over the first few weeks; this indicates that they are learning the game and retaining ability gains from week-to-week, suggesting some procedural learning is still intact. Over the year, 4 participants showed cognitive decline, 4 were stable and 3 improved based on their Minimental State Exam (MMSE) score. Two measures are proposed based on level progression within the sessions and mole hit performance. The level progression measure identifies declining participants with one false negative (FN) and one false positive error. The mole hit performance measure identifies declining participants with one FN error. These results demonstrate the potential for the proposed instrument to provide an ongoing measurement as an alternative for the repeated application of the MMSE.


791 Every three years, many of the main players who are working to understand and improve pollinator health get together at the International Conference on Pollinator Biology Health and Policy (also called the "International Pollinator Conference"). This year's conference is from July 17-20 at the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center (https://honey.ucdavis.edu/pollinatorconference2019) and the theme is "Multidimensional Solutions to Current and Future Threats to Pollinator Health." If anything is clear regarding pollinator health, it's that no silver bullet exists to cure the current problem. Indeed, multidimensional solutions are necessary, not just advisable. Thus, on the eve of the 2019 International Pollinator Conference, it's timely that several leading researchers in the field of pesticide-pollinator interactions published a synthesis on the topic. The paper, "Pesticides and pollinators: A sociological synthesis," written by Doug Sponsler and colleagues and published in the journal Science of the Total Environment [662:10121027 (2019)], gives a roadmap for how biologists, social scientists, regulatory agencies and stakeholders must work together to minimize risk to bees. In other words, their paper outlines a multidimensional solution on the topic of pesticide risk to bees. Sponsler and colleagues' synthesis was motivated by three key observations. First, despite a recent uptick in research on pesticide-pollinator interactions, scientists have a relatively poor understanding of the patterns and processes that govern exposure of pollinators to pesticides. Specifically, when growers, homeowners, or other pesticide applicators use a pesticide, we often don't know whether that pesticide will end up being encountered by bees, and in what quantity. Second, while there's a wealth of knowledge on the toxicity of most pesticides to individual bees (especially the honey bee, Apis mellifera), we know relatively little about how toxicity to individual bees is linked to colonyor population-level outcomes. In other words, estimates of pesticide risk to bees are often occurring at the individual bee level, not at the colony level for social bees, or the population level for solitary and social bees. Finally, links between pesticide risk (typically determined by scientists), pollination services and apicultural productivity (typically determined by growers and beekeepers) and biodiversity conservation (explicit goals of government regulatory agencies) are rarely made. It's these missing linkages that need to occur more often if pesticide risk to pollinators is to improve. So, where should we be focusing efforts to make the links stronger? To start getting at this important question, Sponsler and colleagues created a conceptual framework for the pollinator-pesticide system based on three interlocking domains (Fig. 1). Domain 1 focuses on the human and ecological drivers governing pesticide use. In other words, what are the motivations for using pesticides? While pest pressure (or perceived pest pressure) is of course important, the decision of when and how to use a pesticide is largely governed by socioeconomic factors, such as pesticide availability and cost, values of the applicator, and availability of information. Thus, right off the bat it's clear that economics and human behavior drive the potential for bees to be exposed to pesticides. The outcome of Domain 1 (i.e., how pesticides are used in space and time) comprise the inputs to Domain 2, where a pesticide's fate in the environment interacts with pollinator behavior and life-history to determine exposure. In this Domain we figure out when and where a pollinator Notes


ABSTRACT A few studies have investigated what general public know about autism in international literature and there is no study conducted for this purpose in Turkey. This study examined autism knowledge of the general public in Turkey using a street survey. A total of 874 individuals participated in the study across five cities. Overall, findings showed that participants had low levels of knowledge about autism. However, participants who had family members with autism had a significantly higher level of knowledge than those who did not have family members with autism. With respect to demographics, participants who were male, student and those who had a college or graduate degree had higher level of autism knowledge. Results call for continued efforts to raise autism awareness, especially targeting individuals who do not have family members or relatives with autism. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.


