As the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) pandemic persists across the US and the world, the spotlight on vaccine science has never been more intense. Researchers across the globe are working rapidly to produce a potential vaccine, and 7 candidates are already in clinical trials.1 Operation Warp Speed, the vaccine development project announced by President Trump, has advocated for a vaccine to be made available in the US by the beginning of 2021.1 But for scientists and physicians, the term "warp speed" should trigger concern. Good science requires rigor, discipline, and deliberate caution. Any medical therapy approved for public use in the absence of extensive safeguards has the potential to cause harm, not only for COVID-19 prevention efforts and vaccine recipients, but also for public trust in vaccination efforts worldwide. Long before coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), vaccine hesitancy and refusal were increasing.2 In 2019, the World Health Organization listed vaccine refusal as one of the top 10 global health threats.3 Pediatricians, in particular, frequently encounter resistance to childhood vaccinations, and as a result, outbreaks of measles


The crustaceans and molluscs of 65 saltmarshes and brackish marshes around the coast of Tasmania and the major Bass Strait islands were
surveyed. Over 50 species were collected, but only eight (three talitrid amphipods, one crab and four gastropods) were confined to
saltmarshes; the typical saltmarsh assemblage consisted of two talitrid amphipods, three oniscoid isopods, two crabs, two prosobranch
snails and two pulmonate snails. The greatest species richness was found in marshes from the southeast and the far northwest, where the
most extensive saltmarshes have developed. Several undescribed talitrids were collected and the range of two coastal species was extended
significantly. The native woodlouse Plymophiloscia ulverstonensis was commonly found on the upper parts of the marshes, as was the
introduced slater Porcellio scaber. The burrowing grapsid crab Helograpsus haswellianus was common on the marshes, though it was
replaced by the ocypodid Heloecius cordiformis in brackish marshes, and by another grapsid, Paragrapsus gaimardii, in the only marsh
examined on King Island. The hymenosomatid crab Amarinus paralacustris was recorded from the state for the first time at Hendersons
Lagoon. Amphibolid and ellobiid snails typified the molluscan fauna of the marshes. The introduced ellobiid Phytia myosotis appears to
have a major disjunction in its distribution between the southeast and northern sites.
Tasmanian saltmarshes have a similar diversity of crustaceans and molluscs to those of New Zealand and South Africa. They are richer
in species than saltmarshes of the northeast Atlantic coasts but have fewer crustaceans than the temperate east coast marshes of North
America, and fewer molluscs than those of the coasts of the Pacific northwest.


This volume provides a comprehensive analytic contribution to a crucial topic within development economics based on 15 years of continued data collection and research efforts. It brings together nine up-to-date studies on SME development in a coherent framework to help persuade national and international policy makers (including donors) of the need to take the international call for a data revolution seriously, not only in rhetoric, but also in concrete plans and budget allocations, and in the necessary sustained action at country level. More specifically, the volume: Provides an in-depth evaluation of the development of private sector formal and informal manufacturing SMEs in a developing country—Vietnam in this case—over the past decade, combining a unique primary source of panel data with the best analytical tools available. Generates a comprehensive understanding of the impact of business risks, credit access, and institutional characteristics, on the one hand, and government policies on SME growth performance at the enterprise level, on the other, including the importance of working conditions, informality, and union membership. Serves as a lens through which other countries, and the international development community at large, may wish to approach the massive task of pursuing a meaningful data revolution as an integral element of the SDG development agenda. Makes available a comprehensive set of materials and studies of use to academics, students, and development practitioners interested in an integrated approach to the study of economic growth, private sector development, and the microeconomic analysis of SME development in a fascinating developing country.


The growth of wholesale-funded credit intermediation has motivated liquidity regulations. We analyze a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model in which liquidity and capital regulations interact with the supply of risk-free assets. In the model, the endogenously time-varying tightness of liquidity and capital constraints generates intermediaries' leverage cycle, influencing the pricing of risk and the level of risk in the economy. Our analysis focuses on liquidity policies' implications for household welfare. Within the context of our model, liquidity requirements are preferable to capital requirements, as tightening liquidity requirements lowers the likelihood of systemic distress without impairing consumption growth. In addition, we find that intermediate ranges of risk-free asset supply achieve higher welfare.


Lodz – the third largest city in Poland in terms of its population, frequently referred to as "Polish Manchester", used to be the biggest hub of textile industry in eastern Europe at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The structure of the city, shaped to a large extent in that period, was preserved after World War II by the socialist socioeconomic system. However, irrespective of the political system, the city always had a markedly industrial economic structure and was characterized by strong social and spatial disproportions. Following a difficult period of the 1990s, the processes of transformations planned before have only recently begun to occur in Lodz. The nature of these changes is attributed to the fact that the development of the areas of growth under new conditions is a comparatively young phenomenon, while the areas of marginalization continue a certain path which has been present in Lodz for many decades. All of this makes the city of Lodz a fascinating research area in which disproportions occur in a microscale, i.e. in the social environment of both those who have won and those who have lost the process of political and economic transformation. The aim of this article is identifying and interpreting the disproportions in the urban space of Lodz from a perspective of individual experience with the use of photo projective method.


This paper counters the recently-published recommendation by Claxton et al(1) that NICE should lower its cost-per-QALY threshold from the current £20,000–£30,000 official range to £12,936. The Claxton et al paper is an excellent attempt at answering a difficult question, based on a detailed analysis of differences in spending and mortality across Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) throughout England during the 2008–09 financial year. Claxton et al argue that these differences imply that a decrease in PCT spending of £12,936, as a result of NICE approving a new medicine, will lead to the loss of one quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). Therefore, they conclude, NICE should not approve medicines with a cost-per-QALY greater than this threshold. The critique by OHE's Barnsley et al accepts the premise that NICE's cost-effectiveness threshold should be set equal to the budget decrease that would cause the NHS to produce one less QALY. However, it argues that the £12,936 estimate has two serious difficulties - (1) important data are unavailable and therefore assumptions have to be made and (2) the result is very sensitive to those assumptions, several of which Barnsley et al challenge. The first serious difficulty is with the type of data available. Claxton et al take a snapshot of differences between PCTs and use that to predict changes in spending and mortality within individual PCTs. But this approach would not be justified if PCTs systematically differ in their decision making, e.g. for historical reasons. Furthermore, no data are available on how health spending improves patients' quality of life. There are only mortality data and those are available only for some areas of spending. As a result, Claxton et al have to estimate quality-adjusted life-years, which they do based on an uncertain and possibly incorrect assumption about the relative skill of PCTs in improving quality of life versus reducing mortality. The second critical difficulty noted in the critique by Barnsley et al is in the additional assumptions made by Claxton et al. These include, first, assuming that patients whose lives are saved will live as long as healthy people of the same age and, second, that these patients will enjoy better quality of life than the average patient with the same disease. If these assumptions do not hold, then Claxton et al overestimate the success of PCTs in improving health and consequently underestimate the NICE threshold. (1) Claxton, K., Martin, S., Soares, M., Rice, N., Spackman, E., Hinde, S., Devlin, N., Smith, P.C. and Sculpher, M. (2013) Methods for the estimation of the NICE cost effectiveness threshold. CHE Research Paper 81. Revised report following referees' comments. York - Centre for Health Economics, University of York.


It is important that children are provided with a solid foundation for making sound decisions in relation to health and that health aspects be incorporated into their daily life. In this connection, public schools are important health promoting platforms due to their potential for encouraging interest, knowledge and learning about health related issues. The central idea for the study has been to address pupil perceptions and not merely to emphasise a narrow professional approach. In order for health initiatives, offered in connection with public schools, i.e. initiatives aimed at the available
food selection and class room teaching, to impact children's day-to-day health, the basic assumption has been that pupils must see the initiatives as relevant. Therefore it is important that these initiatives address the children's interests and values in connection with ecology and health. Thus children can be engaged as stakeholders in a way that encourages healthy behaviour and delegates shared responsibility for their own individual health. Devising and implementing different health promotion efforts often originate in a professional settings and i.e. decision makers such as health professionals, teachers and civil servants approach the tasks according to their professional background and specific agendas. However, in an active social field such as a school, the narrow administrative outlook collides with a completely different and disorganized everyday outlook. It may be assumed that children view issues such
as ecology and health entirely dependent on their individual values and attitudes. This collides with traditional administrative logic. An administrative outlook expects strategies and interventions to be governed by rational motives and evidence. Public administrative bodies are expected to be able to provide objective and proven facts that justify strategies and interventions based on well-established expertise within a well defined technical or scientific domain. Such areas of domain expertise are created and justified on the grounds of the traditional scientific disciplines characterized by stable well defined rules determining which theories and methodologies are accepted as making sense. These domains of expertise are furthermore characterized by particular preferences for paradigms from either the natural or social sciences. Such paradigms are seldom compatible with the reality of the everyday life of pupils where concepts and meaning intermingle. The main purpose of the study has been to shed light on primary and lower secondary pupils' everyday experience with ecology and health in connection with the public organic school food programmes in the municipality of Copenhagen. Moreover the aim has been to investigate to which degree the pupils experience a connection between the organic food program and the underlying organic supply chain and classroom initiatives in subjects related to ecology and health. In February 2008, we approached a public school which proved willing to participate in our study. Subsequently, over a four week period, we designed an interview guide used to conduct the focus group interviews which were then transcribed. The findings from the focus group interviews show a broad interest in subjects relating to ecology, organic foods and health. A few of the findings will be reported here. The full analysis will be made available as an iPOPY working report. The results show that the ecological supply chain behind the KOSS food programme does not seem to have triggered greater involvement on the part of the interviewed pupils regarding the organic agenda. Respondents said that they had felt them selves being involved in the decision making process concerning the school's organic food programme. This was the case for pupils from both the 5th and 7th grades. Most of the 5th grade pupils knew why the food sold in the school food stall was organic and indicated that it was because their school was part of the KOSS food programme because the school is located in Copenhagen. A single pupil knew about the link between the initiatives ties to another municipal campaign:"Ecology is nothing but pure water". The 7th graders similarly agreed that school food is organice due to the fact that the school participates in the KOSS programme. When asked who they thought had made the decision to introduce organic food in schools, the Copenhagen municipality, City Hall and the dairy company, Arla, were mentioned. Likewise, several pupils believed that the school had been part of the decision making process. The pupils mentioned a number of different courses where the two subjects, ecology and health, had been part of what they were taught. Nevertheless, it was not clear to greater part of the pupils whether these subjects were a regular part of the course or not. They pupils gave different indications of when they had been taught on ecology and health. And they mentioned that the subjects of ecology and health have been introduced in home economics, Danish, math, nature and science, social science and geography.


