As a result of anthropogenic habitat degradation worldwide, coastal ecosystems are increasingly dominated by low-lying, turf-forming species, which proliferate at the expense of complex biogenic habitats such as kelp and fucoid canopies. This results in dramatic alterations to the structure of the associated communities and large reductions in primary productivity. The persistence of turf-dominated systems has been attributed to the impacts of the turfs on the recovery of algal canopies and also to the different susceptibility of canopyand turf-forming algae to altered physical conditions, in particular increased sedimentation. Here we tested the impacts of turfing geniculate coralline algae and sediment on fucoid recovery dynamics and their influence on assemblage net primary productivity (NPP). The recruitment of the habitat-forming fucoid Hormosira banksii on bare substrata was significantly higher than in treatments in which sediments, coralline turfs or turf mimics covered the substratum, indicating that sediment deposition and space pre-emption by algal turfs can synergistically affect the development of fucoid beds. NPP of coralline turfs was much lower than that of fucoid-coralline assemblages, which included a H. banksii canopy, and was reduced further by sediment accumulation. When devoid of sediment, however, coralline algae contributed to enhance fucoid-coralline assemblage NPP, because of synergistic interactions among the components of the multi-layered assemblage in optimizing light use. Our findings amplify extensive research addressing the global loss of macroalgal canopies and highlight key processes involving sediment accumulation in the benthic environment and effects on the replenishment and productivity of fucoid stands.


The purpose of this article is to investigate one of the most interesting and debated issues within the philosophical discussion about politics: the metaphor of the body politic and its relation with the theory of sovereignty in contemporary political theory. After an opening section, which proposes a brief sketch about the origin of the body politic within phi losophy (especially in Plato's and Aristotle's contributions), the article provides a theoretical insight of such a theory, by dealing with three of its definitions: Kantorowicz's "king's two bodies"; Hobbes' Leviathan and Schmitt's theory of sove reignty. The article aims at presenting some arguments to define these three perspectives, by examining – in the last section – how this paradigm has evolved into the more complex and articulated theory of the rule of law in contemporary de mocratic societies.


In the 21st century, we live in a world of cell phones, instant worldwide information, television reporters embedded with advanced troops, Facebook, Twitter, failing world economies, global greed, illicit drugs, tattoos, multiple forms of music, divorce, remarriage, open homosexuality, terrorism, invasion of countries by immigrants, corrupt politicians and corporate executives, widespread lying, deceit and greed, false reporting in science, global warming and falsification of global warming data, widespread mortgage defaults, a desire for everything now regardless of cost, almost endless information, AIDS, poverty, a black President in the United States (USA), the USA's governmental and socialistic takeover of business, healthcare, and automobile industries (as in Europe, South America and other continents), the loss of manufacturing to cheaper labor in Asia, worldwide markets on eBay, a decline in moral values, lack of civic accountability and personal responsibility, and countless more changes that create the appearance of a world in chaos.

What is happening? Why are these things happening? We are all going through change, a change of such rapid speed and extent worldwide, that we are staggered by it.

We are at the beginning of a worldwide revolution for all people moving from the Industrial Age to the Knowledge Age, which is spreading over the world. Knowledge is more important than manufacturing. Manufacturing, as we all have seen, can be done cheaply in different parts of the world. However, those with knowledge have power, which those with manufacturing do not have. And that knowledge translates into wealth. And the more knowledge one has, the more creativity and ideas one can produce. This is what Alvin and Heidi Toffler, in their book Revolutionary Wealth, have written (Currency/Doubleday; 2006; New York.) They continue to describe the waves of change that have washed over mankind through history.

Over 200 generations ago, thousands of years ago, our ancestors were hunter-gatherers. They hunted and ate what they killed. They had no refrigerators; they did not live in large groups.

Then, 5,000-10,000 years ago, people began settling along rivers in China, the Middle East and Egypt, and began to farm and develop sub-specialized communities with specialized labor and jobs. These settlements were the beginning of civilizations, societies and the Agricultural Age. The family was dominant and the father was the head figure. The Agricultural Age existed until the 1600s with the beginning of the Renaissance and of the Age of Reason, which allowed concepts outside and independent of the teaching of the Church or authoritarian governments. From this newly-discovered knowledge, the development of machines led to the beginning of the Industrial Age. The Industrial Age opened the door to mass movement to cities, and the breakup of the traditional family and family values. In the 1900s, with the development of the automobile came the assembly line, and massification of everything for people in the cities, with mass media, mass marketing, products for the masses, and more.

But a new wave of change was flowing over civilization and that was the tremendous growth of knowledge that started in the 1600s. In the 1900s, creative ideas led to the computer, computed tomography and magnetic resonance scanning, decoding of the human gene, instant information via television, then through the Internet to the mobile phone. Individual expression replaced the loss of identity that occurred with massification in the Industrial Age. Now, we are entering into individual therapies for disease based on each person's genetic composition (see the section on Translational Neuroscience). Newspapers with preselected information by Editors are being replaced by individually selected information, which each person desires and can receive electronically. This is the Knowledge Age. No culture or civilization has ever experienced this rapid change as we are all now witnessing.

Yet, parts of Africa and the Middle East are still in the Hunter-Gatherer Age, while China and South American countries are moving from the Agricultural Age to the Industrial Age. North America is changing from the Industrial Age to the Knowledge Age economy. Europe is transitioning from the Agricultural, to the Industrial, to the Knowledge Age, depending upon the location. So, we live in a world with widespread differences in the lives of people. No wonder we have conflicts and wars and disruptions in relationships as one civilization cannot understand the changes of another. The 21st century will see more people moving up the ladder of change all over the world as the advances in knowledge affect everyone. This is life. It is not static. It is dynamically changing, constantly. If you have ever raised children, you learn that they grow faster than you can keep up with them. Their lives are not static.

In the past, people wrote on walls in caves or on parchment. Then people communicated verbally through the stories and songs of wandering minstrels. Not until the printing press was developed in China 2000 years ago and then again in Europe in the 1600s could large numbers of people share information. Newspapers and radio beamed this information to the masses in the 1900s, and then television in the 1950s. By the late 1900s, rocket-launched satellites allowed information to reach everyone in the world instantly. Remarkably however, scientific information is still mostly written in journals, which are available to only a limited number of scientists in the world. Those in the developing world cannot have access to this information.

Now with the Internet, there is the need to transmit the discoveries of science rapidly across the world so that everyone can have the latest information instantly. Is it a surprise that the major changes being experienced by societies worldwide would also affect the transmission of scientific information?

Surgical Neurology International is pioneering that change in neurosurgery and related neuroscience. It is leading the way into the 21st century. Neurosurgeons and physicians worldwide have applauded the chance to read the latest science instantly, without having to pay large subscription fees, and to hear and see the worldwide expert speakers without leaving their home or country, also without cost. They want a chance to share experiences with their colleagues worldwide, which they will now have for the first time.

As a sign of the times, our journal is published in India. Publishing houses for traditional, print-based journals are on the decline, as more scientific journals become Open Access, or free, on the Internet. Transmission of instant information has replaced profit as the goal.

Yet, there is one caution to this explosion of worldwide knowledge and the huge amount of information available on the Internet: in his book, The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet is Killing our Culture, (Doubleday, NY; 2007) Andrew Keen wrote that the problem with the information that is available to everyone is that there is no one to help select that which is valuable from that which is not. This is the fundamental problem with the Knowledge Age. How do you know what is true? What is valuable? Surgical Neurology International will solve that problem by having experienced neurosurgeons, neurologists, neuroscientists and others interpret this information for the reader to understand and to then decide personally what they think.

The fundamental problem with the 1960s' generation in the USA and worldwide is that it rejected the teachings of those over 30. You cannot discard the wisdom of 200 generations over centuries of human experience without consequences. It would be like rejecting all previous knowledge in science to take care of patients. Wisdom is having experience, knowledge, and good judgment. That is how the brain's neural networks are built and grow and how the right and left halves of the brain interrelate as we age. The young tend to use the left half of their brains. I have said many times that you can teach a monkey (technically) to operate or to use a computer but judgment-good judgment-is something that has to be taught and learned. That is what Surgical Neurology International is all about. It is not about masses of information, but about judgment. That will be the key to the Knowledge Revolution of the 21st century, and to wealth creation for all.

Welcome to the 21st century. Welcome to Surgical Neurology International.


Macroeconomists, development scholars, and policy makers have long recognized the importance of poverty traps as a mayor cause of persistent inequality and a serious limitation to growth. A poverty trap may be defined as a threshold level below which individuals or households will not increase their well-being despite the conditions of the economy. While the importance of poverty traps is widely accepted, their microfoundations (the rationality) behind them are not very well understood. Under the Mexican setting, this paper contributes in two ways. First, we assume that income depends on the capital (both physical and human) that a household posses. Hence, if a household is poor and it is not able to accumulate capital it will remain poor (unless there is a sudden increase to the returns of its existing capital). Thus a poverty trap will be generated. Following Chavas (2004, 2005) we explicitly model the preferences, consumption, and the physical and human capital accumulation of Mexican households. We argue that the typical dynamic model with additive utilities and constant discount rates will not be able to capture poverty traps. The reason is that survival motives are involved (endogenous discounting is needed). Second, employing the same model, we test the impact of the Mexican government most important social policy program (Progresa-Oportunidades), in alleviating poverty traps. In the case of households with youngsters, this program can provide funds conditioned on kids attending school. This will somehow, force the participants to increase their human capital. A comparison between households in the programs versus non participants should shed some light in the effectiveness of the program and the sensitivity of persistent poverty to cash transfers.