Aggregation and visualization of geographical data are an important part of environmental data mining, environmental modelling, and agricultural management. However, it is difficult to aggregate geospatial data of the various formats, such as maps, census and survey data. This paper presents a framework named PlaniSphere, which can aggregate the various geospatial datasets, and synthesizes raw data. We developed an algorithm in PlaniSphere to aggregate remote sensing images with census data for classification and visualization of land use and land cover (LULC). The results show that the framework is able to classify geospatial data sets of LULC from multiple formats. National census data sets can be used for calibration of remote sensing LULC classifications. This provides a new approach for the classification of remote sensing data. This approach proposed in this paper should be useful for LULC classification in environmental spatial analysis.


Peter Irvine, bestselling author of SCOTLAND THE BEST, has selected 100 extraordinary places that epitomize what is truly great about Scotland. This personal and diverse compendium is illustrated with beautiful and evocative images by some of Scotland's best photographers. Peter Irvine has drawn on a lifetime of experiences to create this list of the 100 best places in Scotland: reflective, magnificent and human places. Some choices may be surprising but all are exceptional. This book is Pete's ultimate collection selected from the hundreds of places that feature in the bestselling independent guide to Scotland, SCOTLAND THE BEST. As well as expert commentary, all 100 places include highly selective recommendations of where to walk, eat and sleep nearby. Some of Scotland's finest photographers have captured the essence of each place. From wild glens to ancient buildings, remote islands to vibrant cities, this is Pete's list of the places in Scotland that you really should visit in your lifetime.


Abstract External current drive (CD) is an important prerequisite for the control of the plasma current profile in advanced tokamak scenarios as well as for the development of quasi-stationary, fully noninductivly driven tokamak discharges. On ASDEX Upgrade, three heating systems, neutral beam injection, ion cyclotron resonance heating, and electron cyclotron resonance heating, are available for this purpose. The status of CD modeling and the CD capability of these systems are reviewed, and a brief overview is provided of what has been achieved experimentally with respect to CD in various discharge scenarios.


Semiconductor devices can be fabricated by growing III-V heteroepitaxial layers which are coherently strained to a III-V substrate. The relaxation of layer lattice strain through the nucleation of misfit dislocations near the interface causes a drop in performance for these devices. This thesis uses two non destructive x-ray techniques to examine relaxation in III-V epitaxial layers; double crystal diflractometry and x- ray topography. The dynamical and kinematical theories of x-ray diffraction are discussed in chapter 2. The apparatus used for double crystal diffractometry and x-ray topography and the theory of operation of these techniques is discussed in chapter 3. The properties of misfit dislocations in III-V epitaxial layers and the critical layer thickness at which relaxation occurs are discussed in chapter 4.Double crystal diffractometry and x-ray topography have been used to examine relaxation in epitaxial layers of AlAs on GaAs, InGaAs on GaAs, GaAsSb on GaAs, InGaAs on InP and an InGaAs superlattice on InP. All layers were deposited on 001 orientated substrates. Asymmetric double crystal rocking curves have been analysed using a novel technique which allows deduction of the position of an hhl layer reflection in reciprocal space. The layer unit cell parameters in the [110] and iTO] directions are determined from this. Individual misfit dislocation lines can be resolved by topography for dislocation line densities less than 0.2 μm(^-1)In each of these samples the layer relaxation was found to be asymmetric about the (110) directions. The sensitivity of diffractometry and topography to the detection of layer relaxation has been compared for samples with different thicknesses and dislocation line densities. The resolution of these techniques to the determination of layer relaxation has been shown to meet for a 1 μm layer of AlAs on GaAs. Tilt between the epitaxial layer lattice and the substrate has been measured for coherently strained and partially relaxed epitaxial layers grown on 001 orientated substrates. The lattice tilt in (110) directions was found to increase with misfit dislocation line density in these directions. Two theoretical models have been developed describing the relationship between lattice tilt and misfit dislocation line density and the tilts predicted by these compared with experiment. At high dislocation densities measurements of layer relaxation by diffractometry indicate that the images recorded by topography represent bundles of misfit dislocations and not individual dislocation fines. The number of dislocation lines per bundle was found to decrease with decreasing layer relaxation. Bunching of misfit dislocations into dislocation bundles is also observed on topographs from a low dislocation density sample where the individual dislocation hues are resolved. Screw dislocations in a strained layer and an interaction between two 60 dislocations to form a mixed dislocation have been characterised using Burgers vector analysis. Interference fringes have been observed on 004 double crystal rocking curves recorded from an ultra thin In GaAs layer sandwiched between a GaAs substrate and a GaAs cap. The position and intensity of these fringes was found to be sensitive to the composition and thickness of the In GaAs layer. Comparison between simulated and experimental rocking curve data allowed determination of the layer thickness to within a single monolayer and layer composition to within 0.5%. Topography of this sample showed that the dislocation line density varied from zero to 0.12 μm(^-1)across the wafer. The critical layer thickness and Indium concentration at which the first few misfit dislocation fines were observed was measured as 162 ± 2 A and 17 ± 0.5 %.