Analysis of predictive factors for conversion to open surgery in laparoscopic colorectal surgery Background: Conversion to open surgery of laparoscopic procedures is not in essence a complication, but invalidates the benefi ts of laparoscopy. Aim: To identify the predictive factors for conversion in laparos- copic colorectal surgery. Material and Methods: Revision of medical records of all patients with colorectal disease operated using a laparoscopic approach, from 1998 to 2010. Gender, age, American Society of Anes- thesiologists (ASA) score, body mass index (BMI), previous abdominal surgery, elective/urgency procedure, benign/malignant disease, type of resection and surgeon experience were recorded. A logistic regression model was done to determine which variables were predictive for conversion to open surgery. Results: The medical records of 582 patients aged 57 ± 17 years (45% men) were analyzed. The rate of conversion to open surgery was 7.1%. The logistic regression model selected as predictors of conversion a BMI over 25 kg/m 2 (odds ratio (OR) 4.9, 95% confi dence intervals (CI) 2.4 to 9.9), cancer surgery (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1 to 4.3) and male sex (OR 2.30, 95% CI 1.14 to 4.65). The receiver operating curve (ROC) of the model had an are under the curve of 0.766 with 95% CI of 0.69 to 0.84). Conclusions: A BMI over 25 kg/m 2 , male sex and the resection of a malignant tumor were predictive factors for conversion to open surgery.


The grating projection method with phase-shifting technique is very useful in measuring the 3-dimensional (3D) shape with high accuracy and speed. In this work, we have developed an ultra high-speed digital laser grating projection system using a high-power laser diode and a highsensitivity CMOS camera. With our system, the optical measurement required to find out the profile of a 3D object could be carried out within 2.6 ms, which is a significant (~10 times) improvement compared with those of the previous studies.


Policy search is a subfield in reinforcement learning which focuses on finding good parameters for a given policy parametrization. It is well suited for robotics as it can cope with high-dimensional state and action spaces, one of the main challenges in robot learning. We review recent successes of both model-free and model-based policy search in robot learning.Model-free policy search is a general approach to learn policies based on sampled trajectories. We classify model-free methods based on their policy evaluation strategy, policy update strategy, and exploration strategy and present a unified view on existing algorithms. Learning a policy is often easier than learning an accurate forward model, and, hence, model-free methods are more frequently used in practice. However, for each sampled trajectory, it is necessary to interact with the robot, which can be time consuming and challenging in practice. Model-based policy search addresses this problem by first learning a simulator of the robot's dynamics from data. Subsequently, the simulator generates trajectories that are used for policy learning. For both model-free and model-based policy search methods, we review their respective properties and their applicability to robotic systems.


The inferior parietal lobule (IPL) of the human brain is a heterogeneous region involved in visuospatial attention, memory, and mathematical cognition. Detailed description of connectivity profiles of subdivisions within the IPL is critical for accurate interpretation of functional neuroimaging studies involving this region. We separately examined functional and structural connectivity of the angular gyrus (AG) and the intraparietal sulcus (IPS) using probabilistic cytoarchitectonic maps. Regions-of-interest (ROIs) included anterior and posterior AG subregions (PGa, PGp) and 3 IPS subregions (hIP2, hIP1, and hIP3). Resting-state functional connectivity analyses showed that PGa was more strongly linked to basal ganglia, ventral premotor areas, and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, while PGp was more strongly connected with ventromedial prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate, and hippocampus-regions comprising the default mode network. The anterior-most IPS ROIs, hIP2 and hIP1, were linked with ventral premotor and middle frontal gyrus, while the posterior-most IPS ROI, hIP3, showed connectivity with extrastriate visual areas. In addition, hIP1 was connected with the insula. Tractography using diffusion tensor imaging revealed structural connectivity between most of these functionally connected regions. Our findings provide evidence for functional heterogeneity of cytoarchitectonically defined subdivisions within IPL and offer a novel framework for synthesis and interpretation of the task-related activations and deactivations involving the IPL during cognition.


Nurse education programs combine equal amounts of university sessions and clinical, practice based experiences. Student practice learning and assessment is a core and essential element to achieving the standards for registration with the professional body. Nurse education has seen an increase in the number of applicants who have disclosed a disability (UCAS 2013; AHEAD 2013). Most commonly applicants have a Specific Learning Difficulty, significant ongoing illness, physical and/or sensory impairments, mental illness and autistic spectrum disorders. Students who disclose a disability are supported through reasonable adjustment(s) to the program of study. The adjustments are often 'retrofitted' to existing programs and are funded through a range of mechanisms including the disabled students allowance (DSA) from Student Finance England or the NHS Student Bursaries. As funding streams become squeezed the importance of UDL in curricula design becomes more evident. This paper is based on the practice experience of educators supporting diverse learners to become nurses in the UK. Through three case studies the principkes of UDL will be applied to supporting studnets in clincial practice. The presentation will also draw on the doctoral research of the lead presenter.


We describe a multimodal analysis based automated triggering mechanism for automated filtering and reactivity based on the content of multiple multimedia channels over the World Wide Web. The trigger description language supports complex conditions connected through Boolean operators (logical OR, logical AND, and negation), temporal and frequency of occurrence constraints and actions. A trigger can be placed either at the client end or at the server end. We present a grammar for an XML based trigger description language, and it's corresponding implementation. Performance analysis has been presented.


BACKGROUND
Intracoronary injection of autologous bone marrow-derived mononucleated cells (BM-MNC) may improve LV function shortly after acute ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), but little is known about the long-term durability of the treatment effect.

METHODS
In a single-centre trial a total of 60 patients with acute anterior STEMI, successful reperfusion therapy and a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) of <50% were screened for the study. 23 patients were actively treated with intracoronary infusion of BM-MNC within a median of 3 days. The open-label control group consisted of 19 patients who did not consent to undergo BM-MNC treatment but agreed to undergo regular clinical and echocardiographic follow-up for up to 5 years after AMI.

RESULTS
Whereas at 4 months there was no significant difference between the increase in LVEF in the BM-MNC group and the control group (+7.0%, 95%CI 3.6; 10.4) vs. +3.9%, 95%CI -2.1; 10), the absolute increase at 5 years remained stable in the BM-MNC but not in the control group (+7.95%, 95%CI 3.5; 12.4 vs. -0.5%, 95%CI -5.4; 4.4; p for interaction between groups = 0.035).

DISCUSSION
In this single-centre, open-labelled study, intracoronary administration of BM-MNC is feasible and safe in the short term. It is also associated with sustained improvement of left ventricular function in patients with acute myocardial infarction, encouraging phase III studies to examine the potential BM-MNC effect on clinical outcome.


In this qualitative study, I examined how four teachers negotiated their first year of teaching. All four teachers graduated from the same teacher preparation program, and secured general elementary positions in the same school district where they conducted some or all of their clinical coursework. I explored the factors that shaped the practice of these first-year teachers. Annie, a 23-year-old, single, female marathon runner, with a vision to work with children in an inner-city setting, secured a position as a first grade teacher at a school where 85% of the children lived in poverty. Rachel, 24 years old, newly-married, and expecting her first baby, had substitute-taught for one year before securing her job as a second grade teacher in another downtown school. Ben, a 23-year-old single male, envisioned since childhood to become a teacher in order to be a positive role model for children. His first job was in fifth grade at a rural school. Connie, a middle-aged mother of five, had home-schooled her three oldest children. She accepted a long-term substitute position in a school close to her home where her youngest son was to start kindergarten. From the summer before until the summer after their first year of teaching, I collected data through semi-structured and unstructured interviews, classroom observations followed by stimulated recall sessions, focus groups, and blog entries. I discovered that although in many ways our teacher education program prepared the participants to teach well, they experienced some common challenges and surprises that they negotiated in unique ways. The intersection of their teacher identities, teacher visions, and personal and professional contexts determined how they negotiated their first year of teaching. Implications for teacher education and teacher induction are discussed.


