This article argues that industrial zones in Palestine do not effectively promote Palestinian economic development. The article rests on a historical, spatial, and economic analysis of the political economy of industrial zones in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. By examining the nature and functionality of these zones through different methodological lenses, it is clear that the industrial zones in Palestine fail on two levels. Firstly, as successful export-processing zones and employment generating programs, the zones are unable to deliver their intended results. On the other hand, even when they do succeed, their performance is limited and does not contribute to a holistic, democratic, and egalitarian notion of economic development. In fact, the benefits accrued are often channeled to Palestinian elites and foreign capital, at the expense of popular Palestinian economic needs such as viable employment, healthcare, housing, food security, and domestic investment. Moreover, the zones work well within the confines of the Israeli Occupation and seem to entrench aspects of its overarching architecture. Lastly, this article argues that industrial zones in Palestine are elements in a wider political and economic project that is being increasingly defined by political, economic, and spatial fragmentation. The emerging social topography is in fact a spatial effect produced by the convergence of Palestinian capitalist class power, international financial institutions (IFIs), the Israeli Occupation, and the expansion of foreign capital. The effect is a future Palestinian state that is highly undemocratic, corrupt, and rife with inequality.


Purpose. To examine associations between decisional balance, self-efficacy, fruit intake, and stage of change transition from precontemplation and contemplation with cross-sectional and longitudinal methods. Design. A longitudinal cohort study with the use of electronic questionnaires was conducted. Three measurements were analyzed cross-sectionally, and the two intervals between the measurements were analyzed longitudinally. Setting. A random sample of 1500 individuals from an existing Dutch Internet panel resulted in a cohort of 735 individuals. Of the cohort, 648 (response rate 88%), 592 (response rate 81%), and 570 (response rate 78%) respondents completed questionnaires at the start of the present study (T1), 53 days after T1 (T2), and 106 days after T1 (T3), respectively. Subjects. Mean age was 37.5 years, 51% were women, and 57% ate less than the recommended intake of 250 g of fruit per day. Measures. Questionnaires included items measuring stage of change, factors favoring (pros) or working against (cons) behavior change, and self-efficacy. A food frequency questionnaire was used to assess fruit intake. Results. Logistic regression analyses showed that pros, fruit intake, and self-efficacy predicted forward stage transition from precontemplation. Self-efficacy predicted forward stage transition from contemplation. Cons did not predict stage transitions. Results from longitudinal analyses were similar to cross-sectional results, except for self-efficacy: no differences between early stages in self-efficacy were found, whereas self-efficacy predicted these early stage transitions. Conclusions. Within the limitations posed by the sampling frame, results provided support for the Transtheoretical Model, although determinants might not always be stage specific.


Abstract In this paper we propose a methodology, in which analytical models are presented so as to abstract the characteristics of massive multiplayer online games (MMOGs). By using these models, the system performance can be evaluated in terms of two performance metrics: (i) the cost of resources consumed by a targeted game system during its game-play; (ii) the system delay and consistency loss rate. Specifically, we can investigate the impact of various factors, such as game types, the number of players, the intensity of players or NPCs interaction, the number of regions in a game-world, avatar region-transition rate and network configuration, on the system performance. In this study, a number of resource-cost functions are also defined, which map the system resource consumed to the cost during a game-play. In addition, an approach for evaluating the system delay and consistency loss is proposed. We choose the federated peer-to-peer architecture as a target for this study, because it is a typical and potential architecture proposed recently and attracting more attention. Finally, we demonstrate numerical examples for the system performance evaluation.


We studied livelihood changes and poverty dynamics over a 25-year period in two villages in central Tanzania. The villages were, from the early 1990s and 2000s, strikingly poor with between 50% and 55% of families in the poorest wealth groups. 25 years later much has changed: people have become substantially wealthier, with 64% and 71% in the middle wealth groups. The new wealth had been generated locally, from farming, particularly of sunflowers as a cash crop. This goes against a conventional view of small-scale farming in Tanzania as being stagnant or unproductive. The area of land farmed per family has increased, almost doubling in one village. People have made money, which they invest in mechanised farming, improved housing, education of their children, livestock, and consumer goods. Improved infrastructure and local entrepreneurs have played key roles in the area's transformation. Locally identified wealth rankings showed that most villagers, those in the middle wealth groups and above, can now support themselves from their land, which is a notable change to a time when 71% and 82% in each village respectively depended on casual labour for their survival. This change has come at a cost to the environment. By 2016, the village forests have largely gone and been replaced by farms. Farmers were concerned that the climate was turning drier because of deforestation. Studying the mundane—the material used in roofs, the size of farms, and so on made it possible to trace and understand the radical transition the area has experienced.


ETS transcription factors are widely expressed during development and in adult tissues and regulate a variety of cellular processes including cell proliferation, migration and invasion. In prostate cancers, ETS factors are commonly abnormally expressed, with up to 70% of prostate tumours containing chromosomal rearrangements that disrupt genes encoding the ETS factors, ERG, ETV1, ETV4 and ETV5. The prototypical ETS transcription factor, ETS1 is overexpressed in ~70% of prostate cancers, and this is correlated with higher grade tumours, more rapid progression to castrate-resistant disease and poor patient prognosis. ETS1 overexpression in prostate tumours is not associated with chromosomal rearrangements and mechanisms underlying its elevated expression, including sequence alterations, abnormal turnover or altered transcriptional regulation are unknown.

To identify mutations in the ETS1 coding region, RNA extracted from 45 prostate tumour specimens was reverse transcribed, PCR-amplified in 4 overlapping fragments and sequenced by Sanger sequencing. Although no mutations were identified, 32 specimens were heterozygous or homozygous for the common c.1011A>G polymorphism and single specimens had the rarer c.789C>T and c.816A>G polymorphisms. These findings indicated that if present in prostate tumours, ETS1 mutations are rare or occur in a low proportion of cells. ETS1 mRNA levels in the prostate cancer cell lines LNCaP, DU145 and PC-3 were determined using RT-qPCR, with ETS1 expression ~129 fold higher in DU145 cells and ~17 fold higher in PC-3 cells compared to LNCaP cells. Consistent with these findings, ETS1 protein levels investigated by western blotting were found to be higher in DU145 and PC-3 compared to LNCaP cells. ETS1 protein turnover in the cell lines was estimated by western blotting following 0-24 hours of treatment with the protein synthesis inhibitor, cycloheximide, from which the half-life of ETS1 protein in DU145 and PC-3 cells was estimated to be 4-6 hours. In contrast, the half-life of ETS1 protein in LNCaP cells was >24 hours, indicating that although ETS1 expression was low, the protein was very stable.

Bioinformatics analysis of the ETS1 3'untranslated region (3'UTR) identified two putative androgen responsive elements at 931-949 and 2911-2929 in the 3'UTR and 22 miRNA potential binding sites including miR-125b and miR-221/222 which are up regulated in prostate cancer and miR-101, miR-145 and miR-200bc, which are downregulated in prostate cancer. The predicted mRNA folding structure of the ETS1 3'UTR identified that the putative transcription factor and miRNA binding sites were located in stem-loop regions, which would facilitate access by regulatory factors. Analysis of the 5'ETS1 gene promoter identified 11 putative androgen responsive elements and a large CpG island flanking the transcription start site suggesting that DNA methylation may contribute to the regulation of ETS1 expression. Initial studies using the methyl transferase inhibitor, 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine and the histone deacetylate inhibitor, Trichostatin A did not indicate contributions of DNA hypermethylation or histone modification to the low ETS1 protein levels in LNCaP cells, however further investigation may identify ETS1 promoter methylation in human prostate or prostate tumours. Findings of this study indicate complex mechanisms of regulation of ETS1 expression including transcriptional control and modification of mRNA and protein turnover which may each contribute to the upregulation of ETS1 levels in human prostate tumours.


This paper applies semiparametric regression models using penalized splines to investigate the profile of well-being over the life span. Splines have the advantage that they do not require a priori assumptions about the form of the curve. Using data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP), the analysis shows a common, quite similar, age-specific pattern of life satisfaction for both Britain and Germany that can be characterized by three age stages. In the first stage, life satisfaction declines until approximately the fifth life decade. In the second age stage, well-being clearly increases and has a second turning point (maximum) after which well-being decreases in the third age stage. Several reasons for the three-phase pattern are discussed. We point to the fact that neither polynomial functions of the third nor the fourth degree describe the relationship adequately: polynomials locate the minimum and the maximum imprecisely. In addition, our analysis discusses the indistinguishability of age, period, and cohort effects: we propose estimating age-period models that control for cohort effects including substantive variables, such as the life expectancy of the birth cohort, and further observed socioeconomic characteristics in the regression.


Health information about total populations is a prerequisite for sound decision-making and planning in the health care field. Experience with a population-based health data system in Vermont reveals that there are wide variations in resource input, utilization of services, and expenditures among neighboring communities. Results show prima facie inequalities in the input of resources that are associated with income transfer from areas of lower expenditure to areas of higher expenditure. Variations in utilization indicate that there is considerable uncertainty about the effectiveness of different levels of aggregate, as well as specific kinds of, health services. Informed choices in the public regulation of the health care sector require knowledge of the relation between medical care systems and the population groups being served, and they should take into account the effect of regulation on equality and effectiveness. When population-based data on small areas are available, decisions to expand hospitals, currently based on institutional pressures, can take into account a community's regional ranking in regard to bed input and utilization rates. Proposals by hospitals for unit price increases and the regulation of the actuarial rate of insurance programs can be evaluated in terms of per capita expenditures and income transfer between geographically defined populations. The PSRO's can evaluate the wide variations in level of services among residents of different communities. Coordinated exercise of the authority vested in these regulatory programs may lead to explicit strategies to deal directly with inequality and uncertainty concerning the effectiveness of health care delivery. Population-based health information systems, because they can provide information on the performance of health care systems and regulatory agencies, are an important step in the development of rational public policy for health.