Despite the advances in sustainability rating systems, and the introduction of Soft Landings (SL) and Building Information Modelling (BIM), little is known about the true environmental impact of buildings over their full lifecycle. There is growing attention in the full lifecycle assessment of buildings, including embodied, operational and decommissioning impacts, and an increased interest in rating systems and associated methodologies. As yet, however, these systems are largely unconnected. This paper presents the early findings of a funded project to investigate the sustainable efficacy of BIM, SL and sustainability indicators, used concurrently to deliver commercial buildings.


Generally, the literatures on Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) and on networked resistance are evolving isolated from one another. This article aims to integrate these literatures in order to critically review differences and similarities in the techno-centric conceptions of agency and social change by political adversaries that are rooted in their socio-technical practices. We repurpose the critique of technological determinism to develop a multi-layered conception of agency that contains three interrelated dimensions: (1) "access" versus "skill" and the normative concept of inclusion; (2) fixed "system" versus "open-ended network" and savoir vivre; and (3) "institution" versus "extra-institutional network" and political efficacy. Building on our critique, we end by exploring the political possibilities at the intersections of conventional institutions or communities and emerging, extra-institutional networked formations.


Care and women's emancipation have often been seen as opposed. Politicians have begun to look again at the issue of care in the context of new reforms in the welfare state, health care policies and family law. Using concrete examples taken from parental rights cases, health care education and the public health sector. Using concrete examples taken from the practice and discourse of care, those found in parental rights issues, health care education, the family and in the public health sector, Sevenhuijsen argues for revaluation of care from a feminist perspective.


This paper applies new techniques and metrics to analyze Ecuador's past record of and future opportunities for structural transformation. Ecuador's export dynamics and the emergence of new export activities have been the historical drivers of the country's growth, but recently Ecuador's export basket has undergone little structural transformation. The same broad sectors continue to dominate, and the overall sophistication of the export basket has actually declined in recent years. In order to consider why movement to new, more sophisticated export activities has lagged in Ecuador, we examine export connectedness and find that the country is concentrated in a peripheral part of the product space. We quantitatively scan Ecuador's efficient frontier and identify new, high-potential export activities that are nearby in the product space. This sector evaluation provides valuable information for the government to prioritize dialogue and interventions, but it is not meant to be a conclusive identification of "winners". Rather, we provide policy guidelines to facilitate the emergence of these and other new export activities, dealing with the sector-specificity of much of what the government must provide to the private sector to succeed while at the same time avoiding the well-known perils of traditional industrial policies.


In this strikingly original contribution to our understanding of Chinese philosophy, Francle;ois Julien, a French sinologist whose work has not yet appeared in English uses the Chinese concept of shi - meaning disposition or circumstance, power or potential - as a touchstone to explore Chinese culture and to uncover the intricate and coherent structure underlying Chinese modes of thinking.A Hegelian prejudice still haunts studies of ancient Chinese civilization: Chinese thought, never able to evolve beyond a cosmological point of view, with an indifference to any notion of telos, sought to interpret reality solely on the basis of itself. In this groundbreaking study, prejudices toward the simplicity and "naivet" of Chinese thought, Hegelian and otherwise, are dismantled one by one to reveal the intricate and coherent structure underlying Chinese modes of thinking and representing reality.Jullien begins with a single Chinese term, shi, whose very ambivalence and disconcerting polysemy, on the one hand, and simple efficacy, on the other, defy the order of a concept. Yet shi insinuates itself into the ordering and conditioning of reality in all its manifold and complex representations. Because shi neither gave rise to any coherent, general analysis nor figured as one of the major concepts among Chinese thinkers, Jullien follows its appearance from one field to another: from military strategy to politics; from the aesthetics of calligraphy and painting to the theory of literature; and from reflection on history to "first philosophy."At the point where these various domains intersect, a fundamental intuition assumed self-evident for centuries emerges, namely, that reality - every kind of reality - may be perceived as a particular deployment or arrangement of things to be relied upon and worked to one's advantage. Art or wisdom, as conceived by the Chinese, lies in strategically exploiting the propensity that emanates from this particular configuration of reality.


Special Edition Using Macromedia Director MX is a comprehensive guide to creating and publishing Director movies.The book includes complete coverage of the newest version of Director, from advanced issues such as Lingo scripting and multi-user applications on how to employ the 3D API.This edition includes more coverage of multi-user applications, using 3D media, efficient sprite editing with the context-sensitive Property Inspector, increased control of cast members through the Cast Manager, vector drawing tools that add illustration capability, and special imaging effects and transition behaviors to add pizzazz and drama to applications.


The surface roughness of low-scatter mirrors and roughness standards can be measured in various ways: mechanically, optically, and electronoptically. In this paper several useful methods and instruments—total integrated scattering, stylus profilometer, optical heterodyne profilometer, variable angle scatterometer, and electron mirror interference microscope—are presented. Qualitative surface roughness assessment is provided by Nomarski microscopy and transmission electron microscopy of surface replicas. Samples were prepared at Balzers, and their surface roughness was measured at several laboratories using the methods given above. The results of these measurements are compared, and reasons for the differences are discussed.


Around 200 A.D., intrepid Polynesians arrived at an undisturbed archipelago. For centuries, their descendants lived with little contact from the western world. In 1778, their isolation was shattered with the arrival of Captain Cook. Deftly weaving together a memorable cast of characters, "Lost Hawaii" brings to life the ensuing clash between a vulnerable Polynesian people and relentlessly expanding capitalist powers. Portraits of royalty and rogues, sugar barons, and missionaries combine into a sweeping tale of the Hawaiian Kingdom s rise and fall. At the center of the story is Liliuokalani, the last queen of Hawaii. Born in 1838, she lived through the nearly complete economic transformation of the islands. Lucrative sugar plantations gradually subsumed the majority of the land, owned almost exclusively by white planters, dubbed the Sugar Kings. Hawaii became a prize in the contest between America, Britain, and France, each seeking to expand their military and commercial influence in the Pacific. The monarchy had become a figurehead, victim to manipulation from the wealthy sugar plantation owners. Liliuokalani was determined to enact a constitution to reinstate the monarchy s power but was outmaneuvered by the U.S. The annexation of Hawaii had begun, ushering in a new century of American imperialism. "


"I had never planned to become a savanna baboon when I grew up; instead, I had always assumed I would become a mountain gorilla," writes Robert Sapolsky in this witty and riveting chronicle of a scientist's coming-of-age in remote Africa. Raised in an intellectual, immigrant family in Brooklyn, Sapolsky wished he could live in the primate diorama in the Museum of Natural History. He wrote fan letters to primatologists, started reading their textbooks at age fourteen, and even learned Swahili in high school, all with the hopes of one day joining his primate brethren in Africa. Finally, upon graduating from college, Sapolsky's dream comes true when, at age twenty-one, he leaves the comforts of the United States for the very first time to join a baboon troop in Kenya as a "young transfer male." Book smart and naive, Sapolsky sets out to study the relationship between stress and disease. But he soon learns that life in the African bush bears little resemblance to the tranquillity of a museum diorama. He is alone in the middle of the Serengeti with no radio, no television, no electricity, no running water, and no telephone. His nearest neighbors are the Masai, a warlike tribespeople whose marriages are polygamous, with wedding parties featuring tureens of cow's blood. The victim of countless scams and his own idealistic illusions, Sapolsky nevertheless survives culinary atrocities, gunpoint encounters, and a surreal kidnapping, while witnessing the encroachment of the tourist mentality on the farthest vestiges of unspoiled Africa. As he conducts unprecedented physiological research on wild primates, he becomes evermore enamored with his subjects -- unique and compelling characters intheir own right -- and he returns to them summer after summer, until tragedy finally prevents him. Here is Robert Sapolsky's exhilarating account of his life in the bush with neighbors both human and primate, by turns hilarious and poignant. The culmination of more than two decades of experience and research, "A Primate's Memoir" is a magnum opus from one of our foremost scientist-writers.


Each year a large number of students are identified as having problems in reading. The methodology for the identification of reading problems has been established and in practice for several years, however, the tools necessary for the identification of remediation procedures appropriate for the individual student lack this level of refinement. This study is an attempt at refining current assessment practices for the purpose of identifying remediation procedures that are effective on the level of the individual student. A conceptual model of learning (instructional hierarchy) was combined with a treatment based functional assessment methodology, resulting in a behavior analytic approach to reading assessment designed to identify remediation procedures that have a known level of effectiveness for an individual student. Eighteen first, second and third graders were assessed across a range of fluencies resulting in treatment recommendations based on individual responses to treatment components. These recommendations were then evaluated in an extended validation, which was designed to ascertain the level of effectiveness of these recommendations over baseline and against each other. Results indicate that this behavior analytic approach to the assessment and treatment along with the incorporation of the instructional hierarchy produced valid treatment recommendations. When these results were compared to alternative forms of treatment recommendations the behavior analytic approach produced superior results.


