Introduction: Surgical resection in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) may be associated with significant morbidity, functional limitations, and decreased quality of life. Objectives: The objective is to present health-related quality of life (HRQoL) changes over time before and 1 year after surgery in patients with NSCLC participating in a rehabilitation program. Methods: Forty patients with NSCLC in disease stage I to IIIa, referred for surgical resection at the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery RT, Rigshospitalet, were included in the study. The rehabilitation program comprised supervised group exercise program, 2 hours weekly for 12 weeks, combined with individual counseling. The study endpoints were self-reported HRQoL (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Lung, European Organization for Research and Treatment in Cancer–Quality of Life Questionnaire-QLQ-C30, Short-Form-36) and self-reported distress, anxiety, depression, and social support (National Comprehensive Cancer Network Distress Thermometer, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support), measured presurgery, postintervention, 6 months, and 1 year after surgery. Results: Forty patients were included, 73% of whom completed rehabilitation. Results on emotional well-being (P < .0001), global quality of life (P = .0032), and mental health component score (P = .0004) showed an overall statistically significant improvement during the study. Conclusion: This feasibility study demonstrated that global quality of life, mental health, and emotional well-being improved significantly during the study, from time of diagnosis until 1 year after resection, in patients with NSCLC participating in rehabilitation.


p63, a p53 family member, plays an essential role in epidermal development by regulating its transcriptional program. Here we report a previously uncovered role of p63 in controlling BMP/Smad signaling, which we find to be essential for maintaining low expression levels of several non-epidermal genes. P63 represses transcription of the inhibitory Smad7, thereby sustaining BMP signaling. In the absence of p63, compromised BMP signaling leads to inappropriate non-epidermal gene expression in postnatal mouse keratinocytes and in embryonic epidermis. Reactivation of BMP signaling by Smad7 knockdown and/or –to a lesser extent– by BMP treatment suppresses expression of non-epidermal genes in the absence of p63. Canonical BMP/Smad signaling is essential for control of non-epidermal genes as use of a specific inhibitor, or simultaneous knockdown of Smad1 and Smad5 counteract suppression of non-epidermal genes. Our data indicate that p63 prevents ectopic expression of non-epidermal genes by a conserved mechanism involving Smad7 repression and consequent enhancement of BMP/Smad signaling. Human syndromes caused by mutations in p63 gene resemble the phenotype of p63 knock-out mice characterized by ectodermal dysplasia, split hand/foot malformation and orofacial clefting. To understand the molecular defects of AEC syndrome, in our laboratory has been generated a knock-in mouse model for AEC syndrome. We searched for the expression of non-epidermal genes and known direct targets of p63 such as Bmp7 and Smad7 in AEC mutant mice. We found that neither non-epidermal genes or Bmp7 and Smad7 change their expression in this mouse model. Interestingly, we observed that known targets of p63 did not change their expression in AEC mutant mice. Here, we found that AEC mutation affects gene expression of small group of genes. Among them we identify p53 family members, p73 that is inhibited in AEC mutant epidermis demonstrating that p73 is a direct targets of p63.


Abstract. Megacities are extreme examples of the continuously growing urbanization of the human population that pose (new) challenges to the environment and human health at a local scale. However, because of their size megacities also have larger-scale effects, and more research is needed to quantify their regional- and global-scale impacts. We performed a study of the characteristics of pollution plumes dispersing from a group of 36 of the world's megacities using the Lagrangian particle model FLEXPART and focusing on black carbon (BC) emissions during the years 2003–2005. BC was selected since it is representative of combustion-related emissions and has a significant role as a short-lived climate forcer. Based on the BC emissions two artificial tracers were modeled: a purely passive tracer and one subject to wet and dry deposition more closely resembling the behavior of a true aerosol. These tracers allowed us to investigate the role of deposition processes in determining the impact of megacities' pollutant plumes. The particles composing the plumes have been sampled in space and time. The time sampling allowed us to investigate the evolution of the plume from its release up to 48 days after emission and to generalize our results for any substance decaying with a timescale sufficiently shorter than the time window of 48 days. The physical characteristics of the time-averaged plume have been investigated, and this showed that, although local conditions are important, overall a city's latitude is the main factor influencing both the local and the regional-to-global dispersion of its pollution. We also repeated the calculations of some of the regional-pollution-potential metrics previously proposed by Lawrence et al. (2007), thus extending their results to a depositing scalar and retaining the evolution in time for all the plumes. Our results agreed well with their previous results despite being obtained using a totally different modeling framework. For the environmental impact on a global scale we focused on the export of mass from the megacities to the sensitive polar regions. We found that the sole city of Saint Petersburg contributes more to the lower-troposphere pollution and deposition in the Arctic than the whole ensemble of Asian megacities. In general this study showed that the pollution of urban origin in the lower troposphere of the Arctic is mainly generated by northern European sources. We also found that the deposition of the modeled artificial BC aerosol in the Antarctic due to megacities is comparable to the emissions of BC generated by local shipping activities. Finally multiplying population and ground level concentration maps, we found that the exposure of human population to megacity pollution occurs mainly inside the city boundaries, and this is especially true if deposition is accounted for. However, some exceptions exist (Beijing, Tianjin, Karachi) where the impact on population outside the city boundary is larger than that inside the city boundary.


Despite recognition that medical conditions contribute to the risk of crash involvement, little is understood about the mechanisms by which these conditions lead to drivers, riders and pedestrians being involved in motor vehicle collisions. This study involved in-depth at-scene investigation of 298 road crashes in the Adelaide metropolitan area in which at least one person was transported to hospital or fatally injured as a result of injuries sustained in the crash. Medical records for those attending hospital or undergoing post-mortem examination were checked for medical documentation providing evidence that a medical condition was a contributing factor in the crash. This information was then matched with the information gathered at-scene and during personal interviews to determine the extent to which the medical condition contributed to the crash, taking into account other factors. We found that almost half the drivers, riders and pedestrians (referred to as active participants) involved in the crashes had at least one pre-existing medical condition, and half of these individuals had two or more such conditions. Importantly, we found that a medical condition was the main causal factor in 13% of the casualty crashes investigated and accounted for 23% of all hospital admission and fatal crash outcomes. The findings highlight the role of medical conditions as a contributing factor in crash causation based on real crash data.


ABSTRACT Research examining links between lifetime trauma and suicide attempts in older clients with severe mental illness (SMI) is scarce. We examined associations among six common forms of lifetime trauma and lifetime suicide attempts while controlling for other known correlates of suicide attempts including gender, psychiatric symptoms, thoughts of self-harm/suicide, and lifetime self-injury in 174 community mental health clients with severe mental illness who were 50 years of age or older. Almost all clients reported at least one traumatic event with a mean of twelve, more than half had attempted suicide at least once, and about one-third had made multiple suicide attempts. Regression revealed that four factors were significantly associated with lifetime suicide attempts: lifetime self-injurious behaviors, lifetime physical abuse, lifetime frequency of having witnessed severe violence, and lifetime homelessness. Lifetime self-injury accounted for the most variance in suicide attempts, but having been physically abused accounted for the most variance in suicide attempts among the six trauma items. Lifetime trauma should be carefully screened in older clients with severe mental illness given preliminary evidence that it might be linked to suicide risk. Limitations of this study include the cross-sectional design.


Half of American workers are not covered by employer-sponsored retirement arrangements. The recently passed California Secure Choice Retirement Savings Trust Act seeks to solve this problem by mandating retirement savings arrangements for California employers, coupled with a public investment vehicle for investing these private retirement savings. The Act is important because of California's size and status as a trendsetter for other states.This Article is the first to examine the important legal questions the Act raises under the Internal Revenue Code and ERISA. Contrary to the drafters' intent, the savings accounts authorized under the Act do not qualify as individual retirement accounts under the Code. Hence, employees participating in savings arrangements established under the Act will not receive the income tax benefits associated with individual retirement accounts.If the Act were to be amended to make its accounts individual retirement accounts, the Act would survive ERISA preemption under New York State Conference of Blue Cross & Blue Shield Plans v. Travelers Insurance Co., 514 U.S. 645 (1995), though not under Shaw v. Delta Air Lines, Inc., 463 U.S. 85 (1983). Since Travelers is the Court's more recent and more compelling construction of ERISA preemption, the Act should survive ERISA preemption if the Act is amended to have true individual retirement accounts.A final section addresses the choices other state legislatures (as well as Congress) confront if they elect to follow part or all of the path on which California has embarked to encourage private retirement savings. President Obama has recently proposed a federal mandate under which employers with more than ten employees would be required to maintain either retirement plans or IRA coverage. The President's proposal ensures public debate about the appropriate function of government in encouraging retirement savings. The Golden State's Act will play an important role in that debate. In that debate, I favor state-by-state experimentation rather than any single approach to the task of encouraging greater retirement savings.