In his 1965 film Poor Little Rich Girl, Andy Warhol presents a motionless shot of Edie Sedgwick engaged in a series of everyday activities – talking on the telephone, modeling a new coat, and the like – the first 33-minutes of which is presented out of focus. Having watched a number of Warhol's films, this opening sequence of formless shapes and disembodied voices stands out as the most difficult time I have spent attempting to "watch" a film. The difficulty with viewing Warhol's films in general stems from his employment of structuralist tactics, specifically filming with a static camera, using long-takes and not editing the film. In the case of Poor Little Rich Girl, Warhol switched on the camera and walked away, leaving the image out of focus until he changed reels, at which point the focus was reinstated before he again walked away. Viewers may wish to read meaning into this absence of focus – interpreting this visible blur or blank as a representation of the unattainable dream of cinema – but Warhol actively undermines the possibility of believing that this meaning is intentional or part of the "purpose" of the scene. Given his working process, there is little doubt that this 33-minute blur of unfocused imagery is the result of a careless accident, which Warhol chose to leave as part of the final film. Through his working process, Warhol problematizes the experience of filmic temporality by exaggerating viewers' experiences of duration.


This paper describes an investigation into text-dependent speaker verification using orthogonal feature parameters of speech. The study is based on the use of a subset of the BT Millar speech database, consisting of repetitions of digit utterances 1 to 9 and zero spoken by 20 male speakers. Sets of orthogonal parameters are obtained through a linear transformation of linear prediction, parcor, and cepstrum coefficients. It is demonstrated that amongst these, orthogonal cepstrum parameters possess the highest speaker discrimination ability. Based on the experimental results it is shown that for single-digit inputs, a minimum equal error rate of about 4% in verification can be achieved. This error rate is found to reach 0.95% when a sequence of five digits is used as the input. The experiments are discussed in detail, and an analysis of the results is presented.


EU-IST Network of Excellence (NoE) IST-2004-507482 KWEB Deliverable D1.2.10v2 (WP1.2) In this deliverable we present results obtained from the work described in the first version of this deliverable (D1.2.10) about ontology repositories. In particular, we provide an overview of the sustainability of the Ontology Metadata Vocabulary (OMV), the proposal of a hierarchy for the classification of ontology domains and evaluation results for the distributed ontology metadata repository (Oyster). Furthermore, we discuss the flow of knowledge between Oyster and the ontology metadata portal Onthology that rely on the content evaluation metrics described at the end of the deliverable. Therefore, the second part of the deliverable discusses how to properly define metrics for ontologies, and introduce the notions of ontology normalization for measuring, and of stable metrics. This will help to properly define better ontology metrics in subsequent research in this area. The normalization has been implemented in a prototype as part of the KAON2 OWL Tools (source code available for download at OntoWare.org). Parts of this work have been already accepted for publication at the European Semantic Web Conference (ESWC2007). Keyword list: ontology metadata, P2P, repository, reuse, ontology evaluation, ontology assessment, ontology measurements, measuring, metrics


Abstract This is a case report about very rare findings in 2nd half of pregnancy (after normal 1 trimester scan ) at 18th week of gestation fetal macrosomia was detected unrelated to maternal diabetes, and acceleration fetal growth later on with unusual cardiac abnormalities (fetal cardiomegaly, cardiomyopathy, partial abnormal venous connection ). Progressive features of congestive heart failure with polyhydramnios in a fetus with estimated 5500 g predicted a poor outcome and severe neonatal condition, which was presented and discussed with the parents to be. Casearean section was performed at 33rd weeks of gestation due to maternal dyscomfort, severe legs edema and her tachypnoe. Baby boy was delivered with birth weight of 5050g, Apgar 4 with mutiple tumors. Conservative care was introduced and neonated died on the 3rd day. Differential diagnosis was discussed with special attention to Costello syndrome however without proved by genetic make-up from neonatal blood.


A state of the art volume on statistical causality

"Causality: Statistical Perspectives and Applications" presents a wide?ranging collection of seminal contributions by renowned experts in the field, providing a thorough treatment of all aspects of statistical causality. It covers the various formalisms in current use, methods for applying them to specific problems, and the special requirements of a range of examples from medicine, biology and economics to political science.

This book:

(1) provides a clear account and comparison of formal languages, concepts and models for statistical causality, and

(2) addresses examples from medicine, biology, economics and political science to aid the reader's understanding, and

(3) is authored by leading experts in their field, and

(4) is written in an accessible style.

Postgraduates, professional statisticians and researchers in academia and industry will benefit from this book.


ABSTRACT Background: Dementia is a neurodegenerative syndrome that interferes with multiple aspects of life, including cognition, daily functioning, and behavior. Despite the large heterogeneity in symptom development, these three domains are seldom studied simultaneously. This study investigates how trajectories of these domains are interrelated within individuals over time, and how they in turn are related to dementia severity and quality of life (QoL). Methods: We used data from a longitudinal clinical cohort study, including 331 dementia patients. Cognitive status was measured using the Mini-Mental State Examination, daily functioning was measured with the disability assessment for dementia and neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) were scored using the neuropsychiatric inventory. We investigated the relationships in the time course of the various dementia domains using random effects multilevel models and parallel-process growth models. Results: Changes in cognition and daily functioning were highly correlated over time (r = 0.85, p < 0.01), as were changes in NPS and functioning (r = −0.60, p < 0.01), while changes in cognition and NPS were not (r = −0.20, p = 0.06). All three domains were strongly associated with dementia severity over time (p < 0.01). Decreased functioning and increased NPS were both associated with decreased QoL (β = 2.97, p < 0.01 and β = −2.41, p < 0.01, respectively), while cognition was not (β = 0.01, p = 0.93). Conclusion: This study demonstrates the heterogeneity of dementia progression between individuals and between different dementia domains within individuals. To improve our understanding of dementia progression, future research should embrace a broader perspective encompassing multiple outcome measures along with the patient's profile, including neurological factors as well as physical, social, and psychiatric health.


Canine scabies is a challenging disease to diagnose because sarcoptic mites are hard to find on skin scrapings. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a serologic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as an aid in the diagnosis of canine scabies. In addition, serum samples were obtained post treatment to determine the duration and persistence of circulating scabies antibodies after resolution of natural infection. Nineteen dogs diagnosed with sarcoptic mange and 38 control dogs were tested. Sixteen scabies-infested dogs showed positive pretreatment ELISA results (84.2% sensitivity). Thirty-four control dogs showed negative ELISA results (89.5% specificity). In the 11 scabies dogs from which multiple post treatment serum samples were obtained, detectable antibodies were not present 1 month after treatment in four cases, but were present for 1-4.5 months post treatment in seven dogs. Our results suggest that this scabies ELISA test is useful in the diagnosis of canine scabies.


As states nationwide increasingly turn to risk assessment algorithms as tools for criminal justice reform, scholars and civil society actors alike are increasingly warning that this technological turn comes with complications. Research to date tends to focus on fairness, accountability, and transparency within algorithmic tools. Although attention to whether these instruments are fair or biased is normatively essential, this Article contends that this inquiry cannot be the whole conversation. Looking at issues such as fairness or bias in a tool in isolation elides vital bigger-picture considerations about the institutions and political systems within which tools are developed and deployed. Using California's Money Bail Reform Act of 2017 (SB 10) as an example, this Article analyzes how risk assessment statutes create frameworks within which policymakers and technical actors are constrained and empowered when it comes to the design and implementation of a particular instrument. Specifically, it focuses on the tension between, on one hand, a top-down, global understanding of fairness, accuracy, and lack of bias and, on the other, a tool that is well-tailored to local considerations. It explores three potential technical and associated policy consequences of SB 10's framework: proxies, Simpson's paradox, and thresholding. And it calls for greater attention to the design of risk assessment statutes and their allocation of global and local authority.


During the last 15 years, minimally invasive surgery has been introduced gradually in surgical treatment for prostate cancer (CaP). Laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) was introduced in the late 1990s but never gained widespread acceptance because of the steep learning curve of the technique. However, LRP is still a thriving technique in multiple centres in Europe and in other regions outside the United States. During previous years, LRP has been overshadowed by robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP), which was first reported in 2001. Its use increased dramatically, and in 2008, >75% of all radical surgical procedures for CaP were performed by RALP in the United States. Modifications of the minimally invasive operative technique and gained knowledge of the surgical anatomy have been applied in CaP surgery during the last decade. In addition, technical development of the robotic device with improved vision, and the introduction of new instruments have occurred. Growing concerns about costs in conjunction with surgical treatment for CaP have arisen during recent years. Introduction of LRP and RALP seem to be accompanied by higher costs for healthcare systems. As results regarding oncological and functional outcome have not definitely been proven to be improved with the introduction of new technology, minimal invasive surgery has been questioned, and opposed to traditional (open) retropubic prostatectomy. This review aims at giving a background for the introduction of minimally invasive surgery for CaP treatment.