Several studies have found that the level of alcohol use among minors both in Europe generally and in Estonia is relatively high. However, we have less knowledge of issues related to age estimations in this field. Therefore, research was conducted to examine how accurate sales personnel in Estonia are in estimating the age of young people and, in addition, to compare salespersons and laypersons (i.e., persons not working in shops that sell food and alcohol) with regard to their ability to make accurate age estimations. For this purpose, 20 salespersons and 20 laypersons participated in an experiment in which they estimated the age of people whose faces were presented to them in images. Salespersons' estimation of young persons' age from the photos was more accurate than laypersons' estimation. However, both groups tended to overestimate the age of the people shown, especially when the focus was on the difference between minors of age 17 and young adults of age 18 or 19. It can be concluded that accurately discriminating between minors' and adults' faces by using only facial cues is difficult. One solution for addressing this issue in practice would be to raise the age threshold for asking for ID. While many shops already pursue this approach, it is on a voluntary basis; in Estonia, there is no legal requirement to do so.


Transcriptional activity, as assessed by nuclear run-on assays, was constant during 10 h of normoxic development for embryos of the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana. Exposure of embryos to only 4 h of anoxia resulted in a 79.3+/-1 % decrease in levels of in-vivo-initiated transcripts, and transcription was depressed by 88. 2+/-0.7 % compared with normoxic controls after 24 h of anoxia (means +/- s.e.m., N=3). Initiation of transcription was fully restored after 1 h of normoxic recovery. Artificially lowering the intracellular pH of aerobic embryos to the value reflective of anoxia (pH 6.7) showed that acidification alone explained over half the transcriptional arrest. Initiation of transcription was not rescued by application of 80 % carbon monoxide under anoxia, which suggests that heme-based oxygen sensing is not involved in this global arrest. When these transcriptional data are combined with the finding that mRNA levels are unchanged for at least 6 h of anoxia, it is clear that the half-life of mRNA is extended at least 8.5-fold compared with that in aerobic embryos. In contrast to the activation of compensatory mechanisms to cope with anoxia that occurs in mammalian cells, A. franciscana embryos enter a metabolically depressed state in which gene expression and mRNA turnover are cellular costs apparently not compatible with survival and in which extended tolerance supercedes the requirement for continued metabolic function.


ABSTRACT Capetonians have relied on dams to meet their needs for over a century. Extremely limited rainfall between 2015–2018, however, forced the City to impose a 50-litres per capita per day water restriction on its four million residents to avoid supply cut-offs. Cape Town's water crisis highlights the importance of moving away from past infrastructural practices. South Africa needs a new water paradigm that embeds water sustainability and resilience in day-to-day practices that, inter alia, protects the natural water systems and ensures a sustainable water supply through reducing the environmental footprint of a growing population and developing alternative supply systems to dam infrastructure. To accomplish this, government, the private sector and consumers need to work together to develop and implement a water sensitive approach that will transform water planning, supply and demand at scale.


The DIRAC project is developing interware to build and operate distributed computing systems. It provides a development framework and a rich set of services for both Workload and Data Management tasks of large scientific communities. A number of High Energy Physics and Astrophysics collaborations have adopted DIRAC as the base for their computing models. DIRAC was initially developed for the LHCb experiment at LHC, CERN. Later, the Belle II, BES III and CTA experiments as well as the linear collider detector collaborations started using DIRAC for their computing systems. Some of the experiments built their DIRAC-based systems from scratch, others migrated from previous solutions, ad-hoc or based on different middlewares. Adaptation of DIRAC for a particular experiment was enabled through the creation of extensions to meet their specific requirements. Each experiment has a heterogeneous set of computing and storage resources at their disposal that were aggregated through DIRAC into a coherent pool. Users from different experiments can interact with the system in different ways depending on their specific tasks, expertise level and previous experience using command line tools, python APIs or Web Portals. In this contribution we will summarize the experience of using DIRAC in particle physics collaborations. The problems of migration to DIRAC from previous systems and their solutions will be presented. An overview of specific DIRAC extensions will be given. We hope that this review will be useful for experiments considering an update, or for those designing their computing models.


Setting endpoints and targets in forest restoration is a complicated task that is best accomplished in cooperative partnerships that account for the ecology of the system, production of desired ecosystem goods and services, economics and well-being of society, and future environments. Clearly described and quantitative endpoints and intermediary targets are needed to manage restoration of ecosystem structure, composition, function, and production. Selecting indicators of key ecosystem attributes that are linked to endpoint and target condition, function, sustainability, health, integrity, resilience, and production is important to monitoring restoration success. Indicators are used to track ecosystem trajectory, assess progress toward achieving endpoints and targets, adapt management, and communicate with external publics. Reference sites can be used to help set endpoints and targets with caution. Other science-based ecosystem models or management tools are available to help quantify intermediate targets and endpoints. Continued work to better understand historic ecosystem conditions is fundamental to assessing change, extent of damage, and restoration potential. A hierarchy of forest plans from regional and landscape to site specific are useful for defining endpoints, targets, and indicators at appropriate ecological scales; and to consider populations, ecosystem function, and socioeconomic factors that operate at a variety of scales.


This memo defines the Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP). VRRP specifies an election protocol that dynamically assigns responsibility for a virtual router to one of the VRRP routers on a LAN. The VRRP router controlling the IP address(es) associated with a virtual router is called the Master, and forwards packets sent to these IP addresses. The election process provides dynamic fail over in the forwarding responsibility should the Master become unavailable. This allows any of the virtual router IP addresses on the LAN to be used as the default first hop router by end-hosts. The advantage gained from using VRRP is a higher availability default path without requiring configuration of dynamic routing or router discovery protocols on every end-host.


The furniture industry in Malaysia has shown rapid expansion. It has
been identified as a priority industry for development under the Second Industrial
Master Plan (IMP) for the period of 1998 to 2005. Exports value for 1997
amounted to RM3.8 billion, but now the firm footage this industry has in the
international market may be lost if the quality of furniture products are not
stringently regulated. Performance management in this case is the key to success
and therefore it must function efficiently especially at the administrative level and
the production process.
The objectives of this study were to identify the level of performance
required, to study the current level of performance practiced, to highlight areas for
improvemnet and to establish an acceptable performance standards that can be
used as a guideline for Bumiputra manufacturers under the integrated marketing
scheme anchored by Guthrie Furniture Sdn. Bhd.
The results of the study showed that most of the manufacturers were in the
D grade (lack of performance in a number of areas) and the E grade (performance
is generally unacceptable) in which corrective actions are necessary for
improvement. Production and management aspects were interrelated and
contributed to changes in the level of quality finishing of furniture.
In general, the major factors influencing performance were machine, raw
material, maintenance, training, administrative and labour. Three specific factors
affecting performance as shown through this study were the level of automation,
frequency of training, and frequency of management meeting. Other factors were
good housekeeping of the work area, raw material recovery, average production
capacity, local or international market, maximum production capacity,
maintenance schedule, waste disposal, labour cost, working capital, skills and
knowledge in operations, labour turnover, paid-up capital and overall skills and
knowledge of workers.
It is hoped that the information obtained from this study will be able to
assist the Guthrie Furniture Sdn. Bhd. to plan and provide better assistance and
guidance to the manufacturers to improve performance in management and
production. The influences defined as critical indicators in the performance
analysis should be included in the performance rating standard.


The piezoelectric axial vibrator (PAV) is a squeeze-flow rheometer working at frequencies f between 1 and 4000Hz. It can be used to measure the storage modulus G′ and the loss modulus G″ of complex fluids in this frequency range. Using polymer solutions with known G′ and G″ it is shown that the PAV gives reliable mechanical spectra for frequencies between 10 and 3000Hz. The measurements done with the PAV are combined with a conventional mechanical rheometer (10−3⩽f⩽15Hz) and a set of torsional resonators (f=13, 25, and 77kHz) to obtain G′ and G″ between 10−3Hz and 77kHz. Using this combination we present the first analysis of the viscoelasticity of an aqueous suspension of thermosensitive latex particles in this range of frequency. It is demonstrated that the combination of the three devices gives the entire mechanical spectra without resort to the time-temperature superposition principle.


Since the late 1990s there has been an increasing focus on parenting ability,
support and education which is reflected in policy, practice and research in the
UK. This research analyses how nurses might intervene to provide this support,
specifically in relation to crying baby and the role of nurses at NHS direct. It
involves collection and analysis of data from NHS Direct call data in 2002, and
solo focus group data in 2006. Within the wider tradition of grounded theory, the
methodology includes use of discourse and thematic analytical approaches.
The research analyses the means by which NHS Direct nurses make different
use of the algorithms and organisational protocols to make decisions and give
advice to parents with crying babies, how their clinical knowledge and experience
influences these decisions, and how nurses explore parents' ability to cope. This
is seen within the organisational context of NHS Direct, a 24 hour government
funded telephone service described as both a triage service and an
advice/helpline service.

Findings from the study indicate a degree of tension between the essentially
humanistic nursing culture and the highly scripted, protocol driven rules based
system that underpins NHS Direct. Despite this tension, nurses will sometimes
combine their knowledge with that of the algorithm where the call is involved with
eliminating emergencies. The same synthesis of knowledge is not apparent with
the knowledge contained in the algorithm regarding non-medical, nonemergency,
value-sensitive issues relating to parental coping with excessive
infant crying. Findings suggest that NHS Direct nurses use the 'crying baby'
algorithm differently and this variance is influenced by experience and familiarity
with the algorithm. Adherence to the algorithm is perceived by nurses as safe in
relation to the medical questions which exclude emergencies. The non-medical
elements of the algorithm, which include prompting the nurse to ask about parent
coping ability and the possibility of shaking their child, are treated differently and
it is considered safe to not ask, or ask around the question and to not offer the
advice prompted by the decision aid software. The algorithm prompt to assess
parental coping ability is rarely successful in encouraging the nurse to do so
overtly.

