This study investigated the market reaction to announcements of CEO turnovers in Philippine-listed companies between January 2008 and December 2018. Turnovers were classified concerning successors' origin (internal versus external), turnover type (forced versus voluntary), and successors' gender (male versus female). Event study methodology using the market model was employed to analyze the hand-collected sample of 136 CEO turnover announcements. Market reaction was significantly positive for internal, external, and voluntary turnover. The market reaction, however, was found to be significantly negative in the case of forced turnover. Similarly, concerning the gender difference, the result showed that market reaction was significantly negative for female CEO appointments and significantly positive for male CEOs. The results provide strong evidence that new CEOs' selected attributes and the turnover's characteristics are factors that have the explanatory power on the investor's reaction. The contributions of this study to the literature are threefold. First, it serves as the first empirical evidence of market reaction to CEO turnover from the Philippines emerging market. This study also confirms the finding of the previous studies on CEO turnover by looking into several turnover categories, namely external, internal, forced, and voluntary. Finally, it enriches the limited empirical evidence on the CEOs' gender effect on abnormal return surrounding the turnover announcement date.


Introduction. — By far the most important and fundamental carcinological publication of the first half of the 19th century unquestionably is Henri Milne Edwards's (1834-1840) "Histoire naturelle des Crustaces", which treated all species of Crustacea known at that time in an exceedingly clear and comprehensive manner. The work was published in three volumes of text and one atlas. The dates of publication of it have never caused any difficulty. It was generally accepted that volume I was published in 1834, volume II in 1837, and volume III in 1840. These dates have never been challenged, and on closer examination indeed prove to be correct. About the date or dates of the atlas authors were vague and usually cited 1834-1840, or 1840, or they cited the atlas without any date. As the illustrations are accompanied on the plates with their French vernacular generic names only, the exact dates of the plates were of no nomenclatural interest.
Recently I acquired a copy of the atlas, that made it possible for me to assign proper dates to all of the plates. It was therefore thought of interest to publish these dates and at the same time to try and narrow down the dates of the text.
The work itself and the series "suites a Buffon". — H. Milne Edwards's work formed part of the series "Suites a Buffon" published by the "Librairie encyclopedique de Roret" of Paris. This series consists of 84 volumes published between 1834 and 1890. It has also been indicated with the names "Nouvelles Suites a Buffon" and "Collection des Suites a Buffon", while the name "Roret's Suites a Buffon" is sometimes used to distinguish it from other series that occasionally are indicated with "Suites a Buffon". Between 1799 and 1802, namely, R. R. Castel edited an in-180 edition of the "Histoire


Using Satellite Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System, this paper analyzes the land use and land cover change dynamics in the Bosomtwe District of Ghana, for 1986, 2010 thematic mapper and enhanced thematic Mapper+ (TM/ETM+) images, and 2014 Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager and Thermal Infrared Sensor (OLI/TIS) image. The three images were geo-referenced and processed for classification, using the maximum likelihood classifier algorithm. A Jeffries-Matusita's separability check was used in confirming the degree of spectral separation acceptability of the bands used for each of the land use and land cover classes. The best Kappa hat statistic of classification accuracy was 83%. Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) transition analysis in Environmental Systems Research Institute ESRI's ArcMap was performed. The results of the classification over the three periods showed that built up, bare land and concrete surfaces increased from 1201 in 1986 to 5454 ha in 2010. Dense forest decreased by 2253 ha over the same period and increased by 873 ha by the 2014. Low forest also decreased by 1043 ha in 2010; however, it increased by 13% in 2014. Our findings showed some of the important changes in the land use and land cover patterns in the District. After the urbanization process, coupled with farmland abandonment, between 1986 and 2010, substantial increments in urban land and clear increments in farmland coverage between 1986 and 2014were found to be the reason for vegetation cover decreases. This suggests that major changes in the socio-ecological driving forces affecting landscape dynamics have occurred in the last few decades.