Abstract

This study is the first comparison of an herbal agent with a well-established hypnotic for sleep.The beneficial effects for sleep of the herb Polygala tenuifolia (with main sedative componentsbeing 3,4-methoxycinnamic acid and phenylpropanoids) and Alprazolam were investigated,and our results indicated that both could benefit sleep via the shortening of sleep induction time and the increase in wave forms of electroencephalogram (EEG) associated with stages 1,
2 and 3 of the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Increase of numbers of theta waves,v waves, delta waves and k complex were observed in mice, indicating deeper and better quality of sleep. There was an obvious increase in the duration of theta plus delta waves in both Polygala and Alprazolam treated groups, while the wave duration was slightly longer in the Polygala group than the Alprazolam group. When the Alprazolam treated group was added with Polygala, the theta plus delta wave duration increased and exceeded that from Alprazolam treatment alone. Similarly, increase of duration of k complex was also observed in both Polygala and Alprazolam treated groups. This study illustrated that the herbal agent Polygala tenuifolia could have at least similar efficacy in the induction of sleep as the manufactured drug Alprazolam.


A method for calibration of partial discharge calibrators has been developed based on passive integration of the induced charge. The voltage over a known capacitor is measured by a calibrated digital sampling voltmeter and the charge is calculated as the voltage multiplied by the capacitance. The best achieved uncertainty is /spl plusmn/2% for a coverage factor k=2.


When a move to a new house coincides with his baby sister's illness, Michael's world seems suddenly lonely and uncertain. Then, one Sunday afternoon, he stumbles into the old, ramshackle garage of his new home, and finds something magical. A strange creature - part owl, part angel, a being who needs Michael's help if he is to survive. With his new friend Mina, Michael nourishes Skellig back to health, while his baby sister languishes in the hospital. But Skellig is far more than he at first appears, and as he helps Michael breathe life into his tiny sister, Michael's world changes for ever ...


We introduce Newton-ADMM, a method for fast conic optimization. The basic idea is to view the residuals of consecutive iterates generated by the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) as a set of fixed point equations, and then use a nonsmooth Newton method to find a solution; we apply the basic idea to the Splitting Cone Solver (SCS), a state-of-the-art method for solving generic conic optimization problems. We demonstrate theoretically, by extending the theory of semismooth operators, that Newton-ADMM converges rapidly (i.e., quadratically) to a solution; empirically, Newton-ADMM is significantly faster than SCS on a number of problems. The method also has essentially no tuning parameters, generates certificates of primal or dual infeasibility, when appropriate, and can be specialized to solve specific convex problems.


We investigate a novel method of fabricating a network of graphene nanoribbon structures. The process is a sharp departure from conventional nanolithographic techniques in both method and amount of time required. Epitaxial graphene prepared on single crystal 4H-SiC(0001) was etched with O2 plasma through 0.2 μm porous filters adhered to the surface of the sample. Thickness measurements using ellipsometry and topological mappings using atomic force microscopy were conducted to ascertain the extent of graphene nanoribbon formation. Sheet resistance of the samples was measured using the four-point van der Pauw method to ensure the existence of electrical conductivity in the etched samples. Furthermore, the etch-rate of multilayer epitaxial graphene was determined.


Market participation in rural households is a vital strategy in assuring better income and a key factor to lifting rural households from poverty. Red bean is an important crop in Ethiopia, especially Halaba Special District (HSD), but farmers are not participating in the market adequately. The overall objective of the study was to assess the factors determining the participation of smallholder farmers in the red bean market chain in HSD. The specific objectives of the study were characterizing the marketing chain of red bean in HSD, identifying constraints of red bean farmers, traders and cooperatives, examining the factors influencing market participation decision and extent of participation in the district. A multi-stage sampling procedure was employed to draw a random sample of 150 red bean producers, and stratified sampling was employed to get 33 red bean traders. A two-stage Heckman model was used to investigate factors affecting market participation decision for red bean and extent of market participation decision. The study found that about 79, 0.8, 0.7, and 19.5 percent of the produce was purchased by urban collectors, rural assemblers, primary cooperatives, and wholesalers respectively. Traders graded the produce after purchase and sold to the next actors. Wholesalers and a few assemblers used intermediaries to purchase red beans while urban collectors bought directly from the farmers and conveyed to the next actors. It was reported that brokers were a major obstacle to red bean marketing in the district because they confuse farmers with wrong price information and compete benefits expected to be earned by the farmers. Red bean farmers received higher returns when they sold their outputs directly to wholesalers. In the district, major red bean farmers" production and marketing constraints were brokers, price fluctuations, access to improved seed and access to credit. On the other hand red bean traders marketing bottlenecks were low quality, informal traders and shortage of finance. The market participation decision was significantly influenced by price, ownership of transportation means, number of extension visits per year, amount of red bean produced, awareness about quality standards; market information, family size, access to credit, and gender. These suggest that there is an urgent need for concerned organization to take part and improve the income and hence the livelihood of red bean farmers. The extent of market participation was significantly influenced by price, ownership of means of transport, amount of red bean produced and family size. Awareness about quality standards influenced market participation decision positively, indicating that farmers should be trained on red bean quality standards. Comprehensive extension work is urgently needed to assist red bean farmers in post harvest handling, and linking them with markets. Based on the findings, the study recommended creating good market networks, reliable market information, strong extension intervention, and training farmers on methods of producing high quality red bean. Attention should be given to brokers" activities and access to improved seeds, and the government should enhance credit supply.


Advances in intelligent transportation systems technologies promoted the implementation of open road tolling (ORT) on tolled freeways worldwide. This new tolling solution converts existing barrier toll booths to express lanes that are capable of collecting tolls at high speed. ORT has demonstrated numerous benefits in reducing traffic congestion and air pollution. However, the effects of ORT on safety are still not clear because most ORT systems have been operated for a relatively short period. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the safety impacts of ORT by examining recent practices in New Jersey. Multiple-year crash data at toll plazas before and after the implementation of the ORT systems were analyzed. The full Bayes methodology was employed to develop crash frequency models as a function of traffic and toll plaza configurations. These models were used to estimate the crash frequency on the assumption that the ORT systems were not installed. The estimations were then compared with the observed crash counts that occurred after the deployment of the ORT systems. Comparisons showed that crash reductions were obtained at most of the toll plazas. The overall comparison showed that crash frequency decreased by about 24% after the deployment of the ORT systems and suggested that the use of ORT is a beneficial solution to improve the safety of the toll plazas. From an implementation point of view, the analysis results also indicated that special attention should be paid to operational elements such as signage, diversion, and merge designs of the ORT systems.


With the establishment of biogas technology as an important renewable energy producer, it is necessary to optimize the biogas generating process. To realise the highest efficiency, it is essential to minimise energy consumption, which is mostly due to the stirring of biomass slurry. Laboratory-based studies are economically and practically preferred over investigations of industrial scale biogas plants. The use of a valid surrogate to replace real biomass in scientific laboratories is a strategic approach to simulate reality. In this study aqueous cellulose solutions are examined. Rheological properties at varying temperatures and concentrations are analysed using the Ostwald–de Waele model for non-Newtonian fluids. The results are evaluated against data obtained with real biomass used in biogas plants. It is concluded that the rheological behaviour of sludge can be mimicked using water–cellulose solutions of 0.3 wt% at 20 °C in a 1 : 12 scaled-down laboratory digester.


We present a method to extract elevated road structures, typically overpassing other roads, transit lines, and watercourses. The technique uses a digital surface model (DSM) and roughly aligned vector road data and outputs geometry approximating the shape and elevation of the elevated road deck. Our method is robust against noise in DSM elevations and can recover elevated roads partially obscured by trees and other overpasses. We demonstrate our method parallelized over city-wide DSMs, and formulate a confidence metric ranking the fidelity of the reconstruction.


Identification of distributed precipitation–runoff models for hourly runoff simulation based on transfer of full parameters (FP) and partial parameters (PP) are lacking for boreal mid-Norway. We evaluated storage–discharge relationships based model (Kirchmod), the Basic-Grid-Model (BGM) and a simplified Hydrologiska Byrans Vattenbalansavdelning (HBV) model for multi-basins (26 catchments). A regional calibration objective function, which uses all streamflow records in the region, was used to optimize local calibration parameters for each catchment and regional parameters yielding maximum regional weighted average (MRWA) performance measures (PM). Based on regional median Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) and NSEln (for log-transformed series) for the calibration and validation periods, the Kirchmod model performed better than the others. Parsimony of the Kirchmod model provided less parameter uncertainty for the FP case but did not guarantee parameter identifiability. Tradeoffs between parsimony and performance were observed despite advantages of parsimony to reduce parameter correlations for the PP, which requires preliminary sensitivity analysis to identify which parameters to transfer. There are potential advantages of using the MRWA method for parameter transfer in space. However, temporal validation indicated marked deterioration of the PM. The tradeoffs between parameter transfers in space and time substantiate both spatial and temporal validation of the regional calibration methodology.


Competition in public utility sectors has been encouraged in recent years throughout Europe. In this paper we try and analyse the welfare effects of these reforms in Italy, with particular attention to water and energy goods. The first step is to introduce a sensible measure of affordability of public utilities and to see how many households fall below a critical threshold. This issue is analysed stressing how climatic conditions dramatically affect households' expenditure and how the affordability of utility bills varies a lot from region to region. So far, utilities' reforms do not seem to have produced negative effects on the weaker group of households.


