Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as one of the most important nosocomial pathogens and multi-drug resistant (MDR) isolates are of great concern worldwide. The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vitro synergistic activity of colistin in combination with other antibiotics against MDR A. baumannii blood stream isolates. A total of 54 non-duplicate, MDR A. baumannii isolates from blood culture specimens obtained between June 2011 and July 2012 were included in the study. In vitro synergistic activity of colistin in combination with imipenem, tigecycline or cefoperazone-sulbactam against study isolates was investigated by Etest superimposing method and the fractional inhibitory concentration (FIC) index was calculated for each antibiotic combination. The most frequent synergistic effect of colistin was found in combination with tigecycline in only 7 isolates (13.0%). All three antibiotics were found to have synergistic effect with colistin in four isolates (7.4%). Of isolates, 46 (85.2%) showed additive effect of colistin in combination with cefoperazone-sulbactam or tigecycline, 45 (83.3%) with imipenem. We found synergistic activity of colistin with other study antibiotics in only a small number of isolates. Although Etest method is a practical method to investigate the synergistic activity, in case of choosing empirical treatment, colistin in combination with another antibiotic may be preferred.


Documented in this article is the anticolonial treatment modality developed by a community-based behavioral health center on the island of O'ahu, Hawai'i—situated in a predominately Native Hawaiian community reacting to and affected by American colonial control of the Hawaiian Islands since 1893. We tie Haraway's concept of "situated knowledges" to the methodology of Clarke's "situational analysis" as a conceptual framing and a methodological approach in engaging the work of decolonizing health concepts and treatment regimens commonly taken for granted. Enfolding within that process the conceptual mapping for an indigenously informed way of thinking that emphasizes the relationship between colonizing "systems of care"—which emerge out of a sociocultural context of cultural domination that has broken down communally embedded Indigenous identities through individualism and exclusion or othering (i.e., hereafter abbreviated DIE)—and the need for decolonizing social processes that are in greater harmony with the rise of Hawaiian national consciousness ('Olu'olu) through communalistic notions of care (Lokahi) and nurturing cultural identities in balance with secular and non-secular relations anchored in historical and contemporary contexts (Aloha; i.e., hereafter abbreviated OLA). By increasing the convergence of OLA with the cultural mainstream of DIE as a unifying reference point applied to other Hawaiian and indigenous groups in both theory and praxis, this article is both a contribution to the social science of treatment, and to the literature on decolonizing drugs and alcohol.


When do we decide to extraterritorially apply constitutional law and when to extraterritorially apply administrative law? Using Israel as a case study, this Article examines the applicability of its constitutional law dealing with human rights to the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). In Israel, the Supreme Court readily applies administrative law to all acts of the military government in the OPT, yet is deeply ambivalent about, often eliding the issue of, constitutional application.
The different treatment, I argue, does not stem from legal doctrine or constitutional text, but rather from deep-seated, mostly unarticulated sentiments about the nature of constitutional law. Constitutional law demarcates the political community. Those within its scope are nominally a part of the polity. Those outside it are frequently viewed as potential threats to the state and its people. Since Palestinians in the OPT are readily viewed as enemies and as a presumptive threat to the Jewish nature of the state, the Court is ambivalent about their inclusion in the Israeli social contract, often resulting in their exclusion from the protections of Israeli constitutional law.
These sentiments also explain the divergent applications of constitutional law and administrative law. Constitutional law sends a message of inclusivity to bearers of constitutional rights. Administrative law, on the other hand, is the hallmark of the administrative state and lacks the constitutive nature of constitutional law. Wherever there is bureaucracy there is administrative law, which takes care that "things administer themselves." As such, administrative law is concerned more with the machinery of the state than with individual rights and political membership.


Lake Hawassa is a topographically closed lake in the Central Main Ethiopian Rift Valley. The water level of this lake has been reported to dramatically rise without falling back to the original level. The cause of this rise is not yet sufficiently investigated and subjected to this study. This study argues that the general variability in the lake level and its resultant rise has significant linkage to the temperature variability at the Pacific Ocean. The linkage between water level dynamics and climate variability was analyzed through the application of diverse statistical techniques. It comprises the Mann-Kendall trend analysis to test monotonic variations over time; sequential regime shift index (RSI) to detect significant shifts in the mean values of time-series records of lake level; and coherence analysis to investigate the linear relationship between ENSO index and records of local hydrology. Despite the multiple rises and falls, the results of the trend analysis revealed that the lake level experienced a significant resultant upward trend with Mann-Kendall τ values of 0.558, 0.629, and 0.545 (at α = 0.05 and p < 0.01%) for monthly maximum, average and minimum values respectively. The sequential regime shift evidenced that most of the significant shifts coincide with the occurrences of ENSO events. Generally, the lake level tends to be high during El Nino and low during La Nina episodes. The typical examples are the coincidence of extreme historical maximum lake level to the strongest El Nino event of the century that occurred in 1997/98 and the lowest lake level record in the year 1975 with a strong La Nina year. The coincidence of climate regime shift in the Pacific Ocean in 1976/77 with an equivalent regime shift in the lake level is an additional confirmation for the possible climate-hydrology linkage. The likely involvement of anthropogenic factors (at least in modifying the effect of climate) is justified by the interplay between the non-trending rainfall and potential evapotranspiration and trending streamflow. The coherence analysis between 492 pairs of monthly step datasets of 3.4ENSO index and lake level changes is also found to have a significant linear relationship over frequencies ranging from 0.13 to 0.14 cycles/month or 1.56 to 1.68 cycles/year. This corresponds to a dominant average periodicity (coincident cycle) of about 7.4 months which is thought to be related to the time span of the two rainy season in the locality.


Determining the active site in a catalyst material and elucidating the related reaction mechanism remain intellectual challenges and are of paramount importance for the rational development of new or better catalysts. Identifying active sites should in principle be possible by studying the catalyst at its working place under real reaction conditions. This is the field of operando spectroscopy, a research area, which is under intense development and of high interest to the catalysis community. This feature article presents an attempt of a roadmap for future operando spectroscopy studies. Two case studies will illustrate the potential and limitations of the operando approach. A first study deals with operando vibrational spectroscopy to obtain mechanistic insight in the destruction of chlorinated hydrocarbons with steam over lanthanide oxide-based catalysts. The second case study elaborates on the use of operando electronic spectroscopy to elucidate the active alkane dehydrogenation site in supported chromium oxide catalysts.


Introduction: Currently, the prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) in Portugal is 13,3% in adult population. Patients with DM have a 15-25% lifetime risk of developing a foot ulcer. Additionally, diabetic angiopathy is a unique vascular disease that has predilection for below-the-knee arteries. Meanwhile, endovascular techniques have been revolutionizing the revascularization of neuroischemic diabetic foot (NIDF) patients, showing consistently higher limb salvage rates.
The survival of NIDF patients reaches 50% at 5 years after revascularization and limb salvage, but decreases to 50% at 2 years after a major amputation. With this study, the authors intend to describe their experience on endovascular revascularization for the treatment of NIDF patients.
Methods: Retrospective institutional review of consecutive patients requiring endodistal revascularization (January 2010 - December 2017) - 464 limbs in 326 patients.
We evaluated demographics and co-morbidities data and performed statistic analysis to determine factors and outcomes as limb salvage, major and minor amputation rates. The primary outcome was to evaluate the technical success, the limb salvage, the rate of major and minor amputation and the global survival of this population. The secondary outcomes were to characterize the population, the endovascular procedures performed and the evolution over the last years. Operative reports were reviewed to analyze the endovascular procedures and techniques.
Results and conclusions: The technical success was achieved in 85% of the procedures. The iliac sector was only treated in 0,7% of the procedures and femoro-popliteal sector in 63,2%. Antegrade femoral approach, was obtained in 91, 3% of the procedures. A complementary retrograde distal approach was performed in 7,6% of procedures. Direct angiossomic revascularization was obtained in 60,9% of the cases. In the femoral and popliteal arteries, PTA was performed in 56,3% of the procedures and recanalization, PTA and stenting in 42,4%. During FU, 14,1% of patients was submitted to major amputation and 36,4% to minor amputation. The major amputation free-survival rate was 80,1% at 12 mo and the rate of healing at 12 mo was 63,2%. The 12 mo global survival was 79,8%. Direct angiossomic revascularization (p=0,014) and the number of tibial arteries recanalized (p=0,01) were both associated with a higher limb salvage rate and a faster healing of the ulcer. In the opposite side, there was an association between the increasing of renal dysfunction and poor healing (p=0,04). The endovascular reintervention rate was 20,4%. The results of the author's study on endodistal revascularization, highlights the need to prioritize investigation and revascularization in NIDF patients to improve the outcome of foot ulcer, giving the possibility of salvaging a greater number of limbs.


Are you a visual learner? Than Teach Yourself VISUALLY Macs is the book for you! This resource:Offers a perfect introduction for visual learners looking to gain a general understanding of Macs and some of the common peripherals associated with them. Demonstrates everything you need to know about transitioning from Windows to a Mac, using iPhoto, creating home movies with iMovie, and connecting all those cool devices, like the iPhone or iPod, so you can maximize iTunes. Shows you how to browse the Web with Safari and use iCal to track appointments, and what to do if something should ever go wrong. Includes full-color, rich screen shots and illustrations as well as step-by-step instructions clearly explain how to get the most from your Mac.