Adsorption behavior of counterions under a Langmuir monolayer was investigated by sum-frequency generation (SFG) spectroscopy. By comparing SFG spectra of arachidic acid (AA) Langmuir monolayer/water interface with and without added salt, it was found that the simple trivalent cation La3+ adsorbed on AA monolayer only when the carboxylic headgroups are charged (deprotonated), implying that counterion adsorption is induced by Coulomb interaction. On the other hand, metal hydroxide complex Fe(OH)3 adsorbed even on a charge-neutral AA monolayer, indicating that the adsorption of iron hydroxide is due to chemical interaction such as covalent or hydrogen bonding to the headgroup of the molecules at the monolayer.


Growth, proximate composition, chlorophyll a, and carotenoid content were estimated in static cultures of micro alga
Dunaliella salina (Dunal) Teod (Chlorophycea: Dunaliellaceae) to compare the quality and quantity of biomass produced with seaweed
liquid fertilizer (SLF) against Walne's medium. Culture of micro algae was performed with controlled temperature of 27 ± 1 °C,
salinity of 33, and an irradiance of 120 ± 3 μ mol m–2 s –1, and daily samples were taken to estimate the above-mentioned parameters.
Mean cellular density from samples of both medium were similar and growth rates were 0.44 and 0.42 doubling per day,
respectively. Maximum values of protein content 5.2 and 5.5 pg per cell were estimated on day 5 in Walne's medium and SLF,
respectively. Carbohydrate and lipid content decreased during the first 4 days corresponding to the culture exponential growth.
Higher carbohydrate content was found in both media during the first 2 days and thereafter reduced partially compared to their
concentrations. Generally lipid contents in cultures with SLF were significantly higher (P ≤0.05) compared to Walne's medium. Both
pigments also increased exponentially and their concentration was same in both experiments. In conclusion, all the parameters tested
were similar when using either media, and hence SLF can be used as an alternate media for micro algal culture.


Abstract This paper presents the results of a survey research made on the logistics performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from the capital goods industry. Performance was evaluated by means of the degree of concordance between companies and the logistics performance perspectives found in the literature. The results showed a great concordance of companies regarding such perspectives. After the comparative analysis, a substantial gap was found between the performance mean of SMEs and the logistics excellence reference. Further gaps were also identified in different segments, company size and capital source. Several practical and theoretical implications can be pointed out for these results, such as the need of partnerships among national and foreign companies and the systematization of best practices for this sector, which should be transferred to the SMEs that present lower logistics performance. Keywords Logistics. Logistical excellence. Logistics performance. Capital goods industry.


The standard model of cosmology has been extremely successful in explaining observations
of the universe. However, bringing the standard model predictions for the distribution of
galaxies into agreement with observations relies critically on the invocation of feedback
processes to regulate galaxy formation via galactic outflows. As such, there is intense
interest in understanding and modelling the underlying physical processes involved in these
outflows.
In this thesis we present two new numerical Lyα radiative transfer codes, and apply
them in a two-pronged approach to understanding galactic outflows driven by stellar feedback.
In our first approach we identify the first systematic failing of basic 'shell model' outflows – an inability to produce the 'blue bumps' seen in the spectra of recent observations.
We then present, and test with numerical radiative transfer simulations, a minor extension to the standard shell model paradigm which leads naturally to the production of blue
bumps via Fermi-like acceleration of Lyα photons. In this way we paper over the cracks
that were starting to show in shell models, and allow them to remain consistent with
observations for the present time.
However, we also cast one eye to the future, where we expect that at some point we will
be forced to abandon such simple shell models. We therefore pursue an approach whereby
we attempt to numerically simulate the hydrodynamical process of galaxy formation in
a cosmological context. As a further step we then perform numerical radiative transfer
to derive the observable properties of the formed galaxy. In this way we are able to test
galactic outflow models against observations of similar systems. We find that a combination of the three observables which we simulate (Lyα emission, absorption, and spectral
shape) provides a strong constraint on current outflow models, and ultimately motivates
the development of better models.