Liberalized capital accounts and financial integration can enrich a country's welfare as long as they are appropriately coordinated with the adequate strengthening of policy frameworks. Otherwise, volatile capital flows and financial contagion, promulgated by capital account liberalization and financial integration may lead to domestic macroeconomic and financial challenges via the transmission of international shocks into an economy that is highly vulnerable to external shocks. Thus, economies face a key challenge as to how to reap the maximum benefits from using capital inflows to enhance economic growth while minimizing their associated risks. Obviously, both financial contagion and volatile capital flows should not be seen as primary reasons for countries to de-liberalize their capital accounts. Instead, policy frameworks should be strengthened to better manage volatile capital flows. Although there are no magic solutions to effectively manage capital flow surges, countries need a conceptual framework to manage volatile capital flows to enhance their resilience to external shocks. The "capital flow management" framework may include a package of available policy options including macroeconomic policies, prudential measures and capital controls. Macroeconomic policies have to be the primary response to volatile capital flows. Since capital flows are commonly pro-cyclical and much more volatile, counter cyclical macro policies can essentially smooth out the business cycle. Beyond macroeconomic policies, authorities have available conventional prudential regulations and capital controls to manage the risks from volatile capital flows. When financial sector supervision is efficient and effective, prudential measures are the obvious choice. Capital controls are an essential component of the policy toolkit in dealing with capital flows in certain circumstances. In all circumstances, structural reforms to improve the capability of the economy to absorb capital inflows by deepening domestic financial markets, are always to be encouraged.


In January 2015 Li Keqiang visited Chaihuo makerspace in Shenzhen, the Chinese city that is the world's electronics manufacturing capital. The visit expressed the significance of China's fledgling but fast-growing maker movement: while its first makerspace was only set up in 2010, in 2016 there are over a hundred, and Keqiang's visit is part of a bigger governmental push on makerspaces, positioned as sites of creative and technology-led innovation key to the country's economic growth. Amidst growing research into the social, politico-economic and cultural significances of makerspaces in the UK and Europe, the specificity of China's maker movement remains under-researched. Yet understanding the on-the-ground lived experience, rather than the promotional rhetoric, of China's maker movement, is crucial to its future: while lots of makerspaces are opening, many lack makers, and there are fears that China's maker movement is an artificially fuelled bubble about to burst. Contemporaneously, the future of other types of making in China, such as its craft traditions, urban manufacturing networks, and shanzhai production, are being threatened by an assemblage of fiscal and state forces. Investigating China's maker movement was the focus of two British-based and funded network, research and knowledge exchange projects in which the authors participated during 2015 and 2016; Living Research: Making in China and China's Creative Communities: Making Value and the Value(s) of Making. This paper considers their research methodologies and initial findings. Specifically, it focuses on the craft-based participatory methodology developed in China's Creative Communities, as seen in a 'Digital Craft' workshop. Informed by social anthropology, its empirical, immersive and inclusive approach gave a voice to makers themselves. While still in a developmental stage, we believe this 'craft anthropology' approach has value for future research into the maker movement in China and in other cultures and contexts.


This study was conducted to investigate the ability of various methods of monitoring membrane integrity to respond to changes in actual membrane integrity imposed by the compromised fibers within the microfiltration unit. In addition, the pilot-scale MF unit was challenged with high concentrations of coliform, Cryptosporidium, and spore, in order to assess the pathogen removal capability of microfiltration. A correlation between the integrity tests and microbial challenge data was also made. The integrity tests investigated in this study were pressure decay and diffusive air flow tests (direct integrity tests), and turbidity and particle counting (indirect integrity tests). Both pressure decay (PDT) and diffusive air flow (DAF) tests were sensitive enough to detect one damaged fiber out of 66,000. The extent of fouling did not affect the sensitivity of the PDT and DAF, showing that PDT and DAF tests are a simple, reliable means to monitor membrane integrity under field conditions. Indirect integrity monitoring using turbidity and particle counting, however, responded poorly to changes in membrane integrity. Microbial challenge study demonstrated that microfiltration was capable of removing various pathogens including Cryptosporidium, at the level required by drinking water regulations, under even adverse operating conditions. Finally, PDT and DAF tests showed a better correlation with actual microbial removal efficiency of microfiltration than turbidity and particle counting. The turbidity and particle counting grossly underestimated the removal of pathogen larger than MF membrane pore size due to poor sensitivity.


A well functioning bureaucracy can promote prosperity, as Max Weber maintained. But when bureaucracy gets jammed - a Kafkian situation - it causes stagnation. We propose a dynamic theory of the interaction between legislation and the efficiency of bureaucracy. When bureaucracy is inefficient, the effects of politicians' legislative acts are hard to assess. Incompetent politicians thus have strong incentives of passing laws to acquire the reputation of skillful reformers. But a plethora of often contradictory laws can itself lead to a collapse in bureaucratic efficiency. This interaction can spawn both Weberian and Kafkian steady states. A temporary surge in political instability, which increases the likelihood of a premature end of the legislature, exerts pressure for reforms, or results in the appointment of short-lived technocratic governments can determine a permanent shift towards the nightmare Kafkian steady state. The aggregate experience of Italy in its transition from the so-called First to the Second Republic fits the narrative of the model quite well. Using micro-data for Italian MPs, we also provide evidence consistent with the claim that when political instability is high, politicians signal their competence through legislative activism, which leads to the overproduction of laws and norms.


Background: Treatment of postoperative pain remains suboptimal. This is attributed, in part, to the individualized physiological and psychological perception of pain. Although the effect of genetic variation on pain is unequivocal, precise understating of the effect of multiple gene interaction is yet to be investigated. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) interacts with several neuroreceptors in the brain including the mu receptor (OPRM1). Hence, we sought to explore the gene-gene interaction effect of OPRM1 and COMT on postoperative pain and opioid dose required for pain management. Methods: We used genotypes and clinical data for 153 postoperative orthopedic trauma patients. For the COMT gene four single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs6269, rs4633, rs4818 and rs4680), three haplotypes (ACCG, ATCA, and GCGG), and two diplotypes (low and high pain intensity) were considered for their interactions with A118G of OPRM1 on postoperative pain and opioid consumption. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression. Analyses were repeated including only the Caucasian subjects. Results: For postoperative opioid consumption; a significant interaction was found between OPRM1 and COMT rs4680 (b=0.093, p=.037) and OPRM1 and COMT rs4633 (b=0.097, p=.037). The interactions between OPRM1 and COMT rs6269 and OPRM1 and COMT diplotypes demonstrated trends toward significance (b=-0.075, p=.080 and b=0.071, p=.070, respectively). The results for OPRM1×COMT rs4680 and OPRM1×COMT rs4633 on opioid consumption were maintained even after restricting the analyses to only Caucasian subjects. For postoperative pain scores, a significant interaction was found between OPRM1 and the GCGG haplotype of COMT (b=-0.926, p=.017). The interaction between OPRM1 and COMT rs4818 demonstrated a trend (b=-0.755, p=.060). When the sample was limited to only Caucasian subjects, only a trend was observed for the interaction effect of OPRM1 and the GCGG haplotype of COMT on postoperative pain (p= .070). The interactions of OPRM1×ACCG haplotype and OPRM1×diplotypes of COMT also showed trends toward significance (b=1.110, p= .058 and b=0.831, p= .050, respectively). Conclusion: OPRM1×COMT interactions may influence the variability in postoperative pain and response to opioids. Individualized pain management based on genetic variation can be an effective strategy to maximize the usefulness of pain management.


Clinical bioethics as developed in the minority world is of limited utility to healthcare workers in the majority world. The reasons for this become clear, as one understands where personal and societal ethics originate. The work of developing clinical bioethics for the majority world began with establishing a global bioethics as articulated by UNESCO in 2005. The work of translating global bioethics principles into language and ideas that are culturally relevant has begun. As that translational work proceeds, ethical frameworks, policies, and procedures are being developed to assist healthcare workers in the majority world. The final step in developing clinical bioethics for the majority world will be monitoring and enforcement of the ethical standards that are established in each society.


The aim of this study was to identify, characterise, collect and systematise data on initiatives of environmental education in Portugal. Currently, there is no integrated governmental program on environmental education in this country, but only unrelated voluntary initiatives. Although surveys indicated a growing concern by young people on environmental issues, systematic studying on the issue was lacking. The field seemed to be characterised by wide diversity and disperse voluntary action by non-governmental agents and self-mobilised teachers. In the context of the Decade Dedicated to Education for Sustainable Development of UNESCO, governmental and non-governmental organisations dedicated to the environment now have a new opportunity to enhance and coordinate contributions to make environmental issues a priority for the next generation.