ABSTRACT Virtual environments (VEs) have demonstrated promise as a neuropsychological assessment modality and may be well suited for the evaluation of children suspected of having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Some recent studies indicate their potential for enhancing reliability, ecologically validity, and sensitivity over traditional neuropsychological evaluation measures. Although research using VEs with ASD is increasing to the degree that several reviews of the literature have been conducted, the reviews to date lack rigor and are not necessarily specific to cognitive or neuropsychological assessment as many focus on intervention. The aim of this project was to comprehensively examine the current literature status of neuropsychological assessment in pediatric ASD using VEs by conducting a systematic review. Specifically, psychometric comparisons of VEs to traditional neuropsychological assessment measures that examined reliability, validity, and/or diagnostic accuracy for pediatric individuals, age 18 and below, with ASD were sought. The search using key words yielded 899 manuscripts, 894 of which were discarded for not meeting inclusion criteria. The remaining five met exclusion criteria. Therefore, the systematic review was modified to a brief report. These findings (or lack thereof) indicate a significant gap in the literature in that psychometric comparisons of these tools for the neuropsychological assessment of pediatric individuals with ASD are lacking. An important future direction of research will be extending the demonstrated incremental validity of VE neuropsychological assessment with other neurodevelopmental (e.g., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder) and adult populations to pediatric ASD populations.


Three bowel distention-measuring algorithms for use at computed tomographic (CT) colonography were developed, validated in phantoms, and applied to a human CT colonographic data set. The three algorithms are the cross-sectional area method, the moving spheres method, and the segmental volume method. Each algorithm effectively quantified distention, but accuracy varied between methods. Clinical feasibility was demonstrated. Depending on the desired spatial resolution and accuracy, each algorithm can quantitatively depict colonic diameter in CT colonography.


Abstract Background Shared decision making is considered an important aspect of chronic disease management. We explored the feasibility of routinely measuring kidney patients' involvement in making decisions about renal replacement therapy (RRT) in National Health Service settings. Methods We disseminated a 17-item paper questionnaire on involvement in decision-making among adult patients with established kidney failure who made a decision about RRT in the previous 90 days (Phase 1) and patients who had been receiving RRT for 90–180 days (Phase 2). Recruitment rates were calculated as the ratio between the number of included and expected eligible patients (I : E ratio). We assessed our sample's representativeness by comparing demographics between participants and incident patients in the UK Renal Registry. Results Three hundred and five (Phase 1) and 187 (Phase 2) patients were included. For Phase 1, the I : E ratio was 0.44 (range, 0.08–2.80) compared with 0.27 (range, 0.04–1.05) in Phase 2. Study participants were more likely to be white compared with incident RRT patients (88 versus 77%; P < 0.0001). We found no difference in age, gender or social deprivation. In Phases 1 and 2, the majority reported a collaborative decision-making style (73 and 69%), and had no decisional conflict (85 and 76%); the median score for shared decision-making experience was 12.5 (Phase 1) and 10 (Phase 2) out of 20. Conclusion Our study shows the importance of assessing the feasibility of data collection in a chronic disease context prior to implementation in routine practice. Routine measurement of patient involvement in established kidney disease treatment decisions is feasible, but there are challenges in selecting the measure needed to capture experience of involvement, reducing variation in response rate by service and identifying when to capture experience in a service managing people's chronic disease over time.


The infomediary takes an increasingly significant place in the information society and more particularly in the activity of economic intelligence (EI). Even if his objectives are well established, the various necessary activities to achieve them are to be clarified. Also in the digital era where automated tools are omnipresent, it is necessary to examine, when, how and why the infomediary in an EI process? Our study is on the analysis of the role of the infomediary within the human and material environments so as to understand his influence on the actors in the EI process. Our aim is therefore to understand what he does more than the watcher, whose roles seem to be more understood.


Accidents and disruptions in chemical process installations can, in principle, lead to the rare events in which the release of flammable and/or toxic substances occurs, and which at particular distances from the installation can result in a hazard potential due to thermal radiation, blast wave effects or the concentration of toxic substances. The possibilities and limits of deterministic and probabilistic estimation methods for appropriate distances from hazardous installations, based on the example of an ammonia release and a large surface fire, are shown. In this, it is demonstrated that the deterministic and probabilistic approaches are in no way conflicting or unnecessary, but rather that they are complementary. The use of a deterministic estimation method leads to a maximum set radius of effects which only take account of the damage impact. Depending on the selection of the appropriate and suitable consequence models, critical distances are calculated which are in some cases much larger than the current standardised distances, as is shown by the example of large-scale fires. The use of a probabilistic estimation method leads to a range of distances for which the individual risk can be given in addition. In principle, iso-contours joining points of same risk or areas of same risk may be defined through the use of such estimations.


ABSTRACT In sloping ground, before application of dynamic loading, the ground is subjected to a static shear stress due to the weight of the soil and the slope of the ground. Static shear stresses will act as driving forces and cause very large ground deformations even before the onset of soil liquefaction. Therefore reliable prediction of soil response is essential in the assessment of remediation methods to reduce liquefaction induced soil deformation. This paper investigates the application of a stress path model to simulate the soil liquefaction in sloping ground. Pore pressure generation and liquefaction strength of the soil predicted by the numerical model are compared with a series of simple shear tests performed on loose sand with and without an initial static shear stress simulating sloping and level ground conditions, respectively. Numerical predictions are shown to be in good agreement with test data.


In this paper I test two intuitions. First, that small private firms have incentives to undertake earnings management. Second, that firms' financing needs are one of such incentives, constraining the sense of the income manipulation. The tax incentive is deemed to motivate firms into adopting income decreasing actions aimed at reducing the tax bill, and is especially strong in an environment where they are managed by the owners and with close alignment between the accounting and tax systems. However, the debt incentive, which tends to affect mainly those firms with high financing needs, is expected to act as a constraint to the adoption of income decreasing actions, given that firms want to signal their quality to banks. The empirical evidence obtained from a sample of small private Portuguese firms fully supports my intuitions, showing that firms with low financing needs tend to focus on the minimization of the tax bill. Those with high needs are more pervasive in reporting larger profits. Moreover, firms with audited accounts seem to show a lower likelihood of reporting profits, and tentative explanations are either that they are more constrained in adopting earnings management actions, or that audited accounting may act as a signal of their quality, a kind of substitute for the signal underlying the sign and size of reported earnings.


European political parties have been recruiting members of over a century. However, 'parties without partisans' are conceivable today. Clearly, parties are changing, whether they are mutating, adapting or declining. In this context, it is crucial to understand the changes which affect party membership. It may indirectly affect the capacity of parties to perform their various functions in representative democraties. This book aims at contributing to three major topics related to the study of party membership. The first part of the book is dedicated to the analysis of the general trends in party membership across Europe in a comparative and long-term perspective. It tackles some questions which have not received clear answers yet: Can we attest a decline in the long term? How can we interpret the changes over time? What are the potential explanations for the trends observed? In the second part of the book, the contributions focus on the demand side, i.e. on parties and their assessment of membership, based on case studies. It offers an in-depth look inside the parties and attempts to answer questions such as: How do parties recruit members? How do they evaluate this resource and manufacture their membership? The final part of the book reverses the focus and examines party membership at the micro level (supply side), based on interviews and party membership surveys. It deals with questions like: How do members see their role in the party? What influence do they claim? How do they take action? This book provides new insights into party membership in Europe. Party membership decline should refer more specifically to mass-based parties or parties which traditionally develop stronger ties with other organisations. On the other hand, some parties are recruiting members when implementing strategies in favourable historical or institutional contexts. Finally, the book emphasizes that joining is not everything and urges to go beyond the classic questions of joining to study intra-party dynamics and processes. This book is published in the framework of the IAP scientific network PARTIREP supported by the Belgian Science Policy. It gathers chapters from some of the best specialists on party membership in Europe and is edited by Emilie van Haute.


Information on mass and energy exchange at the soil surface under vegetation is a critical component of micrometeorological, climate, biogeochemical and hydrological models. Under sparse boreal and western conifer forests as much as 50% of incident solar energy reaches the soil surface. How this energy is partitioned into evaporating soil moisture, heating the air and soil remains a topic of scientific inquiry, as it is complicated by such factors as soil texture, litter, soil moisture, available energy, humidity deficits and turbulent mixing. Fluxes of mass and energy near the forest floor of a temperate ponderosa pine and a boreal jack pine stand were evaluated with eddy covariance measurements and a micrometeorological soil/plant/atmosphere exchange model. Field tests showed that the eddy covariance method is valid for studying the mean behavior of mass and energy exchange below forest canopies. On the other hand, large shade patches and sunflecks, along with the intermittent nature of atmospheric turbulence, cause run-to-run variability of mass and energy exchange measurements to be large. In general, latent heat flux densities are a non-linear function of available energy when the forest floor is dry. Latent heat flux densities ( λE) are about one-quarter of available energy, when this energy is below 100 W m −2. Latent heat flux density (λE) peaks at about 35 W m −2 when available energy exceeds this threshold. A diagnosis of measurements with a canopy micrometeorological model indicates that the partitioning of solar energy into sensible, latent and soil heat flux is affected by atmospheric thermal stratification, surface wetness and the thickness of the litter layer. © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.