The construction manager-at-risk (CMR) project delivery method, also termed construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC) project delivery in several states' enabling legislation, is an integrated team approach to the planning, design, and construction of a project to control schedule and budget and assure quality for the project owner. The team consists of the owner, the designer, which might be an in-house engineer, and the at-risk construction manager. Working toward a process to use the CM/GC project delivery method, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) identified industry stakeholders to engage and address concerns and work through ideas about CM/GC. The researchers reviewed the related literature, analyzed the content of 30 Request for Proposal/Request for Qualifications (RFP/RFQ) solicitation documents, and collected/compiled responses to a questionnaire (structured to answer MnDOT questions) that was sent to agencies in states that have used CM/GC. Survey questions and responses, as well as the targeted literature review and RFP/RFQ content analysis, are covered in the standalone white papers that were developed and included in this report to present the results of this investigation. The first five topics identified, presented to the stakeholder group, and, then, developed into white papers were as follows: CM/GC Project Selection, CM/GC Selection Process, CM/GC Selection Requirements, Subcontractors, and Cost Negotiations. Five additional topics were identified, developed into standalone white papers, and also included at the end of this report as follows: Including Cost in the CM/GC Selection Process, Design Contract Modifications, Owner Process to Validate Cost, Role of Independent Cost Estimator (ICE), and Contractor Bid Process.


This article studies innovation in Canadian nanotechnology clusters and networks using data from the intersection of the Nanobank database for Canadian inventors with that obtained from a search strategy modified from Porter et al. (2006). Using this selection of patents, we identify, analyze and characterize 8 Canadian nanotechnology clusters. We then construct the Canadian nanotechnology innovation network and describe the collaborative behaviour of the inventors. Most collaborative activity takes place inside nanotechnology clusters and Canadian inventors who decide to build cooperation ties outside their clusters most often prefer to do so with collaborators from abroad, mainly from the USA. A distance-based analysis confirms an important role of the geographical proximity when searching for a cooperation partner. Nevertheless, this importance significantly decreases when no partners are found within 600 km. Very distant or overseas collaborations are then preferred while the mid-range distance options are overlooked. JEL Codes: L24, L14, O32, R1


The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of practice on performance of a running task requiring maximal speed and accurate termination. Physically active pre-pubertal boys and men ran as fast as possible and stopped at a pre-determined target location. Twenty-five trials were collected and comparisons made between first five (early) and last five (late) trials. Approach velocity, normalized approach velocity (percent of maximal sprint velocity, %Vmax), stopping distance from target, and success rate were calculated. Self-efficacy for task performance and fatigue reports were collected prior to trials. Children ran more slowly than adults in absolute terms but performed at higher relative velocity. Both groups displayed similar accuracy and percentages of successful trials across early and late practice. Adults increased approach velocity and %Vmax from early to late; children, already higher in relative maximal velocity, did not change. Self-efficacy paralleled performance findings and correlated with %Vmax and success rate; both groups reported higher self-efficacy for late compared with early. With practice, adults increased approach velocity and children did not; however, children appeared to be performing at a higher relative level from the beginning, perhaps reflecting their more substantial recent histories of similar physical activity and limiting further effects of practice.


This article is an overview of income inequality trends during the
1980s and 1990s and a discussion of their challenges to redistribution
policies in Japan. The key results are summarized as follows. First, a
widening disparity in market income for the working-age population
has been driving rising income inequality in society as a whole, while
population aging has added to the uptrend. Second, wide income inequality
for the aged population reflects high rates of co-residency and
labor force participation among the elderly. This unique feature to the
Japanese elderly explains the fact that population aging has led to a rise
in overall inequality measures. Third, the current scheme of redistribution
policies is less effective for reducing income inequality compared
to other countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development countries (OECD), leaving distribution of disposable income
relatively uneven in Japan.


It is very difficult to accurately assess the role played by French-speaking Sub-Saharan African states in the international arms trade, because information on this subject is disparate and incomplete. Although it has been established that these countries import military material, figures on their production capacity and exports are particularly scarce. It is likely that, on a global scale, the quantity of these transfers is insignificant. However, some of these transactions have had and continue to have significant ramifications on regional security and socio-economic development. These countries have also frequently been at the centre of irresponsible or illegal transfers, including exports and re-exports at the regional level.


It is 1872
Peter Carl Faberge stares out of the windows of one of his father's jewellery workshops in St Petersburg. The Russian winter is approaching. Carl, as he came to be known, returned to St Petersburg a few years previously from an extended tour of Europe where he studied art, languages and the craft of jewellery making. His father has retired and Carl has taken over the family business. It was a very good business and enabled his father to retire at age 46.


Stem cell technologies hold great
promise in solving problems within fields such as drug development,
regenerative medicine, and disease modeling. Stem cell engineering provides a
mechanism that will help stem cells achieve this promise. Currently, many applications
within tissue engineering are limited by a lack of ability to create accurate
micro-physiological structures that recapitulate multicellular tissue patterns in
vivo. Precise control of spatial and temporal signaling is desired to
perform concurrent differentiation to multiple cell types intentionally. The
OptoWnt construct, a novel optogenetic system activating the Wnt signaling pathway,
achieves precise spatiotemporal regulation, in pursuit of greater control in stem
cell differentiation. We utilize OptoWnt, to differentiate stem cells into cardiovascular
cells: endothelial progenitor cells and cardiomyocytes, valuable cell types for
designing microtissues. Endothelial
cells comprise the luminal lining of blood and lymphatic vessels, providing the
integral structure for distribution within the body, separating mobile and
stationary tissues. Cardiomyocytes provide the force required to pump blood
throughout the human body and are a highly desired cell type in regenerative
medicine.

In this project, we have applied
an optogenetic induced signaling pathway, OptoWnt, to differentiate human pluripotent
stem cells (hPSCs) into cardiovascular cells via light-induced activation of
Wnt signaling pathway. In the analysis of these cells and comparison to
previous small molecule approaches to cardiovascular cell differentiation, we
demonstrate the robustness of the optogenetic approach and similar efficiency
that it has with the small molecule approach. In short, we have further
demonstrated the utility and potential of optogenetic induction of
developmental pathways, via the OptoWnt construct.


We test whether a major earthquake in one city (Christchurch, New Zealand) affects the prices of earthquake-prone commercial buildings in a city (Wellington) that was unaffected by the disaster. In particular, we test whether the official public declaration of a building as being earthquake-prone (with a corresponding requirement to remediate the building to minimum earthquake code requirements) has an effect on price over and above that experienced by similarly earthquake-prone (but not yet declared) buildings. We distinguish the latter by isolating sales of those buildings that are subsequently declared to be earthquake-prone. We find that in the CBD, the price discount that accompanies an official earthquake-prone declaration averages 45% whereas there is no observable discount on buildings that are subsequently declared earthquake-prone. Consistent with our theoretical model that anticipates forced sale of some officially declared earthquake-prone buildings, the probability of sale of officially declared earthquake-prone buildings rose markedly after the Christchurch earthquakes. Our results therefore show that officially declared earthquake-prone status has a considerable impact on the commercial property market that is separate from the effects of being earthquake-prone but where the building has not (yet) officially received that status.


This magnificent Pulitzer Prize-winning history, told primarily from the Japanese viewpoint, traces the dramatic fortunes of the Empire of the Sun from the invasion of Manchuria to the dropping of the atomic bombs, demolishing many myths surrounding this catastrophic conflict. Why did the dawn attack on Pearl Harbor occur? Was was inevitable? Was the Emperor a puppet or a warmonger? And, finally, what inspired the barbaric actions of those who fought, and who speak here of the unspeakable - murder, cannibalism and desertion? 'Unbelievably rich Readable and exciting' Newsweek'The most readable, yet informative account of the Pacific War' Chicago Sunday Times


Hydroxyurea, at concentrations of 40-60 mM, selectively and effectively blocked incorporation of thymidine into DNA. Inhibition occurred within 5-10 min of application of the agent when DNA synthesis was in progress, while the onset of replication at the beginning of S-phase and DNA synthesis in G2 phase were not affected. Uridine incorporation into TCA-precipitable material, in the presence of hydroxyurea, was significantly (up to 70%) inhibited in early S-phase of the cell cycle. Selective inhibition of RNA synthesis was confirmed for RNA separated into rRNA-rich and poly(A)-rich RNA fractions and analysed by the 2 kinds of DNA-RNA hybridization reactions. Uridine incorporation into poly (A) RNA was also inhibited under conditions where cycloheximide prevented maturation of nascent DNA molecules in early S-phase. We assume that chromatin which is replicating early DNA sequences may be a more competent template for transcription.


Introduction: Photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) does not provide prostate tissue for pathologic analysis. Here, we carried out early monitoring for prostate cancer by measuring prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and assessing clinicopathological features after PVP. Materials and Methods: Patients (n = 800) who underwent PVP and were followed-up for more than 12 months were analyzed retrospectively. After PVP, PSA levels were measured at 3 and 12 months and each year thereafter. Prostate biopsies were performed when PSA levels increased continuously. We assessed the characteristics of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer. Results: The mean follow-up period was 49 months. After PVP, 54 patients underwent biopsies, and 23 patients were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Overall, 10, 10, and 3 patients had clinical stage T1c, T2a, and T2b disease, respectively, and there were no cases of stage T2c disease or greater. Conclusions: We found that it was possible to diagnose prostate cancer at a localized stage under our optimal PSA monitoring schedule before and after PVP.