Background and purpose: Infant mortality rate in Indonesia is still high and is largely related to low birthweight (LBW) infants. Previous studies reported the sociodemographic and clinical factors as determinants of mortality of LBW infants, but rarely examined factors related to their health services. This study aims to determine the demographic, clinical and health services as determinants of mortality of LBW infants during hospitalization. Methods: This study was a retrospective using cohort data of medical record of LBW infants in Karangasem Hospital since January 2012 to October 2014. Logistic regression was done to determine the relationship between demographic, clinical and health services factors with LBW infants' mortality. Results: The proportion of mortality among LBW infants during hospitalization was 12.12%. Most parents (64.6%) live in good access to health services. The proportion of female infants (51.4%) was higher than male. LBW infants who were born in hospital (85.7%) greater than born outside hospital. Vaginal delivery (75.3%) was greater than C-section. Preterm infants (57.1%) was greater than at term with median of birthweight was 2100 grams. Proportion of asphyxia, respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), sepsis, hypoglycemia and hypothermia, respectively 24.1%, 4.66%, 0.78%, 7.92% and 3.73%. Variables associated with LBW mortality were increasing of 50 grams of birthweight, asphyxia, RDS and referred infants. Conclusion: The mortality of LBW infants during hospitalization was 12.12% with increasing of 50 grams of birthweight, asphyxia, RDS and referred infants found as determinant factors. Determinan Kematian Bayi Berat Lahir Rendah Selama Rawat Inap di RSUD Karangasem


This paper uses new data on agricultural policy interventions to examine the political economy of agricultural trade policies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Historically, African governments have discriminated against agricultural producers in general (relative to producers in non-agricultural sectors), and against producers of export agriculture in particular. While more moderate in recent years, these patterns of discrimination persist. They do so even though farmers comprise a political majority. Rather than claiming the existence of a single best approach to the analysis of policy choice, the authors explore the impact of three factors: institutions, regional inequality, and tax revenue-generation. The authors find that agricultural taxation increases with the rural population share in the absence of electoral party competition; yet, the existence of party competition turns the lobbying disadvantage of the rural majority into political advantage. The authors also find that privileged cash crop regions are particular targets for redistributive taxation, unless the country's president comes from that region. In addition, governments of resource-rich countries, while continuing to tax export producers, reduce their taxation of food consumers.


The long term goal of this project is to develop a monolithic stationary phase which utilises an electroactive polymer combining the advantages of EMLC, monolithic technology and microfluidic separation, thus creating an electroactive monolithic microchip (EMμ). In this thesis, fundamental studies towards the fabrication of EMμ are presented, i.e. integration of an electrochemical cell into a microfluidic chip, colloidal crystallization in microfluidic channels and PANI growth through a colloidal crystal template. Polyaniline was selected as the electroactive material for the fabrication of the monolithic stationary phase as its use for EMLC had already been demonstrated. Colloidal crystals have been used to microstructure materials and the inverse opal structure comprises pore sizes of the order of what was needed for EMμ; therefore electropolymerization of aniline through a polystyrene colloidal crystal template strategy was chosen. Two alternative chip designs, CD1 and CD2, were investigated for this thesis. Their applicability for EMμ was assessed in terms of their flow velocity profile using computational fluid dynamic, colloidal crystallization feasibility and electrochemical behavior using ferricyanide electrochemistry. The integration of a fully operational three-electrode electrochemical cell within a microfluidic channel and its use for polyaniline electropolymerization was demonstrated, and self-assembly of the sacrificial polystyrene template in these channels was shown. Polyaniline microstructure morphology exhibited a dependence on the surfactant concentration present in the polystyrene suspension. Finally, electrochemical switching of conducting polymer within microfluidic channels was assessed by studying polypyrrole switching by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Pore swelling and contraction was observed on application of a potential, demonstrating that the monolith properties could be dynamically controlled. It was found that volume increase in the polymer could be responsible for a deformation of flow through pores due to physical confinement of the polymer.


Combinatory Categorial Grammar (CCG) is generally construed as a fully lexicalized formalism, where all grammars use one and the same universal set of rules, and cross-linguistic variation is isolated in the lexicon. In this paper, we show that the weak generative capacity of this 'pure' form of CCG is strictly smaller than that of CCG with grammar-specific rules, and of other mildly context-sensitive grammar formalisms, including Tree Adjoining Grammar (TAG). Our result also carries over to a multi-modal extension of CCG.


'Alone Together, the Social Life of Benches', an eighteen-minute poetic documentary made by Esther Johnson, was created as part of collaborative AHRC research 'The Bench Project' exploring how individuals and groups use public space. One of the aims for this research was to test how making a film can help tell detailed and nuanced stories about encounters, exclusion and wellbeing in outdoor spaces. 'Alone Together' includes a series of oral testimonies in order to illuminate the thoughts of frequent users of two public spaces in London: General Gordon Square, Woolwich and St Helier Open Space, Sutton. During the research period of making the film, Johnson conducted repeated audio interviews in the knowledge that this material would be used both for the film, and as social data for a written report. Thus the interview questioning was extended, the resulting transcriptions aiding the research in multiple dimensions.

This chapter considers the use of moving image and sound, the process of filmmaking, and the results of the documentary in identifying how everyday environmental assets are used in supporting individual wellbeing. There is also a discussion of how the experiential capacity of film is used to highlight themes such as the feeling of being in a space, the rhythm and flow of visitors to a place, and the importance of design for everyday street furniture. Revolving around the micro-space of the humble bench, the film acts like a stranger who joins you to 'watch the world go by', and to break the ice by starting a conversation with their fellow bench user.

Keywords: Documentary Filmmaking; Ethnography; Oral Testimony; Portrait; Social Research


This paper assesses empirically the hypotheses by Bental and Demougin (2010) that innovations in ICT (Information and Communication Technology) reduce the labor share in OECD countries by improving the monitoring technology. In a first step, I show that data trends for the labor share, wages in efficiency units, and labor in efficiency units over capital can be matched by a simulation of the model of Bental and Demougin (2010). In a second approach, I confirm increasing monitoring of workers using micro data for Germany. I argue that ICT influences labor not only through substitutability of labor with ICT and foreign work, but also through to lowering rents of workers as monitoring technology improves.


This article draws on the public dialogue surrounding mid-nineteenth-century prostitution, and is particularly concerned with how fallenness was classified, and how it was thought that it should be ameliorated. Elizabeth Gaskell's novel Ruth (1853) engages with the myth of fallenness - how female sexuality was religiously and socially conceived - which contributed towards the dichotomy of two classes of women: the fallen and the virtuous. Gaskell, as a Unitarian, rejected Original Sin, believing that the human mind and soul were not innately sinful but had immense potential for growth. Consequently, Unitarians considered the environment as fundamentally responsible for shaping and determining an individual's character and fate. This religious viewpoint permeates Gaskell's response to the "problem" of the fallen woman, perceiving female sexuality not to be inherently corruptible or dangerous. She challenges the institutionalised, separatist response of penitentiary restoration by locating Ruth's redemptive process within the family home of the Bensons. She offers female solidarity and the role of motherhood as the ideal ameliorative solutions and yet the novel ends with Ruth's sacrificial death. The article takes this problematic conclusion and suggests that Gaskell, frustrated with the reality of the fallen woman's fate, hands Ruth over to the Unitarian hope of redemption in death.


Cite this article : Devarajan A, Raja MK. Standardization and chemical analysis of Rasam: A South Indian traditional functional food. Pharmacognosy Journal. 2017;9(5):587-93. ABSTRACT Objective: The traditional Indian food is "functional" as it contains high amounts of dietary fiber, antioxidants, and probiotics. Rasam is a South Indian traditional spice soup. Spices are reputed to possess several pharmacological properties. Due to geographical, ethnical, and traditional differences, rasam recipe and the preparation process have a wide difference. Hence, the objective was to standardize rasam and then to perform a chemical analysis so that its pharmaceutical potential beyond nutritive effect can be explored. Materials and Methods: The quantity of ingredients and the process followed for preparing rasam by the 17 volunteers selected from in and around Vellore, Tamil Nadu was standardized. The proximate, nutritive, elemental, and phytochemical analysis were determined for the standardized rasam. Results: The total ash, acid insoluble ash, water soluble ash, and sulfated ash were found to be 1.7%, 0.04%, 0.12%, and 1.86%, respectively. The extractive values such as water soluble, ethanol soluble, and ether soluble were found to be 4.5%, 3.93%, and 0.61%, respectively. The standardized rasam showed very low-energy content of 15.13 kcal/100 g. Rasam contained alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids, glycosides. and volatile oil. Conclusion: The ingredients used in the preparation of rasam are medicinally claimed for various ailments, which makes it a traditional functional food. The standardized procedure provided tremendous opportunity to study the pharmaceutical potential in a systematic scientific way beyond its culinary and nutritive effect.


textabstractThe nature of the consequences of knowledge hiding, defined as an intentional attempt to withhold knowledge that has been requested, and the mechanisms through which knowledge hiding affects outcomes are under-theorized. In this research, we propose that knowledge hiding can evoke guilt and shame in the knowledge hiding perpetrator. We zoom into the three types of knowledge hiding—evasive hiding, playing dumb, and rationalized hiding—and predict that the more deceptive knowledge hiding types, namely evasive hiding and playing dumb, evoke stronger feelings of guilt and shame than rationalized hiding. We further argue that guilt and shame trigger differential emotion-based reparatory mechanisms, such that guilt induces the motivation to correct one's transgressions through organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), whereas shame induces the tendency to withdraw after hiding knowledge, as reflected in lower levels of OCB. We test the proposed positive indirect relation between knowledge hiding and OCB via guilt, and the proposed negative indirect relation via shame in a scenario-based experiment and a two-wave field study. The studies provided support for most of our hypotheses. We discuss how the proposed emotion pathway can facilitate nuanced theorizing about consequences of knowledge hiding for different types of negative emotions and subsequent compensatory work behaviors.