Hydrogen utilization in spark ignition engines could reduce urban pollution including particulate matter as well as greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide) emission. However, backfiring, which is an undesirable combustion process of intake charge in hydrogen fuelled spark ignition (SI) engine with manifold based injection, is one of the major technical issues in view of safety as well as continuous engine operation as ignition process could proceed instantaneously due to less ignition energy requirement of hydrogen. Backfiring occurs generally during suction stroke as the hydrogen-air charge interacts with residual gas resulting in flame growth and propagation towards upstream of engine's intake manifold resulting in stalling of engine operation and high risk of safety. This work is aimed at analysis of backfiring in a hydrogen fuelled SI engine. The results indicate that backfiring is mainly function of residual gas temperature, start of hydrogen injection timing and equivalence ratio. Any hot-spot present in the cylinder would act as ignition source resulting in more chances of backfiring. In addition to this, CFD analysis was carried out in order to assess flow characteristics of hydrogen and air during suction stroke in intake manifold. Furthermore, numerical analysis of intake charge velocity, flame speed (deflagration), and flame propagation (backfiring) towards upstream of intake manifold was also carried out. Some notable points of backfiring control strategy including exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and retarded (late) hydrogen injection timing are emerged from this study for minimizing chance of backfiring. This study results are useful for development of dedicated spark ignition engine for hydrogen fuel in the aspects of elimination of backfiring.Copyright © 2015 by ASME


Abstract
 Little research has addressed the impacts of invasive-species establishment on native forest insect communities. Such information is lacking even for gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), the most thoroughly studied invasive forest insect. We investigated the ecological impacts of gypsy moth on native species at sites in north-central Ontario, Canada, with and without significant histories of gypsy moth defoliation over a 2-year period. Patterns in native forest caterpillar communities are described using measures of species diversity and multivariate analysis. We documented a transition from low-level to dominant gypsy moth populations. Sites with different gypsy moth outbreak histories exhibited differences in rank-abundance distributions and dominance structures in the first year of the study; by the second year, gypsy moth was dominant at sites of both types irrespective of their previous defoliation history. Contrary to our predictions, we found that gypsy moth outbreak history had no significant effects on native caterpillar community diversity or structure. However, sites with currently high gypsy moth abundance demonstrated significant shifts in late-season caterpillar community structure. Our results suggest that observed community differences were due to the presence of a highly abundant folivore, and not to permanent shifts in the native community because of the introduction of an invasive species.


We report the synthesis of polymersome-forming block copolymers using two different synthetic routes based on Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization (ATRP) and Reversible Addition Fragmentation chain Transfer (RAFT) polymerization, respectively. Functionalization with 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) allowed the block copolymer chains to be labelled with electron-dense metal ions (e.g. indium). The resulting metal-conjugated copolymers can be visualized by transmission electron microscopy with single chain resolution, hence enabling the study of polymer/polymer immiscibility and phase separation on the nano-scale.


The lack of micronutrients such as iron and zinc is a widespread nutrition and health problem in developing countries. Biofortification is the process of enriching the nutrient content of staple crops. Biofortification provides a sustainable solution to iron and zinc deficiency in food around the world. Reports have highlighted the current strategies for the biofortification of crops, including mineral fertilization, conventional breeding and transgenic approaches. Any approach which could increase root growth and result in a high transfer of Fe and Zn from the soil to the plant is crucial for biofortification. In addition to these approaches, we draw attention to another important aspect of Fe and Zn biofortification: intercropping between dicots and gramineous species. Intercropping, in which at least two crop species are grown on the same plot of land simultaneously, can improve utilization of resources while significantly enhancing crop productivity, whereas monocropping is a traditional cropping system of only one crop growth. Monocropping has maintained crop productivity through heavy chemical inputs including the application of fertilizers and pesticides. Monocropping has therefore resulted in substantial eutrophication, environmental pollution, a food security crisis and economic burdens on farmers. Monocropping has also reduced the plant and microorganism diversity in the ecosystem. Compared with monocropped plants, intercropped plants can use nutrients, water and light better due to the spatial and temporal differences in the growth factors and a variety of species-specific mechanisms of physiological response to environmental stress. Intercropping is common in developing countries such as China, India, Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa. In particular, interspecific interaction facilitates the iron and zinc nutrition of intercropping systems such as peanut/maize, wheat/chickpea and guava/sorghum or maize. Intercropping also increases iron and zinc content in the seeds. In a peanut/maize case study, the Fe concentrations in peanut shoots and seed were 1.47–2.28 and 1.43 times higher than those of peanut in monocropping, respectively. In intercropping of chickpea and wheat, the Fe contents in wheat and chickpea seed were increased 1.26 and 1.21 times, respectively, and Zn concentration in chickpea seed was 2.82 times higher than that in monocropping. In this review, we focus on exemplary cases of dicot/gramineous species intercropping that result in improved iron and zinc nutrition of the plants. We present the current understanding of the mechanisms of improvement of iron and zinc in intercropping. The available literature shows that a reasonable intercropping system of nutrient-efficient species could prevent or mitigate iron and zinc deficiency of plants. Here, we propose that intercropping can potentially offer an effective and sustainable pathway to iron and zinc biofortification.