Background: Baseline prognostic biomarkers stratifying treatment strategies in first-line metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) are lacking. Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) is proposed as a potential biomarker in several cancers. We therefore decided to establish the additional prognostic value of Ang-2 for overall survival (OS) in patients with first-line mCRC. Methods: We enrolled 177 patients treated with a bevacizumab containing chemotherapy in two prospective phase II clinical trials. Patient plasma samples were collected at baseline. ELISAs were used to measure Ang-2. Results: The multivariable Cox model identified increased lactate dehydrogenase [HR, 1.60; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.04–2.45; P = 0.03] and Ang-2 log-transformation level (HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.14–2.21; P = 0.0065) as two significant independent OS prognostic factors. It exhibited good calibration (P = 0.8) and discrimination (C-index: 0.64; 95% CI, 0.58–0.68). Ang-2 parameter inclusion in the GERCOR reference model significantly and strongly improved its discriminative ability because the C-statistic increased significantly from 0.61 to 0.63 (bootstrap mean difference = 0.07; 95% CI, 0.069–0.077). Interestingly, the addition of Ang-2 binary information with a 5 ng/mL cutoff value to the GERCOR model allowed the reclassification of intermediate-risk profile patients (41%) into two subsets of low and high risks. Conclusions: Our study provides robust evidence in favor of baseline Ang-2 prognostic value for OS adding to the conventional factors. Its assessment appears to be useful for the improvement in risk stratification for patients with intermediate-risk profile. Impact: Ang-2 ability to predict OS at diagnosis could be of interest in the selection of patients eligible for intermittent or sequential therapeutic strategies dedicated to the optimization of patients' quality of life and chemotherapy cost-effectiveness. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 24(3); 603–12. ©2015 AACR.


Low bit-rate at high quality perception is the aim of coding schemes. Traditionally audio and voice coders have evolved as different paradigms: the state of the art voice-coders cores resides in Algebraic Code Excited Linear Prediction (ACELP) technologies while audio coding has its core in Transform Coding (TC). The Unified Speech-Audio Coding (USAC) scheme has become a new paradigm where the principal goal is to choose between the ACELP or TC to reduce the bit rate and increase the high quality perception. This modern coder is based in a module that decides which core coder to use on a specific signal frame. This paper proposes a decision module based on ridges detection in the wavelet transform of the input signal. Wavelet ridges permit to track the instantaneous frequencies contained in the analyzed signal. These instantaneous frequencies, linked to the signal pitch and its harmonics, permit to establish a module for determining whether it is a voice signal or audio.


Refactoring is one of the means of managing technical debt and maintaining a healthy software structure through enforcing best design practices, or coping with design defects. Previous refactoring surveys have shown that these code restructurings are mainly executed by developers who have sufficient knowledge of the system's design, and disposing of leadership roles in their development teams. However, these surveys were mainly limited to specific projects and companies. In this paper, we explore the generalizability of the previous results though analyzing 800 open-source projects. We mine their refactoring activities, and we identify their corresponding contributors. Then, we associate an expertise score to each contributor in order to test the hypothesis of whether developers with higher scores tend to perform a higher number of refactoring operations. We found that (1) although refactoring is not restricted to a subset of developers, those with higher experiences score tend to perform more refactorings than others; (2) our qualitative analysis of three randomly sampled projects show that the developers who are responsible for the majority of refactoring activities are typically on advanced positions in their development teams, demonstrating their extensive knowledge of the design of the systems they contribute to.


Tuning electronic structures and properties through chemical modifications has become the focus of recent research on graphene. The adsorption of metal atoms on graphene showed strong potential but is limited due to weak binding. On the other hand, macrocyclic molecules are well known for their strong and selective binding with metal atoms in solutions through coordination bonds. The alliance of the two substances will largely benefit the two parallel fields: it will provide a scaffold for coordination chemistry as well as a controllable method for tuning the electronic structure of graphene through strong binding with metals. Here, using crown ether as an example, we demonstrate that the embedment of macrocyclic molecules into the graphene honeycomb lattice can be very thermochemically favored. The combination also leads to a family of new materials that has potential in many areas including photolysis and two-dimensional superconductivity.


As full-time faculty positions become less stable, graduate teaching assistants (TAs) will continue to increase their responsibilities in the instruction of undergraduate students. These increased responsibilities are most evident at large research universities, where full-time faculty have been drawn away from undergraduate instruction in order to teach graduate courses and fulfill increasing research demands (Boyer, 1991a, 1991b; Diamond & Gray, 1987; Stokely, 1987; C. J. Sykes, 1988). As a result, a great deal of responsibility for undergraduate instruction has been handed over to graduate teaching assistants. Generally, research assistantships offer better funding and more opportunities to work closely with faculty mentors. Therefore, the prestige of teaching assistantships becomes jeopardized as the best graduate students seek research assistantships so that they will gain the research skills and experiences necessary to become successful college faculty members. Sullivan (1991) describes this as "skimming the cream" off the top of each group of graduate students and diverting their talents away from teaching. Faculty and administrators at research universities are the gatekeepers for successive generations of TAs, providing them with their primary training for college faculty positions. However, since socialization into the university research function has become the major focus of graduate assistantships in what C. J. Sykes (1988) refers to as "the historic escape from teaching (THEFT)," teaching becomes a secondary faculty pursuit. Faculty have little time to devote to mentoring their teaching assistants. Furthermore, little extra time exists in a TA's schedule to become socialized thoroughly and effectively in the teaching function (Davis & Minnis, 1993). Therefore, graduates entering careers in higher education typically lack the training and experience necessary to perform their instructional duties (Boyer, 1991b). In many instances, department chairs assign TAs with no training or teaching experience to teach undergraduate classes. In Bomotti's (1994) study nearly half of the TAs had attended no teacher preparation courses nor workshops. However, nearly three-fourths (73%) of these TAs expected to pursue a teaching career. In a national study of 240 graduate deans, Buerkel-Rothfuss and Gray (1991) revealed that very few institutions (26%) offered some form of university-wide TA training, while approximately 56% offered some type of training at the departmental level. In a more recent national study of 65 research universities, Butler, Laumer, and Moore (1993) found that nearly 70% of the TAs were provided with some type of formal training either at the university or department level. In a national study of TAs, 53% indicated having received some form of training, but over 75% indicated that their training amounted to less than one week (Gray & Buerkel-Rothfuss, 1991). The majority of such training efforts are limited to one day or less usually at the beginning of the term or semester (Buerkel-Rothfuss & Gray, 1991; Ronkowski, 1989). Lack of training or ineffective training is often the case due to an incongruence among the following factors: When training should occur, who should conduct it, how long it should be, what it should include, whether native and international TAs should receive identical training, and how training should be evaluated (Weimer, Sviniki, & Bauer, 1989). When formal TA training is offered, it is typically provided at the university or departmental levels. At the university level it typically deals more with university policy and procedures rather than effective instructional delivery techniques (Gray & Buerkel-Rothfuss, 1991). State mandates and university policies often force hurried and ineffective training. University training is usually limited to a one-day workshop, delivered primarily through workshop presentations by university faculty and administrators. …


In an era dominated by global conflict, terrorism and the increasing need for defence, it is unsurprising that global arms trade is thriving. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, arms trade accounts for roughly 40% of all corruption in global transactions. However,there is little literature regarding the extent to which existing anti-corruption regimes can or have combatted arms trade corruption. This essay aims to contribute to the discourse on arms trade corruption by critically evaluating the scope of the Foreign Corruption Practice Act (FCPA) in combatting corruption, in particular bribery,within the arms industry. The discussion commences with an introduction of the FCPA's origins, functions and extraterritorial jurisdiction. This will be followed by an examination of corruption within the arms trade industry and the role defence offset plays in contributing to bribery. Attention will be paid to the FCPA's method (or lack thereof) of tackling defence-offset corruption. Subsequently, the paper will draw on FCPA's enforcement power and its fines system to explore its effectiveness. This section will also analyse the FCPA's implementation within the United States (US) and whether the act has succeeded in its primary aim to safeguard US business against corruption, particularly in the arms industry. Through a discussion on the FCPA's vagueness and exclusion of grease payments, the final section will critically evaluate the FCPA's limitations in combatting arms bribery and corruption.  Whilst the essay acknowledges the FCAP's role in helping combat arms corruption, it emphasises on the FCPA's limitation and calls for FCPA reform to combat arms corruption.