Since its inception, the Roberts Court has acquiesced in—and at times even abetted—the attempts of many states to make it harder for Americans to vote. Illustrative is a 2018 decision, Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute, in which the Court rejected a statutory challenge to a state's expansive purges of voting lists. In Husted the Court dismissed the threat of voter suppression as simply not "relevant" to the case before it. By declining to look beyond states' unsupported explanations for voter-suppressive practices, the Court is leaving the right to vote to the vagaries of the political process.

It didn't have to be this way. For half a century, the Court has recognized a constitutional right to vote. This Article sketches a claim that precedent might allow, if only the Court were willing to reconsider its trajectory and acknowledge the reality and constitutional implications of intentional voter suppression. More specifically, we turn to the neglected Equal Protection framework developed by the Supreme Court in the voting-rights context to argue that a state acts unconstitutionally when it acts with the intent of making it less likely that an eligible voter's ballot will be cast or counted. If accepted, this straightforward principle would require judicial scrutiny of election practices to move beyond talking points, to allow genuine adversarial testing of states' justifications for restrictive measures.


This article addresses remedies for defrauded public investors in the Chinese legal system and the passive attitude of China's courts to private securities litigation. Despite the existing laws in China prohibiting securities fraud, the absence of an efficient enforcement regime leaves shareholders vulnerable to a wide range of abuses. Weak legal remedies for victims of securities fraud, especially poor law enforcement and judicial governance, have led to a waste of judicial resources. In particular, China's courts have adopted a passive attitude to securities disputes (typically prior to 2003, when the courts were absent in dealing with private securities actions), although this situation is changing gradually. This article analyses procedural reforms such as shareholders' derivative actions, class actions and shifting evidential proof for defendants. Judicial practices in securities fraud, including false statements, market manipulation and insider trading, are also addressed. This article then highlights the importance of establishing an active and independent system of legal enforcement for the protection of investors. In conclusion, it suggests introducing class actions, the inversion of the burden of proof and facilitating private remedies for individual shareholders by enhancing judicial review, judicial independence and judicial governance.


This study is found to find out how interest rate corridor strategy, which is new policy tool implemented by Central Bank of Turkey in 2011, affects financial investment tools, common stocks and Exchange rates. The study separates the time into two periods, the period before interest rate corridor strategy and the period after implementation of interest rate corridor strategy. The effects of the changes in policy interest rate on the common stocks and exchange rate are examined in the framework of structural vector auto regression (SVAR) model. The most important finding is that the effect of a change in policy interest rate on common stocks and exchange rate becomes more permanent after interest rate corridor strategy. Another finding is that short term capital flows with speculative move is deterred from after this strategy. Findings are in coincidence with the results of increase in interest rate volatility as Basci and Kara (2011) suggests.


This paper describes the implementation of a Doppler spectrum measurement platform for narrowband frequency-dispersive vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) channels. The platform is based on a continuous-wave (CW) channel sounding approach widely used for path-loss and large-scale fading measurements, but whose effectiveness to measure the Doppler spectrum of V2V channels is not equally known. This channel sounding method is implemented using general-purpose hardware in a configuration that is easy to replicate and that enables a partial characterization of frequency-dispersive V2V channels at a fraction of the cost of a dedicated channel sounder. The platform was assessed in a series of field experiments that collected empirical data of the instantaneous Doppler spectrum, the mean Doppler shift, the Doppler spread, the path-loss profile, and the large-scale fading distribution of V2V channels under realistic driving conditions. These experiments were conducted in a highway scenario near San Luis Potosí, México, at two different carrier frequencies, one at 760MHz and the other at 2,500 MHz. The transmitting and receiving vehicles were moving in the same direction at varying speeds, ranging from 20 to 130 km/h and dictated by the unpredictable traffic conditions. The obtained results demonstrate that the presented measurement platform enables the spectral characterization of narrowband V2V channels and the identification of their Doppler signatures in relevant road-safety scenarios, such as those involving overtaking maneuvers and rapid vehicles approaching the transmitter and receiver in the opposite direction.