From these findings, consideration might be given to enhancing nurses'
knowledge, skills and confidence, supported with appropriate supervision, to
provide effective intervention in relation to value sensitive, non-medical issues
such as parental coping ability and in handling the uncertainty such issues may
yield. Allied to this would be establishing clarity and recognition of the inherently
different, but not opposing functions of providing a triage service and an advice/
helpline service.


J. B. Schneewind's Sidgwick's Ethics and Victorian Moral Philosophy surpassed all previous treatments of Sidgwick's The Methods of Ethics by showing how Sidgwick's work follows a coherent plan of argument for a conception of ethics as grounded in practical reason. Schneewind offered his interpretation as the product of a historical rather than a critical study. This article undertakes a critical study of Sidgwick's work based on Schneewind's interpretation. Its thesis is that the conception of ethics for which Sidgwick argued is incoherent. As a result, it is argued, the coherent plan of argument in the Methods that Schneewind disclosed masks a deep incoherence in the argument itself.


Supplemental digital content is available in the text. OBJECTIVE Evidence comparing stoma creation (STM) versus anastomosis after urgent or emergent colorectal resection is limited. This study examined outcomes after colorectal resection in emergency general surgery patients. METHODS This was an Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma-sponsored prospective observational multicenter study of patients undergoing urgent/emergent colorectal resection. Twenty-one centers enrolled patients for 11 months. Preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative variables were recorded. χ2, Mann-Whitney U test, and multivariable logistic regression models were used to describe outcomes and risk factors for surgical complication/mortality. RESULTS A total of 439 patients were enrolled (ANST, 184; STM, 255). The median (interquartile range) age was 62 (53–71) years, and the median Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) was 4 (1–6). The most common indication for surgery was diverticulitis (28%). Stoma group was older (64 vs. 58 years, p < 0.001), had a higher CCI, and were more likely to be immunosuppressed. Preoperatively, STM patients were more likely to be intubated (57 vs. 15, p < 0.001), on vasopressors (61 vs. 13, p < 0.001), have pneumoperitoneum (131 vs. 41, p < 0.001) or fecal contamination (114 vs. 33, p < 0.001), and had a higher incidence of elevated lactate (149 vs. 67, p < 0.001). Overall mortality was 13%, which was higher in STM patients (18% vs. 8%, p = 0.02). Surgical complications were more common in STM patients (35% vs. 25%, p = 0.02). On multivariable analysis, management with an open abdomen, intraoperative blood transfusion, and larger hospital size were associated with development of a surgical complication, while CCI, preoperative vasopressor use, steroid use, open abdomen, and intraoperative blood transfusion were independently associated with mortality. CONCLUSION This study highlights a tendency to perform fecal diversion in patients who are acutely ill at presentation. There is a higher morbidity and mortality rate in STM patients. Independent predictors of mortality include CCI, preoperative vasopressor use, steroid use, open abdomen, and intraoperative blood transfusion. Following adjustment by clinical factors, method of colon management was not associated with surgical complications or mortality. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic study, level IV.


In a document network such as a citation network of scientific documents, web-logs, etc., the content produced by authors exhibits their interest in certain topics. In addition some authors influence other authors' interests. In this work, we propose to model the influence of cited authors along with the interests of citing authors. Moreover, we hypothesize that apart from the citations present in documents, the context surrounding the citation mention provides extra topical information about the cited authors. However, associating terms in the context to the cited authors remains an open problem. We propose novel document generation schemes that incorporate the context while simultaneously modeling the interests of citing authors and influence of the cited authors. Our experiments show significant improvements over baseline models for various evaluation criteria such as link prediction between document and cited author, and quantitatively explaining unseen text.


Abstract:Albania is a small country in the Western Balkans whose role in international politics throughout history has been minor, mainly due to its size, low economic potential, and the legacy of the Stalinist isolationist regime that was in place during the Cold War era. The inclusion of the country and its infrastructure in several gas and oil supply projects in the Balkan Peninsula in recent years, however, has enhanced Albania's significance. Projected outcomes indicate a fairly poor future for the oil sector but a relatively strong potential for future development of the country's natural gas sector.


A REAL TIME FREQUENCY ANALYSIS OF THE ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM USING LABVIEW by Rupal Patel The use of the Electroencephalogram (EEG) for diagnosis of brain related diseases is becoming a popular technique in the clinical and research environment. To achieve accurate reading of EEG, signal representation and classification becomes extremely important. The goal of this project was to develop a basic software program for acquiring and online processing of the electrical activity recorded from the brain. A program was developed using the LabVIEW programming software by National Instruments. Basic hardware components recorded the EEG signal and a software component divided the data into delta, theta, alpha and beta bands in the frequency domain. Emphasis was placed on critical programming parameters such as sampling rate, filtering, windowing and FFT. The developed software was implemented in an already existing experimental paradigm that studies classical conditioning response. To prove the validity and accuracy of the system, a pilot experiment was conducted where EEG was recorded from six subjects. Data showed that as the subject learns, continuous theta activity is observed. Performance and testing of the EEG system demonstrated that the on line processing of EEG could be used in a variety of other applications where neural activity is involved such as classifying sleep stages in patients, discriminating various mental tasks, recording continuous EEG activity in neonatals with brain dysfunction etc. A REAL TIME FREQUENCY ANALYSIS OF THE ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM USING LABVIEW


OBJECTIVE--To determine the patterns of consultations with the general practitioner among different ethnic groups and the outcome of these consultations. DESIGN--Retrospective analysis of data from one urban group general practice collected during 1979-81 as part of a research project in seven practices. SETTING--Group general practice in the London borough of Brent with a list size of 10,877 patients in July 1980. SUBJECTS--Patients registered with the practice during the 23 months to April 1981 who accounted for 67,197 consultations. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Ethnic state, sex and social class distribution, and diagnosis of patients consulting and frequency of consultations analysed as standardised consultation ratios and standardised patient consultation ratios. RESULTS--Compared with other ethnic groups male Asians (that is, including those born in Britain and those originating from the Indian subcontinent and east Africa) had a substantially increased standardised patient consultation ratio. Consultation rates for mental disorders--in particular, anxiety and depression--were reduced in all groups of immigrant descent. West Indians consulted more frequently for hypertension and asthma, and their children less frequently with otitis media. Asians consulted more frequently with upper respiratory tract infections and non-specific symptoms. Native British patients were more likely to leave the surgery with a follow up appointment, prescription, or certificate. CONCLUSION--Notwithstanding the limitations of this study, ethnic differences in consultation rates were apparent. These differences require further investigation if the needs of minority ethnic groups are not to be overlooked.


Both work and leisure are essential for well-being. Yet the ways in which we conceptualise work, leisure and well-being are in flux, reflecting, in part, the changing societal, economic and community contexts in which work and leisure take place. This paper first discusses the contested nature of work and leisure in relation to well-being, and then considers current evidence concerning the ways in which work and leisure are experienced in contemporary society. The emerging issues are then discussed drawing on two international studies which indicate the increasingly global nature of these concerns. The pervasiveness of the trend towards intensification of work, reducing time and energy for other activities, and the gendered impact of this trend are evident in both studies. Many commentators have noted the negative effects of current working patterns on well-being. Finally, some implications for guidance and counselling as well as future research, are explored.


This Paper attempts to investigate the patterns of land cover changes and also the process of urban growth in Shiraz Metropolitan Area. Since detailed information of current urban processes is required for future developments and managements of urban areas, this study utilizes remote sensing data and landscape metrics, as useful tools to gather information on urban growth and dynamics, in order to examine the spatial pattern of Shiraz metropolitan area (SMA) from 1986 to 2014. Since, the northwestern areas of SMA are superior in terms of ecological advantages, analysis of types and patterns of SMA growth were separately examined for each sector (NW, NE, SE, and SW). Five landscape metrics were used to analyze compactness and dispersion of urban patches derived from remotely sensed images. The results showed that over the past 28 years, SMA experienced sweeping changes with unexplainable growth during 1996-2006: a great horizontal expansion with 5.89 percent annual growth rate. After facing great urban sprawl, especially on the edge of the main city in the 96-06 period, periphery rural areas beyond the city borders started growing drastically during last decade. While measuring landscape metrics indicates a process of compactness in the growth patterns of NE, SE and SW areas, NW is going to be more dispersed in the coming years.