Pierce is an architectural historian whose two research specialisms are early modern European architecture, particularly colonial
developments, and modern and contemporary architecture in Europe and the United States.
The book in which Pierce's essay is contained explores a number of ways in which the Dutch have impacted upon material
culture and society in the United States. Pierce's architectural history has two primary objectives. First, having identified key
themes and ideas unique to early twentieth-century American Modern architecture designed by European emigre architects, he
delineates the ways in which the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and his Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) built and
expanded upon those precedents/innovations. Second, he stakes a claim for the socio-political Dutchness of Koolhaas's two
most recent buildings in the United States – the McCormick-Tribune Campus Center in Chicago and Seattle Central Library.
Overall, in the context of his wider analysis of another original and influential contribution by the Dutch in the United States,
Pierce illustrates the significant effect of Koolhaas's architecture on contemporary American material culture.
Koolhaas responded to Manfredo Tafuri's Marxist challenges to architects in the late 1960s and 1970s through his probing use
of architectural projects in the USA, the core of modern capitalism. Moreover, in epistemological and practical terms, OMA
builds on the economic reality of the Dutch globalizing tradition, one that reached its Early Modern zenith by prioritizing
innovation over ideological and moral positions. Recent Koolhaas buildings in the United States advance the debate and
vocabulary of Modern American architecture. This output argues that Koolhaas is defending the only way open to architects for
architectural immortality: the historical continuum.
Pierce was invited to participate in the international conference, Going Dutch: Holland in America, 1609–2009 (University of
Denver, 2005). His was one of twelve papers selected for this book.


This article considers the implications of the European Commission, as primary administrative enforcer of competition law in the Union, using its own 'preliminary reference procedure', through observations in national court proceedings under Council Regulation 1/2003, to minimise the risks of divergent application of EU anti-trust rules under the decentralised system of enforcement ushered in by that Regulation. It sets the scene with the relationship between the European Commission and national courts in competition law, before describing the relevant provisions of the Regulation and its accompanying Courts Notice. It then discusses the legal nature of the Commission opinion as a Union instrument. Identifying cases where the Commission has offered observations, it assesses the implications of administrative intervention in judicial decision making. It finds that greater transparency is crucial for legitimacy, legal certainty and maximum impact on consistent application.


Photonic-assisted microwave frequency multiplication with a tunable multiplication factor (MF) based on an optical comb generator and an embedded single-passband microwave photonic filter (MPF) is proposed and demonstrated. The optical comb is generated using two cascaded modulators which are driven by a microwave reference signal. By applying the optical comb to a photodetector, a fundamental frequency corresponding to the comb spacing and its harmonics is generated. Thanks to the embedded single-passband MPF, only one harmonic is selected by the single-passband MPF. Thus, a single-frequency frequency-multiplied microwave signal is generated. In the proposed system, the embedded single-passband MPF is formed by using a sliced broadband optical source and a section of dispersion-compensating fiber (DCF). By tuning the central frequency of the passband at a frequency corresponding to that of a specific harmonic, a microwave signal at that specific frequency is generated. The proposed system is experimentally demonstrated. A frequency-multiplied microwave signal with an MF from 1 to 5 is generated. The phase noise and frequency tunability of the generated microwave signal are also investigated.


The narrative section of annual reports has considerable value to its user groups, such as financial analysts and investors (Barlett & Chandler 1997; International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) 2006; Tiexiera 2004). This narrative section including chairpersons'/presidents' statement contains twice the quantity of information than the financial statements section (Smith & Taffler 2000). However, the abundance of information does not necessarily enhance the quality of such information (IASB 2006). This issue of qualitative characteristics has been long foregone by researchers. This issue has attracted the attention of IASB (2006). Following the dearth in research in regard to qualitative characteristics of reporting this paper explores whether investors' required qualitative characteristics as outlined by the IASB (2006) have been satisfied in the management commentary section of New Zealand companies' annual reports. Our result suggests that the principal stakeholders', that is, investors' qualitative characteristics requirements have been partially met in this section of annual reports. The qualitative characteristic of 'relevance' and 'supportability' have been satisfied in more annual reports compared to that of 'balance' and 'comparability'.


Emerging market (EM) assets have historically been regarded as inherently risky and particularly vulnerable to international shocks that result in a general increase in investor risk perceptions. In this paper, we assess the ongoing relevance of this view by examining the linkages between EM and non-EM stock and bond markets in the past two decades, with a focus on how these relationships played out during the global financial crisis of 2007-2009. We evaluate how these linkages have evolved over the period 1992-2009, through statistical tests of whether the volatility of EM financial markets changed - either in their response to international shocks originating in advanced economy markets or in their independent fluctuations. We find that over the longer period EM bond and stock prices have on average moved in the same direction as the prices of non-EM risky assets, and this co-movement has persisted. However, these relationships have evolved somewhat over time. Both EM sensitivity to international shocks and EM-specific volatility in EM sovereign bond spreads appear to have decreased over time, consistent with the greater fundamental stability of EM economies and perhaps a reduced inclination by investors to sell off EM assets in response to a rise in risk perceptions. Somewhat in contrast, while an upward trend in co-variation between EM and non-EM stock prices suggests an increasing degree of global market integration, idiosyncratic volatility has declined, consistent with a diminished level of locally-driven risk in these markets. In addition, the response of EM asset prices to the latest financial crisis appears to be moderate in comparison to historical experience. This evidence may reflect reduced EM vulnerability to external shocks in general, which is consistent with some encouraging improvements in the underlying fundamentals of EM economies over the decade preceding the onset of the crisis.


Daphnia pulex and Daphnia pulicaria are cyclically parthenogenetic crustaceans that are distributed widely in North American freshwaters. Hybrids of D. pulex and D. pulicaria are common in the wild, where population genetic analyses have indicated that they are invariably obligately asexual. In this study, we characterize three sexual aspects (sexual egg production, male production, and sexual offspring production) of life history in experimentally bred hybrids to determine the degree of reproductive isolation. In striking contrast to natural hybrids, out of the 53 F1 hybrids we bred, none were obligately asexual. Neither male production nor sexual egg production was limited by hybridization. Our experimental crosses showed that there was little difficulty in generating or backcrossing the F1 generation. In addition, we were able to intercross F1s successfully to produce F2 progeny. We found no evidence that these taxa are reproductively incompatible, despite other reports of apparent adaptive genetic divergence. We conclude that reproductive isolation between D. pulex and D. pulicaria is due to ecological separation, not genetic incompatibility. In light of our results and published data on the biogeography and breeding system of these taxa, neither sterility due to hybridization nor direct inheritance of a sex‐limited meiosis suppressor appears to provide a satisfactory explanation for the asexuality of wild hybrids. We propose an alternate hypothesis in which one parental taxon invades a population of the other, the resulting F1 hybrids cross back to a carrier of a meiosis suppressor, and out of the resulting progeny, a high‐fitness asexual clone eventually displaces the rest of the population.


Objective: Acute urticaria is one of most common allergic skin diseases in children like all age groups. But the etiological factors may vary from society to society and can't be determined in all cases. In this study, we wanted to investigate the factors that may play a role in the etiology acute urticaria in children admitted to the emergency department of an inner city hospital. Materials and Methods: The study consisted of children with acute urticaria who had admitted to the pediatric emergency department of Sisli Etfal Training and Research Hospital. In addition to a detailed history, the patients were thoroughly examined; some biochemical tests, radiological investigations and skin prick test with some common allergens were made. Results: The study comprised 46 (26 boys) children with a mean age of 5.9 years. Forty (86.9%) of patients with urticaria had at least one etiological factor and 21 (45.6%) cases had more than one etiological factor. Allergy to environmental allergens (39%) and infections (19.5%) were found to be the leading etiological factors in children with acute urticaria. Conclusion: The etiology of acute urticaria may be delineated in most of children. Hypersensitivity to common allergens and infections should be kept in mind as the leading etiological factors in children with acute urticaria.


Introduction Simulation is a powerful learning tool for building individual and team competencies of frontline health care providers with demonstrable impact on performance. This article examines the impact of simulation in building strategic leadership competencies for patient safety and quality among executive leaders in health care organizations. Methods We designed, implemented, and evaluated a simulation as part of a larger safety leadership network meeting for executive leaders. This simulation targeted knowledge competencies of governance priority, culture of continuous improvement, and internal transparency and feedback. Eight teams of leaders in health care organizations—a total of 55 participants—participated in a 4-hour session. Each team performed collectively as a new chief executive officer (CEO) tasked with a goal of rescuing a hospital with a failing safety record. Teams worked on a modifiable simulation board reflecting the current dysfunctional organizational structure of the simulated hospital. They assessed and redesigned accountability structures based on information acquired in encounter sessions with confederates playing the role of internal staff and external consultants. Results Data were analyzed, and results are presented as qualitative themes arising from the simulation exercise, participant reaction data, and performance during the simulation. Key findings include high degrees of variability in solutions developed for the dysfunctional hospital system and generally positive learner reactions to the simulation experience. Conclusions This study illustrates the potential value of simulation as a mechanism for learning and strategy development for executive leaders grappling with patient safety issues. Future research should explore the cognitive or functional fidelity of organizational simulations and the use of custom scenarios for strategic planning.


Call and put options embedded in bonds are of American-style, and cannot be priced in a closed-form. In this paper, we formulate the problem of pricing these options in a stochastic Dynamic Programming (DP) framework. We let the shortterm risk-free interest rate move as in Vasicek (1977). We approximate the bond value by a piecewise linear interpolation at each step of the DP procedure, and solve the DP equation in closed-form. Then, we use the DP formulation to establish the basic properties of bonds, price their embedded call and put options, and determine their optimal exercise strategies. Numerical investigations show stability, consistency, and efficiency.