Purpose: CD26 is a 110-kDa cell surface antigen with a role in tumor development. In this report, we show that CD26 is highly expressed on the cell surface of malignant mesothelioma and that a newly developed humanized anti-CD26 monoclonal antibody (mAb) has an inhibitory effect on malignant mesothelioma cells in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Experimental Design: Using immunohistochemistry, 12 patients' surgical specimens consisting of seven malignant mesothelioma, three reactive mesothelial cells, and two adenomatoid tumors were evaluated for expression of CD26. The effects of CD26 on malignant mesothelioma cells were assessed in the presence of transfection of CD26-expressing plasmid, humanized anti-CD26 mAb, or small interfering RNA against CD26. The in vivo growth inhibitory effect of humanized anti-CD26 mAb was assessed in human malignant mesothelioma cell mouse xenograft models. Results: In surgical specimens, CD26 is highly expressed in malignant mesothelioma but not in benign mesothelial tissues. Depletion of CD26 by small interfering RNA results in the loss of adhesive property, suggesting that CD26 is a binding protein to the extracellular matrix. Moreover, our in vitro data indicate that humanized anti-CD26 mAb induces cell lysis of malignant mesothelioma cells via antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity in addition to its direct anti-tumor effect via p27kip1 accumulation. In vivo experiments with mouse xenograft models involving human malignant mesothelioma cells show that humanized anti-CD26 mAb treatment drastically inhibits tumor growth in tumor-bearing mice, resulting in enhanced survival. Conclusions: Our data strongly suggest that humanized anti-CD26 mAb treatment may have potential clinical use as a novel cancer therapeutic agent in CD26-positive malignant mesothelioma.


Several studies suggest that the cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality rates of persons with type 2 diabetes are about two to four times higher than those of the general popula‐ tion. It is therefore considered necessary to develop specific tools to evaluate and reduce CVD risk in this population. In the present chapter, main CVD risk scores were explored: from the Framingham study developed in the 1960s to the last diabetes-specific models, passing through the concept of diabetes as a "CVD risk equivalent". The scores devel‐ oped in Italian population were specifically explored. The Italian experience, according to other countries, emphasizes that it may be appropriate for each country to validate exist‐ ing models and eventually to adapt them to the different settings to improve targeted risk management.


Judicious use of automation can greatly enhance the productivity of an engineering staff. Integration of multiple computing processes with technology such as plotting, digitizing, total stations, and Computer-Aided Drafting increases the possible benefits but also increases the need for adequate controls. There are obstacles to taking full advantage of automation. Some are technical but most relate to perceived risks, fears, and concerns of those who decide to use or not use available technology. This paper explores ways to encourage productive use of automation while effecting controls that will minimize risks and assure ample compensation.


Gln3p is one of two well characterized GATA family transcriptional activation factors whose function is regulated by the nitrogen supply of the cell. When nitrogen is limiting, Gln3p and Gat1p are concentrated in the nucleus where they bind GATA sequences upstream of nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR)-sensitive genes and activate their transcription. Conversely, in excess nitrogen, these GATA sequences are unoccupied by Gln3p and Gat1p because these transcription activators are excluded from the nucleus. Ure2p binds to Gln3p and Gat1p and is required for NCR-sensitive transcription to be repressed and for nuclear exclusion of these transcription factors. Here we show the following. (i) Gln3p residues 344–365 are required for nuclear localization. (ii) Replacing Ser-344, Ser-347, and Ser-355 with alanines has minimal effects on GFP-Gln3p localization. However, replacing Gln3p Ser-344, Ser-347, and Ser-355 with aspartates results in significant loss of its ability to be concentrated in the nucleus. (iii) N and C termini of the Gln3p region required for it to complex with Ure2p and be excluded from the nucleus are between residues 1–103 and 301–365, respectively. (iv) N and C termini of the Ure2p region required for it to interact with Gln3p are situated between residues 101–151 and 330–346, respectively. (v) Loss of Ure2p residues participating in either dimer or prion formation diminishes its ability to carry out NCR-sensitive regulation of Gln3p activity.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral interventions for adolescents with type 1 diabetes based on a systematic review of the literature.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
The literature was identified by searching 11 electronic databases, hand-searching 3 journals from their start dates, and contacting individual researchers. Only articles that reported evaluations of behavioral (including educational and psychosocial) interventions for adolescents (age range 9-21 years) with type 1 diabetes that included a control group were included in the present review. Data summarizing the key features of the interventions and their effects were extracted from each article. Where possible, effect sizes for the randomized control trials (RCTs) were calculated.

RESULTS
The search process identified 64 reports of empirical studies. Of these, 35 studies included a control group, and 24 were RCTs. Effect sizes could be calculated for 18 interventions. The overall mean effect size calculated across all outcomes was 0.33 (median 0.21), indicating that these interventions have a small- to medium-sized beneficial effect on diabetes management. Interventions that were theoretically based were significantly more effective than those that were not (P<0.05, 1-tailed).

CONCLUSIONS
Research to date indicates that these interventions are moderately effective. Several methodological weaknesses to be avoided in future studies are noted. It is also recommended that investigators use the reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to guide the design of future studies, which should result in more disseminable interventions. RE-AIM assesses the intervention's reach, or percent or representativeness of patients willing to participate; efficacy across a range of outcomes; adoption, or the percent and representativeness of settings willing to implement the intervention; implementation, or the consistency of the delivery of the intervention as intended; and maintenance, or the extent to which delivery of the intervention becomes a routine part of health care in the medical setting.


Federal agencies in the United States hear almost twice as many cases each year as all the federal courts. But agencies routinely avoid using tools that courts rely on to efficiently resolve large groups of claims: class actions and other complex litigation procedures. As a result, across the administrative state, the number of claims languishing on agency dockets has produced crippling backlogs, arbitrary outcomes and new barriers to justice. A handful of federal administrative programs, however, have quietly bucked this trend. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has created an administrative class action procedure, modeled after Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, to resolve "pattern and practice" claims of discrimination by federal employees before administrative judges. Similarly, the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has used "Omnibus Proceedings" resembling federal multidistrict litigation to pool common claims regarding vaccine injuries. And facing a backlog of hundreds of thousands of claims, the Office of Medicare Hearings and Appeals recently instituted a new "Statistical Sampling Initiative," which will resolve hundreds of common medical claims at a time by statistically extrapolating the results of a few hearing outcomes. This Article is the first to map agencies' nascent efforts to use class actions and other complex procedures in their own hearings. Relying on unusual access to many agencies — including agency policymakers, staff and adjudicators — we take a unique look "inside" administrative tribunals that use mass adjudication in areas as diverse as employment discrimination, mass torts, and health care. In so doing, we unearth broader lessons about what aggregation procedures mean for policymaking, enforcement and adjudication. Even as some fear that collective procedures may stretch the limits of adjudication, our study supports a very different conclusion: group procedures can form an integral part of public regulation and the adjudicatory process itself.


In view of the environmental crisis that plagues the world today, resulting from the dissociation of man and environment and the low effectiveness of educational policies, especially regarding Environmental Education, the need for a paradigm shift is evident, transforming the way of teaching and thinking about Environmental Education. In that respect, it is believed that the concepts advocated by Earth System Sciences, applied to Permaculture, can contribute to the development of a more humanistic and respectful culture, besides providing man with a new outlook on the environment. Thus, the present work exposes the foundations of these two theoretical references (Earth System Sciences and Permaculture), aiming to contribute to the reform in thought, and allowing the teaching and learning process in Environmental Education to be more effective and consistent. While Earth System Sciences allow the systemic understanding of the planet as well as the complex relationships between its various constituents, Permaculture seeks a harmonious coexistence of man and the environment. They value, in an analogous way, the interrelations between the constituents of the system, revealing alternatives that enable changes in the way the natural environment is occupied, making it more sustainable and raising consciousness.


Background Mobile technologies have emerged as important tools that health care personnel can use to gain easy access to client data anywhere. This is particularly useful for nurses and care workers in home health care as they provide services to clients in many different settings. Although a growing body of evidence supports the use of mobile technologies, the diverse implications of mobile health have yet to be fully documented. Objective Our objective was to examine a large-scale government-sponsored mobile health implementation program in the Danish home care sector and to understand how the technology was used differently across home care agencies. Methods We chose to perform a longitudinal case study with embedded units of analysis. We included multiple data sources, such as written materials, a survey to managers across all 98 Danish municipalities, and semistructured interviews with managers, care workers, and nurses in three selected home care agencies. We used process models of change to help analyze the overall implementation process from a longitudinal perspective and to identify antecedent conditions, key events, and practical outcomes. Results Strong collaboration between major stakeholders in the Danish home care sector (government bodies, vendors, consultants, interest organizations, and managers) helped initiate and energize the change process, and government funding supported quick and widespread technology adoption. However, although supported by the same government-sponsored program, mobile technology proved to have considerable interpretive flexibility with variation in perceived nature of technology, technology strategy, and technology use between agencies. What was first seen as a very promising innovation across the Danish home care sector subsequently became the topic of debate as technology use arrangements ran counter to existing norms and values in individual agencies. Conclusions Government-sponsored programs can have both positive and negative results, and managers need to be aware of this and the interpretive flexibility of mobile technology. Mobile technology implementation is a complex process that is best studied by combining organization-level analysis with features of the wider sociopolitical and interorganizational environment.