To increase quality and reliability of copper wire bonds, self-optimization is a promising technique. For the implementation of self-optimization for ultrasonic heavy copper wire bonding machines, a model of stick-slip motion between tool and wire and between wire and substrate during the bonding process is essential. Investigations confirm that both of these contacts do indeed show stick-slip movement in each period oscillation. In a first step, this paper shows the importance of modeling the stick-slip effect by determining, monitoring and analyzing amplitudes and phase angles of tool tip, wire and substrate experimentally during bonding via laser measurements. In a second step, the paper presents a dynamic model which has been parameterized using an iterative numerical parameter identification method. This model includes Archard's wear approach in order to compute the lost volume of tool tip due to wear over the entire process time. A validation of the model by comparing measured and calculated amplitudes of tool tip and wire reveals high model quality. Then it is then possible to calculate the lifetime of the tool for different process parameters, i.e. values of normal force and ultrasonic voltage.


Arriving at this milestone after an illustrious century, the growth from an ornamental palm to a multibillion dollar commodity crop in Malaysia has been a remarkable journey for oil palm. From its humble beginnings in Malaya as a monoculture plantation crop in 1917, it has grown to occupy over 5.7 million hectares of land space by 2016, demonstrating the impact the crop has had on the country's economy over the last 100 years. Its importance has led to many initiatives being implemented with a concerted effort to effectively develop and safeguard the posterity of the industry. In treasuring the past, engaging the present and charting the future, this review reflects briefly on the direction the industry has taken to reach this present state. The foresightedness of early players in the industry has helped thrust the industry forward by systematically building a rich resource within the country. As the industry matures, it is only natural for challenges to surface and there is a constant drive to manage public perception and to stay sustainable in order to remain competitive. In this respect, oil palm has followed in the footsteps of other crops in decoding its genome and simultaneously answering some long-standing questions about the biology of the oil palm. Efforts have also been devoted to automate and mechanise the industry as a solution to address the labour supply issue. Midstream and downstream sectors have experienced similar transformations in their operations as well. Essentially, the employment of these so-called transformative technologies which are the essence of the 4th Industrial Revolution are comparatively still at its infancy for this industry. However, as precision agriculture gains prominence and in keeping to Malaysia's 2050 national transformation aspirations, we envisage that these disruptive technologies will be the driver of innovations in all sectors, especially oil palm.


University of North Texas (UNT) Libraries began studying the library needs of distance learners in 2009 using a variety of approaches to explore and confirm these needs as well as obtain input into how to meet them. Approaches used to date include analysis of both quantitative and qualitative responses by online students to the LibQUAL+® surveys over time, focus groups, observations and interviews. The Libraries administered the LibQUAL+® survey and conducted focus groups. The Libraries then worked with two graduate level qualitative analysis classes, one on campus and one online, to do further study that included additional focus groups, observations, and interviews. The effectiveness, strengths and problems encountered with each method, as well as with the technology used in executing them, are covered. Triangulation of the results of the various methods to confirm findings is discussed as are the actions that are being taken to address the findings.


Concrete is a tension-weak building material, which is often crack ridden connected to plastic and hardened states, drying shrinkage, and the like. More over, concrete suffers from low tensile strength, limited ductility and little resistance to cracking. The abundant production of fly ash from coal based thermal power plants as waste products becoming problem for their disposal and it is also hazardous to the environment. The inclusion of fly ash in glass fibre reinforced concrete reduces the environmental pollution and improves the workability and durability properties of concrete. In the present experimental investigation glass fibres in different volume fractions with 25% and 40% replacement of cement by fly ash has been used to study the effect on compressive strength, split tensile strength, flexural strength of concrete. For each mix standard sizes of cubes, cylinders and prisms as per Indian Standards were cast and tested for compressive strength, split tensile strength and flexural strength at age of 7days,28 days and 56 days as per Indian Standards.


The soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae)) is an invasive insect pest of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) that was fi rst reported in North America in 2000. There are currently no reports of soybean aphid bio- type diversity and this information is needed before aphid resistance genes are deployed. The objective of this research was to test for aphid biotype variation. The response of two A. glycines isolates, one collected in Ohio and the other in Illinois, were compared by infesting eight soybean genotypes in nonchoice tests. The same genotypes also were tested with the Ohio isolate using a choice test. In the nonchoice test, there was a signifi cant (P < 0.0001) effect of aphid isolate, genotype, and a signifi cant aphid isolate by soybean genotype interaction for the number of aphids per plant 10 and 15 d after infestation. The responses of the eight geno- types to the Ohio isolate in the choice test were similar to their responses in nonchoice tests. PI 200538 and PI 567597C were resistant to both the Ohio and Illinois isolates and will be useful sources of resistance to both isolates. These tests confi rm that there are at least two distinct biotypes of A. glycines in North America.


Photodetectors for the ultraviolet (UV) range of the electromagnetic spectrum are in great demand for several technologies, but require the development of novel device structures and materials. Here we report on the high detectivity of UV photodetectors based on well-ordered laterally mesoporous GaN. The specific detectivity of our devices under UV-illumination reaches values of up to 5.3 × 1014 Jones. We attribute this high specific detectivity to the properties of the mesoporous GaN/metal contact interface: the trapping of photo-generated holes at the interface lowers the Schottky barrier height thus causing a large internal gain. High detectivity along with a simple fabrication process endows these laterally mesoporous GaN photodetectors with great potential for applications that require selective detection of weak optical signals in the UV range.


Cas10 is the signature gene for type III CRISPR–Cas surveillance complexes. Unlike type I and type II systems, type III systems do not require a protospacer adjacent motif and target nascent RNA associated with transcriptionally active DNA. Further, target RNA recognition activates the cyclase domain of Cas10, resulting in the synthesis of cyclic oligoadenylate second messengers. These second messengers are recognized by ancillary Cas proteins harboring CRISPR-associated Rossmann fold (CARF) domains and regulate the activities of these proteins in response to invading nucleic acid. Csx3 is a distant member of the CARF domain superfamily previously characterized as a Mn2+-dependent deadenylation exoribonuclease. However, its specific role in CRISPR–Cas defense remains to be determined. Here we show that Csx3 is strongly associated with type III systems and that Csx3 binds cyclic tetra-adenylate (cA4) second messenger with high affinity. Further, Csx3 harbors cyclic oligonucleotide phosphodiesterase activity that quickly degrades this cA4 signal. In addition, structural analysis identifies core elements that define the CARF domain fold, and the mechanistic basis for ring nuclease activity is discussed. Overall, the work suggests that Csx3 functions within CRISPR–Cas as a counterbalance to Cas10 to regulate the duration and amplitude of the cA4 signal, providing an off ramp from the programmed cell death pathway in cells that successfully cure viral infection.


The Auditory Modelling Toolbox (AMToolbox) is a new Matlab / Octave toolbox for developing and applying auditory perceptual models and in particular binaural models. The philosophy behind the project is that the models should be implemented in a consistent manner, well documented and user-friendly in order to allow students and researchers to actively work with current models and further develop existing ones. In addition to providing the models, it is a goal of the project to collect published human data and de nitions of model experiments. This will simplify the veri cation of models by running the model experiments and comparing the predictions to human data. The software is released under the GNU Public License (GPL) version 3, and can be downloaded from http://amtoolbox.sourceforge.net. PACS no. 43.64.Bt, 43.66.Ba


Academic numeracy consists of three critical elements: competence, confidence and critical awareness of students' own mathematical knowledge and the mathematics used in students' future professions. This definition is used to frame pre-test assessment in a first year nursing program. Competence and confidence were measured using a paper and pencil test. Critical awareness was measured via students' reflections on their own performance, their relationship to mathematics and their understanding of how mathematics relates to nursing. Results show issues related to professional numeracy practices including relatively low understanding of the connection between mathematics and nursing.


Blockchain protocols implement total-order broadcast in a permissionless setting, where processes can freely join and leave. In such a setting, to safeguard against Sybil attacks, correct processes rely on cryptographic proofs tied to a particular type of resource to make them eligible to order transactions. For example, in the case of Proof-of-Work (PoW), this resource is computation, and the proof is a solution to a computationally hard puzzle. Conversely, in Proof-of-Stake (PoS), the resource corresponds to the number of coins that every process in the system owns, and a secure lottery selects a process for participation proportionally to its coin holdings. Although many resource-based blockchain protocols are formally proven secure in the literature, the existing security proofs fail to demonstrate why particular types of resources cause the blockchain protocols to be vulnerable to distinct classes of attacks. For instance, PoS systems are more vulnerable to long-range attacks, where an adversary corrupts past processes to re-write the history, than Proof-of-Work and Proof-of-Storage systems. Proof-of-Storage-based and Proof-of-Stake-based protocols are both more susceptible to private double-spending attacks than Proof-of-Work-based protocols; in this case, an adversary mines its chain in secret without sharing its blocks with the rest of the processes until the end of the attack. In this paper, we formally characterize the properties of resources through an abstraction called resource allocator and give a framework for understanding longest-chain consensus protocols based on different underlying resources. In addition, we use this resource allocator to demonstrate security trade-offs between various resources focusing on well-known attacks (e.g., the long-range attack and nothing-at-stake attacks).