Health care expenditures have been increasing rapidly. Economic evaluation can be used to aid decision making on resource allocations to secure a more efficient use of scarce resources. In cost-utility analysis, one method used to measure health outcomes is the Quality adjusted life year (QALY). Given the wide differences in clinical settings, health systems and religious beliefs, "utility" scores should be derived from the local population. This thesis aims to estimate population-based preference scores for health from the Thai general population. The generic health description EQ-SO is used as a proxy to describe health. This measure was selected because it has been translated officially into Thai and the measure seems to be straightforward to use. A representative sample was randomly recruited using a stratified four-stage sampling method. A series of pilot studies were conducted to develop the interview protocol based on the Measurement and Valuation in Health (MVH) protocol. A group of interviewers were employed and extensively trained to interview the respondents.
A sample of 1,409 Thai respondents was interviewed during May - August 2007 in 17 provinces in face-to-face interviews. Eighty-six health states, classified into twelve sets, were used in the interview. logical inconsistency was identified when a higher score was given to a poorer state. The greatest number of inconsistent responses was identified in the scores derived using the Time trade-off (nO) interview. A Negative binomial regression model was used to analyse the determinants of the numbers of inconsistencies. Elderly respondents and those with a lower education level tend to make more inconsistent responses. A Random effects model was used to estimate the model to predict the preference scores. The best model was chosen on the basis of logical inconsistency in the predicted scores, model robustness, parsimony and the responsiveness of the predicted scores. The best model is the model using the variables from Dolan 1997 model estimated from the scores given by the respondents with fewer than 11 inconsistencies. The model still suffers from heteroskedasticity, and floor and ceiling effects were identified. The Thai scores and the scores derived from respondents in the other five countries were extensively compared to examine the extent of the differences. It seems that the Thai scores are more similar to those of the UK. A costutility analysis of the prevention and control measures for cervical cancer in Thailand was used to demonstrate the difference of cost per QALYs if the scores from other countries were used to approximate the Thai preferences.
The thesis makes a number of contributions. The modelled scores are the first original population-based preference scores on health derived from the Thai general population. The determinants of logical inconsistency were examined, as well as an exploratory qualitative interview to learn the strategies that respondents employed to cope with the preference interview. Three reasons are identified to explain the high level of inconsistent responses. Respondents may: (1) have difficulties imagining themselves living in the hypothetical states; (2) use only part of the given information in the health cards or add other information to assist their decisions; and (3) have difficulties in trying to understand the elicitation methods, especially the no. Including the inconsistent responses had, to some extent, significant impacts on the model specifications and the modelled scores. Exclusion of the scores from the highly inconsistent respondents was justified because the scores may not represent their preferences towards health. The results from this thesis should be taken into account for future surveys to be successfully administered. Close collaborations with the field coordinators and arrangement of appropriate interview settings contribute greatly to the success of the survey.