Background: Migraine headaches have been linked to compression, irritation, or entrapment of peripheral nerves in the head and neck at muscular, fascial, and vascular sites. The frontal region is a trigger for many patients' symptoms, and the possibility for compression of the supratrochlear nerve by the corrugator muscle has been indirectly implied. To further delineate their relationship, a fresh tissue anatomical study was designed. Methods: Dissection of the brow region was undertaken in 25 fresh cadaveric heads. The corrugator muscle was identified on both sides, and its relationship with the supratrochlear nerve was investigated. Results: The supratrochlear nerve was found in all 50 hemifaces. Three potential points of compression were uncovered in this investigation: the nerve entrance into the brow through the frontal notch or foramen, the entrance of the nerve into the corrugator muscle, and the exit of the nerve from the corrugator muscle. The nerve generally bifurcates within the retro–orbicularis oculi fat pad, and these branches enter into one of four relationships with the corrugator muscle: both branches enter the muscle, one branch enters the muscle and one remains deep, both branches remain deep, and the branches further branch into ever smaller filaments that cannot be identified cranially. Conclusions: Some patients are nonresponders to migraine decompression techniques that address the supraorbital nerve. The supratrochlear nerve may be compressed in these patients. A standard corrugator resection that comes more medially within 1.8 cm of the midline may be beneficial. The morphology of the frontal notch/foramen must be examined and addressed if necessary.


The motion of incompressible magnetohydrodynamics (mhd) in a domain bounded by a free surface and coupled through it with an external electromagnetic field is considered. Transmission conditions for electric currents and magnetic fields are prescribed on the free surface. In this paper we show the idea of the proof of local existence by the method of successive approximations. For this we need linearized problems: the Stokes system for the velocity and pressure and the linear transmission problem for the electromagnetic field. We do not prove the local existence of solutions to the original problem but we show existence of a fundamental basis of functions for the linearized problems. Once we have such a basis, the existence of solutions to the linear problems can be shown by the Faedo–Galerkin method, as in other papers of Kacprzyk. The existence of solutions of the linear systems can also be shown by the method of regularizer.


Using different simulation techniques, we study the influence of the friction law governing interparticle and particle-plane contacts on the dynamics of a regular array of rigid parallel cylinders moving on a plane. We find that the evolution of the system depends strongly on the simulation method. But both in simulations with a Contact Dynamics algorithm, which prescribes the basic Coulomb's law of friction, and in simulations with molecular dynamics, which prescribes a regularized form of Coulomb's law, a steady state with very similar collective rotation modes is reached. As long as the static and dynamic friction coefficients are equal, the rotation modes are independent of the initial conditions. We show that in all cases, the global steady-state coefficient of friction between the array and the plane is a function of the driving force and the system size, and hence is not Coulombian.


Visualizing and exploring network data has been a challenging problem for HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) Information Visualization researchers due to the complexity of representing networks (graphs).
Research in this area has concentrated on improving the visual organization of nodes and links according to graph drawing aesthetics criteria, such as minimizing link crossings and the longest link length. Semantic substrates offer a different approach by which node locations represent node attributes. Users define semantic substrates for a given dataset according to the dataset characteristics and the questions, needs, and tasks of users. The substrates are typically 2–5 non-overlapping rectangular regions that meaningfully lay out the nodes of the network, based on the node attributes. Link visibility filters are provided to enable users to limit link visibility to those within or across regions. The reduced clutter and visibility of only selected links are designed to help users find meaningful relationships.
This dissertation presents 5 detailed case studies (3 long-term and 2 short-term) that report on sessions with professional users working on their own datasets using successive versions of the NVSS (Network Visualization by Semantic Substrates, http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/nvss) software tool. Applications include legal precedent (with court cases citing one another), food-web (predator-prey relationships) data, scholarly paper citations, and U.S. Senate voting patterns. These case studies, which had networks of up to 4,296 nodes and 16,385 links, helped refine NVSS and the semantic substrate approach, as well as understand its limitations. The case study approach enabled users to gain insights and form hypotheses about their data, while providing guidance for NVSS revisions. The proposed guidelines for semantic substrate definitions are potentially applicable to other datasets such as social networks, business networks, and email communication. NVSS appears to be an effective tool because it offers a user-controlled and understandable method of exploring networks.
The main contributions of this dissertation include the extensive exploration of semantic substrates, implementation of software to define substrates, guidelines to design good substrates, and case studies to illustrate the applicability of the approach to various domains and its benefits.


Reasoning in propositional logic is a key element in software engineering; it is applied in different domains, e.g: specification validation, code checking, theorem proving, etc. Since reasoning is a basic component in the analysis and verification of different critical systems, significant efforts have been dedicated to improve its efficiency in terms of time complexity, correctness and generalization to new problems support (e.g., SAT- Problem, Inference-Rules, inconsistency detection, etc.). We propose a new Conceptual Reasoning Method for an inference engine in which such improvements will be achieved by the combination of the semantic interpretations of a logical formula and the formal concept analysis mathematical background. In fact, each logical formula is mapped into a truth table formal context and any logical deduction is obtained by Galois connection. More particularly, we combine all truth tables into a global one which has the advantage of containing the complete knowledge of all deducible rules or, possibly, an eventual inconsistency in the whole system. A first version of the new reasoning system was implemented and applied for medical data. Efficiency in conflicts resolutions as well as in knowledge expressiveness and reasoning were shown. Serious challenges related with time complexity have been faced out and still more improvements are under investigation. "Acknowledgement: This publication was made possible by a grant from the Qatar National Research Fund NPRP04-1109-1-174. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the QNRF."


Background Trichomonas vaginalis, the most common non-viral sexually transmitted parasite, causes ~283 million trichomoniasis infections annually and is associated with complications during pregnancy and increased risk of HIV-1 acquisition. The antimicrobial drug metronidazole is used for treatment, but has lead to widespread drug resistance. We undertook sequencing of multiple clinical isolates and lab derived lines to identify genetic markers and mechanisms of metronidazole resistance. Results Reduced representation genome sequencings of more than 100 T. vaginalis clinical isolates identified 3,923 SNP markers and presence of a bipartite population structure. Linkage disequilibrium decays rapidly, suggesting genome-wide recombination and the feasibility of genetic association studies in the parasite. We identified 72 SNPs associated with metronidazole resistance, and a comparison of SNPs within several lab-derived resistant lines revealed an overlap with the clinically resistant isolates. We identified SNPs in sets of genes for which no function has yet been assigned, as well as in functionally-characterized genes highly relevant to drug resistance (e.g., pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase (PFO)). Transcription profiling of these and other genes served as proxy for testing the functional consequences of multiple identified SNPs. Transcription profiles of lab-derived drug resistance strain as well as clinically resistant strain depict common regulation changes in carbohydrate metabolism and oxygen detoxification pathways correlated with Mz resistance. Finally, we identified convergent genetic changes in lab-derived resistant lines of Tritrichomonas foetus, a distantly-related species that causes venereal disease in cattle. Conclusions Our observation of shared genetic changes within and between T. vaginalis and Tr. foetus parasites suggests conservation of the pathways through which adaptation has occurred. These findings extend our knowledge of drug resistance in the parasite, providing a panel of markers that can be used as a diagnostic tool.


Introduction: Advances in treatment and disease prevention occur frequently in urology. Urologists must identify a framework within which to evaluate these therapeutic innovations. Materials and Methods: The evidence-based approach to critical appraisal is described using an example from the urological literature. A three-part assessment of the trial validity, treatment effect, and applicability of results will permit the urologist to critically incorporate medical and surgical advances into practice. Results: Validity of clinical trials hinges upon balancing patient prognosis at the initiation, execution, and conclusion of the trial. Readers should be aware of not only the magnitude of the estimated treatment effect, but also its precision. Finally, urologists should consider all patient-important outcomes as well as the balance of potential benefits, harms, and costs, and patient values and preferences when making treatment decisions. Conclusion: Use of this framework for critical appraisal will lead to a more evidence-based application of new therapies for patients. Incorporation of a more evidence-based practice within urology will lead to an increase in the quality of patient care.