Internet banking strategies should enhance customers' online experiences which are affected by trust and security issues. This study provides perspectives of users and nonusers on internet banking security with a view to understanding trust and security factors in relation to adoption and continuous usage. Perception of internet banking security influenced usage intentions. Nonusers viewed internet banking to be insecure but users perceived it to be secure with perceived ease of use influencing continuous usage. Perception of internet banking security was positively influenced by trust in the internet banking system, trust of the provider, threat awareness, availability of information and education but showed a negative relationship with age. The study suggests that internet banking security strategy may consider the generation gap in adoption and should continuously aim at securing customers' trust of the providers' online brand's security, including the provision of security information and education.


BACKGROUND
Randomized trials have shown an increase in survival with perioperative chemotherapy as well as with postoperative chemoradiation. It was hypothesized that combining induction chemotherapy with postoperative chemoradiation would be well tolerated and improve pathologic complete response.

METHODS
Patients with resectable cancers of the stomach/gastroesophageal junction were eligible. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisted of 3 cycles of paclitaxel and cisplatin. Adjuvant therapy consisted of 1 cycle of 5-fluorouracil (FU) and leucovorin (LV) followed by chemoradiation (45 Gy with concurrent 5-FU/LV). Chemoradiation was followed by 2 additional cycles of 5-FU/LV. Response to neoadjuvant therapy was based on pathology.

RESULTS
From 1999 to 2002, 38 eligible patients were enrolled; 35 completed induction chemotherapy, and 29 went on to surgery. Sixteen patients did not develop metastatic progression, 10 developed metastatic disease, and 12 were unevaluable. There were no pathologic complete responses after induction therapy. Twenty-five of 38 patients suffered grade 3-4 toxicities during induction paclitaxel/cisplatin. Six of the 7 patients who received postoperative therapy suffered grade 3-4 toxicities. Only 3 of 38 (7.9%) eligible patients completed all assigned treatment. The median overall survival was 1.6 years, and the 2-year survival was 40%.

CONCLUSIONS
This regimen of neoadjuvant paclitaxel/cisplatin followed by postoperative 5-FU/LV-based chemoradiation did not have a high enough response rate and proved to be too toxic for further development.


We use backstripping to quantify the roles of variations in global sea level (eustasy), subsidence, and sediment supply on the development of the Miocene stratigraphic record of the mid-Atlantic continental margin of the United States (New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland). Eustasy is a primary infl uence on sequence patterns, determining the global template of sequences (i.e., times when sequences can be preserved) and explaining similarities in Miocene sequence architecture on margins throughout the world. Sequences can be correlated throughout the mid-Atlantic region with Sr-isotopic chronology (±0.6 m.y. to ±1.2 m.y.). Eight Miocene sequences correlate regionally and can be correlated to global δ 18 O increases, indicating glacioeustatic control. This margin is dominated by passive subsidence with little evidence for active tectonic overprints, except possibly in Maryland during the early Miocene. However, early Miocene sequences in New Jersey and Delaware display a patchwork distribution that is attributable to minor (tens of meters) intervals of excess subsidence. Backstripping quantifi es that excess subsidence began in Delaware at ca. 21 Ma and continued until 12 Ma, with maximum rates from ca. 21‐ 16 Ma. We attribute this enhanced subsidence to local fl exural response to the progradation of thick sequences offshore and adjacent to this area. Removing this excess subsidence in Delaware yields a record that is remarkably similar to New Jersey eustatic estimates. We conclude that sea-level rise and fall is a fi rstorder control on accommodation providing similar timing on all margins to the sequence record. Tectonic changes due to movement of the crust can overprint the record, resulting in large gaps in the stratigraphic record. Smaller differences in sequences can be attributed to local fl exural loading effects, particularly in regions experiencing largescale progradation.


Abstract. In the last few years, notable progress has been made in the field of non-invasive diagnostic for the monitoring of heritage assets. In particular, multispectral imagery (more specifically thermal images will be addressed in this manuscript) allows investigations in the non-visible range of the electro-magnetic spectrum to be effectively carried out. Many researchers are currently exploring the possibilities related to the use of this kind of images in photogrammetric SfM-based processes to produce 2D and 3D value-added metric products, characterised by high level of detail and spatial resolution, including the information connected to the non-visible data. A data fusion-based strategy enables co-registering visible and thermal images in order to exploit the higher spatial resolution of the traditional true colour images. However, there are still many shortcomings to be addressed to properly and efficiently orient TIR (Thermal Infrared) images, connected (among other factors) to their low spatial resolution, or to the low contrast between adjacent materials characterised by similar emissivity. This paper proposes two different workflows to process thermal images using SfM algorithms, applied to three different case studies, each characterised by different characteristics and features (size, morphology, emissivity of the materials, etc.). The different pipelines are described and the obtained results are critically evaluated considering the metric accuracy, 3D geometric reconstruction and noise, completeness of the data and overall quality of the generated dense point cloud. Additionally, the effectiveness of the adopted strategies in connection with the peculiar features of the analysed case studies is also considered.


The relationship of the recurrent visual signals in contemporary culture and the physical routine of living in the culture begin to build as layers in the fabric or patterns of everyday. My use of pattern (both mass produced fabric, and painted surface) imitates the repetitious nature of visual stimuli in American culture as well as the viewer's familiarity with object and image recognition. I investigate the language of signals and human thinking relying heavily on the viewer's link to familiarity and how that may provoke them to read the paintings. To do this, I draw directly from the use of everyday banal objects such as a spray bottle, hair dryer, car, or Pac man. I orient the objects on a surface of discounted patterned fabric. This body of work exposes my method of sorting through signifiers and further distorting the context in which they exist through cultural or societal categorization of age, irony, and visual seduction. I look to Pop Art, Pattern and Decoration (P&D), the Do it Yourself Movement and contemporary artists referring to the stimulus of visual society to sift through my interest in engaging a balance between high and low art.


This literature review outlines research on how individual preferences can lead to segregation, even in the absence of discriminatory policy and other constraints. From Schelling's (1971) Spatial Proximity model comes the theoretical conclusion that moderate preferences for own-group neighbors (e.g. immigrants or natives) may lead to complete segregation between the two groups over time. Schelling's Bounded Neighborhood model provides the theoretical conclusion that the stable equilibrium reached (e.g. an 'all immigrant' or 'all native' neighborhood) ultimately depends on the initial distribution of agents and their relative speeds of movement. This is because in the unstable, integrated, equilibrium an apparently insignificant event can set in motion an irreversible process toward segregation by tipping the distribution one way or another. Both models highlight how well-intentioned individual preferences may result in undesirable aggregate outcomes, whereby good intentions and some level tolerance toward others are not enough to prevent the self-segregation mechanism. The review also covers several key empirical applications and limitations in research in this field.


Comparing measured results to those generated by analyses is often not straightforward – like fitting a square peg into a round hole, it can be done, but the fit may leave something to be desired. In the mining industry, the grinding mill is one of the most critical pieces of process equipment. Large units, capable of processing in excess of 100,000 metric tons per day, require extensive analysis at the design stage to ensure they can meet the rigorous fatigue conditions. Various analytical techniques are used involving axisymmetric models with harmonic elements as well as complex 3D models that represent such nonaxisymmetric features as bolted joints. This paper compares measurements obtained from strain gauges mounted on the machine in operation to results predicted by the various analytical techniques. It provides an excellent example of the practical issues involved in evaluating modeling assumptions and in using multiple sources of information to arrive at a design solution.


This paper argues that the resurgence of Indigenous peoples' citizenship orders can be informed in part by tenets of Indigenous customary adoption.  The paper considers registration as an Indian under Canada's Indian Act as having conflated being "Indian" with a Eurocentric property-holder identity, which First Nations now internalize through band membership practices.  As such, I argue that adoptees and customary adoption are seen as suspect because they challenge the blood and property-based conceptions of what it means to be "Indian."  Anishinaabeg customary adoption is taken up here in an analytical approach to re-thinking how citizenship could be discerned in anti-colonial ways; specifically, I consider "caring for others" and the concept of "controlling our associations" in developing an adoption-centric theory of Anishinaabeg citizenship.


This article explores the relationship between middle-class women and the early modern state in Venice by examining the wills of women who entrusted charitable institutions with the oversight of their wills. Women's testamentary practices helped to shape political power in early modern Venice by entrusting charitable institutions rather than the central government with the oversight of wills. Furthermore, women used these charitable institutions to protect their private property against claims by male kin, especially husbands. This article builds on recent reinterpretations of the nature and configuration of state power in early modern Europe, especially Italy, which emphasize how the boundaries between public and private power were contested and redrawn. Women's sizeable gifts to charitable institutions helped sustain these institutions as alternative sites of political power, different from and at least partially autonomous from the centralized state.