Governments, transport agencies and advocacy groups are promoting walking and cycling to encourage healthier lifestyles and provide for a more environmentally sustainable transport system. However, there are concerns over the relatively high number of pedestrian and cyclist deaths and serious injuries from collisions with motor vehicles. As a result shared cyclist-pedestrian pathways are being provided for to reduce conflicts with motor vehicles. This is resulting in considerable debate about the safety of pedestrians and bicyclist on such shared paths. User advocacy groups rally for increased segregation of motor vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians and the restriction and regulation of shared path use. On the other hand, road authorities and councils support the use of shared paths since they are cost effective and provide a high benefit to the community. In addition, researchers often make contrasting conclusions about whether or not shared paths cause unacceptable conflict and injury risks. This paper presents an overview of the issues concerning shared cycling-pedestrian pathways and results of some studies quantifying the number of deaths that occur in Australia and injuries in NSW resulting from cyclist-pedestrian conflicts. The risk of these deaths and injuries using known available exposure data are contextualised in terms of other risk events. Some information regarding travel speeds of cyclists on footpaths are also provided.


Ruins are, quite clearly, narratives. They are the 'bones' left once the soft tissue of some earlier everyday (materialised) life (mundane or momentous) has past. They speak narratives of such pasts, even if the speech is sometimes faint, distorted, fragmented, in some lost tongue. To see the ruins of Tintern Abbey (made famous by Worsdworth) is to stand at the threshold of a (part ruined) labyrinth of narratives – "If the majestic prospect of a ruined 12th-century church [ ] triggers the meditation, the landscape's fourth dimension—time as an almost palpable presence—dominates it". Of course bodies such as the National Trust seek to lead us over that threshold. Despite our claim that all narratives are ruins, be they fictional or otherwise (a doubtful distinction), narratives cannot ever fully recreate the lived lives they recount. They are fleeting, partial, spasmodic glimpses of such, stitched artfully together in some narrative regime or other. Partial also in that they always preclude – but allude to (deliberately or otherwise) what was always before and what is always to come. In Wordworth's contemplation of Tintern Abbey, the notions of ruin as narrative and narrative as ruin intertwine as he ponders his past – his narrative as present in the ruins that are memory. Further, narratives are inevitably co-produced in complex ways, first by the agencies of others, things and places that worm into the narrative though the host creator, and secondly in their consumption: a story must be heard in order to live. Ruins – architectural and natural – are the contemporary settings for stories of lived temporal isolation, as shown by the artist Stephen Turner. We are taken with Serres's notion of narratives which sees them as portals into labyrinthine lived time, in which one can move forward, back, graft, bifurcate in rhizomatic fashion. We will illustrate the general direction of thinking here with references to authors and film makers who have constructed narrative with(in) ruins – of one type or another- Sebald, Peake, Lynch.


The philosophical penetration of the social work
practice in Africa comes full cycle when a critical exposition of the contending issues and questions
is carried out. Social challenges and problems in Africa make human suffering in
the continent to be one of the highest in the world. An attempt to know the mind
of the social worker in Africa reflects the issues of social work that dominate
the African society. The mind of the social worker is perturbed by the problems
of human suffering, poverty, societal stratification and conflicts, increasing gap
between the rich and the poor, old-age problems, educational destitution, street
begging, youth drug abuse, increasing religious terrorism and psychological instability
of the elites. Posing these critical questions will reveal a lot about the mind
and the psychological dispositions of the social worker in the African environment.
The article seeks to reveal and expose these new questions as the platform for the
search for the new psycho-sociophilosophical and integrative methodology that will
solve the social problems of Africa in the 21st century.


Historically, general medical practitioners* and public health doctorst have striven for health goals by different means. General practice has concentrated on personal, continuing health care focused on the consultation, usually at the request of the patient. Public health doctorst have emphasised changes in the environment, society, and health service provision and organisation as the basis of interventions impacting on whole populations, or on marginalised groups of the population. Changes in medical practice, social and health care organisation, and political and public expectation have forced a radical reappraisal of the traditional relationship between these two branches of medical practice. These changes include the incorporation within general practice of staff such as health visitors and district nurses spurring on the concept of primary health care;' the deliberate and successful shift, continuing to gather momentum, towards preventive health care in general practice;23 and the move towards greater administrative involvement of general practitioners in the management, organisation, and development of health services, hastened by the NHS reforms and best exemplified by fund holding general practices.6 The increasing focus of public health medicine on the assessment of health and health care needs, the development of policy and strategy, the promotion of health, the control and prevention of disease, and the organisation of services (activities undertaken at the expense, in practice if not in principle, of the control of environmental hazards and the advocacy role) has coincided with these changes in general practice.7-9 In the UK the fusion of the district and family health services authorities, and the increasing involvement of general practitioners in commissioning, and the requirement of health authority staff to support general practice commissioners make a strong relationship between the two medial specialties essential.5 In what direction has the relationship been moving?


The integration of genome-based information into public health is a challenging task. In this context, some emphasise a supposed fundamental difference of genome-based information compared to other health information. This view is contradicted by the author by arguing that genome-based information is determined by characteristics which also apply to other non-genome-based health information. Rather genome-based information integrates itself into the range of personal health information. Genome-based information deserves no "status apart" just because it was gained with the help of molecular diagnostic techniques. Thus there will be no revolution in public health, rather it can be discussed how genome-based information could be utilised to be part of public health approaches making public health more target-oriented and efficient.


This paper provides a new method and algorithm for making inferences about the parameters of a two‐level multivariate normal hierarchical model. One has observed J p‐dimensional vector outcomes, distributed at level 1 as multivariate normal with unknown mean vectors and with known covariance matrices. At level 2, the unknown mean vectors also have normal distributions, with common unknown covariance matrix A and with means depending on known covariates and on unknown regression coefficients. The algorithm samples independently from the marginal posterior distribution of A by using rejection procedures. Functions such as posterior means and covariances of the level 1 mean vectors and of the level 2 regression coefficient are estimated by averaging over posterior values calculated conditionally on each value of A drawn. This estimation accounts for the uncertainty in A, unlike standard restricted maximum likelihood empirical Bayes procedures. It is based on independent draws from the exact posterior distributions, unlike Gibbs sampling. The procedure is demonstrated for profiling hospitals based on patients' responses concerning p=2 types of problems (non‐surgical and surgical). The frequency operating characteristics of the rule corresponding to a particular vague multivariate prior distribution are shown via simulation to achieve their nominal values in that setting.


The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) is deploying a holistic system to monitor the world's ocean; however, a major challenge is many regions are chronically under-sampled. One such region is the Southern Ocean, which is remote and a harsh region to sample. The importance of improving holistic sampling in this region is clear, given its disproportionate significance to Earth and the fact that the area is exhibiting rapid change. As the Southern Ocean is beyond the capability of any single nation, the international Southern Ocean research community recognized a need for improved international coordination, strategic planning, and eventual implementation of a Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS). The focus of SOOS is on (1) designing a sustainable system that provides data for determining the status and change of the Southern Ocean, (2) standardizing measurements across national efforts, (3) providing a forum for opportunities to guide future investments, (4) developing a portal for open transparent access to data, and (5) supporting grassroots discussion to identify/design expeditions and technology development. This manuscript highlights current SOOS strategies to meet those needs. Critical lessons emphasize the need for providing value to users who are contributing content/strategy as volunteers and sustain a dedicated office to coordinate those efforts while providing documented value to those contributing time and expertise.


Center-based clustering is a fundamental primitive for data analysis and becomes very challenging for large datasets. In this paper, we focus on the popular
 k
 -center variant which, given a set
 S
 of points from some metric space and a parameter
 k
 < |
 S
 |, requires to identify a subset of
 k
 centers in
 S
 minimizing the maximum distance of any point of
 S
 from its closest center. A more general formulation, introduced to deal with noisy datasets, features a further parameter
 z
 and allows up to
 z
 points of
 S
 (outliers) to be disregarded when computing the maximum distance from the centers. We present coreset-based 2-round MapReduce algorithms for the above two formulations of the problem, and a 1-pass Streaming algorithm for the case with outliers. For any fixed
 ϵ
 > 0, the algorithms yield solutions whose approximation ratios are a mere additive term
 ϵ
 away from those achievable by the best known polynomial-time sequential algorithms, a result that substantially improves upon the state of the art. Our algorithms are rather simple and adapt to the intrinsic complexity of the dataset, captured by the doubling dimension
 D
 of the metric space. Specifically, our analysis shows that the algorithms become very space-efficient for the important case of small (constant)
 D
 . These theoretical results are complemented with a set of experiments on real-world and synthetic datasets of up to over a billion points, which show that our algorithms yield better quality solutions over the state of the art while featuring excellent scalability, and that they also lend themselves to sequential implementations much faster than existing ones.


Abstract The House of Lords is the world's longest-established and probably best-known second chamber. Wholly unelected, with most members appointed for life, it appears a vestige of the 'elite' form of bicameralism once common throughout Europe. Hence calls for major reform are commonplace. However successful changes have been piecemeal and rare. Meanwhile the UK is not federal, but is nonetheless a 'union state', comprising the territories of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, each with its own distinct governing arrangements. These were most recently boosted by the 1997 Labour government's devolution programme. Hence for decades, and particularly the last 20 years, devolution and Lords reform have both been on the UK's political agenda. Throughout this time attempts to create a 'second chamber of the nations and regions' have repeatedly failed. This paper reviews the proposals made, and the obstacles they faced - drawing lessons for Britain, and territorial bicameralism more widely.