It is believed that 3 to 5% of children in the United States meet the current diagnostic criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), making it one of the most prevalent disorders in the school-age population (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). A diagnosis of ADHD requires the person to display the disorder's symptoms before the age of 7 and impairments must be manifested in two or more settings (e.g., neighborhood, home, school). Additionally, diagnosed ADHD symptoms must cause significant impairments in academic, social, and occupational functioning, which are not better accounted for by any other disorder. Children and adults who have ADHD display certain degrees of overactivity, impulsivity, and inattention in various situations (Root and Resnick, 2003). Neef, Mace, and Shade (1993) operationally defined impulsivity in basic and applied behavioral research as choices between concurrently available response alternatives that produce smaller reinforcers rather than larger delayed reinforcers. Conversely, self-control is defined as choices that yield relatively greater gains at a later point in time. ADHD, like other disruptive behavior disorders of childhood, is connected with low self-control skills (Strayhorn, 2002). Impulsivity is related to self-control deficiencies, which often involve a failure to think about the consequences of actions. Barkley (1997) suggests that children with ADHD tend to be less able to delay gratification and resist temptations and that the essential concern in ADHD is a deficit involving response inhibition. Neef et al. (2005) showed that the choices of children with ADHD are principally influenced by reinforcer immediacy and quality and least by rate and effort. Previous studies that attempted to increase self-control focused on two types of interventions. The first involved interventions that progressively increased the delay to a larger reinforcer (Dixon & Holcomb, 2000). These authors presented a choice between an immediate smaller reinforcer and a larger delayed reinforcer to two groups of dually diagnosed adults. They showed that this progressive delay increased self-control among the participants. The second type of intervention used to increase self-control extends the previous method of Dixon and Cummings (2001). It involves requiring the participant to be engaged in an activity during his or her wait time. Children were more successful in working for delayed rewards when they were asked to direct their attention away from the intervention (Strayhorn, 2002). Binder, Dixon, and Ghezzi (2000) suggested that the type of activity that the participants engage in was not critical to their ability to demonstrate self-control. The mere requirement of an intervening activity is as effective in decreasing impulsivity as requiring a rule describing the contingencies. Neef et al. (2001) showed that a combination of progressive wait times and concurrent activities in increasing self-control can produce transfer across untrained reinforcer dimensions. However, they do not provide information on the generalizability of self-control trainings or the effects in the participants' typical environments. The purpose of the present study was to assess the selfcontrol training procedures of progressive delays and progressive delays combined with a concurrent activity in the participants' typical environments. Method Participants All participants were African American males residing in therapeutic foster care. Richard (11 years old) and Bob (10) lived in urban areas of Philadelphia, PA, while Vincent (14) resided in a suburban area just outside of Philadelphia. Richard took Straterra (40 mg/day) for hyperactivity. Vincent and Bob were medication free during the course of the study. Settings All experimental sessions were conducted at the participants' homes or in a recreational area located directly outside the home. …


This study uses data on the fast-growing peripheral counties located in the 50 largest metropolitan areas to test the null hypothesis that counties located on the metropolitan fringe are demographically homogenous. Using multivariate analysis, the analysis statistically identifies distinct groups of counties in the metropolitan fringe. In contrast to much of the standard literature, the research rejects the null hypothesis and suggests that more than one exurbia exists. This study also explores the varying pressures and demands faced by the different exurban county types in response to massive and compounding growth stresses, recognizing the complexity of managing growth in the fringe and the implications for planners. It is expected that counties identified as "similar" will experience commonresponses to different programs and policies addressing growth pressures. Similar counties should therefore use these results to facilitate information exchange concerning successful or unsuccessful strategies.


Multicore network-on-chip when scales upto hundred of nodes, energy consumption, design complexity and cost increases multifold owing to structure of interconnect. Many researches are being conducted to design novel architecture to build efficient networks-on-chips. Our paper proposes efficient bufferless design with deflection containment technique to eliminate buffers and latency. The high cost of buffers motivate us to go for bufferless design, however with increasing network loads, it become notorious with multiple deflection and flit loss between nodes. To overcome this, we have designed a bufferless architecture with local bypass ring within nodes to reduce deflection and packet loss. Deflection Containment with the use of local bypass ring shortens critical path and improves performance. Architecture of our designed bufferless NoC is analysed and RTL implementation of its components is done with Xillinx ISE design suite and its working is analysed in Modelsim SE. Our evaluation proves that bufferless routing with deflection containment technique reduces power dissipation without compromising on its performance.


On the 17 February 2008, Kosovo's Provisional Institutions of Self-Government unilaterally declared their independence from Serbia and, since this time, a significant number of the worlds existing states have conferred recognition upon it. Serbia and its allies ardently contest its legality, however; reaffirming their right to territorial integrity and, as such, their continued sovereignty over the territory that is so often said, by the citizens of it, to be the 'heartland' of their country. The Kosovar Albanians, on the other hand, assert their right to self-determination, and the concomitant 'freedom' that it offers them from a regime at whose hands they have suffered – in recent decades in particular – abuses of immeasurable gravity.
This thesis submits that the nascent state of Kosovo satisfies the general requirements of statehood, as set out in the Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States (1933) – especially in light of the leniency with which borderline cases are so often assessed – and, also, that independence was not precluded under the provisions of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244.1 As such, and although the resolution did not itself confer a right to independence upon the people of Kosovo, it remained an alternative available to them to the extent that it was also available under the framework of international law in the more general sense.
On this front, this thesis endorses the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence, and third states subsequent recognition of it, in accordance with what is commonly referred to as a 'remedial right' to secession. This right, it is submitted, allows those 'people' that have suffered 'grievous wrongs at the hands of the parent State from which it wishes to secede' – including the denial of their right to internal self-determination, and/or serious and widespread violations of their fundamental human rights – to break away, as a 'last resort' and in the absence of any further, realistic and effective remedies for the peaceful settlement of the conflict.


We analyze determinants of regional industry mix and focus especially on the influence of labor market characteristics. By combining a labor market pooling argument with an argument involving the cost of switching a worker from one firm to another, we show that in the presence of product market shocks there exists an interesting trade-off for the concentration of firms of the same industry in one region. Firms belonging to different industries are hedged against industry-specific shocks if they settle in the same region, but face higher switching costs (retraining costs for workers moving from one firm to another). In addition, with a given supply of labor there is an additional rationing effect affecting the location decisions of firms. Against the background of these trade-offs we analyze the resulting location decisions of firms in a two-regions-two-industry-four-firm framework. We analyze the impact of different parameters on the location choice of firms.


Seismic tomography studies and plate reconstructions suggest that the Farallon slab broke off shortly before subduction ended off southern Baja California. However, the progress of detachment in time and space and its consequences on the volcanism of central Mexico have not so far been considered. Here I use the Neogene geologic record of central Mexico to propose a lateral propagation of slab detachment beneath the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt during the late Miocene. I suggest that the trace of the detachment is expressed by a short (2–3 m.y.), eastward-migrating pulse of mafic volcanism that took place from ca. 11.5 to ca. 6 Ma to the north of the Pliocene–Quaternary volcanic arc, as hot, subslab material flowing into the slab gap produced a transitory thermal anomaly in the mantle wedge. Slab detachment of the deeper and denser part of the plate was initiated in the southern Gulf of California area by the incoming of progressively younger oceanic lithosphere at the paleotrench that produced an increasing coupling between the Magdalena microplate and the overriding North American plate. The tear in the slab propagated eastward from the Gulf of California to the Gulf of Mexico, paralleling the southern Mexico trench system. The decrease in the Rivera–North America convergence rate between ca. 9 and 7 Ma appears to be related to the loss of slab pull after the detachment. Sparse oceanic-island–type basalts emplaced since the end of the Miocene in the Trans-Mexican volcanic belt are located above a trench-parallel slab window between the inferred detachment trace and the leading edge of the present slab, which has been detected seismically. In this context, the occurrence of these unusual intraplate magmas is easily explained by the infiltration of enriched asthenosphere into the subarc mantle.


This thesis highlights the importance and privileges of corporations with the obligation to provide information to society about their activities. The primary reporting vehicle is seen to be the annual report with accounting regulation viewed as a significant quality control device. It is postulated that New Zealand accounting self-regulation has failed in delivering the latter protection. By way of providing a background to the discussion the Anglo-American accounting regulatory systems are critiqued and found inadequate. Special concerns are noted with the accounting standard setting due process procedures and enforcement mechanisms. Linkage of the New Zealand accounting system to the Anglo-American cluster is shown through various international classification studies. Financial accounting paradigms are analysed with a view to determining the end purpose of corporate reporting. It is concluded that the accountability paradigm is most closely aligned w i th a broad societal view of accounting. A Public Accountability Model of Accounting Regulation is evolved. The Model is based on efficiency and equity criteria, and emphasises the responsibility of preparers to communicate adequate financial and non-fmancial information to stakeholders. The New Zealand accounting regulatory structures are empirically examined as a case study, with the New Zealand Society of Accountants, domestic and overseas systems compared. It is shown that the NZSA, overseas bodies (especially the British and International Accounting Standards Committee), and preparers exert the most influence, with non-accountant stakeholders shown to have the least impact. The regulatory mechanism under the Model incorporates the profession's expertise, stakeholder representation, and the coercive power of the state. r New Zealand corporate reports are found to be: difficult to read, lacking sufficient , disclosure data, and imparting very little non-financial information. It is shown that these inadequacies are due mainly to the absence of a capital market overseer, critical lack of stakeholder input, lack of explicit objectives and ineffective enforcement mechanisms. External crises such as the 1 987 sharemarket crash, company failures and publicised lack of compliance/enforcement have generated abundant public pressure leading to several governmental reviews. These reviews are deemed incomplete and unlikely to meet societal expectations. The research provides insights into accounting regulation and its relationship with corporate reporting in New Zealand. It is recommended that more effective regulation be introduced to ensure greater disclosure, recognition of stakeholder needs, and a higher level of non-financial data. It is argued that the proposed Model would help increase stakeholder confidence in corporate reports as it is designed to address the issues of the under-production of accounting information and information asymmetry.


Fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and more broadly, achieving sustainability, requires reform of EU laws, policies and practice concerning business. The contribution of business is vital to achieving sustainability, and yet we know that business-as-usual currently undermines sustainability goals. To change this, reform is necessary.

The Covid19 pandemic, currently affecting most countries around the world, highlights the interconnectedness, complexity and vulnerabilities of our global society. At the time of writing, the EU and many Member States struggle to find out how to mitigate the worst economic and social impacts of the virus and the measures put into place to limit the spread. In the months and years ahead, more economic rescue packages and incentives will be introduced to reboot the economy after this unplanned and unwanted shutdown. It is imperative that this is done in a way that supports the transition to sustainability.

Our SMART Project proposals aim to contribute to this transition and secure the future of European business. In this report, we introduce a broader understanding of the financial risks of unsustainability, than the current one that tends to focus on (a limited understanding of) climate risk. This show the necessity of fundamental change for business and indicates the possibilities for business.

Our proposals encompass the EU's role as a global actor in international trade and investment, as well as the EU's role as European legislator with the power to regulate European business, including their governance of global value chains. We propose that the EU take regulatory action to shape business conduct in trade and investment as in other facets of their operations. We also propose changes to EU company law, to redefine the purpose of business and the duties of the board. This will ensure that the purpose of sustainable value creation is integrated throughout the business, and that business contributes to global society staying with planetary boundaries. This is supported by our proposals for a comprehensive and reliable reporting framework.


In the future, the precision manipulation of small objects will become more and more important for appliances such as data storage, micro assembly, sample manipulation in microscopes, cell manipulation, and manipulation of beam paths by micro mirrors. At the same time, there is a drive towards miniaturized systems.
Therefore, Micro ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS), a fabrication technique enabling micron sized features, has been researched for precision manipulation. MEMS devices comprise micro sensors, actuators, mechanisms, optics and fluidic systems. They have the ability to integrate several functions in a small package. MEMS can be commercially attractive by providing cost reduction or enabling new functionality with respect to macro systems. Combining design principles, a mature design philosophy for creating precision machines, and MEMS fabrication, a
technology for miniaturization, could lead to micro systems with deterministic behavior and accurate positioning capability. However, in MEMS design trade-offs
need to be made between fabrication complexity and design principle requirements.
Therefore, the goal of this research has been twofold:
1. Design and manufacture a 6 Degrees-of-Freedom (DOFs) MEMS-based manipulator with nanometer resolution positioning.
2. Derive principle solutions for the synthesis of exact kinematic constraint design and MEMS fabrication technology for multi DOFs precision manipulation in the
micro domain.


Nutrient cycling is fundamental to ecosystem functioning. Despite recent major advances in the understanding of complex food web dynamics, food web models have so far generally ignored nutrient cycling. However, nutrient cycling is expected to strongly impact food web stability and functioning. To make up for this gap, we built an allometric and size structured food web model including nutrient cycling. By releasing mineral nutrients, recycling increases the availability of limiting resources for primary producers and links each trophic level to the bottom of food webs. We found that nutrient cycling can provide a significant part of the total nutrient supply of the food web, leading to a strong enrichment effect that promotes species persistence in nutrient poor ecosystems but leads to a paradox of enrichment at high nutrient inputs. The presence of recycling loops linking each trophic level to the basal resources weakly affects species biomass temporal variability in the food web. Recycling loops tend to slightly dampen the destabilising effect of nutrient enrichment on consumer temporal variability while they have opposite effects for primary producers. By considering nutrient cycling, this new model improves our understanding of the response of food webs to nutrient availability and opens perspectives to better link studies on food web dynamics and ecosystem functioning.


AbstractIn this article, I assume that global intergovernmental organizations (GIGOs) function as enablers of interstate liberal politics by way of their multilateral institutional frameworks. To support this view, I recall and adapt the classical concept of 'polyarchy,' coined in the early 1950s by Robert A. Dahl. It consists of a two‐dimensional theoretical construct applicable for measuring the level of liberalization in modern political societies. It follows that the more actors who take part in politics, and the more such institutions allow political opposition, the more open a society (of states) is likely to be. I therefore assess and rate the level of polyarchization of 23 GIGOs that cover various issue areas and fit some specific criteria (for example, more than one hundred member states from at least three different continents). Methodology includes a scorecard developed to help achieve these research objectives.


Karsten Harries' book, The Ethical Function of Architecture, raises the question of how architecture can be interpretive of and for our time. Part of Harries' pursuit of this question is done in dialogue with the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, whose evocatively expressed ontology of building and dwelling recovered, in philosophical and poetic terms, the power of buildings to symbolize and interpret the most fundamental truths of being and human existence. The present essay identifies contributions to this hermeneutic and ontological approach to architecture drawn from the philosophy of Hans-Georg Gadamer, emphasizing Gadamer's notions of play (Spiel), symbol, and the relation of the present to the past. While Gadamer expanded upon Heidegger's hermeneutic, he also diverged from Heidegger in ways that mitigate some of the difficulties that Harries and others have found with Heidegger's archaism, rural romanticism, and singularity of philosophical focus.


BACKGROUND
Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) remains one of the most common clinical life-threatening emergencies which is associated with a high morbidity, mortality and medical care costs.

OBJECTIVES
This study reviews the clinical features, management and outcomes of patients with UGIB seen at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), Jamaica, between January 2006 and December 2008.

METHODS
Patients with UGIB admitted to the medical wards of the UHWI, Jamaica, between January 2006 and December 2008 were reviewed. Consecutive patients admitted with a confirmed diagnosis of UGIB were selected for analysis. Data collected included age, gender presenting complaints, risk factors, clinical features and management. Endoscopic findings, treatment and outcomes were also reviewed.

RESULTS
There were 104 patients, with a mean age of 55 years, admitted with UGIB. There were significantly more men than women (73 vs 31). Retching and vomiting were the most common presenting complaints followed by melaena and haemetemesis. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use was present in 28% of patients. Overall, 80% of patients had upper GI endoscopy (EGD) and 40% were done within 24 hours of admission. The median time for performing EGD was 24 hours (mean 46 hours). The leading causes of UGIB were duodenal ulcer (28%), erosive gastritis (20%) and gastric ulcer (13%). Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) were given to 95 (91%) patients intravenously. Blood transfusion was given to 40% of patients. The mortality was 5.7%, rebleeding occured in 4.8% of patients and 5% underwent surgery. The average duration of hospital stay was 6.6 days.

CONCLUSION
Upper gastrointestinal bleeding was more common in men of middle age in this study. Proton pump inhibitors were used in most patients. The overall mortality of 5.7% is similar to other series. Early EGD and use of endoscopic therapy may lead to a decrease in mortality in high risk patients.


Cancer-associated mutations in RNF43 prevent its inhibitory actions on the Wnt–β-catenin pathway in the nucleus. RNF43 halts Wnt at the nucleus Wnt signaling is critical to development and is often reactivated in cancer. The E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF43 inhibits Wnt–β-catenin signaling. Rather than promoting the degradation of cell surface Wnt receptors, Loregger et al. found that RNF43 sequestered TCF4, a β-catenin partner and transcription factor, at the nuclear membrane through a mechanism independent of its E3 ligase function. When expressed in frog embryos, RNF43 bearing mutations like those found in human gastrointestinal tumors increased Wnt signaling. Coexpression of wild-type RNF43 suppressed Wnt signaling even in cells with a constitutively active mutant of β-catenin, indicating tumor-suppressive activity of RNF43 functioning downstream of β-catenin. Given its fundamental role in development and cancer, the Wnt–β-catenin signaling pathway is tightly controlled at multiple levels. RING finger protein 43 (RNF43) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase originally found in stem cells and proposed to inhibit Wnt signaling by interacting with the Wnt receptors of the Frizzled family. We detected endogenous RNF43 in the nucleus of human intestinal crypt and colon cancer cells. We found that RNF43 physically interacted with T cell factor 4 (TCF4) in cells and tethered TCF4 to the nuclear membrane, thus silencing TCF4 transcriptional activity even in the presence of constitutively active mutants of β-catenin. This inhibitory mechanism was disrupted by the expression of RNF43 bearing mutations found in human gastrointestinal tumors, and transactivation of the Wnt pathway was observed in various cells and in Xenopus embryos when the RING domain of RNF43 was mutated. Our findings indicate that RNF43 inhibits the Wnt pathway downstream of oncogenic mutations that activate the pathway. Mimicking or enhancing this inhibitory activity of RNF43 may be useful to treat cancers arising from aberrant activation of the Wnt pathway.