We describe a robust method for watermarking triangle meshes. Watermarking provides a mechanism for copyright protection of digital media by embedding information identifying the owner in the data. The bulk of the research on digital watermarks has focused on media such as images, video, audio, and text. Robust watermarks must be able to survive a variety of "attacks", including resizing, cropping, and filtering. For resilience to such attacks, recent watermarking schemes employ a "spread-spectrum" approach – they transform the document to the frequency domain and perturb the coefficients of the perceptually most significant basis functions. We extend this spread-spectrum approach to work for the robust watermarking of arbitrary triangle meshes. Generalizing spread spectrum techniques to surfaces presents two major challenges. First, arbitrary surfaces lack a natural parametrization for frequency-based decomposition. Our solution is to construct a set of scalar basis function over the mesh vertices using multiresolution analysis. The watermark perturbs vertices along the direction of the surface normal, weighted by the basis functions. The second challenge is that simplification and other attacks may modify the connectivity of the mesh. We use an optimization technique to resample an attacked mesh using the original mesh connectivity. Results show that our watermarks are resistant to common mesh operations such as translation, rotation, scaling, cropping, smoothing, simplification, and resampling, as well as malicious attacks such as the insertion of noise, modification of low-order bits, or even insertion of other watermarks. CR Categories: I.3.5 [Computer Graphics]: Computational Geometry and Object Modeling—Surface Representations.


During participatory development different professional groups with different professional languages meet. They have to communicate about the future software in a profound way. To enable that, a common way to talk about the future software has to be developed, relating concepts of the use context and concepts of software development. An example of the development of such a project language is given and the relevance of this for design is argued for. To support the development of a project language a toolkit is provided in which methods are compiled that respects the creative side of ordinary language.


The EU and South Korea both face challenging circumstances in the domestic and international arenas. The EU is focused on Eurozone instability, terrorism, political extremism, revisionist Russia, and crises in the MENA. South Korea, under the new, center-left presidency of Moon Jae In, is fighting to emerge from political corruption, economic malaise, and the cloud of North Korea's threats. Despite all this, the EU and South Korea are underappreciated international security partners. In this Security Policy Brief, Mason Richey discusses the strengths and weaknesses of EU-South Korea security cooperation, and identifies areas for continued strengthening of this partnership.


Drainage law in South Dakota is complex, and the laws are different in every county. After codifying case law in 1985, the South Dakota Legislature delegated authority to county governments to regulate their own drainage projects, subject to common law rules and legal restrictions. Initially, South Dakota counties approached this power delegation in different ways, but now many are changing their policies on drainage issues. Concerned about effectiveness and inconsistencies of the statutes, the counties and the legislature are discussing changes to how South Dakota deals with flow management of drainage projects. Counties are also concerned about their liability under the drainage statutes. In 2012, the South Dakota Legislature appointed the Regional Watershed Advisory Task Force ("Task Force") and commissioned a drainage study. At the outset, it is essential for the Task Force and state legislators to understand how counties have dealt with drainage management in the past. This comment will explore the South Dakota drainage laws and suggest how the Task Force and the legislature should balance the interests of effective and uniform resolution, while protecting property rights and preserving local control. I. INTRODUCTION "Water is an essential element of daily life for each and every one of us." (1) So, in a state where agriculture is the largest industry, reacting to the changes in the amount of water is essential to thrive. (2) South Dakotans often deal with flooding conditions one year and a drought crisis the next. (3) Communities witness the destruction of homes and businesses from flood waters and react by changing their county ordinances which deal with drainage and flood control. (4) Farmers lose crop yields from decreased productivity because of too much or too little water and react by installing tile drainage. (5) The South Dakota Legislature has taken notice of the various counties that have changed their water policies, and the legislature has called for a re-examination of how South Dakota should address and properly resolve its water issues. (6) South Dakota's drainage laws have seen no significant changes since 1985 when the South Dakota Legislature enacted the current water management statutes. (7) Some agricultural groups believe the current system is convoluted and needs revision, (8) while others support keeping the existing laws in place. (9) In 2012, the legislature created the Task Force to study and advise, among other responsibilities, the state and local governments on better drainage management. (10) The combination of at least three events sparked the state legislature's interest to create the Task Force. (11) First, the concern over regulating drainage is, in part, a reaction to the excessive snow and rainfall resulting in significant flooding in 2011, (12) followed by the severe to exceptional drought conditions experienced in the state during the summer of 2012 extending into the winter. (13) Second, driven by profits, farmers are increasing the number of drainage projects installed in order to generate greater profits. (14) The rise of crop prices, like corn, has made installing tile drainage economically beneficial, outweighing the costs of installation and maintenance. (15) Third, the South Dakota Senate required that the Task Force perform a study of drainage issues to provide improvements to management and regulation. (16) The Senate passed a concurrent resolution for the 2012 interim study and a thorough review of drainage laws because of (1) the saturation from snow and rain seen in the eastern side of the State, (2) the excessive wet areas on farmland that prevent optimal agricultural production, and (3) the number of counties which have repealed their drainage ordinances. (17) Commissioning this study implies the legislature's awareness of these issues, and asking for proposed statutory changes, if appropriate, indicates that the state may see modifications soon. …


Purpose: To investigate synergistic effect of local cryoablation with systemic immunotherapy, the tumor control ability and immunologic responses of combining these two modalities was compared with that of cryoablation, surgical excision, and immunotherapy only group in a tumor re-challenge model. Materials and Methods: Preliminary experiments were performed in two stages. The first stage consisted of 36 Balb/c mice with Renca bearing tumors imbedded in the right thigh, and was treated with interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-alpha (IFN-α) to evaluate the efficacy of immunotherapy and to determine the adequate dosage. The second stage was performed on 10 mice, to evaluate histological changes and efficacy after cryoablation. The main experiment was performed on 48 mice, divided into 6 groups of control with tumor implantation, excision of tumor, excision combined with immunotherapy, cryoablation of tumor, cryoablation with immunotherapy and control without tumor. After treatment, tumor re-challenge was performed with Renca cell, then the growth pattern was evaluated with physical measurements, and immune response was investigated with fluorescent activated cell sorter and cytotoxicity assay. Results: Preliminary studies on immunologic efficacy revealed that IL-2 and IFN-α have a dose dependent inhibition of tumor growth. The main experiment evaluating the efficacy of combination treatment revealed that cryoablation with immunotherapy proved to be most effective in terms of tumor recurrence and tumor growth inhibition, yet the difference was not statistically significant from monotherapy with cryoablation. However, cytotoxicity was significantly increased cryoablation with immunotherapy compared with other groups. Conclusions: Cryoablation on tumor re-challenge mice model showed advantages with immunotherapy most prominently in cytotoxicity. (Korean J Urol 2008;49:965-973) 󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏󰠏


Synthetic biology has enabled the development of powerful nucleic acid diagnostic technologies for detecting pathogens and human health biomarkers. Here we expand the reach of synthetic biology-enabled diagnostics by developing a cell-free biosensing platform that uses RNA output sensors activated by ligand induction (ROSALIND) to detect harmful contaminants in aqueous samples. ROSALIND consists of three programmable components: highly-processive RNA polymerases, allosteric transcription factors, and synthetic DNA transcription templates. Together, these components allosterically regulate the in vitro transcription of a fluorescence-activating RNA aptamer: in the absence of a target compound, transcription is blocked, while in its presence a fluorescent signal is produced. We demonstrate that ROSALIND can be configured to detect a range of water contaminants, including antibiotics, toxic small molecules, and metals. Our cell-free biosensing platform, which can be freeze-dried for field deployment, creates a new capability for point-of-use monitoring of molecular species to address growing global crises in water quality and human health.


The reactivity of graphene and its various multilayers toward electron transfer chemistries with 4-nitrobenzene diazonium tetrafluoroborate is probed by Raman spectroscopy after reaction on-chip. Single graphene sheets are found to be almost 10 times more reactive than bi- or multilayers of graphene according to the relative disorder (D) peak in the Raman spectrum examined before and after chemical reaction in water. A model whereby electron puddles that shift the Dirac point locally to values below the Fermi level is consistent with the reactivity difference. Because the chemistry at the graphene edge is important for controlling its electronic properties, particularly in ribbon form, we have developed a spectroscopic test to examine the relative reactivity of graphene edges versus the bulk. We show, for the first time, that the reactivity of edges is at least two times higher than the reactivity of the bulk single graphene sheet, as supported by electron transfer theory. These differences in electron transfer rates may be important for selecting and manipulating graphitic materials on-chip.


Offshore wind (OSW) development is a new undertaking in the U.S. This project is a response to New Jersey's 2011 Energy Master Plan that envisions procuring 22.5% of the state's power originating from renewable sources by 2021. The Offshore Wind Economic Development Act called for at least 1,100 MW of Offshore Wind generations to be subsidized by an Offshore Wind Renewable Energy Certificate program. The overreaching goal of this research is to provide information and recommendations for the maritime aspects, both vessel and port interface. The study, using the European experience, identifies vessel types, vessel installation methods, needs and operating characteristics through all phases of OSW development. It also identifies regulatory or legislative requirements and/or other road blocks to the use of particular vessels. The study seeks competitive advantages and disadvantages of vessel acquisition, lease, construction or other alternatives. The study proposes solutions and recommendations that best position the State of New Jersey to be the national leader in OSW development, including potential interstate or cooperative endeavors. Financial aspects and considerations of vessel acquisition are presented. The research also proposes a port/OSW industry interface strategy for short-, mid-, and long-term industry development. In general, the study identifies the maritime port life-cycle requirements for installation, construction, operation and maintenance based on geographic factors, and the potential for multi-use development at New Jersey's East Coast ports. Finally, the study highlights the economic impact of OSW development on the state population and the energy-generating industry. The study recommends the development of a clear OSW policy with a commitment of budgets and in partnerships with industry and other stakeholders.