Abstract Antiretroviral (ARV) adherence has largely been considered from the perspective of an individual's behavior with less attention given to potential structural causes for lapses in treatment, such as the cost of medications and care. HIV medication expense is typically covered by third party payers. However, private insurance premiums and deductibles may rise, or policies terminated such as with a change in employment. Likewise, a patient's eligibility for publicly funded coverage like state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs (ADAP) or Medicaid can also be lost. We conducted a one‐time survey of a sample of 300 patients receiving HIV care at a single large academic center in the south of United States to examine lapses in HIV therapy due to financial reasons. We found that during the prior year, financial issues including medication cost or coverage led to a lapse in ARVs in 10% (n = 31) of participants. However, of the 42% (n = 125) participants who had been enrolled in ADAP at any time during the prior year, 21% (n = 26) reported an ARV lapse due to problems with ADAP or medication cost. Respondents cited ADAP's required semi‐annual renewal process and other administrative issues as the cause of ARV lapses. The median duration of missed ARVs was 2 weeks (range of <1‐23 weeks). Non‐HIV medication and transportation to and from clinic costs were also identified as financial burdens to care by respondents. In conclusion, although conducted at a single medical center and one state, this study suggests that a significant minority of HIV‐infected patients encounter financial barriers to ARV access, and this is paradoxically more common among those enrolled in the state ADAP. Streamlining, supporting, and simplifying ADAP renewal procedures will likely reduce lapses in ARV adherence and persistence.


The State vested with the political right to govern over the sovereign must engage in ensuring prosperity among its citizens. In a harmonious society this is achieved through provision of space to individuals and groups to co-exist with differences, such differences in skills and beliefs constituting the basis of private profit ensuring prosperity. This obligation, however, is difficult to discharge in practice. In nations, such as India, rural underdevelopment and the accompanying poverty of a large section of the population continue to be a blight on the narrative of development. As part of the development planning exercise in India, the government has been carrying out direct poverty alleviation programs for over two decades now. The thrust of such programs has been generation of employment in rural areas through State financed public works construction programs that build up the rural physical infrastructure as well. We argue in this paper that the basic thrust of the program is misplaced. Rural unemployment and poverty is, at its roots, an outcome of deskilling of large parts of the rural population (even the rural elites) or devalorization of the skills that they might still possess (leading to a lack of markets to trade). Central to this process has been the shift of political power (of rule making) to the urban metropolis. In India it has taken the form of disempowerment of the local government that has lost rights to police, tax and engage in such other activities in its own jurisdiction. Strategic action is therefore beyond the ambit of the local government bodies. That has left even the rural elites to remain 'agent mobilizers' for a fundamentally centrist political undertaking. Rural skill building and nurturing institutions have therefore been left to lurch. We take up in this paper the case of employment generation scheme in India (sponsored and financed mostly by the Central Government) - looking into rules (or norms) of the scheme, the process of rule-making and the implementation process at the field level (in one province of India) - involving local political elites, the local administration and the poor folks around whom the scheme is designed. The structure of the program, we argue, reflects the overall structure of State administration in India. Rule making remains the preserve of the Central bureaucracy, failing to reflect numerous local particularities. Norms are violated (or deviated) in practice and around such deviations a local macabre economy grows up. Lacking the glory of skills, the accumulation (and ensuing prosperity) of those who benefit from such arrangements fail to strike a chord of harmony. Skills and entrepreneurship take a back-seat. We argue that a reversal of these dynamics can be attained through re-empowerment of the local polity (which has partly been met by the recent changes strengthening Panchayats, the village level local government, by legitimizing it through an electoral process similar to that of the provincial and federal political bodies) and regenerating a discourse around skill formation and building institutions of skill generation and transfer. Trading on the strength of such skills would provide a sustainable escape out of poverty.


Are class actions unconstitutional? Many people defendants and conservative legislators, not to mention scholars at the American Enterprise Institute would like them to be. For opponents of the class action, Martin Redish's book Wholesale Justice* provides some of the most theoretically sophisticated arguments available. The book is a major contribution both to the scholarly literature on class actions and to the larger political debate about this powerful procedural device. The arguments it presents will surely be debated in courtrooms as well as classrooms.


Aims: Escherichia coli strains are the most important cause of urinary tract infection. Integrons are considered as one of the transfer mechanisms of antibiotic resistance. The aim of the present study was detection of integrons and their realtionships with antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli isolates. Material & Methods: Totally, 150 E.coli isolates was collected from urine of patients with urinary tract infection in hospitals in Tehran, Iran. Evaluation of resistance to antibiotics and identification of isolates producing ExtendedSpectrum Beta Lactamase (ESBL) were done using the disk diffusion and combined disk diffusion tests, respectively. Amplification of integron gene class I in the isolates was performed by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). Findings: The resistance rate of isolates to antibiotics was amoxicillin (71.3%), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (64%), cefotaxime (55.3%), ceftazidime (52.7%), ciprofloxacin (52%), norfloxacin (46.7%), gentamicin (19.3%), meropenem (3.3%), amikacin (2%) and imipenem (0%). Seventy isolates were considered as multiple drug resistance producing isolates (MDR) and 56 (37.3%) isolates showed the ability of ESBLs production. 34 (22.7%) isolates harbored the integron class I. There was a significant relationship between the ESBL producing isolates and MDR resistance and also between the presence of integron class I and MDR resistance. Conclusion: There was a significant rate of resistance to the majority of tested antibiotics with production of ESBL that could be related to the presence of integrons class I. Thus, it suggests more studies need to be conducted to provide better conditions for prevention of antibiotic resistance.


Recent studies have revealed how large shares of college-ready students undermatch, or enroll in colleges with less competitive admissions processes than they are eligible to attend. Undermatch sits at the nexus of both college access and completion agendas, as undermatching to a less selective institution results in a decreased likelihood of graduating from college. Latino, low-income, and potential first generation college graduates are more likely to undermatch than their nonunderrepresented peers. Many underrepresented students rely on their high schools to help navigate the college choice process, yet we have a limited understanding of how high school characteristics can inhibit or promote the likelihood of undermatch. This study used ELS:2002 data to model within the HGLM framework the likelihood of undermatch. In order to explain the observed variations in undermatch at the high school-level, I measured high school-level predictors in two distinct ways: confirmatory factor analysis to identify individual high school-level measures of college-promoting resources and norms; as well as latent class analysis to create a typology of high school contexts. Findings suggest that students who attend high schools with above average, rather than average, college-promoting resources and norms are less likely to undermatch at the time of application and enrollment, after controlling for student-, school-, and state-level characteristics. Net of other variables, students who were not high income and whose parents did not have a bachelor's degree were more likely to undermatch than their peers. Smaller shares of Black, Latino, low-income, and first-generation students were eligible to attend selective institutions, larger shares undermatched by qualification level, and larger shares were in low-resourced high schools. Policy implications and directions for future research are discussed. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Education First Advisor Laura W. Perna


The Drosophila melanogaster meiotic drive system Segregation Distorter (SD) has been a topic of great interest over the past decades due to its implications for fertility issues in fruit flies and other species as well. Several genes have been associated with this system; however, little research has focused on a particular one of these genes—the Modifier of SD. The location of this modifier gene is still unknown, so multiple deleted segments of DNA that compose a suspect area along the 2 chromosome were tested here to see if some level of distortion is established in the absence of these segments. The DNA region from chromosomal segments 43E9 to 43E18 showed the highest level of distortion (k value = 0.828), so genes within this segment were tested for a possible correlation to Modifier of SD. The three genes torso, saxophone, and CG30497 were examined for this correlation, and torso showed a significant k value (0.689), indicating a possible relation to Modifier of SD.


Objective To investigate the role of Fcγ receptors (FcγRs) in osteoclastogenesis and osteoclast function. Methods Bone destruction was analysed in arthritic knee joints of several FcγR-knockout mouse strains. Unfractionated bone marrow cells were differentiated in vitro towards osteoclasts in the absence or presence of immune complexes (ICs) and stimulated thereafter for 24 h with tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In addition, mature osteoclasts were stimulated with ICs. Experiments were analysed for osteoclast formation, bone resorption and the expression of FcγRs and osteoclast markers. Results Bone destruction was significantly increased in arthritic knee joints of FcγRIIB-deficient mice. All FcγR classes were highly expressed on osteoclast precursors. Expression of the inhibitory FcγRIIB was similar on mature osteoclasts compared to macrophages, whereas activating FcγR levels were significantly lower. IC stimulation of mature osteoclasts did not affect their number or their bone resorptive capacity. ICs significantly inhibited differentiation of unfractionated bone marrow cells towards osteoclasts, bone resorption and expression of osteoclast markers. In the presence of ICs, osteoclastogenesis of FcγRIIB−/− precursors and bone resorption remained inhibited. In contrast, ICs could not inhibit osteoclast formation or bone resorption of FcRγ-chain−/− precursors. When IC-inhibited osteoclastogenesis was followed by stimulation with TNFα or LPS, the inhibitory effects of ICs were overruled. Conclusion Activating FcγRs mediate IC-induced inhibition of osteoclastogenesis, which might be overruled in the presence of proinflammatory mediators. This suggests that the balance of FcγR-mediated inflammation, through proinflammatory cytokine production, as well as the direct inhibitory effect of ICs on osteoclastogenesis determines the net effect on bone loss.