Abstract Large-eddy simulation (LES) is utilized to investigate flow physics and lower-fidelity modelling assumptions in the simulation of an oblique shock impinging on a supersonic turbulent boundary layer (OSTBLI). A database of LES solutions is presented, covering a range of shock strengths and Reynolds numbers, that is utilized as a surrogate-truth model to explore three topics. First, detailed conservation budgets are extracted within the framework of parametric investigation to identify trends that might be used to mitigate statistical (aleatory) uncertainties in inflow conditions. It is found, for instance, that an increase in Reynolds number does not significantly affect length of separation. Additionally, it is found that variation in the shock-generating wedge angle has the effect of increasing the intensity of low-frequency oscillations and moving these motions towards longer time scales, even when scaled by interaction length. Next, utilizing the LES database, a detailed analysis is performed of several existing models describing the low-frequency unsteady motion of the OSTBLI system. Most significantly, it is observed that the length scale of streamwise coherent structures appears to be dependent on Reynolds number, and at the Reynolds number of the present simulations, these structures do not exist on time scales long enough to be the primary cause of low-frequency unsteadiness. Finally, modelling errors associated with turbulence closures using eddy-viscosity and stress-transport-based Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) simulations are investigated. It is found that while the stress-transport models offer improved predictions, inadequacies in modelling the turbulence transport terms and the isotropic treatment of the dissipation is seen to limit their accuracy.


The main focus of this research was the development of microfluidic technology for ultrasensitive and fast molecular analysis of cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay followed by next generation sequencing serves as the primary technique to characterize the genomic locations associated with histone modifications. However, conventional ChIP-seq assay requires large numbers of cells. We demonstrate a novel microfluidics-based ChIP-seq assay which dramatically reduced the required cell number. Coupled with next generation sequencing, the assay permitted the analysis of histone modifications at the whole genome from as few as ~100 cells. Using the same device, we demonstrated that MeDIPseq with tiny amount of DNA (<5ng) generated high quality genome-wide profiles of DNA methylation. Off-chip sonication often leads to sample loss due to multiple tube transferring. In addition, conventional sonicators are not able to manipulate samples with small volume(<100μl). We developed a novel microfluidic sonicator, which is able to achieve on-chip DNA/chromatin shearing into ideal fragment size (100~600bp) for both chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP). The integrated on-chip sonication followed by immunoprecipitation (IP) reaction can significantly reduce sample loss and contamination. Simple and accessible detection methods that can rapidly screen a large cell population with single cell resolution have been seriously lacking. We demonstrate a simple protocol for detecting translocation of native proteins using a common flow cytometer which detects fluorescence intensity without imaging. Using our approach, we successfully detected the translocation of native NF-κB (an important transcription factor) at its native expression level and examine the temporal dynamics in the process. Droplets with encapsulated beads and cells have been increasingly used for studying molecular and cellular biology. However, a mixed population of droplets with an uneven number or type of encapsulated particles is resulted and used for screening. We developed a fluorescence-activated microfluidic droplet sorter that integrated a simple deflection mechanism. By passing droplets through a narrow interrogation channel, the encapsulated particles were detected individually. The microcontroller conducted the computation to determine the number and type of encapsulated particles in each droplet and made the sorting decision. Our results showed high efficiency and accuracy for sorting and enrichment.


The kinetics of oxygenated hydrocarbon radicals is a central element of hydrocarbon oxidn. at both low and high temps. Among the large variety of such radicals a few of them are accessible to isolated generation and direct time resolved detection using presently available laser techniques. Recent results obtained for the kinetics and product distributions of the reactions of CH3O2 with NO and O atoms and of CH3O with NO, O and O2 are presented and discussed in terms of multi-channel potential energy diagrams. Moreover, the direct gas phase detection of the hydroxy-cyclohexadienyl-radical and the kinetics of its reaction with NO2 is also reported.


Future radio access networks are expected to show a high degree of self-organization. This paper addresses self- tuning of the random access channel (RACH) in the 3G Long Term Evolution (LTE). The feasibility of self-tuning is investigated by means of simulation, where the coupling between several parameters and the performance of RACH is provided. The conclusion of the simulations is that RACH self-tuning is indeed possible given that UE assisted measurements are available for the self-tuning mechanism.


Abstract. In this study, the snow physics of a distributed biosphere hydrological model, referred to as the Water and Energy Budget based Distributed Hydrological Model (WEB-DHM) is significantly improved by incorporating the three-layer physically based energy balance snowmelt model of Simplified Simple Biosphere 3 (SSiB3) and the Biosphere-Atmosphere Transfer Scheme (BATS) albedo scheme. WEB-DHM with improved snow physics is hereafter termed WEB-DHM-S. Since the in-situ observations of spatially-distributed snow variables with high resolution are currently not available over large regions, the new distributed system (WEB-DHM-S) is at first rigorously tested with comprehensive point measurements. The stations used for evaluation comprise the four open sites of the Snow Model Intercomparison Project (SnowMIP) phase 1 with different climate characteristics (Col de Porte in France, Weissfluhjoch in Switzerland, Goose Bay in Canada and Sleepers River in USA) and one open/forest site of the SnowMIP phase 2 (Hitsujigaoka in Japan). The comparisons of the snow depth, snow water equivalent, surface temperature, snow albedo and snowmelt runoff at the SnowMIP1 sites reveal that WEB-DHM-S, in general, is capable of simulating the internal snow process better than the original WEB-DHM. Sensitivity tests (through incremental addition of model processes) are performed to illustrate the necessity of improvements over WEB-DHM and indicate that both the 3-layer snow module and the new albedo scheme are essential. The canopy effects on snow processes are studied at the Hitsujigaoka site of the SnowMIP2 showing that the snow holding capacity of the canopy plays a vital role in simulating the snow depth on ground. Through these point evaluations and sensitivity studies, WEB-DHM-S has demonstrated the potential to address basin-scale snow processes (e.g., the snowmelt runoff), since it inherits the distributed hydrological framework from the WEB-DHM (e.g., the slope-driven runoff generation with a grid-hillslope scheme, and the flow routing in the river network).


With such an expansive global reach, greater research is needed to evaluate messaging within Disney animated films as it relates to societal implications. The present analysis examined the portrayal of parents and parenting over time through a census content analysis of 85 Disney animated and computer-animated films that aired from 1937 to 2017. The constructs of parent demographics, parental configurations, parent roles within and outside of the home, and parenting behaviors were examined. Results revealed that the vast majority of parents were viewed as mature, competent adults, with 56% use of the authoritative parenting style. Father figures were significantly more likely to use authoritarian and permissive parental approaches whereas female caregivers were more authoritative. Although parents were portrayed as overall mature and competent adults, implications are discussed regarding the portrayal of parental approaches that do not provide children with the support needed to overcome obstacles.


Ever since the GATT was established in 1948, the growth in international trade and economic growth has been remarkable. The traditional mercantilism of trade relations is less and less appropriate for the global economy. Bilateral trade deals make the business environment more complex and unpredictable. Preferential trading agreements erode the principle of non-discrimination. They distort trade away from the underlying comparative advantage; create rents which are appropriated by special producer interests; multiply the complexities associated with aspects such as rules of origin, technical regulations, health and safety standards and administrative arrangements. They are also far harder to enforce than WTO rules, whose resolution mechanism has been very effective. Partial agreements outside the scope of the WTO lack the power of universal rules and legally binding commitments. Regarding the Doha Round of WTO negotiations, a key contradiction from the start was its construction as a 'development' round. This concept gave developing countries unrealistic expectations and opened the way for a damaging emphasis on the idea that they should not be required to make the same commitments to WTO rules as the developed countries. But avoiding WTO commitments almost always operates against the long-term economic interests of developing countries. The true development agenda lies in making commitments to WTO rules, rather than in seeking exemptions from them under the rubric of 'special and differential treatment'. The steps needed to move forward are practical measures to reform the WTO and its processes, as well as longer-term steps towards enhancing political commitment to the framework of multilateral trade.


The effects of the mucolytic agent, dithioerythritol (DTE), and the temperature at which sputum processing is conducted on cellular and biochemical markers in induced sputum was assessed. Samples from healthy and atopic asthmatic subjects were treated with either DTE or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at 22 or 37 degrees C and compared for cell counts and concentrations of histamine, tryptase, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), free interleukin (IL)-8, immunoglobulin (Ig)A, IL-8/IgA complexes and secretory component (SC). In addition, the influence of DTE on in vitro mediator release from blood eosinophils, basophils and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) mast cells was studied. Processing with DTE improved cytospin quality and increased the cell yield and measurable ECP, tryptase, IgA and SC, but reduced levels of histamine in PBS-treated samples and had no effect on IL-8. Cell counts or mediator levels were similar when sputum was processed at 22 or 37 degrees C, even though DTE induced blood basophils and BAL mast cells to release histamine at 37 degrees C. In spiking experiments, recovery of added ECP, tryptase, total IL-8 and histamine from sputum was similar in DTE- and PBS-processed sputum, but reduced for free IL-8 in PBS-treated samples. In conclusion, dithioerythritol improves cell and mediator recovery without causing cell activation when sputum processing is conducted at room temperature. The extent of recovery depends on the mediator studied.