With one of the world's fastest-growing economies and a population quickly approaching two billion, China holds substantial sway over global financial, social, and cultural networks. This volume explains China's economic rise and liberalization and assesses how this growth is reshaping the structure and dynamics of global capitalism in the twenty-first century. China has historically been the center of Asian trade, economic, and financial networks, and its global influence continues to expand in the twenty-first century. In exploring the causes for and effects of China's resurging power, this volume takes a broad, long-term view that reaches well beyond economics for answers. Contributors explore the vast web of complex issues raised by China's ascendancy. The first three chapters discuss the global and historical origins of China's shift to a market economy and that transformation's impact on the international market system. Subsequent essays explore the ability of large Chinese manufacturers to counter the might of transnational retailers, the effect of China's rise on world income distribution and labor, and the consequences of a stronger China for its two most powerful neighbors, Russia and Japan. The concluding chapter questions whether China's growth is sustainable and if it will ultimately shift the center of global capitalism from the West to the East. This cutting-edge collection of works by leading global political economists links current events to long-term trends in global capitalist development to provide a comprehensive analysis of China's impact on the world. Scholars of China, world systems and globalization, international relations, and political economy will find this assessment worthy of study and an important starting point for further research. Contributors: Richard P. Appelbaum, Giovanni Arrighi, Edna Bonacich, Jozsef Borocz, Paul S. Ciccantell, John Gulick, Ho-Fung Hung, Stephanie Luce, Beverly J. Silver, Alvin Y. So, and Lu Zhang.


The spatial mobility of the aged has, until recently, been a neglected area of study. Studies by gerontologists focused on housing, health and social services that influenced the quality of life of elderly and ignored spatial mobility. Mobility is an important variable for the .aged, to take advantage of the wide variety of shopping, social, cultural and recreational services provided within residential environments. Moreover, for any interaction to take place outside the home, the aged must utilize public transport, motor vehicles or walk. Apartheid policies with its associated racial discrimination had a major impact on the lives of the aged, especially in black communities. Presently, there is a lack of understanding of the problems of the aged in disadvantaged communities because previous research was conducted mainly in white communities. In the light of the above, the aim of this study was to determine the spatial mobility patterns of the aged in Chatsworth, Durban, and to identify difficulties encountered when engaging in day to day activities. It is based on the rationale that mobility is a good measure for assessing the quality of life of the aged and determines the mobility patterns of the elderly in terms of time, cost and distance of travel. This study also identifies factors impeding mobility and makes recommendations to improve the spatial mobility of the aged. The study revealed that the aged in Chatsworth are both mobile and active. It was evident, however, that the aged experienced mobility problems that limited their access to essential services and facilities, because of inefficient transport, low income, lack of facilities and disabilities associated with the ageing process. The underlying feeling of the majority of the respondents was that the transport service in the area should be improved and the state pensions that they received should be increased in order to enhance their mobility and quality of life. Planners and policy makers must consider the concerns of the aged and respond to their needs so that they can continue to have active and independent lives in the community. The planning process can assist in breaking down barriers that hinder the mobility of the aged, and in so doing give the elderly improved opportunities to enjoy the same quality of life as the rest of society. Assistance with mobility and access to services and facilities will not only increase the range of opportunities for the elderly, but in the long term, reduce the amount of institutional care spent on them. Future generations of elderly people will have higher aspirations, expectations, be better educated and prepared for retirement. Present services and facilities are inadequate to cater for the new generation of elderly people and must be upgraded to cope with, and prevent, similar problems recurring in the future.


Abstract In this paper, we estimate the impact of Medicaid expansions via the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) on applications to federal disability programs in 14 states that expanded Medicaid in January 2014. We use a difference-in-differences regression model to compare disability application rates in geographic areas within states that expanded Medicaid to rates in areas of non-expansion states that were carefully selected using a matching approach that accounts for state Medicaid policies pre-ACA as well as demographic and socioeconomic characteristics that might influence disability application rates. We find a slower decrease in Supplemental Security Income (SSI) application rates after Medicaid expansions in expansion states relative to non-expansion states, with application rates declining in both state groups from 2014 through 2016. Our analysis of the impact of the Medicaid expansions on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) application rates was inconclusive for reasons we discuss in the paper.