An important milestone often reached in the life of an activist engagement is entering into a "settlement" agreement between the activist and the target's board. Using a comprehensive hand-collected data set, we analyze the drivers, nature, and consequences of such settlement agreements. Settlements are more likely when the activist has a credible threat to win board seats in a proxy fight and when incumbents' reputation concerns are stronger. Consistent with incomplete contracting, face-saving benefits and private information considerations, settlements commonly do not contract directly on operational or leadership changes sought by the activist but rather on board composition changes. Settlements are accompanied by positive stock price reactions, and they are subsequently followed by changes of the type sought by activists, including CEO turnover, higher shareholder payouts, and improved operating performance. We find no evidence to support concerns that settlements enable activists to extract rents at the expense of other investors. Our analysis provides a look into the "black box" of activist engagements and contributes to understanding how activism brings about changes in target companies.


A low quality of life has still experienced by many pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) sufferers. The quality of life of patients with pulmonary TB is influenced by many factors that differ for each patient depending on economic and socio-cultural conditions in the area. This study was purposed to find out what factors were associated with the quality of life for people with pulmonary TB by using the Health Promotion Model from Pender. A cross-sectional design was used in this study. The sample size was 20 respondents. Independent variables include gender, age, BMI; education, occupation, marital status, total income; anxiety and depression; assessment of the benefits of action; assessment of barriers to action; behavior which is in accordance with health promotion. While the dependent variable was quality of life. The instruments used include demographic data, K10, barrier modification questionnaire, benefit modification questionnaire, and lifestyle profile modification questionnaire, and SF-36v2. The analysis used a Spearman rank with a significance level of I± = 0.05. The results showed that many pulmonary TB sufferers had a low quality of life, mainly from the physical domain (17 people) and mental domain (14 people). Only the age variable (p = 0.027) was related to the quality of life of patients with pulmonary TB from the mental domain. However, these factors were not related to the quality of life of patients with pulmonary TB. The theory of HPM has many factors, other researchers can use other factors from HPM to determine the quality of life for people with pulmonary TB. Primary healthcare can improve health promotion patterns in the program to eradicate and prevent pulmonary TB.


River has long been recognized as one of humanity's most important natural resources. It is one of the most important of all the natural resources necessary to ensure human health and civilization. A close association between cities and water is inherent since the history of civilization and in fact, many urban cities in Malaysia are located close to river areas. The last two decades shown Malaysia has shifted development strategy from agricultural based to industrialization, and manufacturing industries have become the economy's main source for the country until now. This transformation in 18th century is clearly shown that rapid urbanization, industrial and intensive agricultural activities, as well as wide-spread land development, have contributed to extensive changing of river functions for economy, national development and environment. In particular, river roles are become less significance for human life and river function limited only for transportation purposes only. So, viewed historically, waterfront development in Malaysia have undergone cycles of change over the decades and the latest in this pattern to more public purposes such as recreational and mixed used development. This paper aims to identify a transition of waterfront development in Malaysia from history time to modernization era and it would give a significance contribution for the research is currently on going.


This article explores academics' well-being through analysing published sensitive disclosures, bringing to journal space the pain, rawness and emotional suffering of individuals' experiences. We confront the taboos of speaking openly about mental health and emotional well-being in academic institutions, with masculine structures and encroaching neoliberal discourses that create hostile atmospheres unsupportive of vulnerability and uncertainty. We also challenge existing discourses about academics' well-being, implicitly burdening individuals as responsible for their pain and creating walls of shame, rather than building new healthy structures. By spotlighting the voices of academics' emotional disclosures, intensified by embodied social inequalities, we plead for openness in formal academic outlets for sharing pre-existing emotional struggles and new wounds created by cruelly competitive, winner-takes-all structures, fortified by neoliberal ideals. Led by individuals' voices and experiences, we make recommendations for supporting academics as an attempt to extract academia from its current perverse state and commit to repair and transformation.


Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a key regulator in various cellular processes, including cell growth, gene expression, and synaptic functions. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is frequently accompanied by monogenic disorders, such as tuberous sclerosis complex, phosphatase and tensin homolog tumor hamartoma syndrome, neurofibromatosis 1, and fragile X syndrome, in which mTOR is hyperactive. Mutations in the genes involved in the mTOR-mediated signaling pathway have been identified in some cases of syndromic ASD. Evidences indicate a pathogenic role for hyperactive mTOR-mediated signaling in ASD associated with these monogenic disorders, and mTOR inhibitors are a potential pharmacotherapy for ASD. Abnormal synaptic transmission through metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 may underlie in a part of ASD associated with hyperactive mTOR-mediated signaling. In this review, the relationship between mTOR and ASD is discussed.


We propose a method for high dynamic range (HDR) mapping that is directly applied on the color filter array (CFA) image instead of the already demosaiced image. This rendering is closer to retinal processing where an image is acquired by a mosaic of cones and where adaptive non-linear functions apply before interpolation. Thus, in our framework, demosaicing is the final step of the rendering. Our method, inspired by retinal sampling and adaptive processing is very simple, fast because only one third of operations are needed, and gives good result as shown by experiments.


Encompassing history, politics, religion, and art, this collection of essays on Chinese civilization under the Mongols challenges the previously held views that Mongol rule had only negative consequences.Originally published in 1981.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.


Transit-oriented development (TOD) is assumed to be effective at changing the travel behavior of individuals, particularly in increasing the use of public transit, but also by increasing walking activity while decreasing driving. The analysis presented here examines the frequency of using these modes of travel for those living in TODs and proximate to a train station versus those living more distantly. Household survey data was collected for the area surrounding eight rail stations in the state of New Jersey in the United States. The models developed include factors that control for attitudes about the neighborhood where respond-ents reside and how long they have lived at their current residence. Other control variables to represent the urban design of the neighborhood are also included. A factor analysis of the attitudinal variables produces five factors that are used as controls in an ordered structural equation model of frequency of using public transit, walking, and driving. Results suggest that those living in TODs and closer to the train station use public transit and walk more frequently than those living farther out; they also drive less frequently than those living farther out.


This paper identifies major future trends and driving factors and perspectives and challenges resulting from them for European agriculture and food sectors until the year 2020. The focus of the paper is an analysis of key driving forces and the provision of a well developed reference scenario under the assumption of continued CAP reform and taking into account the framework discussions in the Doha Development Round. To assess the impact of policies the paper also examines a liberalisation (no support) and regionalisation (maximum support) scenario. In terms of policy options the paper shows that the structural change process in agriculture (measured in terms of agricultural share in GDP) is a long-term process that continues with or without policy changes. The EU is facing an increasing diversity of structure and structural adjustment. The livestock sector (especially cattle) faces important challenges and restructuring. Alternative policy settings may not produce very different effect on the overall production as factor markets adjust. However, the regional impact on the environment and on the number of farms may prove to be more significant.


Digital video transmission is widely used nowadays in multimedia. Frame dropping, freeze and reduced number of frames in the transmitted video are common symptoms of bad transmission quality. In order to assess the quality of transmission, a criterion is introduced in a model for a no reference video jerkiness measure [3]. This model is dierent from the former models presented as it depends on viewing conditions and video resolutions, so it is applicable for any frame size from QCIF to HD. The model uses simple mathematical equations of jerkiness and can be used for any video sequence [3]. A model of reduced reference method (Qtransmission) which depends on a pre-measured Jerkiness is introduced as a suggestion of future work.


The article analyzes legislation regulating practice of social workers in Lithuania. The legal regulation and the status of profession which it provides for usually takes time to establish and remain for a long time (Abbott, 1988). The laws regulating social work in Lithuania are still developing so it is important to analyze and to improve those involving professionals from different fields: lawyers, social workers, political scientists. The article analyzes such documents as Conception of Social Support, Law on Social Services, orders of the Minister of Social Security and Labour on requirements for qualification of social workers and on approval of catalogue of social services, Code of Ethics of Social Workers.


This paper examines several approaches to introduce advertising in systems of demand equations. Advertising is included in the Rotterdam model using an unrestricted specification and three restricted specifications - advertising affects demand alternatively through (1) marginal utilities as in studies by Duffy (1987, 1989, 1990) and Selvanathan (1989), (2) scaling parameters which can be viewed as indicators of product quality, and (3) translation parameters which can be viewed as indicators of basic needs. A test to choose among the alternative specifications is provided and the methodology is applied to data on demand for fruit juice products.


The bilateral filter is a popular non-linear smoother that has applications in image processing, computer vision, and computational photography. The novelty of the filter is that a range kernel is used in tandem with a spatial kernel for performing edge-preserving smoothing, where both kernels are usually Gaussian. A direct implementation of the bilateral filter is computationally expensive, and several fast approximations have been proposed to address this problem. In particular, it was recently demonstrated in a series of papers that a fast and accurate approximation of the bilateral filter can be obtained by approximating the Gaussian range kernel using polynomials and trigonometric functions. By adopting some of the ideas from this line of work, we propose a fast algorithm based on the discrete Fourier transform of the samples of the range kernel. We develop a parallel C implementation of the resulting algorithm for Gaussian kernels, and analyze the effect of various extrinsic and intrinsic parameters on the approximation quality and the run time. A key component of the implementation are the recursive Gaussian filters of Deriche and Young.