This book will become a lethal weapon against skepticism toward the possibility of presenting programming as a precise discipline based on clear and simple principles. It treats what many regard as advanced topics in programming in so straightforward a manner, that there is little doubt that the "advanced topics" are in fact elementary notions. The material is presented simultaneously at many levels: the college sophomore will enjoy a hearty repast of solid conceptual and practical aspects of algorithm design, and the college professor or industrial professional will enjoy many morsels from the philosophy of programming to practical advice on the best uses of each language construction. The material is presented in a fast-moving, unadorned style, reminiscent in places of sketchy lecture notes; indeed, fully fourteen chapters appear in the first 124 pages. Every concept is backed by an example; I counted approximately 45 sample algorithms or programs in the text and about 25 more in the Exercises. The sample programs are masterpieces of clarity, exemplifying how invariant assertions can be embedded in comments to make understanding and verifying the programs as simple as possible. Wirth leaves little doubt as to the power of this technique, not merely by disoussing it but by doing it.


Background: In recent years, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have generated considerable interest and debate on the implications for tobacco control and public health. Although the rapid growth of e-cigarettes is global, at present, little is known about awareness and use. This paper presents self-reported awareness, trial and current use of e-cigarettes in 10 countries surveyed between 2009 and 2013; for six of these countries, we present the first data on e-cigarettes from probability samples of adult smokers. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of probability samples of adult (≥ 18 years) current and former smokers participating in the International Tobacco Control (ITC) surveys from 10 countries. Surveys were administered either via phone, face-to-face interviews, or the web. Survey questions included sociodemographic and smoking-related variables, and questions about e-cigarette awareness, trial and current use. Results: There was considerable cross-country variation by year of data collection and for awareness of e-cigarettes (Netherlands (2013: 88%), Republic of Korea (2010: 79%), United States (2010: 73%), Australia (2013: 66%), Malaysia (2011: 62%), United Kingdom (2010: 54%), Canada (2010: 40%), Brazil (2013: 35%), Mexico (2012: 34%), and China (2009: 31%)), in self-reports of ever having tried e-cigarettes (Australia, (20%), Malaysia (19%), Netherlands (18%), United States (15%), Republic of Korea (11%), United Kingdom (10%), Mexico (4%), Canada (4%), Brazil (3%), and China (2%)), and in current use (Malaysia (14%), Republic of Korea (7%), Australia (7%), United States (6%), United Kingdom (4%), Netherlands (3%), Canada (1%), and China (0.05%)). Conclusions: The cross-country variability in awareness, trial, and current use of e-cigarettes is likely due to a confluence of country-specific market factors, tobacco control policies and regulations (e.g., the legal status of e-cigarettes and nicotine), and the survey timing along the trajectory of e-cigarette awareness and trial/use in each country. These ITC results constitute an important snapshot of an early stage of what appears to be a rapid progression of global e-cigarette use.


At different moments in their careers, two rival Bolognese painters, Guido Reni (1575–1642) and Guercino (1591–1666), had their imaginations fired by the composition of Raphael's Uffizi St John the Baptist. That they should have taken inspiration from Raphael's famous figure at all shows how the gap between Italian Renaissance and Baroque painting was not as wide as is sometimes thought and that it was sometimes bridged by borrowings and adaptations of this sort. Few seventeenth-century painters could have seen Raphael's canvas in the original because of its inaccessibility at the heart of the Medici palace. So for nearly three centuries, the daring pose of Raphael's youthful St John was known only through a chiaroscuro woodcut by Ugo da Carpi (c. 1502–1532), datable soon after Raphael's death in 1520. In his Uffizi painting Raphael has taken on the difficult challenge of representing the male nude out-of-doors, in the half-light. In Reni's St John the Baptist in the Dulwich College Picture Gallery, London, datable 1635–1636, and in Guercino's picture of the same subject in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, painted in 1641, the pose of the protagonist was indebted to Raphael's prototype, but the level of the surrounding light has been raised. This accentuates the contrasts between light and shadow across the body, reducing the play of mid-tones in the intervening areas, which made the task of both Reni and Guercino that bit more difficult than that of their famous predecessor. Both have, of course, profited from the opportunity to show his prowess in modulating the musculature over a young man's physique. Unpublished drawings by each painter, which toy with ideas based on Raphael's prototype while the draughtsman was planning an independent figure of the saint of his own, are discussed to document the link between the Renaissance master and his seventeenth-century successors.


Much progress has been made with regard to theory building and application in the field of Strategic Human Resource Management (HRM) since Wright and McMahan?s (1992) critical review. While researchers have increasingly investigated the impact of HR on economic success within the Resource Based view of the firm, and have developed more middle level theories regarding the processes through which HR impacts firm performance, much work still needs to be done. This paper examines how future theorizing in SHRM should explore the concepts of time, cause, and individuals. Such consideration will drive more longitudinal research, more complex causal models, and consideration of multi-level phenomena.


Advances in semantic web research in recent years offer an opportunity for heterogeneous objects to exchange data and information in an interoperable way to make data and services machine-accessible and machine-processable. This paper describes a semantic web vision for an intelligent community transport service brokering system. The use of ontological approach to develop a semantic web brokering system opens up the data set for agent-based planning in reservation and scheduling. As ontologies are the building blocks of the semantic web and small simple ontologies are often constructed individually by different users, ontology integration approach is proposed to achieve data interoperability in the proposed system. An application scenario is used to demonstrate how the semantic web based system will be used. Future research of this project is to construct the community transport service ontology to conduct proof of concept for the intelligent brokering system.


The growing development and social appropriation of ICTs nowadays represent a means that facilitates the participation of citizens in the design and management of public policies. The objective of this research was to assess the contribution generated by the use of a digital platform as a means to design and execute public policies aimed at strengthening the productive apparatus in the tourism and cultural industry of the Tolima region within the "Tolima Vive Digital"-TVD (Tolima Lives Digitally) project developed between 2013 and 2014 within the framework of the "Vive Digital" (Live Digitally) initiative by the National Government. Through an evaluative research model, structured surveys and in-depth interviews were applied to beneficiaries linked to the tourism and culture sector in the region, as well as to facilitators-experts in the operation of the platform. The results of the evaluation show the positive contribution of ICTs to the processes of citizen participation in the design of public policies by facilitating the participation and inclusion of citizens from remote regions, by enabling a more efficient systematization and integration of citizen demands and by generating a new communication channel between Government and citizens. In this way, the experience of the Tolima region represents a reference point for other government managers, and becomes a complementary contribution to the evaluation of the strategy for the digitalization of the public service in Colombia.


Turkey has created some opportunities for the organisations in the defense industry to generate a suitable business and to ensure its sustainability. The domestic coverage ratio of defense system need in 2010 is aimed as 50%. To achieve this target depends on the defense industry competitiveness. In this study, the development plans, strategies and foreign trade are examined. Its contribution which has an important place in the research and development investment, is not at the level expected in Turkey's economy. Turkey occupies 47 th position in World Competitiveness Scoreboard, and 61 st position in Global Competitiveness Index in 2009. The index factors are investigated to understand the competitiveness according to the Porter's diamond model, applied in Turkey for the first time. As a result, the competitiveness analysis of Turkish defense industry is carried out and its global place and competitive advantage are exposed. Therefore, a framework is made to introduce a guide for decision-making by using a widely-accepted model, and to contribute to the plans and strategies.


A standard is being prepared for digital recorders for measurements in HV (high-voltage) impulse tests. How the main tests described in the proposed standard can be applied toward qualifying an impulse digitizer for HV impulse measurements is discussed. Experimental results from the application of these techniques to different digitizers are presented. A major problem in using digital recorders in HV laboratories is electromagnetic interference. Previous low-frequency measurements have indicated that high frequencies can be a problem. Some measurements at high frequencies are reported. The consequences of these measurements for electromagnetic compatibility are discussed. >


Rate-adaptive pacemakers are cardiac devices able to automatically adjust the pacing rate in patients with chronotropic incompetence, i.e., whose heart is unable to provide an adequate rate at increasing levels of physical, mental, or emotional activity. These devices work by processing data from physiological sensors in order to detect the patient's activity and update the pacing rate accordingly. Rate adaptation parameters depend on many patient-specific factors, and effective personalization of such treatments can only be achieved through extensive exercise testing, which is normally intolerable for a cardiac patient. In this work, we introduce a data-driven and model-based approach for the automated verification of rate-adaptive pacemakers and formal analysis of personalized treatments. To this purpose, we develop a novel dual-sensor pacemaker model where the adaptive rate is computed by blending information from an accelerometer, and a metabolic sensor based on the QT interval. Our approach enables personalization through the estimation of heart model parameters from patient data (electrocardiogram), and closed-loop analysis through the online generation of synthetic, model-based QT intervals and acceleration signals. In addition to personalization, we also support the derivation of models able to account for the varied characteristics of a virtual patient population, thus enabling safety verification of the device. To capture the probabilistic and nonlinear dynamics of the heart, we define a probabilistic extension of timed I/O automata with data and employ statistical model checking for quantitative verification of rate modulation. We evaluate our rate-adaptive pacemaker design on three subjects and a pool of virtual patients, demonstrating the potential of our approach to provide rigorous, quantitative insights into the closed-loop behavior of the device under different exercise levels and heart conditions.