Previous estimates of the effect of unemployment on crime commonly omit determinants of criminal behavior that vary with the business cycle, creating correlation between unemployment rates and the residuals in aggregate crime regressions. In this paper, we employ several strategies that attempt to minimize or break this correlation and eliminate the accompanying omitted variables bias to estimates of the effect of unemployment on crime. Using a state-level panel for the period from 1970 to 1993, we explore the sensitivity of crime-unemployment elasticity estimates to explicit controls for per-capita alcohol consumption, a factor that has been shown in the past to be pro-cyclical and a partial determinant of criminal behavior. In addition, we use prime defense contracts per-capita at the state level as an instrument for state unemployment rates. Both controlling for alcohol consumption and using instrumental variables to correct for omitted variables bias yields large effects of unemployment on the seven felony offenses recorded by the Department of Justice. Moreover, in contrast to previous research, we find significant and sizable positive effects of unemployment on the rates of specific violent, as well as property crimes.


We are studying the problem of determining suitable meeting times and locations for a group of participants wishing to schedule a new meeting subject to already scheduled meetings possibly held at a number of different locations. Each participant must be able to reach the new meeting location, attend for the entire duration, and reach the next meeting location on time. In particular, we give a solution to the problem instance where each participant has two scheduled meetings separated by a free time interval. For a geometric model, where n participants can travel along straight paths in the Euclidean plane, we present an O(n log n) algorithm to determine the longest meeting duration and a location suitable to all participants. In a graph-based model, transportation is provided by a geometric network over m nodes and e edges in the plane. Participants can have individual weights. Moreover, there can be k groups of participants, such that only one member of each group must attend the meeting. In this model, a location for a meeting of longest possible duration can be determined in time O(enalpha(k) log k + n log n + mn log m), where alpha(k) denotes the extremely slowly growing inverse Ackermann function


About 24 % of the land surface in the northern hemisphere are underlayed by permafrost in various states. Permafrost aggradation occurs under special environmental conditions with overall low annual precipitation rates and very low mean annual temperatures. Because the general permafrost occurrence is mainly driven by large-scale climatic conditions, the distribution of permafrost deposits can be considered as an important climate indicator. The region with the most extensive continuous permafrost is Siberia. In northeast Siberia, the ice- and organic-rich permafrost deposits of the Ice Complex are widely distributed. These deposits consist mostly of silty to fine-grained sandy sediments that were accumulated during the Late Pleistocene in an extensive plain on the then subaerial Laptev Sea shelf. One important precondition for the Ice Complex sedimentation was, that the Laptev Sea shelf was not glaciated during the Late Pleistocene, resulting in a mostly continuous accumulation of permafrost sediments for at least this period. This shelf landscape became inundated and eroded in large parts by the Holocene marine transgression after the Last Glacial Maximum. Remnants of this landscape are preserved only in the present day coastal areas. Because the Ice Complex deposits contain a wide variety of palaeo-environmental proxies, it is an excellent palaeo-climate archive for the Late Quaternary in the region. Furthermore, the ice-rich Ice Complex deposits are sensible to climatic change, i.e. climate warming. Because of the large-scale climatic changes at the transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene, the Ice Complex was subject to extensive thermokarst processes since the Early Holocene. Permafrost deposits are not only an environmental indicator, but also an important climate factor. Tundra wetlands, which have developed in environments with aggrading permafrost, are considered a net sink for carbon, as organic matter is stored in peat or is syn-sedimentary frozen with permafrost aggradation. Contrary, the Holocene thermokarst development resulted in permafrost degradation and thus the release of formerly stored organic carbon. Modern tundra wetlands are also considered an important source for the climate-driving gas methane, originating mainly from microbial activity in the seasonal active layer. Most scenarios for future global climate development predict a strong warming trend especially in the Arctic. Consequently, for the understanding of how permafrost deposits will react and contribute to such scenarios, it is necessary to investigate and evaluate ice-rich permafrost deposits like the widespread Ice Complex as climate indicator and climate factor during the Late Quaternary. Such investigations are a pre-condition for the precise modelling of future developments in permafrost distribution and the influence of permafrost degradation on global climate. The focus of this work, which was conducted within the frame of the multi-disciplinary joint German-Russian research projects "Laptev Sea 2000" (1998-2002) and "Dynamics of Permafrost" (2003-2005), was twofold. First, the possibilities of using remote sensing and terrain modelling techniques for the observation of periglacial landscapes in Northeast Siberia in their present state was evaluated and applied to key sites in the Laptev Sea coastal lowlands. The key sites were situated in the eastern Laptev Sea (Bykovsky Peninsula and Khorogor Valley) and the western Laptev Sea (Cape Mamontovy Klyk region). For this task, techniques using CORONA satellite imagery, Landsat-7 satellite imagery, and digital elevation models were developed for the mapping of periglacial structures, which are especially indicative of permafrost degradation. The major goals were to quantify the extent of permafrost degradation structures and their distribution in the investigated key areas, and to establish techniques, which can be used also for the investigation of other regions with thermokarst occurrence. Geographical information systems were employed for the mapping, the spatial analysis, and the enhancement of classification results by rule-based stratification. The results from the key sites show, that thermokarst, and related processes and structures, completely re-shaped the former accumulation plain to a strongly degraded landscape, which is characterised by extensive deep depressions and erosional remnants of the Late Pleistocene surface. As a results of this rapid process, which in large parts happened within a short period during the Early Holocene, the hydrological and sedimentological regime was completely changed on a large scale. These events resulted also in a release of large amounts of organic carbon. Thermokarst is now the major component in the modern periglacial landscapes in terms of spatial extent, but also in its influence on hydrology, sedimentation and the development of vegetation assemblages. Second, the possibilities of using remote sensing and terrain modelling as a supplementary tool for palaeo-environmental reconstructions in the investigated regions were explored. For this task additionally a comprehensive cryolithological field database was developed for the Bykovsky Peninsula and the Khorogor Valley, which contains previously published data from boreholes, outcrops sections, subsurface samples, and subsurface samples, as well as additional own field data. The period covered by this database is mainly the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene, but also the basal deposits of the sedimentary sequence, interpreted as Pliocene to Early Pleistocene, are contained. Remote sensing was applied for the observation of periglacial strucures, which then were successfully related to distinct landscape development stages or time intervals in the investigation area. Terrain modelling was used for providing a general context of the landscape development. Finally, a scheme was developed describing mainly the Late Quaternary landscape evolution in this area. A major finding was the possibility of connecting periglacial surface structures to distinct landscape development stages, and thus use them as additional palaeo-environmental indicator together with other proxies for area-related palaeo-environmental reconstructions. In the landscape evolution scheme, i.e. of the genesis of the Late Pleistocene Ice Complex and the Holocene thermokarst development, some new aspects are presented in terms of sediment source and general sedimentation conditions. This findings apply also for other sites in the Laptev Sea region.


The central cannabinoid receptor antagonist SR141716, N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2, 4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide, was synthesized from commercially available starting materials. Condensation of an aryl hydrazine with a diketone followed by base promoted isomerization/cyclization of the intermediate anti-imine gave the pyrazole acid which was converted to the title hydrazide via its acid chloride. Facile iodination via metallation followed by in situ trapping with an iodine source gave a modest yield of the iodinated SR141716. The iodine was selectively reduced with tritium gas and catalyst while retaining the three aryl chlorine atoms in the structure. The tritiated SR141716 exhibited a tritium-proton nOe both definitively identifying the position of the tritium as well as the sought isomer of the diarylpyrazole. This work provides a direct method for the preparation of preferred iodinated aryl substrates that offer advantages where selectivity and high incorporation in catalytic reduction is sought. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Teaching and learning, an evolving endeavour, is associated with many factors, with advancements in technology, playing an ever-growing role in the classroom. It is therefore important to include the use of interactive communication technologies (ICTs) in university curricula of teacher education programmes. Universities ought to be creative in advancing autonomous learning among their students by providing opportunities for integrated and rich learning experiences. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to intentionally integrate ICTs in the planning and delivery of foundation phase reading lessons. This was achieved by providing authentic learning opportunities to final year foundation phase student teachers through the provision of training in the creation of digital stories (DS), collaborating within communities of practice (COP) (peers and other relevant parties), and then using their creations in 'real-world' classroom contexts. The aims of this study were to explore student teachers' perceptions and experiences of developing DS in groups with minimal formal initial input and their use of DS during foundation phase (FP) reading lessons in real-class settings during teaching practice. Data were collected via focus group interviews and participants' reflection essays. The study's findings indicate that the creation of their own DS provided rich, rewarding multidimensional learning experiences to student teachers. Participants reported that they found the 'assignment' to be of real value, since it was directly linked to classroom practice, and despite the cognitive demands of the assignment; the nature of the task nurtured, an agentic disposition towards their own learning. Participants further reported that the DS provided enthusiasm among young learners during the delivery of lessons and were of pedagogical value, despite experiencing some challenges in using DS during reading lessons. Participants were of the view that the use of DS in advancing reading and literacy holds much pedagogical promise, because it resonates with the this generation of digital natives, the present generation of learners who have been born into a world where they interact with digital technology from an early age.