In the analysis of Hong Kong cinema side notes on the relationship between particular motifs or stylistic features and Chinese intellectual history are relatively common. Fleshing out this relationship, however, is problematic due to the intricacies of Chinese thought as well as pace and volume of popular culture. In spite of this difficult relation, the thesis reconstructs the narrative and stylistic development of post-war Hong Kong cinema against relevant aspects of premodern Chinese thought, demonstrating how the latter provides an effective framework in which to explicate prominent motifs and visual architecture. Yin, or 'concealment', furnishes the conceptual space for the encounter, isolating relevant elements in the Legalist, Confucian, Daoist, and aesthetic canon and informing the analysis of select Hong Kong films. The body of the dissertation is comprised of four chapters; each juxtaposes an aspect of pre-modern thought with cinematic texts chosen to illustrate distinct discursive movements around themes essential to an understanding of post-/ colonial Hong Kong modernity. Beginning with the depiction of the legal order, the first chapter details the narrative characterization of modern law and its subversion in the extra-legal space of the jianghu. The debate between Legalism and Confucian natural law thus 'grounds' a pop-cultural suspicion regarding the efficacy of positive law as such. The following chapter tackles the issue of identity: recounting early attempts to stabilize a traditional culturalist version of belonging, narrative criticism of traditional patriarchy and Western hegemony, and recent fears of re-colonization by the motherland, Chineseness is shown to denote an event eluding popular culture. A third chapter interrogates the construction of fate and, implicit in it, narrativity as such. A discussion of Daoism expressing both a faith in ontologically guaranteed restoration and a critical insight into virtual potential concealed in acculturation connects pre-modern thought to Hong Kong cinema which first embraces restoration in popular formula and later attempts to escape its circularity. The fourth chapter focuses on stylistic evolution; an influential pre-modern treatise on the aesthetics of landscape painting provides the framework for an account of the characteristic sinicization of visual architecture subjecting space and time to momentum in careful framing and editing. While this style is characteristic of action-oriented plots, it also conditions aesthetic refutations and recent returns to more realist approaches. Conceptually explicating Hong Kong cinema through Chinese intellectual tradition runs the risk of merely subsuming the former to the latter. This would miss the characteristic mediation of tradition as it is 'resuscitated' in popular culture, its imbrication in the contemporary situation. As such, the thesis cannot evade addressing the meaning of this mediation, a task requiring additional conceptual tools. Critical theory fulfills this purpose throughout the main body of the thesis supporting arguments regarding the critical potential of mediated tradition within post-/colonial modernity. A concluding chapter summarizes the thesis' findings, reflects on the aesthetic impasses of mass culture even where it expresses discontent with modernity, and reiterates the persisting relevance of Adorno's critique of the culture industry, especially for the analysis of popular culture.


Receptor-mediated estrogen activation participates in the development and
progression of breast cancer. Evidence suggests that alterations in estrogen signaling
pathways, including estrogen receptor-α (ER-α) and estrogen receptor-β (ER-β)
occur during breast cancer development. Estrogen receptor genes (ERs)
polymorphism has been found to be associated with breast cancer and clinical
features of the disease in Caucasians. In order to investigate whether
polymorphisms in the ER-α and ER-β are associated with breast cancer risk in a
case-control study was conducted with 150 Iranian patients newly diagnosed
invasive Breast Ductal Carcinoma, and 147 healthy women. PCR single-strand
conformation polymorphism method and direct sequencing screened the selected
encoding regions exon 4 ER genes for mutation or variant sites were performed.
Three silent single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found in the ER- α gene (exon 1, exon 4, exon 8 respectively), as reported previously in other studies, but at
significantly different frequencies and one SNP was found in ER- β gene (exon 7).
The statistical significance was achieved in the most of demographic characteristics.
Age at menarche of less than or equal to twelve years old in codon 594 of ER- α
gene and among the eight different races the race of Fars in all four polymorphic
sites of ER-α and ER-β genes were revealed statistically significant differences
between case and control groups (p=< 0.05). Furthermore, blood group B of all four
ABO blood groups, was shown statistically significant differences between case and
control groups (p=< 0.05) for all four polymorphic sites of codons 10, 325, 594 of
ER-α and 392 in ER-β . The frequency of allele 1 in codon 594 exon 8 was
significantly higher in breast cancer patients (48.0%) than in control individuals
(1.4%; P = 0.001). The codon 392 polymorphisms were presented only in cases
group, in genotypes of heterozygote with statistically significant frequency of 8.7%
and in the genotypes of homozygote with statistically significant frequency of 1.3%.
Furthermore, in 1he exon 4 we found a novel mutation at codon 323 in Iranian
women, and the statistical significance was achieved for the presence and absence of
LN metastases at this codon (P = 0.017). Combination of the three SNP markers in
ER-α may increase the incidence of age at menarche of less than or equal twelve
years old, which itself could increase accuracy in predicting developing breast
cancer later in their lifetime. Moreover, SNP in codon 392 of ER-β gene is more
effective than those SNPs in three polymorphic sites of ER-α gene, in developing
familial breast cancer and LN metastases phenotype. This was the first systematic
association study in ER-α and ER-β genes polymorphisms and demographic characteristics for breast cancer risk in Iran. In conclusion, our data suggest that ER-
α and ER-β genes polymorphisms are correlated with various aspects of breast
cancer risk in Iranian women. Moreover, the greater the frequency of allele 1 in
codon 10, codon 325 and codon 392 the lesser the likelihood of LN metastasis in the
Iranian breast cancer patients. We also noted that greater the frequency of allele 1 in
codon 10 in the form of 01, the more likely in patients with familial breast cancer.
Our findings suggest that, SNP in codon 392 of estrogen receptor- β gene is much
effective than those SNPs in codons 10, 325, 594, of estrogen receptor-α gene, in
developing familial breast cancer. Therefore, ER-α and ER-β genotypes, as
determined during pre-surgical evaluation, might represent a surrogate marker for
predicting breast cancer in Iran.


Pentakis-fused TTF derivatives extended with two cyclohexene-1,4-diylidenes (2a and 2b) have been successfully synthesized. Cyclic voltammetry of the tetrakis(2-ethylhexylthio) derivative (2b) has revealed that it exhibits five stages of the redox process to form 2b10+. A coin-type cell composed of a positive electrode incorporating the tetrakis(methylthio) derivative (2a) exhibits a discharge capacity of 196 mA h g−1, which corresponds to participation of a ten electron redox. It shows a high performance of energy density of 700 mW h g−1 and an output power density of 69 W g−1 with a relatively stable cycle-life performance (72% of the initial discharge capacity after 30 cycles).


An increasingly influential "technological-discontinuity" paradigm suggests that IT-induced technological changes are rapidly raising productivity while making workers redundant. This paper explores the evidence for this view among the IT-using U.S. manufacturing industries. There is some limited support for more rapid productivity growth in IT-intensive industries depending on the exact measures, though not since the late 1990s. Most challenging to this paradigm, and our expectations, is that output contracts in IT-intensive industries relative to the rest of manufacturing. Productivity increases, when detectable, result from the even faster declines in employment.


Thesis (MPhil (Information Science)) – University of Stellenbosch, 2007.%%%%The world has advanced and grown to a stage where a person without a basic computer literacy finds it almost impossible to function comfortably in society. To address the situation governments all over the world are encouraging their citizens to become technologically literate. Countries are spending large sums of money to integrate ICTs in education. The South African government on its part has realized and acknowledged the importance of Information and Communication Technology in education. Hence, its White paper on e-Education, which provides for the integration of ICTs into schools.
This study looks at efforts being made by the Department of Education and other education stakeholders to address the ICT situation in some schools based in a rural area of the Limpopo Province. A well-resourced school in so far as ICTs are concerned was visited to assess the functionality and applicability of ICT within the school system and to make comparisons to less resourced schools.
The study highlights the plight of schools in rural areas where the lack of basic amenities such as adequate accommodation, furniture, water, etc. is the order of the day. It is however pointed out that dwelling on these issues is no solution as the question of ICT integration into schools is a non negotiable one, if South African learners are to be kept abreast with trends in other parts of the world. That is, without adequate immersion into ICT, learners would not be globally competitive.
The ICT situation in schools in the Limpopo Province has been analysed within a framework developed under this study. The framework is set to help the Department of Education determine the suitable intervention programmes for each level of ICT integration. In addition, the study concludes with a recommendation. The success or failure to integrate ICT into schools, especially those in rural areas, depends to a large extent on the kind of intervention the government adopts. Since all schools have not attained the same level of ICT integration, there should be a clearly defined audit to determine what is needed and how it should be provided. This study raises some of the key issues for integration of ICTs in schools within a rural setting.


Objectives: To characterize the prevalence, time of onset, and cause of neuromuscular dysfunction in patients with severe sepsis. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study in which participants with severe sepsis underwent weekly neurologic examinations and nerve conduction studies (NCSs) within 72 hours of developing severe sepsis until intensive care unit (ICU) discharge. Electromyography was preformed if clinical weakness developed or if there was a significant reduction in nerve conduction response amplitudes. Results: Abnormal NCS were present upon enrollment in 63% of patients (31/48). The presence of abnormal baseline NCS was predictive of hospital mortality (55% vs 0% for patients with normal baseline NCS; p < 0.001). Development of acquired neuromuscular dysfunction could be predicted by NCS done on day 7. Twenty patients remained in the ICU long enough to have serial NCSs; 50% of these patients developed acquired neuromuscular dysfunction. Most patients with acquired neuromuscular dysfunction had electrophysiologic evidence of both critical illness myopathy and critical illness neuropathy. Conclusion: Changes in nerve conduction studies occur in the majority of patients early in the course of severe sepsis and predict the development of acquired neuromuscular dysfunction and mortality in intensive care unit patients. Most patients with acquired neuromuscular dysfunction after sepsis have both critical illness myopathy and critical illness neuropathy.