A remarkable characteristic of human reproduction is the very high prevalence of spontaneous abortion, which frequently has been associated with major chromosomal abnormalities. The various forms of maternal–fetal red cell incompatibility and their potentially adverse effects on human fertility are well understood, and during the last 15 years of the twentieth century there was vigorous debate as to whether couples who share HLA-DR and/or HLA-B alleles are subfertile.

The most common genetic disorders associated with primary infertility in females are the chromosome abnormality Turner Syndrome (monosomy X), and Stein–Leventhal Syndrome (poly-cystic ovarian disease) which has a more complex and somewhat poorly defined genetic aetiology. A much wider spectrum of genetic defects can cause infertility in males, including Klinefelter Syndrome, X-autosome reciprocal translocation, Y-chromosome micro-deletions, congenital absence of the vas deferens, most commonly observed as part of the cystic fibrosis phenotype, and obstructive azoospermia in patients with Young Syndrome.

Successful pregnancies can be initiated in the majority of individuals with these disorders; for example, using donated oocytes or embryos in women with Turner Syndrome, and intracytoplasmic injection of sperm (ICSI) collected from men with Klinefelter Syndrome or congenital absence of the vas deferens. In some disorders, such as Y-linked microdeletions, there may be a high risk of transmission to progeny following fertilization via ICSI, which has caused concerns on dysgenic grounds. Preimplantation diagnosis has been used to monitor such embryos.


This article examines the making of monetary policy in the United Kingdom between 1997 and 2008 by analysing voting behaviour in the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). It provides a new set of measures for the monetary policy preferences of individual MPC members by estimating a Bayesian item response model. The article demonstrates the usefulness of these measures by comparing the ideal points of outgoing MPC members with their successors and by looking at changes over time in the median ideal point on the MPC. The analysis indicates that the British Government has been able to move the position of the median voter on the MPC through its appointments to the Committee. This highlights the importance of central bank appointments for monetary policy.


Bryozoans exhibit a highly variable chemistry within their calcium carbonate skele- tons. Previous studies have shown that the level of Mg-calcite in skeletons increases with increas- ing seawater temperature. For high-latitude regions such as the Antarctic, which have a low range of annual sea-temperature variation, there have been no studies on bryozoan skeletons with repli- cated sampling approaches suitable for statistical testing. Our aim was to conduct high-replicate, multi-site sampling to determine the variability in skeletal mineralogy of bryozoans from a site in Antarctica. During an expedition in January 2012, a total of 584 specimens representing 4 bry- ozoan species were collected from 8 sites at Adelaide Island, West Antarctic Peninsula, by SCUBA diving. All specimens were sampled within a 3 wk period and were selected to be of similar size, age and breeding status. We compared the variability in the wt% MgCO3 in calcite of skeletons among species and investigated the relative influence of environmental and biological factors on skeleton chemistry. The results of X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the wt% MgCO3 in cal- cite in bryozoan skeletons was statistically different among sites for all study species. The differ- ence in wt% MgCO3 among sites may be explained by habitat fragmentation driving directional adaptation of isolated populations to local environmental conditions. The relationship between Mg-calcite and temperature was inconsistent among species, and the predicted positive correla- tion between seawater temperature and Mg-calcite was not exhibited in any of the species exam- ined. On this basis, we suggest that Antarctic bryozoan Mg-calcite should not be considered a reli- able indicator of paleo-temperature.


Sugarcane is an important cash crop occupying a prime place in Indian agriculture. Though it is mainly grown for production of white sugar in India, gur (jaggery) and khandasari (brown sugar), two other important sweetening agents from sugarcane, utilize about 45% of the cane produced. Jaggery preparation is the largest agroprocessing industry in the Cauvery command area of Karnataka (South Karnataka) comprising the entire Mandya and Chamrajanagar districts, parts of Mysore, Tumkur and Hassan districts with more than 3000 jaggery making units. A survey based study of jaggery making units in this area especially in Mandya and Chamrajanagar district was undertaken to know the performance of multiple furnace over traditional furnace in jaggery preparation in economic terms. Type of furnace was found to be the main deciding factor on quickness and efficiency of sugarcane juice boiling and jaggery preparation. The local types, viz. single pan and double pan furnaces not only consumed more time but were also uneconomical in terms of output and thereby net income. The jaggery output of those who have adopted triple pan furnace was twice that of local types. The impact of multiple pan furnace was in terms of economy, time saving, labour use, more production, productivity and efficiency of jaggery unit operation than the local types.


Understanding tensors is essential for any physics student dealing with phenomena where causes and effects have different directions. A horizontal electric field producing vertical polarization in dielectrics; an unbalanced car wheel wobbling in the vertical plane while spinning about a horizontal axis; an electrostatic field on Earth observed to be a magnetic field by orbiting astronauts-these are some situations where physicists employ tensors. But the true beauty of tensors lies in this fact: When coordinates are transformed from one system to another, tensors change according to the same rules as the coordinates. Tensors, therefore, allow for the convenience of coordinates while also transcending them. This makes tensors the gold standard for expressing physical relationships in physics and geometry. Undergraduate physics majors are typically introduced to tensors in special-case applications. For example, in a classical mechanics course, they meet the "inertia tensor," and in electricity and magnetism, they encounter the "polarization tensor." However, this piecemeal approach can set students up for misconceptions when they have to learn about tensors in more advanced physics and mathematics studies (e.g., while enrolled in a graduate-level general relativity course or when studying non-Euclidean geometries in a higher mathematics class). Dwight E. Neuenschwander's Tensor Calculus for Physics is a bottom-up approach that emphasizes motivations before providing definitions. Using a clear, step-by-step approach, the book strives to embed the logic of tensors in contexts that demonstrate why that logic is worth pursuing. It is an ideal companion for courses such as mathematical methods of physics, classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and relativity.


As the magnitude of the threat posed by climate change has become increasingly apparent, scholars and practitioners have begun a dialogue about how to reform environmental law to meet the challenge. Concepts like adaptive management, sustainability, and resilience have emerged in succession, as policy makers and scholars search for new moorings for our ethical and legal framework. While useful, these concepts have failed to provide a vision, goal, or solid ethical grounding for environmental law in the era of climate change. This project takes a new approach by exploring what we can learn from the field of Integrative Medicine. The history of the development of Integrative Medicine offers interesting parallels, contrasts, and lessons for environmental law as it grapples with the existential challenge of climate change. The article highlights the striking similarities between the limitations of conventional medicine that led doctors to pursue an integrative approach and the limitations that have stymied progress under our environmental laws. After reviewing developments in environmental law and policy that align with a path towards an integrative approach, it outlines the key unaddressed challenges and prescribes a path towards integrative environmental law. It describes how these reforms, grounded in lessons from Integrative Medicine, will help us to better meet the challenges of climate change. In closing, it offers several case studies of ongoing law and policy advocacy that illustrate how an integrative approach can overcome the limitations that have impeded our progress in addressing climate change and other environmental challenges.


The Local Government: Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000 (hereafter 'the Municipal Systems Act') provides that the municipal manager is responsible for the appointment of staff, other than managers that report directly to the municipal manager (the so-called section 56 managers), in a municipality (s 55(1)(e) of the Municipal Systems Act). This is significant given that the municipal manager is the head of the municipal administration and also the accounting officer for the municipality (s 82(1)(a) of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act 117 of 1998 (hereafter 'the Municipal Structures Act'), s 55(1) and (2) of the Municipal Systems Act and s 60 of the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003 (hereafter 'the MFMA')). Political interference in the recruitment and appointment processes undermines this framework and has been cited as one of the reasons for the dysfunction at local government (Department of Co-operative Governance State of Local Government Report (2009) 67).


The central theme or `red-thread' that I consider in this thesis is the concept of risk as it is perceived by and affects the two sides of the medical encounter in this instance ethnic Pakistanis and Health Professionals in Britain. Each side very often perceives risk quite distinctively, relating to the balance between the spiritual and temporal realms. This is particularly germane in matters to do with possible congenital defects within the prenatal realm for the ethnic Pakistani, and predominantly Muslim, side of this encounter. Thus one of the factors considered in this thesis is how senses of Islam impact upon the two sides. By ethnic Pakistanis Islam is seen as central to all life decisions, whilst Health Professionals view Islam with some considerable trepidation, little understanding it or its centrality to the former's decision-making processes. This is particularly significant with regard to attitudes to health and health care. In the initial stages of the project I had thought first cousin marriage (FCM), seen by ethnic Pakistanis as desirable and by Health Professionals as putting ethnic Pakistanis at-risk to be central to the argument, but concluded that concerns around FCM were a `red herring', merely a trope for the tensions between the two sides at once both British and at-risk from audit culture. Although no longer central, FCM remains a viable touchstone in consideration of the two sides' perceptions of genetic risk. In this thesis the medical encounter between ethnic Pakistanis and Health Professionals is performed within the realm of the so called New Genetics. Here the respective understandings of the New Genetics are informed by the enculturation processes that shape the two sides' world view. Furthermore, I will agree with Lord Robert Winston's and others' concern that any attempt to eradicate an adaptive genetic mutation, in this instance, thalassaemia, from the gene pool is not only undesirable in the short term, but also that such eradications may have an adverse, and far reaching, effect on whole population groups in the future. The main thrust of my argument is that audit culture not only compounds risk for both sides, but also perpetuates institutional racism within the National Health Service (NHS), by promulgating what I have called the language myth. That is to say that much institutional racism is the unwanted by-product of the NHS's attempts to become more patient centred and its continuing efforts to develop systems of best practice. This professionalisation process within the NHS can be seen to impact most strongly in relation to communication particularly the claimed language barrier between the two sides. This `barrier' has worrying policy implications for any meaningful communication between the two sides, notably relating to obtaining informed consent from ethnic Pakistani patients with a resultant increase in risk for the two sides and clear economic consequences for the NHS.