Abstract : The Army's stability operations manual, Field Manual (FM) 3-07, identifies five sectors as components of an integrated approach to stability and reconstruction (S&R): security, justice and reconciliation, humanitarian assistance and social well-being, participatory governance, and economic recovery and stabilization. FM 3-07 describes two categories of the range of activities in stability operations for achieving these end state conditions: reconstruction and stabilization. Reconstruction is the process of rebuilding degraded, damaged, or destroyed political, socioeconomic, and physical infrastructure to create the foundation for long-term development. Stabilization is the process by which underlying tensions that might lead to resurgence in violence and a breakdown in law and order are managed and reduced, while efforts are made to support preconditions for successful long-term development. This guide examines the role of restoration of public services within the broader context of stability operations. The extent to which public service reconstruction takes place depends on the mission, the level of resources, and the host country context. This paper provides guidance helpful to U.S. peacekeeping personnel in planning and executing stability operations tasks related to restoration of public sector services and infrastructure. It is designed to supplement existing and emerging guidance, and is specifically relevant to addressing the needs of public sector rebuilding in a post-conflict situation by peacekeeping forces. The material presented here draws both from theory and analytic frameworks and from on-the-ground experience of practitioners.


Recommender systems help users to find products or services they may like when lacking personal experience or facing an overwhelming set of choices. Since unstable recommendations can lead to distrust, loss of profits, and a poor user experience, it is important to test recommender system stability. In this work, we present an approach based on inferred models of influence that underlie recommender systems to guide the generation of dataset modifications to assess a recommender's stability. We implement our approach and evaluate it on several recommender algorithms using the MovieLens dataset. We find that influence-guided fuzzing can effectively find small sets of modifications that cause significantly more instability than random approaches.


Chemical release disasters have serious consequences, disrupting ecosystems, society, and causing significant loss of life. Mitigating the destructive impacts relies on identification and mapping, monitoring, and trajectory forecasting. Improvements in sensor capabilities are enabling airborne and spacebased remote sensing to support response activities. Key applications are improving transport models in complex terrain and improved disaster response. Chemical release disasters have serious consequences, disrupting ecosystems, society, and causing significant loss of life. Mitigating the destructive impacts relies on identification and mapping, monitoring, and trajectory forecasting. Improvements in sensor capabilities are enabling airborne and space-based remote sensing to support response activities. Key applications are improving transport models in complex terrain and improved disaster response. Understanding urban atmospheric transport in the Los Angeles Basin, where topographic influences on transport patterns are significant, was improved by leveraging the Aliso Canyon leak as an atmospheric tracer. Plume characterization data was collected by the AutoMObile trace Gas (AMOG) Surveyor, a commuter car modified for science. Mobile surface in situ CH4 and winds were measured by AMOG Surveyor under Santa Ana conditions to estimate an emission rate of 365±30% Gg yr-1. Vertical profiles were collected by AMOG Surveyor by leveraging local topography for vertical profiling to identify the planetary boundary layer at ~700 m. Topography significantly constrained plume dispersion by up to a factor of two. The observed plume trajectory was used to validate satellite aerosol optical depth-inferred atmospheric transport, which suggested the plume first was driven offshore, but then veered back towards land. Numerical long-range transport model predictions confirm this interpretation. This study demonstrated a novel application of satellite aerosol remote sensing for disaster response.


As part of our effort to understand the mechanism underlying alpha-tocopheryl succinate [vitamin E succinate (VES)]-mediated antitumor effects, we investigated the signaling pathway by which VES suppresses androgen receptor (AR) expression in prostate cancer cells. VES and, to a greater extent, its truncated derivative TS-1 mediated transcriptional repression of AR in prostate cancer cells but not in normal prostate epithelial cells; a finding that underscores the differential susceptibility of normal versus malignant cells to the antiproliferative effect of these agents. This AR repression was attributable to the ability of VES and TS-1 to facilitate the proteasomal degradation of the transcription factor Sp1. This mechanistic link was corroborated by the finding that proteasome inhibitors or ectopic expression of Sp1 protected cells against drug-induced AR ablation. Furthermore, evidence suggests that the destabilization of Sp1 by VES and TS-1 resulted from the inactivation of Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) as a consequence of increased phosphatase activity of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). Stable transfection of LNCaP cells with the dominant-negative JNK1 plasmid mimicked drug-induced Sp1 repression, whereas constitutive activation of JNK kinase activity or inhibition of PP2A activity by okadaic acid protected Sp1 from VES- and TS-1-induced degradation. From a mechanistic perspective, the ability of VES and TS-1 to activate PP2A activity underscores their broad spectrum of effects on multiple signaling mechanisms, including those mediated by Akt, mitogen-activated protein kinases, nuclear factor kappaB, Sp1 and AR. This pleiotropic effect in conjunction with low toxicity suggests the translational potential for developing TS-1 into potent PP2A-activating agents for cancer therapy.


HTTP Adaptive Streaming (HAS) solutions use various adaptive bitrate (ABR) algorithms to select suitable video qualities with the objective of coping with the variations of network connections. HTTP has been evolving with various versions and provides more and more features. Most of the existing ABR algorithms do not significantly benefit from the HTTP development when they are merely supported by the most recent HTTP version. An open research question is "How can new features of the recent HTTP versions be used to enhance the performance of HAS?" To address this question, in this paper, we introduce Days of Future Past+ (DoFP+ for short), a heuristic algorithm that takes advantage of the features of the latest HTTP version, HTTP/3, to provide high Quality of Experience (QoE) to the viewers. DoFP+ leverages HTTP/3 features, including (i) stream multiplexing, (ii) stream priority, and (iii) request cancellation to upgrade low-quality segments in the player buffer while downloading the next segment. The qualities of those segments are selected based on an objective function and throughput constraints. The objective function takes into account two factors, namely the (i) average bitrate and the (ii) video instability of the considered set of segments. We also examine different strategies of download order for those segments to optimize the QoE in limited resources scenarios. The experimental results show an improvement in QoE by up to 33% while the number of stalls and stall duration for DoFP+ are reduced by 86% and 92%, respectively, compared to state-of-the-art ABR schemes. In addition, DoFP+ saves, on average, up to 16% downloaded data across all test videos. Also, we find that downloading segments sequentially brings more benefits for retransmissions than concurrent downloads; and lower-quality segments should be upgraded before other segments to gain more QoE improvement. Our source code has been published for reproducibility at https://github.com/cd-athena/DoFP-Plus.


Species inhabiting broad altitudinal gradients are particularly exposed to the effects of global climate change (GCC). Those species reaching mountain tops are the most negatively affected. Here, using ecological niche models we estimated the climate change exposure of endemic amphibians of the most important extra-Andean mountain system of Argentina: the Sierras Pampeanas Centrales. Our results pinpoint that micro-endemic amphibians of this mountain system are heavily exposed to the effects of GCC, with important constraints of suitable climatic conditions for the six analyzed species. Among the most important findings, our models predict a high probability of a total disappearance of suitable climatic conditions for two of the species, currently restricted to mountain tops. This high exposure, in synergy with their very restricted ranges, and other important human induced threats (as fish invasion and emergent diseases), pose a serious threat to these endemic species, which can enter into the "extinction pathway" in a near future if no concrete conservation actions are taken. Our findings provide additional evidence of the great negative impact of GCC in high-altitude centers of endemism.


Over the last twenty years, value added measures (VAMs) have proliferated in education research and policy. Whether applied to teachers, schools, or districts, VAMs have attempted to measure the contribution made by a unit of interest toward observed student outcomes, typically test scores in literacy and math. At the same time, a small number of states have developed methods to formally compare schools on those outcomes, and such methods may be used and intended in ways that qualify them as a kind of VAM. My primary interest is to evaluate the properties of a similar schools model I develop in comparison to three other VAMs. Using statewide student data and math test scores from from 2009 to 2014, I develop a similarity index for comparing schools based on observable student characteristics. Using the rank ordering of schools on this index, I then compare each school's mean math scores to the 15 schools immediately below it and the 15 schools immediately above it. Schools' rankings against their comparison groups are then considered as a VAM and compared to three other school effectiveness models: Student Growth Percentiles (SGP), Student Value Added (SVA), and Mean Prior Z (MPZ). The models are compared based on four properties: fairness, stability, validity, and transparency. I find that the Similar Schools Comparisons (SSC) model is more stable than SGP and SVA, but similar to MPZ. On fairness, defined as the strength of relationship between model results and schools' student demographics, SSC is fairer than the other three models, though all three show a weak overall relationship to demographics. On validity, defined as concurrence between the models, SSC aligns most closely with MPZ and has a modest relationship with SGP and SVA. On transparency for the public and educators, SSC is potentially valuable as it evaluates and compares schools in a highly visible way (ranking them against a known list of similar schools). Yet insofar as it relies on multiple regression to calculate the similarity index, SSC lacks transparency and requires specialized statistical knowledge. SSC is promising for exhibiting stability, fairness, and transparency, but further investigation is needed to determine its validity and proper interpretation in comparison to other VAMs. Table of


This paper analyzes the elastic net approach (Durbin and Willshaw 1987) to the traveling salesman problem of finding the shortest path through a set of cities. The elastic net approach jointly minimizes the length of an arbitrary path in the plane and the distance between the path points and the cities. The tradeoff between these two requirements is controlled by a scale parameter K. A global minimum is found for large K, and is then tracked to a small value. In this paper, we show that (1) in the small K limit the elastic path passes arbitrarily close to all the cities, but that only one path point is attracted to each city, (2) in the large K limit the net lies at the center of the set of cities, and (3) at a critical value of K the energy function bifurcates. We also show that this method can be interpreted in terms of extremizing a probability distribution controlled by K. The minimum at a given K corresponds to the maximum a posteriori (MAP) Bayesian estimate of the tour under a natural statistical interpretation. The analysis presented in this paper gives us a better understanding of the behavior of the elastic net, allows us to better choose the parameters for the optimization, and suggests how to extend the underlying ideas to other domains.