In Sub-Saharan Africa, climate change is set to hit the agricultural sector the most and cause untold suffering particularly for smallholder farmers. To cushion themselves against the potential welfare losses, smallholder farmers need to recognize the changes already taking place in their climate and undertake appropriate investments towards adaptation. This study investigates whether smallholder farmers in Tanzania recognize climate change and consequently adapt to it in their agricultural activities. The study also investigates the factors influencing their choice of adaptation methods to climate change To do this, the study collected and analyzed data from 556 randomly selected households in a sample of districts representing the six agro-ecological regions of the country. The data shows that Tanzanian smallholder farmers have observed changes in mean and variance precipitation and temperature and responded to it The farmers have generally used shortseason crops, drought-resistant crops, irrigation, planting dates and tree planting to adapt to the potential negative impacts of climate change on their agricultural yields. A binary logit model is used to investigate the factors influencing a famer's decision to undertake any adaptation at all to climate change while a multinomial logit model is used to investigate the factors influencing farmers' choice of specific adaptation methods. The Tanzanian government needs to help smallholder farmers overcome constraints they face in taking up adaptation to climate change. Furthermore, the government can play a significant role by promoting adaptation methods appropriate for particular circumstances e.g. particular crops or agro-ecological zones.


While reinforcement learning provides an appealing formalism for learning individual skills, a general-purpose robotic system must be able to master an extensive repertoire of behaviors. Instead of learning a large collection of skills individually, can we instead enable a robot to propose and practice its own behaviors automatically, learning about the affordances and behaviors that it can perform in its environment, such that it can then repurpose this knowledge once a new task is commanded by the user? In this paper, we study this question in the context of self-supervised goal-conditioned reinforcement learning. A central challenge in this learning regime is the problem of goal setting: in order to practice useful skills, the robot must be able to autonomously set goals that are feasible but diverse. When the robot's environment and available objects vary, as they do in most open-world settings, the robot must propose to itself only those goals that it can accomplish in its present setting with the objects that are at hand. Previous work only studies self-supervised goal-conditioned RL in a single-environment setting, where goal proposals come from the robot's past experience or a generative model are sufficient. In more diverse settings, this frequently leads to impossible goals and, as we show experimentally, prevents effective learning. We propose a conditional goal-setting model that aims to propose goals that are feasible from the robot's current state. We demonstrate that this enables self-supervised goal-conditioned off-policy learning with raw image observations in the real world, enabling a robot to manipulate a variety of objects and generalize to new objects that were not seen during training.


ABSTRACT Aim: Somatic HER2 (ERBB2) mutations occur in approx. 2-4% of pts with NSCLC. In vivo data suggest that combined HER2/mTOR inhibition has synergistic effects in HER2-driven lung tumors [Perera PNAS 2009]. In a phase I study, 5/7 HER2-mutated NSCLC pts showed tumor regression (PR/SD) after treatment with N, an irreversible pan-HER tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and TEM [Gandhi JCO 2014]. The effects of N alone are unknown. This randomized 2-stage phase II study compares N +/- TEM in pts with stage IIIB/IV NSCLC with HER2 somatic mutations. Methods: Pts whose tumors had a documented HER2 mutation were randomized 1:1 to receive oral N 240 mg once daily continuously +/- IV TEM 8 mg/wk (escalated to 15 mg/wk after one 3-wk cycle if tolerated). Addition of TEM was permitted in pts assigned to N alone after progression. High-dose loperamide prophylaxis for diarrhea was mandatory throughout cycle 1. Primary endpoint: overall response rate. Secondary endpoints included: clinical benefit rate, progression-free survival, safety. If > = 2 of 13 pts in each arm have a response at 12 wks in stage 1, a further 26 pts per arm will be enrolled in stage 2. EudraCT ID: 2012-004743-68. Results: 27 pts were enrolled (N, n = 13; N + TEM, n = 14) in stage 1 with approx. 12 wks between randomization of last pt and data cut-off. Baseline characteristics (n = 27): male/female 52%/48%; median age 65 yr; never smokers 63%. Two pts, both in N + TEM arm, had not received prior anticancer medications. Stage 1 results are shown in table. In all pts (n = 27), most common all-grade adverse events (AEs): diarrhea (n = 24), constipation (13), nausea (13), dyspnea (11), asthenia (11), vomiting (11); most common grade 3/4 AEs: dyspnea (4), diarrhea (3; grade 3 only), vomiting (3), nausea (2). Stage 1 Neratinib (N = 13) Neratinib + Temsirolimus (N = 14) Efficacy Overall response rate,* n (%) [90% CI] 0 (0) [0-21] 3** (21) [6-47] Partial response, n 0 3 Stable disease ( > = 12 weeks), n 4 6 Median PFS, months (95% CI) 2.9 (1.4-NE) 4.0 (2.9-9.8) Treatment-emergent diarrhea, n (%) All-grade diarrhea 10 (77) 14 (100) Grade 3 diarrhea 1 (8) 2 (14) * RECIST, version 1.1. ** Two confirmed responses; both pts had not received any prior anticancer medications. Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval; NE, not estimable; PFS, progression-free survival. Conclusions: N + TEM met the efficacy criteria for stage 1 and has been expanded into stage 2. Diarrhea was not a limiting toxicity with aggressive upfront management. Disclosure: B. Besse: Research grants from Puma; B. Yao, A. Lalani, L. McCulloch and R. Bryce: Employed by Puma Biotechnology Inc (study sponsor). All other authors have declared no conflicts of interest.