Background: Epidemiological and clinical studies suggest comorbidity between prostate cancer (PCA) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors. However, the relationship between these two phenotypes is still not well understood. Here we sought to identify shared genetic loci between PCA and CVD risk factors. Methods: We applied a genetic epidemiology method based on conjunction false discovery rate (FDR) that combines summary statistics from different genome-wide association studies (GWAS), and allows identification of genetic overlap between two phenotypes. We evaluated summary statistics from large, multi-centre GWA studies of PCA ( n ¼ 50 000) and CVD risk factors ( n ¼ 200 000) [triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, systolic blood pressure, body mass index, waist-hip ratio and type 2 diabetes (T2D)]. Enrichment of single nucleo-tide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with PCA and CVD risk factors was assessed with conditional quantile-quantile plots and the Anderson-Darling test. Moreover, we pin-pointed shared loci using conjunction FDR. Results: We found the strongest enrichment of P -values in PCA was conditional on LDL and conditional on TG. In contrast, we found only weak enrichment conditional on HDL or conditional on the other traits investigated. Conjunction FDR identified altogether 17 loci; 10 loci were associated with PCA and LDL, 3 loci were associated with PCA and TG and additionally 4 loci were associated with PCA, LDL and TG jointly (conjunction FDR < 0.01). For T2D, we detected one locus adjacent to HNF1B. Conclusions: We found polygenic overlap between PCA predisposition and blood lipids, in particular LDL and TG, and identified 17 pleiotropic gene loci between PCA and LDL, and PCA and TG, respectively. These findings provide novel pathobiological insights and may have implications for trials using targeting lipid-lowering agents in a prevention or cancer setting.


We present a biophysical model of electrical and Ca(2+) dynamics following activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors located on a dendritic spine. The model accounts for much of the phenomenology of the induction of long-term potentiation at a Hebbian synapse in hippocampal region CA1. Computer simulations suggested four important functions of spines in this Ca(2+)-dependent synaptic modification: (i) compartmentalizing transient changes in [Ca(2+)] to just those synapses that satisfy the conjunctive requirement for synaptic modification; (ii) isolating the spine head from changes in the [Ca(2+)] at the dendritic shaft; (iii) amplifying the concentration changes at those synapses; and (iv) increasing the voltage dependence of the processes underlying long term potentiation induction. This proposed role of spines in the regulation of Ca(2+) dynamics contrasts with traditional approaches to spine function that have stressed electronic properties. This model can be used to explore the computational implications of Hebbian synapses.


It is undeniable that scholarly publication is boosted nowadays by the use of the English language, but this does not (and cannot) mean that the other languages have to be obliterated as scientific and cultural agents, equally valid and indispensable. Therefore, multilingualism is an expression of bibliodiversity that has to be protected and cherished, particularly in the area of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), a field in which culturally and societally relevant studies are made in local languages, when approaching areas such as cultural heritage, education, migration, public administration. The main goal of this paper is to present a literature review in order to identify the main aspects influencing language selection and the use of multilingualism within scholarly communication, allowing for putting forward recommendations for future initiatives aiming at enhancing multilingualism, particularly in connection with the opportunities deriving from Open Science.


The rapid pace of Marcellus Shale Development in Pennsylvania has brightened the economic outlook of the Commonwealth, but has seriously disrupted the environmental and social well-being of many small communities. The hydro-fracturing process that frees the natural gas embedded in the shale poses threats to water resources, air, wildlife, and aesthetics, which may collectively change unique attributes of place and the experience of local residents. In December of 2011, Pennsylvania's General Assembly proposed legislation that would severely truncate local authority to enact ordinances that address environmental and land use concerns associated with gas drilling. The legislation was signed into on February 14, 2012. This article assesses the new restrictions through the lens of a feminist conception of sustainable development. By supplementing the traditional dimensions of sustainability with insights from feminist scholarship related to women and development, field research in community health, and legal theory, a more place- and people-specific framework for sustainable development emerges. When measured against this enriched framework, the local ordinance limitations in Pennsylvania's legislation fall short. It is hoped that the application of a feminist-infused theory of sustainability to an existing development controversy will leave readers with a deeper understanding of the ways in which feminism can meaningfully inform sustainability issues.


Assessment and feedback affect the student learning experience and should form an integrated and motivational component of their learning. Students' satisfaction (e.g. measured using: Module Evaluation Questionnaire, Kingston Student Survey and National Student Survey) will be adversely affected when Students receive feedback that does not meet their needs. This may happen, for example, when feedback is poorly aligned with the assessment criteria and when staff lack the necessary understanding and exposure to exchange effective feedback. The Student Academic Development Research Associate Scheme (SADRAS) scheme at Kingston University has funded a project called 'what do I expect from online feedback?'. This project was a partnership between a team of staff from the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Centre and students from the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing at Kingston University. The project team designed a study to investigate student interpretation of feedback using assessment and feedback tools in the University's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Canvas. The students ran two focus group interviews with Level 5 and 6 students enrolled on STEM degrees and used videos to demonstrate various ways to communicate feedback using the VLE, Canvas. In this presentation, four main contributions will be presented. First, what students perceive as feedback, including the inconsistent notions of what 'good feedback' looks like, a desire for 'credible' feedback, dialogue-based feedback and personalised feedback. Second, the potential mismatch between staff and student expectations of feedback. Third, exemplified feedback tools and techniques in Canvas, and finally recommendations for good practice on assessment and feedback.


Abstract A feeding trial was performed on 60, Cobb 500 broiler chicks (14-28 days) assigned to 2 groups (C, E) housed in an experimental hall with 32˚C air temperature, 36% humidity and 23 h light regimen. The conventional diet (C), with corn and soybean meal as basic ingredients, had 3082.48 kcal/kg metabolisable energy and 19.99% crude protein. Unlike the diet of C group, the diet of experimental group (E) had 1% willow bark extract (Salix alba). At the age of 28 days, 5 broilers/group were slaughtered and samples of caecal content were collected for bacteriological examination. Compared to group C, the pathogenic bacteria, Enterobacteriacee and Escherichia coli (colony forming units), were significantly (P≤0.05) lower in the caecum content, while the units of lactobacilli were significantly (P≤0.05) higher in group E. Throughout the experimental period, under heat stress, no mortalities were recorded.The inclusion of 1% willow bark extract in broiler diets (14-28 days) reared under heat stress reduced the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria and stimulated the growth of favourable bacteria such as lactobacilli in the gut.


Objective:To determine whether the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) database can be used to identify job dimensions to serve as proxy measures for psychosocial factors and select environmental factors, and to determine whether these factors could be linked to national health surveys to examine associations with health risk behaviors and outcomes. Methods:Job characteristics were obtained from O*NET 98. Health outcomes were obtained from two national surveys. Data were linked using Bureau of Census codes. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine associations between O*NET factors and cardiovascular disease, depression, and health risk factors. Results:Seven of nine work organization or psychosocial factors were significantly associated with health risk behaviors in both the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III and National Health Interview Survey. Conclusions:This study demonstrates a method for linking independently obtained health and job characteristic data based on occupational code.


The aim of this study was to determine the impact of psychological influences on the buying pattern of SMEs products in Zimbabwe. This study was motivated by the desire to establish the reason why SMEs products were failing to gain customers acceptance. Furthermore SMEs products have been observed to be occupying minimum shelf space in most of the supermarket in Zimbabwe as compared to foreign manufactured products. Zimbabwe has become an import destination, where almost every country is targeting to supply their products to the Zimbabwean supermarkets. The objectives of this study was to determine the effect of personality on the buying pattern of SMEs products in Zimbabwe, to determine the effect of customer perception on SMEs products and to determine the impact of attitudes on consumer purchasing behaviour of SMEs products. A sample of 100 respondents from customers and policy advocates were considered for this study. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select customers who buy SMEs products while policy makers were purposively sampled. The results revealed that personality greatly affects the purchasing behaviour of SMEs products in Zimbabwe, most of the respondents also revealed their negative perception towards any product from SMEs, while some revealed a negative attitude towards SMEs products as they articulated that they have a strong belief that SMEs are generally custodians of manufacturing poor quality products and due to this reason they choose to do business with big firms. The study concluded that psychological influences have an impact on consumer purchasing behaviour of SMEs products in Zimbabwe.


General purpose technologies like IT and AI typically require complementary investments in firm-specific human and organizational capital to create value for firms. However, good measures of the stock of this IT intangible capital (ITIC) have remained elusive, as has an understanding of how the accumulation of ITIC contributes to economic growth. We use a new extended firm-level panel on IT skills along with Hall's Quantity Revelation Theorem to assess the nature and growth of ITIC over the last thirty years. We then examine implications for the current wave of AI investment. Our estimates suggest that ITIC accounted for about 25% of firms' total assets by 2016 and that this capital is disproportionately owned by small subset of "superstar" firms. During most of the period we examine, these assets depreciated close to the same rate as R&D, but depreciation rates appear to have been accelerating with the diffusion of AI-based innovations. For the recent wave, high market values are associated with AI before they are associated with increased revenues or productivity, suggesting that investors anticipate significant future returns to AI-related intangible assets that are otherwise unmeasured.


This paper analyzes the feasibility of Bolu Mountain Tunnel which is one of the most costly highway projects in Turkey. The project continued for about seventeen years and opened to use in 2007. Internal Rate of Return concept is used as a decision rule to asses the net benefit stream of the project. As the tunnel construction had not finished at the deadline planned by the earliest project appraisal, the necessity of tunnel construction became controversial among the society as it requires high investment costs which are withdrawn from other resources of the economy. The analysis is conducted for a 50 year period. According to the results, Bolu Mountain Tunnel project is not economically feasible since the Net Present Value of the project is highly negative at % 12 discount rate level. The NPV and IRR figures are recalculated under different scenarios but even in the best case the figures are negative.