Within the framework of regional policy, the Confederation supports strengthening competitiveness and increasing value added in structurally disadvantaged regions. One of the instruments for this purpose is the granting of direct federal tax relief to industrial companies or production-related service companies. This supports projects that create new jobs or maintain and realign existing jobs.


In text document categorization, feature selection (FS) is a strategy that aims at making text document classifiers more efficient and accurate. However, when dealing with a new task, it is still difficult to quickly select a suitable one from various FS methods provided by many previous studies. Feature selection, as a preprocessing step to machine learning, has been very effective in reducing dimensionality, removing irrelevant data, and noise from data to improving result comprehensibility. Researchers have introduced many feature selection algorithms with different selection criteria. However, it has been discovered that no single criterion is best for all applications. We proposed a hybrid approach for feature selection called based on genetic algorithms (GAs) that employs a target learning algorithm to evaluate features, a wrapper method. The advantages of this approach include the ability to accommodate multiple feature selection criteria and find small subsets of features that perform well for the target algorithm. In this way, heterogeneous documents are summarized and presented in a uniform manner.


The thesis examines the establishment of an original business model and the institutions which enable and perpetuate it. An alliance of elite Norwegian artisan builders and interior designers develops the model in catering to a market of bespoke manufacture for Norway's elite. The thesis argues that the originality of the model derives from the artisans' creative use and adaptation of institutions in the Norwegian Welfare State and its business and local environment, forming a distinctive entrepreneurial lifestyle that results in a thriving network of companies and in the achievement of 'the good life'. Drawing upon literature that posits the intertwining of social and economic activity, the thesis identifies and analyses the part played by artisans' families, associates, friends and firms engaged in making a livelihood. A dual economy characterises the functioning of these units: capitalist market exchange and closed market exchange. Two social codes govern closed exchange, one for the alliance, the other for its clients, with whom the artisans develop the institution of 'friends' and 'family' central to how the artisan network creates its wealth and well-being. The social codes regulate the network's entrepreneurial expansion and its limits by economies of scope rather than scale. This business model of keeping good companies departs from capitalist models of growth and the model of homo oeconomicus. Rather, lifestyle, 'the good life', structures the network's making a livelihood. This new finding contributes to an understanding of, and impetus for research into, accounting, business models, business strategy, entrepreneurship, innovation, international business, marketing, organisation, creating wealth and well-being, craftsmanship, and interdisciplinary research method. The visual and manual orientation of the craft workers warranted several methods of research: statistical measures, silent and semi-participant observation, cognitive linguistic analysis, and what one might call 'research conversation'.


Commuting is the major source of congestion and air pollution in the United States. For almost a decade, urban policy-makers have been concerned about the geographical balance between locations of jobs and housing as a strategy for reducing traffic congestion and air pollution in American cities. Despite the popularity and apparent acceptance of the job/housing (J/H) imbalance concept among public policy-makers, little empirical research has been done on the J/H imbalance and how it relates to commuting patterns. This research examines commuting patterns in the Atlanta metropolitan area to determine the extent to which commuting flow volume is the result of an imbalance between the location of home and workplace by using the most sophisticated and largest geographical scale data provided by the 1990 U.S. Census of Transportation Planning Package. This paper uses a Geographic Information System (GIS) to measure the job/housing imbalance within a commuting catchment area having a 7-mile radius from the centroid of each Transportation Analysis Zone. Analysis of variance, stepwise multiple regression and cartographic evidence all confirm the relationship between the imbalance of jobs and housing (J/H) and mean travel time to work. This investigation highlights the fact that the imbalance between the location of jobs and housing is the most important determinant for longer commuting and suggests that higher quality housing growth close to the job-rich communities may benefit the workers to economize the commuting time.


Raffaele Bendandi (1893-1979) is a typical, very Italian, of a scholar example of s eismology, trained outside the institutions and with whom relations were difficult for most of the time. A skilled craftsman, endowed with great inquisitiveness and undoubted intelligence and endeavour, Bendandi was self-taught and his seismological and astronomical interests merged in his theory of planetary influence in the process of release of seismic energy. The practical result of this theory was the possibility, according to Bendandi, of foreseeing earthquakes in every part of the world. From the 1920s until his death, Bendandi made numerous forecasts for different parts of the world arousing the interest of people and countless national and international newspapers. The Bendandi phenomenon ended up being considered a problem for official science and for some governments, which forbade th e dissemination of his forecasts. Bendandi's human and scientific story is documented in what remains of his archive of handwritten studies: letters, daily notes with his forecasts. All of this material is being reordered, digitally scanned and studied at Casa Bendandi , the head quarters of «La Bendandiana» association of Faenza, and will be made available to the scientific community and the history of science.


A small-signal analysis of all-optical switches based on a single semiconductor optical amplifier followed by an optical filter is presented. Using the asymmetric Mach–Zehnder interferometer, which is the filter employed in the delayed-interference signal converter, as an example, we explain the principle of modulation bandwidth enhancement using optical filtering. We obtain analytical expressions for the optimum phase bias of the Mach–Zehnder interferometer filter and the resulting optical modulation bandwidth. By adopting a spectral approach, where the small-signal modulated field envelope is analyzed, we are able to generalize these results and calculate the bandwidth enhancement provided by an arbitrary filter.


Due to the complex nature of ambient aerosols arising from the presence of myriads of organic compounds, the chemical reactivity of a particular compound with oxidant/s are studied through chamber experiments under controlled laboratory conditions. Several confounders (RH, T, light intensity, in chamber retention time) are controlled in chamber experiments to study their effect on the chemical transformation of a reactant (exposure variable) and the outcome [kinetic rate constant determination, new product/s formation e.g., secondary organic aerosol (SOA), product/s yield, etc.]. However, under ambient atmospheric conditions, it is not possible to control for these confounders which poses a challenge in assessing the outcome/s accurately. The approach of data interpretation must include randomization for an accurate prediction of the real-world scenario. One of the ways to achieve randomization is possible by the instrumental variable analysis (IVA). In this study, the IVA analysis revealed that the average ratio of fSOC/O3 (ppb−1) was 0.0032 (95% CI: 0.0009, 0.0055) and 0.0033 (95% CI: 0.0001, 0.0065) during daytime of Diwali and Post-Diwali period. However, during rest of the study period the relationship between O3 and fSOC was found to be insignificant. Based on IVA in conjunction with the concentration-weighted trajectory (CWT), cluster analysis, and fire count imageries, causal effect of O3 on SOA formation has been inferred for the daytime when emissions from long-range transport of biomass burning influenced the receptor site. To the best of our knowledge, the IVA has been applied for the first time in this study in the field of atmospheric and aerosol chemistry.


Under Brazilian law, abortions are prohibited in all cases except for pregnancies resulting from rape or sexual violence and pregnancies which present possible death or harm to the mother. Upon a closer look, however, it is obvious that regardless of the illegality, Brazilian women are getting abortions. In light of this, I conducted a research project to uncover more about the reality that Brazilian women, specifically located in Praia Grande (a small community on Ilha de Mare off the coast of Salvador), face given the simultaneous existence of the two situations listed above (which I refer to as the "abortion gap"). I hypothesized that the poor, black women in NE Brazil will comprise the group that faces the harshest reality due to the illegality of abortion. I also believed that these women will consider the legalization of abortion to be an improvement; that they will recognize that abortions take place regardless of their legality and that abortions done under legal standards would be cleaner and safer than those that are currently being done illegally. Following my research, I concluded that although I was correct in anticipating that the poor, black women of NE Brazil face the harshest reality, the opinions concerning the abortion gap that I had predicted that they would hold were not correct. In actuality, based on the contact I had with the women of Praia Grande, they believe that the legalization of abortion will make their lives and situation worse.


Purpose of the article: The purpose of the present paper is to determine the attitudes of owners of small and medium-sized enterprises in the Czech and Slovak Republic relating to insolvency issues in both countries. Insolvency of enterprises is for most involved a negative situation in the first moment. This negative view often means loss of business, causing a loss of income, wages and employment for workers, loss of business partners, as well as a reduction in public revenue and an increase in public spending. Of the positive view the insolvency means "clean up" the market from economically weak, possibly through certain steps starting a new and renewed business.
Methodology/methods: Research is focused on the area of small and medium-sized enterprises. In this paper, the method of questionnaire survey among participants of the given segment is used, supplemented by statistical methods. The research results are evaluated and presented through a graphical representation.
Scientific aim: The aim of the article is to present the attitudes of owners of small and medium-sized enterprises on the issue of insolvency of the small and medium-sized enterprises in the Czech and Slovak Republic. The main output is the interpretation of the obtained results and thus new knowledge in this area.
Findings: From the research there, it was found that in the insolvency proceedings were participated more respondents from the Czech Republic, especially in the position of the creditor and the entity that gave an insolvency proposal. In the other areas, the results are from the answers of the respondents in both countries practically comparable.
Conclusions: In both countries there is possible to observe a significant tendency for respondents actively solve their own problems in the area of insolvency, only less than 10% of owners will be waiting for the steps of creditors.