Holding Hands and Drying Tears: Effectiveness of Student Employees in Promoting a Successful LMS Implementation Cary A. Johnson Department of Instructional Psychology and Technology, BYU Doctor of Philosophy Two-thirds of higher education institutions are either currently involved in the process of or will soon begin to review their learning management system strategy (Green, 2012). Transitioning from one LMS to another is an endeavor that utilizes the entire institution and requires a great deal of strategic planning and cooperation. The literature described the involvement of instructional designers and technology support as key players in this transition process over a period of parallel time. When BYU transitioned from Blackboard to Learning Suite, a team of student employees managed the majority of the change. While there was very little time when Blackboard and Learning Suite ran in parallel, these employees provided support to faculty across the university. Data for this research included interviews with five faculty consultants who worked closely with faculty on the design of their courses and nine faculty members who used the student employees throughout the process along with survey data and the database kept to track interactions with the faculty members. Interview data were analyzed using a Spradley (1979) analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the survey and interaction data. Major findings suggested that the student employees were the critical component for helping smooth the transition. They were used extensively by the faculty members and logged over 41,000 points of contact over a period one year and four months. The student employees provided side-by-side help to resolve faculty concerns and answer questions. This team added capacity and tool knowledge that supported both faculty members and the consultants.


Background Venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are potentially preventable causes of hospital-related morbidity and mortality. Thromboprophylaxis is thought to be underused in medical inpatients. The PRETEMED guide is a risk assessment tool used to quantify the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in medical inpatients. Purpose To evaluate the appropriateness of VTE prophylaxis in medical inpatients and to describe Pharmacy Interventions to improve this treatment. Material and methods Cross-sectional study in a medical ward in a public hospital with 120 beds. VTE risk factors and VTE prophylaxis prescribed were assessed in patients admitted from the emergency department. Patients treated with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) or enoxaparin for therapeutic purposes were excluded. The PRETEMED guide was used as a risk assessment tool to evaluate the appropriateness of the prophylaxis given to patients. Results 168 patients were analysed and 113 included in the study with indications for VTE prophylaxis, 60 of them (53%) were men, mean age 75 years (SD 18.3). According to the PRETEMED guide, 13.3% of patients had low risk of VTE, 6.2% moderate and 80.5% high. In 49 patients (43%) there were discrepancies between the VTE prophylaxis prescribed and the PREMETED guide recommendation: 32% treatment omission, 7% no treatment indication and 4% overdoses. Thirty-one pharmacy interventions in 27% of patients were made during this period. Sixteen (52%) were related to the need for LMWH and fifteen (48%) to the dose of enoxaparin prescribed (wrong dose, wrong frequency or adjustment for renal impairment needed). Twenty-three (74%) of them were accepted, 14 were treatment initiation and 9 were dose adjustments. Conclusion In almost half of the patients included in the study the VTE prophylaxis prescriptions did not agree with the PRETEMED guide recommendations and most of them were related to treatment omission. Pharmacists improved patients' treatment by working with the assistants' team in making interventions that were mostly accepted. References and/or Acknowledgements No conflict of interest.


Travels to foreign lands. German youth novels on Africa by Thomas Fuchs and Katja Brandis as a cultural bridge
In the age of globalisation modern societies have become increasingly culturally heterogeneous due to migration, advanced communication as well as growing mobility. Encounters with people from other cultures have thus become a normal occurrence. As a result, societies are faced with the challenge of finding appropriate ways to deal with this development. The role played by literature in the representation of other cultures is crucial and cannot be overemphasized. This paper seeks to examine two German adolescent novels on Africa Akwaaba, ein Sommer in Afrika (2006) by Thomas Fuchs and Gepardensommer (2009) by Katja Brandis by taking account of aspects of intercultural imagology. Both novels depict travels of the protagonists to African countries, where they are exposed to different cultural experiences. Despite thematic similarities around puberty, there are significant differences in the emphasis put on certain cultural depictions. The paper examines which images of Africa are represented and to what extent they may be seen as building bridges for intercultural understanding.


The most effective method of sustainable weight loss in obese patients is bariatric surgery. However, micronutrient deficiencies that can result after bariatric surgery can cause health problems that may outweigh its benefits. Micronutrient deficiencies are most common in patients who undergo Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or biliopancreatic diversion with or without duodenal switch. The majority of vitamin B12 and folate deficiencies studies showed significant prevalence rates in their patient populations. Most concluded that routine oral B12 supplementation was ineffective at resolving deficiency; very high oral doses (> 350 μg) or intramuscular injections of crystalline B12 were typically required. Studies of iron deficiency after bariatric surgery found high prevalence rates due to inadequate oral supplementation, which can lead to the need for parenteral supplementation. Calcium and vitamin D deficiency studies also showed high prevalence rates of deficiency, which is important to address as deficiency can result in metabolic bone disease. Overall, the need for lifelong supplementation and follow up, early detection of deficiencies, patient education, and more aggressive supplementation regiments were emphasized to increase quality of life in bariatric surgery patients. Future research in bariatric surgery studies should include long-term health outcomes, patient education on required supplementation, and more aggressive supplementation regimens.


Rural Emergency Nurses' End-of-Life Care Obstacles Experiences: Stories from the Last Frontier Jonathan D. Rohwer Department of Nursing, BYU Master of Science Introduction: Rural emergency nurses face unique obstacles to providing quality end-of-life (EOL) care. Stories provided by emergency nurses embody their most difficult EOL care obstacles. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to 53 rural hospitals. Respondents were asked to share stories that epitomized the obstacles faced while providing EOL care in the rural emergency setting. Results: The lack of an ideal death (nurse personally knows the patient, issues with family members, and unknown patient wishes) was the top obstacle. Other reported obstacles were insufficient ED staff and power struggles between nurses and physicians. Discussion: Rural emergency nurses often provide EOL care to friends and family members, while their urban counterparts are likely to transfer care to nurses with no relation to the dying patient. Not only does caring for patients that the nurse knows or is related to cause great distress to rural emergency nurses, this unfortunately common situation may also prevent patients from receiving the highest quality of EOL care. Conclusion: Emergency nurses often face obstacles that hinder their ability to provide high quality EOL care to patients. These obstacles are compounded by a unique set of challenges faced by nurses working in rural emergency departments. Stories from rural emergency nurses revealed that being unable to provide optimal care at the EOL, having difficulties with family members, or not knowing the patient's wishes for EOL care were the most common obstacles. Additional obstacles included stories about the impact of low or unavailable staff and feeling powerless in some EOL situations.


To compete in global markets, companies today require more structured data in faster cycles to support their strategic and operational decisions. To meet these requirements enterprise resource planning (ERP)-software providers integrate more and more analytical operations as well as reporting functions into their systems. But while ERP-Software is focusing on corporate management, there are plenty of other not integrated systems throughout the organization which e.g. control the human-machine interaction or run the value adding processes of the organization. Hence, there are shortcomings in the structuring and the analysis of the data on the shop floor level since the ERP and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) are still very heterogeneous and often not very well integrated. Our design science-oriented case study on a Business Intelligence (BI) implementation on the shop floor level addresses these problems. Our approach moves away from the classic reporting functions of the shop floor to ERP but rather suggests evaluating the shop floor data in real-time in order to control the production process. This case study identifies more generalized issues which can potentially be applied to other situational and organizational contexts.


This paper addresses the design problem of providing IT support for emerging knowledge processes (EKPs). EKPs are organizational activity patterns that exhibit three characteristics in combination: an emergent process of deliberations with no best structure or sequence; requirements for knowledge that are complex (both general and situational), distributed across people, and evolving dynamically; and an actor set that is unpredictable in terms of job roles or prior knowledge. Examples of EKPs include basic research, new product development, strategic business planning, and organization design. EKPs differ qualitatively from semi-structured decision making processes; therefore, they have unique requirements that are not all thoroughly supported by familiar classes of systems, such as executive information systems, expert systems, electronic communication systems, organizational memory systems, or repositories. Further, the development literature on familiar classes of systems does not provide adequate guidance on how to build systems that support EKPs. Consequently, EKPs require a new IS design theory, as explicated by Walls et al. (1992).

We created such a theory while designing and deploying a system for the EKP of organization design. The system was demonstrated through subsequent empirical analysis to be successful in supporting the process. Abstracting from the experience of building this system, we developed an IS design theory for EKP support systems. This new IS design theory is an important theoretical contribution, because it both provides guidance to developers and sets an agenda for academic research. EKP design theory makes the development process more tractable for developers by restricting the range of effective features (or rules for selecting features) and the range of effective development practices to a more manageable set. EKP design theory also sets an agenda for academic research by articulating theory-based principles that are subject to empirical, as well as practical, validation.