We propose a semiautomatic procedure to generate land cover maps from remote sensing images. The proposed algorithm starts by building a hierarchical clustering tree, and exploits the most coherent pixels with respect to the available class information. For a given amount of labeled pixels, the algorithm returns both classification and confidence maps. Since the quality of the map depends of the number and informativeness of the labeled pixels, active learning methods are used to select the most informative samples to increase confidence in class membership. Experiments on four different data sets, accounting for hyperspectral and multispectral images at different spatial resolutions, confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach, and how active learning techniques reduce the uncertainty of the classification maps. Specifically, more accurate results with fewer labeled samples are obtained. Inclusion of spatial information in the classifiers drastically improves the classification accuracy, leading to faster convergence curves and tighter confidence intervals. In conclusion, the presented algorithm provides efficient image classification and, at the same time, yields a confidence map that may be very useful in many Earth observation applications.


Renewable energy systems are widely used in the world, as their prices are going down
and efficiencies are improving every year. According to energy data from the General Electricity
Company of Libya, electricity demand in Libya is growing by about 9 percent every year. An
increasing number of power generators is needed to meet the electricity demand and prevent
power outages. In this thesis, available renewable energy sources in Bani Walid, Libya, which
is part of the western Libya power system, are studied to design a hybrid power system.
Optimization results show that a large-scale 76.8 MW PV system with a backup generator and
batteries for energy storage can provide reliable power in that area. A detailed system design,
optimal location, and stability analysis of the system have been studied and the results are
presented in this thesis. The system is sized using Homer ver. 2.68. Results of sensitivity
analysis show that irradiance sensitivity of -5, 0, and +5 have more effect on PV sizing than on
the batteries. Power system steady-state analysis and power flow calculation are done using
PowerWorld. Designed system stability and fault analysis are done using ETAP. Results
indicate that the expected maximum voltage drop is only 1.2%. Contingency analysis indicates
that an outage of transformer T10 will lead to 130% overloading of T11 and an outage of
transformer T13 can cause 108% overloading of T14. Transient analysis results indicate that
after a trip, voltage can vary by ±4%, with a peak variation of ±12%. The system control
methods and suggestions for further work are included in the thesis.


Abstract. The effects of historic and future land use on precipitation in the Netherlands are investigated on 18 summer days with similar meteorological conditions. The days are selected with a circulation type classification and a clustering procedure to obtain a homogenous set of days that is expected to favor land impacts. Changes in precipitation are investigated in relation to the present-day climate and land use, and from the perspective of future climate and land use. To that end, the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model is used with land use maps for 1900, 2000, and 2040. In addition, a temperature perturbation of +1 °C assuming constant relative humidity is imposed as a surrogate climate change scenario. Decreases in precipitation of, respectively, 3–5 and 2–5 % are simulated following conversion of historic to present, and present to future, land use. The temperature perturbation under present land use conditions increases precipitation amounts by on average 7–8 % and amplifies precipitation intensity. However, when also considering future land use, the increase is reduced to 2–6 % on average, and no intensification of extreme precipitation is simulated. In all, the simulated effects of land use changes on precipitation in summer are smaller than the effects of climate change, but are not negligible.


Artiklis vaadeldakse eellugu nähtusele, mida Andrei Azov nimetas "bukvalistide kukutamiseks" ning mis viis pooleks sajandiks nn nõukogude tõlkekoolkonna monopolini. Selle nähtuse algust näeme 1934. aastas, mil ilmusid ja said professionaalse arutelu objektiks silmapaistavate vene filoloog-tõlkijate Gustav Špeti ja Boriss Jarho novaatorlikud võõrapärastavad tõlked ja samal ajal seoses Nõukogude kirjanike esimese kongressiga leidis aset toores heteronoomia sissetung tõlkevälja ning tekkis sellest heteronoomiast kasu lõikav kriitiline diskursus. Olulisemate filoloog-tõlkijate hukkumine suure terrori ajal aitas kaasa kriitikute võidukäigule tõlkijate üle ja sealhulgas vene tõlkeajaloo retrospektiivsele moonutamisele, mida käesolev artikkel püüab parandada. Toetudes Lawrence Venuti tuntud teooriale võõrapärastavast ning kodustavast tõlkest, on seda dihhotoomiat diferentseeritud vastavalt nõukogude heteronoomsetele tingimustele.

The article discusses the pre-history of what Andrey Azov famously called "the overthrow of the literalists", and the beginning of the half-a-century domination of the "Soviet school of translation" in Russia. It aims to locate and scrutinise the moment when the previous translation trend, later pejoratively labelled as "literalism", gave way to the "Soviet school".
In the post-war years, the Russian translators Evgeny Lann and Georgy Shengeli were subjected to harsh criticism as "literalists" by the literary critic, translator and translation theorist Ivan Kashkin. In the official history of Soviet translation as outlined in the Literary Encyclopedia (1968), they were presented as key figures of a translation trend, also labelled "formalist" and "technologically exact", both post- and pre-war. This version of the history of Soviet translation, still resounding even in Azov's study (2013), is strongly distorted and needs to be rewritten in a more analytical way. Primarily, the term "literalists", that was used loosely and pejoratively at the time, can by no means serve as instrumental today. One of the most adequate self-labels of this trend in translation that had its heyday throughout the 1930s, notably in the activities of the Academia publishing house and the Commission for the Study of Literary Translation at the Moscow State Academy of Art Sciences (GAKhN), is "artistically scientific". In order to describe the trend adequately it should be noted that the "nomination" of Lann and Shengeli as "literalists" and the main targets of post-war criticism owes primarily to the fact that the much more influential key figures of this "school", mentioned in the Literary Encyclopedia (1934) as the "best present-day translators" – Mikhail Kuzmin, Adrian Pyotrovsky, Boris Yarkho, Mikhail Petrovsky – had either died (Kuzmin) or fallen victim to the great purges that hit also the GAKhNovites, including Gustav Shpet. Their names became unmentionable, while the translation projects and discussions of the 1930s associated with them could not be properly considered in translation histories. In order to reconstruct the true history of Soviet translation they have to be restored to their rightful place.
The pivotal point that marked both the acme of the "artistically scientific" translation, as well as the beginning of its demise, was the year 1934. It famously saw the First All-Union Congress of Writers at which translation was declared not the "private domain of a couple of literary pedants, not the academic theme for a philologist's thesis, but an affair of utmost state importance". Integration of translation into Stalinist national politics (discussions at the Writers' Congress were centred on the interests of Soviet nationalities and on praising the free translations made by poets) resulted in a drastic decline of autonomy in the field and in the competition between critics profiting from the heteronomy concerning who would define the true "Soviet translation" and thus have the power to judge. The brilliant samples of scientifically founded translations of classics that appeared in 1934 – Boris Yarkho's rendition of the medieval romance La Chanson de Roland and Gustav Shpet's new Russian Dickens and Shakespeare (both to become virtually erased from the history of Soviet translation later on) became the focal point of the dispute over what "Soviet translation" should be.
The article reconstructs both Yarkho's and Shpet's philologically based translation premises and the conflicting reception of their work by fellow philologists and by politically motivated critics. The transcript of a 1934 discussion held after Evgeny Lann's report on the principles of the new Dickens translations preserved in the archives clearly shows that, at the time, all discussants, including Kashkin, addressed not Lann but Shpet as the real source of these principles and that it was only after Shpet's arrest and death that the spearhead of criticism was aimed at Lann (who, unlike Shpet, unfortunately lacked the philological and spiritual stamina and weight to confront it decisively). As for Yarkho's attempt to invent a Russian poetic diction adequate for rendering French syllabic verse and the heterogeneous style of the medieval war epic, it was both daring and philologically grounded and had been highly praised as a model "Soviet translation" by major philologists working in the field of translation, e.g. Mikhail Alexeev, Alexander Smirnov and Rosalia Shor. At the same time, critics trying to speak in accordance with the political line would criticise it harshly, programmatically declaring their preference for the outdated free-verse translation into Russian made by de la Barthe.
In the history of Soviet translation, the transition from the "artistically scientific" or, to use a more familiar term, foreignising trend that had been flourishing throughout the 1930s and given brilliant practical as well as theoretical results, to a domesticating, ahistorical "Soviet school" that lacked theoretical reflection was not a natural evolution. Instead, it constituted a brutal intrusion of heteronomy into the field of translation, the triumph of politically oriented literary critics over professional translators and philologists that was strongly facilitated by the fact that many of the latter were repressed and, consequently, their names and works were erased from the history of Soviet translation.


The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of liver disorders through liver function enzyme tests (LFTs) in Islamabad. A total of 250 blood samples were screened in Kahuta Research Laboratory (KRL), Islamabad for the presence of liver disorders through liver function enzyme tests (LFTs) viz., alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Total Bilirubin (T.Bil) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). The results were analyzed by comparing the correlation among ALT, ALP and T. Bilirubin and compiled by comparing elevated level of LF enzymes with respect to age. It has been observed that correlation coefficient between ALT and T. Bilirubin; ALP and T. Bilirubin; ALT and ALP was positive values which indicate that slightly elevation in these enzymes released from hepatocytes cause liver disorders. The level of ALT and ALP abruptly decreased in (1-15 years), and then it gradually increased in age groups 16-30 years, 31-45 years. Their level was much higher in (46-60 years). However the level of T. Bilirubin was higher in children and adults in age groups (1-15years) and (46-60 years) but it was slightly elevated in age groups (16-30 years) and (31-45 years). It is concluded that elevation of liver enzymes is responsible for liver disorders.