The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that toxicity of Microcystis aeruginosa to Daphnia galeata can be explained by microcystins. For that purpose, the relationship between the strength of toxic effect and microcystin ingestion rate (amount of microcystins ingested per time with the respective food) by the animals was analysed. Of the tested Microcystis strains, only those containing microcystins, were poisonous to daphnids. It was, furthermore, shown that toxicity was closely related to the microcystin ingestion rate. Thus, the results support the hypothesis that microcystins are the most likely cause of daphnid poisoning, and they also emphasise that the toxicity of a Microcystis strain depends on both, the cellular microcystin content and the rate with which it is ingested by the animals. The data also demonstrate that the feeding activity of D. galeata is not correlated to the microcystin content of the Microcystis culture fed. This may indicate that the strain-specific differences in feeding on M. aeruginosa are not due to the microcystins. As toxicity was also observed when colony-forming strains with a mucilage sheath were offered, it seems likely that microcystin release in the gut is not actually hindered by mucilage and that toxicity can occur even under natural conditions.


"Rights of Inclusion" provides an innovative, accessible perspective on how civil rights legislation affects the lives of ordinary Americans. Based on eye-opening and deeply moving interviews with intended beneficiaries of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), David M. Engel and Frank W. Munger argue for a radically new understanding of rights - one that focuses on their role in everyday lives rather than in formal legal claims. Although all 60 interviewees had experienced discrimination, none had filed a formal protest or lawsuit. Nevertheless, civil rights played a crucial role in their lives. Rights improved their self-image, enhanced their career aspirations and altered the perceptions and assumptions of their employees and coworkers - in effect producing more inclusive institutional arrangements. Focusing on these long-term life histories, Engel and Munger incisively show how rights and identity affect one another over time and how that interaction ultimately determines the success of laws such as the ADA. For anyone concerned with rights, disability and the law, "Rights of Inclusion" should be a landmark work.


The paper presents the second-order analysis of a truss girder for the Hydropower Plant Dravograd, Slovenia. The existing steel girder of the span of 24.5 m was constructed 75 years ago for the reconstruction of spillways. The girder was designed according to old German DIN standards. The linear global analysis of structure was performed together with dimensioning. Since the water elevation (and consequently the water load) on the Drava River, has increased in last years (a flood occurred with the most extreme/highest water elevation in history), a special structural analysis was requested to be done, which should show the resistance of the steel structure in new conditions. After all dimensions of the structure were checked and measured, the finite element model of the structure was modelled. Steel grade St 37 was considered. The self-weight, a hydrostatic load and a friction force between the truss girder and sealing I-beams were taken into account. Computer program SAP 2000 was used and the secondorder FE analysis was performed. Dimensioning was made according to Eurocode 3. It was found that the truss girder at the HP Dravograd will not resist a new water load of the Drava River successfully (the water elevation of 331.90 m). While the resistance of the structure is 4.25-times exceeded, the structure connections are 7.64-times overloaded. To overcome the problem, an allowable water load on the truss structure was calculated. The highest possible downstream water elevation of 329.55 m was consequently determined which the girder structure can be successfully subjected to.


Author: Yadira Rodriguez Chatman Title: Modeling and Parameter Estimation of Spacecraft Lateral Fuel Slosh Institution: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Degree: Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering Year: 2008 Predicting the effect of fuel slosh on spacecraft and launch vehicle attitude control systems has been a very important and challenging task and has been the subject of considerable research over the past years. Analytic determination of the slosh analog parameters has been met with mixed success and is made more difficult by the introduction of propellant management devices such as elastomeric diaphragms. The experimental set-up in this research incorporates a diaphragm in a simulated spacecraft fuel tank subjected to lateral slosh behavior. This research focuses on the parameter estimation of a SimMechanics model of the simulated spacecraft propellant tank with diaphragms using lateral fuel slosh experiment data. An experimental investigation was conducted to determine and measure the slosh forces response of free surface slosh and diaphragms in an eight inch diameter spherical tank. The lateral slosh testing consisted of the tank assembly partially filled with different liquids, for other tests, diaphragms were incorporated into the tank. The experiment results from different testing conditions were compared for estimation of unknown parameter characteristics that include the pendulum model stiffness constants and damping coefficients.


Anisotropy and temperature dependence of structural, thermodynamic and elastic properties of crystalline cellulose Iβ were computed with first-principles density functional theory (DFT) and a semi-empirical correction for van der Waals interactions. Specifically, we report the computed temperature variation (up to 500 K) of the monoclinic cellulose Iβ lattice parameters, constant pressure heat capacity, Cp, entropy, S, enthalpy, H, the linear thermal expansion components, ξi, and components of the isentropic and isothermal (single crystal) elastic stiffness matrices, and , respectively. Thermodynamic quantities from phonon calculations computed with DFT and the supercell method provided necessary inputs to compute the temperature dependence of cellulose Iβ properties via the quasi-harmonic approach. The notable exceptions were the thermal conductivity components, λi (the prediction of which has proven to be problematic for insulators using DFT) for which the reverse, non-equilibrium molecular dynamics approach with a force field was applied. The extent to which anisotropy of Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio is temperature-dependent was explored in terms of the variations of each with respect to crystallographic directions and preferred planes containing specific bonding characteristics (as revealed quantitatively from phonon force constants for each atomic pair, and qualitatively from charge density difference contours). Comparisons of the predicted quantities with available experimental data revealed reasonable agreement up to 500 K. Computed properties were interpreted in terms of the cellulose Iβ structure and bonding interactions.


This paper analyzes the determinants of the presence and the number of female and foreign directors among Japanese companies. First, listed and long-established companies, subsidiaries, and unionized companies tend not to have female directors. On the other hand, owner-managed companies are likely to have female directors and chief executive officers (CEOs). Company size and foreign shareholdings do not have significant relationships with the presence of female directors. Second, while some past studies in the United States and European countries find evidence of "tokenism," whereby female-led companies do not appoint additional females as directors, we do not find such evidence among Japanese companies. Third, while foreign-owned companies and companies engaged in overseas activities tend to have foreign directors, other company characteristics, such as size and listing status, do not have systematic relationships with the presence of foreign directors.


This Article was prepared for a symposium on 'What's Law Got Do To With It? Examining the Role of Law in a Changing World.' The OECD and G20 Base Erosion and Profits (BEPS) project represents the most comprehensive global cooperative effort to date to inhibit aggressive international tax planning and offshore tax evasion — along with related revenue losses. This cooperation promotes agreement on the underlying tax rules that govern cross-border transactions and reduces tax as a barrier to international trade and investment, hence improving global welfare. It remains unclear, however, whether ongoing cooperative solutions outside of tax administration will curtail perceived problems in any significant sense. Moreover, global political trends, including anti-globalization, nationalism, and populism — along with the rise of countries historically left off the bargaining table — make progress through international cooperation even more elusive. As a result of these forces, governments should continue to cooperate at the global level on tax administration agreements while simultaneously pursuing needed substantive tax and corporate law reforms at the national level.


This study employs DeLone and McLean's information system success model to measure the effect of service quality, system quality, information quality on repurchase intention of the smartphone-based ride hailing service in Vietnam. Data were gathered by surveying 427 customers using Grab and Uber services. PLS was employed to analyze the measurement and structural model. The statistical results supported all five proposed hypotheses. The study confirmed that electronic service quality of information system were significant predictors of overall perceived service quality. Additionally, this study reported a significant positive effect of perceived service quality and customer satisfaction on repurchase intention. The study also confirmed the relationships of the three variables representing the electronic service quality on the overall service quality, which directly effects customer satisfaction, considering a more comprehensive model for service in m-commerce context. This paper extends the knowledge on the service factors and customer satisfaction of repurchase intention.