How do social networks moderate the way political information influences electoral accountability? We propose a simple model in which incumbent malfeasance revelations can facilitate coordination around less malfeasant challenger parties in highlyconnected voter networks, even when voters update favorably about incumbent party malfeasance. We provide evidence from Mexico of this mechanism by leveraging a field experiment in a context where the provision of incumbent malfeasance information increased support for incumbent parties, despite voters continuing to believe that challengers were less malfeasant than incumbents. Combining this experiment with detailed family network data, we show that—consistent with the model—the increase in incumbent party vote share due to information provision was counteracted by coordination around less malfeasant challengers in precincts with greater network connectedness. Individual-level data further demonstrate that networks facilitated explicit and tacit coordination among voters. These findings suggest that networks can help voters coordinate around information to help remove poorly-performing politicians.


Exact calculations of the scattering of light and other electromagnetic waves by a dielectric tip in front of corrugated dielectric samples are carried out by means of surface integrals derived from the extinction theorem and related equations. The configuration tackled is two dimensional, and the active part of the probing tip is simulated by a cylinder. The surface under study is illuminated from its dielectric side with a Gaussian beam at different angles of incidence. The transmitted near-field distribution is calculated inside the tip when it scans the surface at a constant distance from its mean plane. Different calculations are performed both for extended corrugated profiles (surface-relief gratings) and for flat dielectric interfaces with topographic subwavelength defects. The results show that the near fields scattered from these two kinds of surface corrugation have a notably different behavior with respect to the profile. Also, the influence of the angle of incidence, the polarization, and the shape of the incident beam on the near-field distribution is studied. It is shown that tips with diameters not larger than 0.1λ and a dielectric permittivity similar to that of glass do not appreciably perturb the near field transmitted by the sample.


In IIASA Research Report RR-74-7, Wolf Hafele and Alan S. Manne present a model optimizing strategies on a transition from fossil to nuclear fuels: substitution of LWR and FBR for coal for the use of electricity, and of hydrogen from HTGR process heat for petroleum-and-gas for the use of non-electrical energy.

This paper treats another transition from fossil to nuclear fuels, i.e. that from coal to the molten-salt reactor (MSR) for electrical use, and from petroleum-and-gas to MSR process heat for non-electrical use.

MSR technology offers important advantages for power generation: avoidance of fuel element fabrication, rapid and inexpensive reprocessing, on-line refueling, high specific power, good neutron economy and high-temperature operation at low pressure. A review of the status and future of the PISR program suggests that the MSR technology should still be considered as one of the possible nuclear options for energy supply. Therefore, it is worthwhile to study the MSR strategy as well as the FBR and HTGR strategies.

The aim of this paper is to compare the MSR strategy with the Hafele-Manne strategy via an example of the optimal transitions based on MSR technology, as opposed to today's situation where virtually all electrical and non-electrical energy demands are met by coal and petroleum-and-gas, respectively.