PURPOSE
This study aimed to determine the efficacy of thermotherapy resulting from the presence of gold-gold sulfide nanoshells (GGS) in radio frequency electromagnetic field (13.56 MHz) onthe survival of CT26 colon carcinoma cells.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
GGS was synthesized and after characterizing and determining the features, the RF-radiation effects on aquatic environments were determined by recording temperature changes. To investigate the biological effects, cell survival rate due to GGS usage at five different concentrations, each one with applying three different exposure times of RF field, at CT26 cells were evaluated by MTT assay.

RESULT
In the presence of 100 mg/L GGS and 5 min RF exposure, increasing in temperature was recorded more than 60°C. A significant difference in cell survival rate was observed, when both GGS and RF field were applied with each other or separately (p<0.001). The GGS concentration of 25mg/L with a 4 min exposure causes cell death with the efficiency of 80 percent more than using them separately.

CONCLUSION
The GGS as an available nanostructure (i.e. it's not expensive and can be synthesized simply) is an environmental friendly material which has the ability to cause damage to malignant cell effectively, by absorbing the non-invasive and deeply penetrating energy of RF field.


This paper examines the effect of the total solar eclipse of 29 March 2006 on meteorological variables across Greece. Integrated micrometeorological measurements were conducted at Kastelorizo, a small island within the path of totality, and other sites within the Greek domain, with various degrees of solar obscuration. The observations showed a dramatic reduction in the incoming global radiation and subsequent, pronounced changes in surface air temperature with the lowest temperature values occurring about 15 min after the full phase. The amplitude of the air temperature drop was not analogous to the obscuration percentage but was principally determined by the surrounding environment (mainly the sea influence), the background meteorological conditions and local cloudiness. Surface wind-speed decreased in most sites as a result of the cooling and stabilization of the atmospheric boundary layer. This perturbation provided a unique opportunity to apply a sensitivity analysis on the effect of the eclipse to the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) numerical mesoscale meteorological model. Strong anomalies, not associated with a dynamic response, were simulated over land especially in surface air temperature. The simulated temperature drop pattern was consistent with the observations.


The aim is to provide a structure and some practical advice for clinicians who conduct diagnostic interviews in psychiatry and related fields.

The psychiatric assessment is usually conduced over about one hour. A conclusion may not be reached at single sitting, but the process is essentially a series of cross-sectional events. In this book, some examples are given which arose in the course of assessment/treatment of patients (sometimes years).

When psychopathology is possibly present, a psychiatric assessment is conducted, and based on any findings, a diagnosis and a management plan is formulated. An appropriate diagnosis and management plan is the first step and foundation on which future management is built.

In addition, the initial psychiatric assessment has therapeutic potential. At this point the patient will be at her/his most distressed, vulnerable, and even suspicious. A respectful but confident manner displayed by the diagnostic interviewer may have immediate and long-term influences on the ability of the patient to participate positively in management.

The initial psychiatric assessment is limited insofar as it is a single, cross-sectional sample, like a histological slide. Accordingly, we extend our knowledge of the case by obtaining information from others (family, other clinical staff), taking a thorough personal and personality history, and reassessment of the patient.

There is only one first interview between a patient and a particular clinician. That interview changes things. At future interviews the patient will not be as apprehensive, the signs and symptoms will not be as crisp and the clinician will not be as open to the range of possibilities.

Psychiatry is complex and evolving. An early task is to know what is and
what is not a psychiatric problem.


Dinuclear Cu2+ and Mn2+ bis-phenanthroline octanedioate compounds exhibit rapid, unprecedented nano and picomolar in vitro cytotoxicity against human-derived colorectal cancer lines (HT29, SW480 and SW620) and are less cytotoxic toward non-cancerous normal human keratinocyte cells (HaCaT). Both complexes displayed greater in vivo drug tolerance compared to cisplatin when examined using the insect Galleria mellonella. The compounds are potent generators of intracellular reactive oxygen species within HT29 cells, display avid DNA binding and induce O2-dependent cleavage of supercoiled pUC18 DNA. The Cu2+ complex was found to display self-cleaving nuclease activity and a mechanism of deoxyribose C–H bond activation is proposed, based on interactions with the superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide along with DNA cleavage observations under anaerobic conditions and with an excess of the metal chelator EDTA.


Abstract User validation is one of the challenges facing the ontology alignment community, as there are limits to the quality of the alignments produced by automated alignment algorithms. In this paper, we present a broad study on user validation of ontology alignments that encompasses three distinct but inter-related aspects: the profile of the user, the services of the alignment system, and its user interface. We discuss key issues pertaining to the alignment validation process under each of these aspects and provide an overview of how current systems address them. Finally, we use experiments from the Interactive Matching track of the Ontology Alignment Evaluation Initiative 2015–2018 to assess the impact of errors in alignment validation, and how systems cope with them as function of their services.


According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), disasters are events which cause physical, economic and environmental losses and effects that exceed the coping capacity of societies and harm their functionality. The most apparent results of the disasters are physical such as building or lifeline damage and loss of lives. It is also known that the social components of society are also under threat and the loss of these values can increase the physical impacts of disasters causing cascading effects. Social vulnerability is defined as "the characteristics of a person or group and their situation that influence their capacity to anticipate, cope with, resist and recover from the impact of a natural hazard". With this study, we aim to develop an ex-ante assessment model to understand social vulnerability against disasters. The model depends on indicators and their interrelation with each other. The basic idea behind the indicator selection has been to grasp where the level of fragility is high and the level of resilience is low against disasters. A pilot study covering 50 subdistricts of Istanbul is carried out to obtain data for quantification of the indicators (demographical, economical, disability, health, community preparedness and mobility). To improve the data resolution; 8000 samples (households) are selected to represent each subdistrict. As a result of the analysis, 50 sub-districts are compared to each other based on an Analytical Hierarchy Process according to their level of social vulnerability.


I have drawn up the following remarks on the rocks in the vicinity of St. Agnes, in Cornwall, almost wholly from the notes of my friend and fellow-traveller, Mr. Buckland, an accident having prevented my accompanying him to the most interesting spot mentioned in them. It is well known that a considerable mining district takes its name from this small town, which is situated on the coast about eleven miles north-east of Truro. The lodes are principally worked for tin, though copper is occasionally raised. The prevailing rock is killas, and the nearest point at which granite has been noticed is in the Gwennap cluster of mines about six miles distant. Having observed in the walls of the neighbourhood several specimens of those porphyritic and granitic rocks, which are distinguished in the country by the name of elvans, we were induced to enquire more particularly into their Geological relations, and the frequency of small promontories on the coast afforded us a favourable opportunity of ascertaining their position in several spots. Between St. Agnes and Cligga point, (a considerable headland about four miles to the east of it) no less than five of these promontories occur, each of which is traversed by a dyke of elvan, running nearly due east and west, and varying in a manner apparently capricious, both as to its thickness and inclination. The appearance of these dykes will be best understood by reference to the annexed drawings,* which are faithfully copied from sketches made on the spot


From screening chemical compounds to optimizing clinical trials to improving post-market surveillance of drugs, the increased use of data and better analytical tools such as artificial intelligence (AI) hold the potential to transform drug development, leading to new treatments, improved patient outcomes, and lower costs. However, achieving the full promise of data-driven drug development will require the U.S. federal government to address a number of obstacles. This should be a priority for policymakers for two main reasons. First, enabling data-driven drug development will accelerate access to more effective and affordable treatments. Second, the competitiveness of the U.S. biopharmaceutical industry is at risk so long as these obstacles exist. As other nations, particularly China, pursue data-driven innovation, especially greater use of AI, foreign life sciences firms could become more competitive at drug development.


Since the 20th century, the insurance industry has experienced an unprecedented wave of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). However, in spite of the drastic increase in insurance M&A activity, there has been little consistent empirical evidence on the value enhancement of these deals and a consistent pattern has yet to be identified. Hence, many open questions still exist in this research area. The most fundamental questions are whether insurance M&A actually create value and what determinants influence the success of these undertakings. This thesis attempts to find answers to these questions by first examining the status quo of academic literature published in this field of research and bringing together the empirical findings on the success of insurance M&A and its influencing factors.
Overall, the literature review outlines that insurance M&A transactions on average tend to create value for shareholders of the target firms as well as for the combined entity of acquirer and target. Moreover, shareholders of acquiring US insurance firms, on average, also benefit from these corporate undertakings. However, negative short-term as well as long-term wealth effects for acquiring insurers' shareholders are the common finding in capital market studies analyzing the effects of M&A transactions in the European insurance industry.
Secondly, the reliability and validity of the findings of previous research are tested in an own empirical analysis which uses a fairly new approach to evaluating the success of M&A by using the idea of stochastic dominance (SD). More precisely, using a sample of 102 transactions conducted by publicly traded Western European insurance firms between the years 1993 and 2009, this work analyzes whether investors in acquiring insurance firms benefit from M&A undertakings by comparing return distributions of acquiring firm portfolios with benchmark portfolios using the first two orders of SD.
The results show that insurance M&A trigger a negative short-term capital market reaction for acquiring European insurance firms. However, this short-term underperformance diminishes over time, and over a longer period of time of up to three years after M&A announcement, there is no underperformance of acquiring European insurers.
In conclusion, based on the accumulated evidence from past empirical studies as well as the empirical investigation of this thesis, it can be concluded that M&A, not only in the US insurance market but also in the European insurance market, seem to be a viable model and are likely to lead to success for all parties involved.