Importance Current treatment options for progressive ovarian cancer provide limited benefit, particularly in patients whose disease has become resistant to platinum-based chemotherapy. Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of avelumab, an anti–programmed death-ligand 1 agent, in a cohort of patients with previously treated recurrent or refractory ovarian cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants In an expansion cohort of a phase 1b, open-label study (JAVELIN Solid Tumor), 125 patients with advanced ovarian cancer who had received chemotherapy including a platinum agent were enrolled between November 6, 2013, and August 27, 2015. Statistical analysis was performed from December 31, 2016, to October 9, 2018. Intervention Patients received avelumab, 10 mg/kg, every 2 weeks until disease progression, unacceptable toxic effects, or withdrawal from the study. Main Outcomes and Measures Prespecified end points in this cohort included confirmed best overall response (per Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors, version 1.1), immune-related best overall response, duration of response, progression-free survival, overall survival, results of programmed death-ligand 1 expression–based analyses, and safety. Results A total of 125 women (median age, 62.0 years [range, 27-84 years]) who had received a median of 3 prior lines of treatment (range, 0-10) for advanced disease were enrolled in the study. Patients received avelumab for a median of 2.8 months (range, 0.5-27.4 months), with a median follow-up of 26.6 months (range, 16-38 months). A confirmed objective response occurred in 12 patients (9.6%; 95% CI, 5.1%-16.2%), including a complete response in 1 patient (0.8%) and a partial response in 11 patients (8.8%). The 1-year progression-free survival rate was 10.2% (95% CI, 5.4%-16.7%) and median overall survival was 11.2 months (95% CI, 8.7-15.4 months). Infusion-related reactions occurred in 25 patients (20.0%). Other frequent treatment-related adverse events (any grade event occurring in ≥10% of patients) were fatigue (17 [13.6%]), diarrhea (15 [12.0%]), and nausea (14 [11.2%]). Grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events occurred in 9 patients (7.2%), of which only the level of lipase increased (3 [2.4%]) occurred in more than 1 patient. Twenty-one patients (16.8%) had an immune-related adverse event of any grade. No treatment-related deaths occurred. Conclusions and Relevance Avelumab demonstrated antitumor activity and acceptable safety in heavily pretreated patients with recurrent or refractory ovarian cancer. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01772004


ABSTRACT Background: Breastfeeding is the common practice for women soon after birth. As early as the baby is born, the mother will start to have milk production and enhance lactation period post-delivery. Thus, the mother becomes naturally embrace with the needs of breastfeeding, even for the first time mother. However, men somehow shows lack of awareness towards breastfeeding practice and have little information regarding the support required during the practice and the impacts of the support. Materials and Methods: The objectives of this study were to explore the perceptions of married men on breastfeeding practice and to identify the men's understanding as well as the experience during breastfeeding practice. Methodology: A qualitative study employed semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted among married man in Kuantan. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Result: The married men perceived that the breastfeeding practice is essential to provide nutrients and antibody for the child's growth. They expressed the feelings of being motivated during the breastfeeding which enabled them to motivate their wife to continue the breastfeeding practice. The commonest challenges that shared by the married was to ensure their baby to have enough stock of breast milk and to sacrifice their sleeping time in order to support the continuity of breastfeeding practice.  Despite these challenges, they acknowledged that it is their responsibility to support and care for their wife throughout breastfeeding practice. Conclusion: The married men perceived that breastfeeding practice is an important element to provide basic necessities and good nourishment for the children's growth. Their understandings, experiences, beliefs, responsibilities and challenges faced during the breastfeeding practices were explained in this study. Keywords: Married men, breastfeeding practice, perceptions, experiences, challenges, support, responsibilities.


I present the foundational structure for a life-centered theory of environmental ethics. The structure consists of three interrelated components. First is the adopting of a certain ultimate moral attitude toward nature, which I call "respect for nature." Second is a belief system that constitutes a way of conceiving of the natural world and of our place in it. This belief system underlies and supports the attitude in a way that makes it an appropriate attitude to take toward the Earth's natural ecosystems and their life communities. Third is a system of moral rules and standards for guiding our treatment of those ecosystems and life communities, a set of normative principles which give concrete embodiment or expression to the attitude of respect for nature. The theory set forth and defended here is, I hold, structurally symmetrical with a theory of human ethics based on the principle of respect for persons.


Traditionally, acupuncture is embedded in naturalistic theories that are compatible with Confucianism and Taoism. Such ideas as ym-yang, qi, dampness, and wind represent East Asian conceptual frameworks that emphasize the reliability of ordinary, human sensory awareness. Many physicians who practice acupuncture reject such prescientific notions. Numerous randomized, controlled trials and more than 25 systematic reviews and meta-analyses have evaluated the clinical efficacy of acupuncture. Evidence from these trials indicates that acupuncture is effective for emesis developing after surgery or chemotherapy in adults and for nausea associated with pregnancy. Good evidence exists that acupuncture is also effective for relieving dental pain. For such conditions as chronic pain, back pain, and headache, the data are equivocal or contradictory. Clinical research on acupuncture poses unique methodologic challenges. Properly performed acupuncture seems to be a safe procedure. Basic-science research provides evidence that begins to offer plausible mechanisms for the presumed physiologic effects of acupuncture. Multiple research approaches have shown that acupuncture activates endogenous opioid mechanisms. Recent data, obtained by using functional magnetic resonance imaging, suggest that acupuncture has regionally specific, quantifiable effects on relevant brain structures. Acupuncture may stimulate gene expression of neuropeptides. The training and provision of acupuncture care in the United States are rapidly expanding.


Spermatozoa were found earlier in the ejaculates of hemicastrated cockerels and the mean body weight of the hemicastrates was significantly (P less than 0.01) greater than that of the intact cockerels. The mean values for sperm concentration/ml, and total spermatozoa in the ejaculates of the hemicastrates were significantly greater (P less than 0.01) than those of the intact cockerels. Differences existed between the hemicastrates bearing the left testis, and those bearing the right testis in respect of age at sperm production, sperm/concentration and total spermatozoa in the ejaculate.


Survey results from 72 mechanical manufacturers in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in conjunction with related studies showed that industrial solid waste – hazardous waste (ISW-HW) treatment charges were operated in two forms: fixed and varied based on generated ISW-HW mass. Charges of collection – transport – storage – treatment – landfill for each waste composition varies widely (5 ÷ 20 fold), depending on the agreement between waste generators and solid waste services. Charges have not yet shown the relationship with treatment technologies, achieved treatment levels, as well as the correlation with transport distance and waste's toxicity. Methodology for calculating ISW treatment costs by incineration was initially set. Treatment costs per ton of ISW from the mechanical industry were specifically established for each case of emission, corresponding to different payloads of transport means.


Introduction: Comamonas testosteroni is a gram-negative bacillus which commonly occurs in various environments worldwide. Comamonas testosteroni is rarely recognized as a human pathogen. The case we report is the first Comamonas testosteroni endocarditis in Turkey and the fourth case in the world. Case Presentation: A 51-year-old male patient with a history of chest pain, dyspnea, and tachycardia was admitted to our hospital. Coronary angiography and echocardiography results revealed mobile lesions and plaques in aortic valve. Cardiovascular surgery was performed; aortic valve vegetation was detected and the aortic valve was excised. Aerobic culture was studied. After the biochemical identification tests and the use of VITEK-2 Compact (Biomerieux, France) automated microbial identification system, pathogenic bacteria was identified as Comamonas testosteroni. The patient who had no risk factors was diagnosed with endocarditis and treated with Ciprofloxacin. The case recovered from Comamonas testosteroni infection. Conclusion: There has been an increase in bacterial infections caused by Comamonas testosteroni and antibiotic resistance of the bacteria. For this reason, Comamonas testosteroni infections have increasingly become important. There have only been four cases from Turkey so far. This paper also examines the other cases in the literature as a whole.


Temperature is one of the most important factors affecting crop growth. The diurnal cycle of the scale factor [Tsc] for air temperature and the surface temperature of crop leaf and soil could be estimated by the following equation : [Tsc]=0.5×sin(X+C)+0.5. The daily air temperature (E[Ti]) according to the E&E time [X] can be estimated by following equation using average (Tavg), maximum (Tm) and minimum (Tn) temperature : E[Ti]=Tn+(Tm?Tn)×[0.5×sin{X+(9.646 Tavg+703.65)}+0.5]. The crop leaf temperature in 24th June 2014 was high as the order of red pepper without mulching > red pepper with mulching > soybean under drought > soybean with irrigation > Chinese cabbage. The case in estimating crop leaf surface temperature using air temperature and soil surface temperature was lower in the deviation compared to the case using air temperature for Chinese cabbage and red pepper. These results can be utilized for the crop models as input data with estimation.


Background Yoga is a popular recreational activity in Western society and there is an abundance of literature suggesting that yoga may be beneficial for people with a chronic pain disorder. Despite consistently positive results in the literature, the mechanisms of effect are unclear. On the grounds that chronic pain is associated with disruptions of brain-grounded maps of the body, a possible mechanism of yoga is to refine these brain-grounded maps. A left/right body part judgement task is an established way of interrogating these brain-grounded maps of the body. Objective To determine if people who do regular yoga practice perform better at a left/right judgement task than people who do not. Methods Previously collected, cross-sectional data were used. Using a case–control design, participants who reported taking part in regular yoga were selected against age, gender, neck pain and arm pain-matched controls. Participants viewed 40 photographs of a model with their head turned to the left or right, and were asked to judge the direction of neck rotation. They then completed a left/right-hand judgement task. Results Of the 1737 participants, 86 of them reported regularly taking part in yoga. From the remaining participants, 86 matched controls were randomly selected from all matched controls. There was no difference between Groups (yoga and no yoga) for either response time (p=0.109) or accuracy (p=0.964). There was a difference between Tasks; people were faster (p<0.001) and more accurate (p=0.001) at making left/right neck rotation judgements than they were at making left/right-hand judgements, regardless of group. Conclusions People who do regular yoga perform no differently in a left/right judgement task than people who do not.