BACKGROUND: Globalisation and the rapid advancement in scientific and information communication technology require health care providers to constantly update their knowledge thus ensuring currency. Nurses are the largest workforce in the health care system and are required to participate in continuing professional education (CPE) to maintain their competency and meet the standards of the profession. The Nurses and Midwifery Board of Malaysia has legislated for mandatory CPE and now requires all nurses to provide evidence of having completed 25 credit points of approved CPE each year as part of the licensure process. However, despite this requirement, many nurses are not able to participate in CPE for a range of reasons including an inability to access educational opportunities because they neither have time nor financial capacity nor are geographically isolated. E-learning programs may be an option to enhance learning opportunities for nurses as through e-learning nurses can learn in their own time and at their own pace to keep up to date with contemporary technology. AIM: The study consisted of two phases. Phase 1 was a survey of Malaysian nurses CPE practice, and Phase 2 surveyed nurses with regard to their readiness for e-learning. The aims of this study were to determine 1. The practice of CPE among Malaysian nurses and 2.Their readiness towards e-learning. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross sectional descriptive study was used in both surveys. For the CPE survey, multistage cluster sampling was used to recruit the sample. 1000 registered nurses were selected randomly from 12 hospitals and four health district offices from four states of Peninsular Malaysia. Subsequently, in the second survey, random sampling was used to draw from the pool of nurses from the first survey who had agreed to participate in the follow up. 300 samples individuals recruited for this final stage. Self-reports questionnaires were used to collect data for both phases. Likert scale rating from 1 to 5(1 representing not at all to 5representing a great deal) was used for factors affecting CPE, factors affecting e-learning, attitude towards e-learning and self-directed learning readiness. RESULTS: The response rate was high with 79% (792/1000) returning the Phase 1 questionnaire and 100% (300/300) of the sample participating in the Phase 2 survey. Eighty percent (n=562) of the nurses had engaged in CPE activities within the last 12 months. The most popular form of attendance was workshops (345, 43.6%) followed by conferences (323, 40.8%), and the least attractive activity was undertaking a tertiary education program of study (10, 1.3%). The most important motivation factors for participation were, 'to give quality care to patients' (mean= 4.39) and to update their knowledge (mean=4.34). The major factors impeding respondents' participation were work commitments (mean=3.54) and domestic responsibilities (mean=3.42). In terms of e-learning readiness, the majority of the respondents (289, 96%) had experience in using a computer. Eighty five percent (85%) of the respondents had access to the internet and 71% of them had internet connection at home. Eighty seven percent of those with internet connection were using high speed internet (ADSL). About three quarters (72%) used a computer for more than 2 hours per week. The three main factors that deterred them from e-learning were limited time (mean =3.42), lack of support from supervisor and limited understanding about network systems (LAN, internet and intranet) (mean =3.27). However 86% of the nurses who had not experienced any e-learning were very interested in engaging in e-learning in the future. Respondents' attitude towards e-learning were good with a mean score 3.87. Eighty seven percent of the respondents had scored more than 150 for SDLRS which mean the nurses were ready for e-learning. CONCULSION: Implementation of Mandatory Continuing Professional Education (MCPE) is considered to be an important measure to increase nurses' participation in CPE however the findings from this study indicate that policy makers should review the continuing professional development system to ensure accessibility of relevant CPE activities to all nurses. Respondents in this study indicate that they are ready to learn on-line, suggesting that e-learning options will increase the accessibility of CPE. A number of recommendations are proposed to enhance the quality and uptake of e-learning in Malaysia.


Governments struggle to understand how technologies can be used to innovate in the development and delivery of public sectors. Frequently, technologies are seen as quick and effective fixes for problems that may run far deeper than obvious process and user dynamics. As often, solutions are considered as 'point provision' and, as such, fail to recognise the complex co-evolution of society, economics, the world outside a governments borders and control, and the technologies themselves. This paper summarises a number of key areas that must be understood in order to effectively innovate through the introduction and management of services mediated by new technologies.


AIM To investigate the antioxidant effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) in hepatic stellate cell-T6 (HSC-T6) cells cultured in vitro and the potential mechanisms. METHODS HSC-T6 cells were cultured in vitro and treated with various concentrations of CAPE for 24, 48 and 72 h, respectively. Cell proliferation was investigated using the MTT assay, and cell ultrastructural alterations were observed by transmission electron microscopy. Flow cytometry was employed to investigate the effects of CAPE on apoptosis and the levels of reactive oxygen species in HSC-T6 cells cultured in vitro. An enzyme immunoassay instrument was used to evaluate antioxidant enzyme expression. The effect on α-smooth muscle actin was shown using immunofluorescence. Gene and protein levels of Nrf2, related factors, and mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs), in HSC-T6 cells were detected using RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. RESULTS CAPE inhibited the proliferation and activation of HSC-T6 cells cultured in vitro. CAPE increased the antioxidant levels and the translocation of Nrf2 from the cytoplasm to the nucleus in HSC-T6 cells. Moreover, the phosphorylation of MAPKs in cells decreased in response to CAPE. Interestingly, CAPE-induced oxidative stress in the cells was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with MAPKs inhibitors. CONCLUSION CAPE inhibits cell proliferation and up-regulates the antioxidant levels in HSC-T6 cells partly through the Nrf2-MAPKs signaling pathway.


Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasingly a common disease which is created by the accumulation of fat in the liver. About 20% of adults and 5% of children suffer from this disease. In some studies, half of obese children had fatty liver disease and approximately 90% of the patients with fatty liver were obese. The aim of this study was to evaluate fatty liver disease in obese children referred to the pediatric clinic in Kashan, Iran, in 2012. Methods: This study was done on 200 children aged 5-15 years with Body Mass Index (BMI) more than 95% and other causes of obesity were ruled out. Liver ultrasonography for evaluation of fatty liver and blood sampling were performed for these children. Results: Of 200 studied children, 122 (61%) and 78 (39%) were male and female, respectively with mean age of 9.07 years. The average of BMI was 27.9. According to liver sonography, 118 (59%) patients had fatty liver that 91.5% of them were grade I and 8.5% grade II. Liver enzyme levels, serum lipids and uric acid were significantly higher in obese children with fatty liver. Fatty liver had a significant relationship with insulin levels but no with Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS). Conclusions: In this study, the prevalence of fatty liver and associated disorder in obese children was high (59%). Therefore, the lifestyle changes are necessary to prevent childhood obesity and some measures should be carried out for the treatment of fatty liver in children.


Mechanical characteristics of the sprint start in speed skating were measured during the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. From three-dimensional film analysis of the first 4 seconds of the male and female 500-m races, biomechanical variables were determined. The first strokes during the start appeared to be performed by a running-like technique. At a forward velocity of approximately 4 m/sec, the skaters are forced to change this technique to the typical gliding technique as used during speed skating at steady speed. In explaining the time differences on the first 100 meters of the 500-m speed skating race, the effectiveness of the push-off appears to be more important than the observed high power output levels.


Background and Aim : It is well known that patients with sleep debt may have sensory deficit and complain of sensory troubles, however, little literature has been devoted to sensory perception of patients with sleep disorders. The aim of this paper is to explore sensory perception profile of sleep disorder patients. Methods : Sleep of patients and controls was systematically recorded during an one-night polysomnography. Sleep disorders diagnosis were based on the ICSD2d classification. 41 patients aged from 21 to 75 years-old and 20 controls aged from 21 to 40 years-old have been interviewed and the "Visual/audio/kinesthesis" 25 items scale applied, this scale can quantify the proportion of vision, audition or kinesthesia is used for learning by each individual, based on the number of points given to each perception type. Results : The groups were divided into 4: Sleep apnea, Insomnia, Hypersomnia and Controls, all of them had a visual preference. Sleep patients (16 with sleep apnea, 15 with insomnia, 6 with hypersomnia and 3 with narcolepsy) were compared with controls and their perceptual profile wasn't statically different; the average visual score was of 10.2 vs 9.6 (p=0,38); audio score of 7.6 vs 7.8 (p=0,78) and kinesthesis score of 7.2 vs 7.6 (p=0,56). When making comparisons in between each category of the sleep disorder including controls there were also no significate difference in the visual score (p=0,9); audio score (p=0,6) and kinesthesis score (p=0,76) Conclusion : Our study showed no difference in the perception profile of patients with sleep disturbances compared with controls. However, the scale used consisted of a subjective evaluation made by the patient and the number of patients included were too small; So, more studies need to be performed to better explore their perception, which may help clinicians in taking better care of their patients with sleep disabilities and poor quality of life. Key-Words : Sleep disorders, sleep debt, perceptual learning.


In a world of global markets and fast changing competitive environments organizations need to embrace flexibility and adaptability in response to these environmental challenges. One organizational response to these conditions is that the classical functional structures of organizations are now more and more complemented by temporal organizations or projects. Projects are used to accomplish a diverse and often complex set of organizational goals or changes that would otherwise be less obtainable by the organization, or, that would overstrain the ability of the permanent organization to achieve successful outcomes. The diverse raft of projects that organizations do pursue can comprise projects such as new product development, technical construction, through to organizational change projects. Within all this project variety, learning processes that support knowledge generation and dispersion offers a means of improving the flexibility and adaptability of individuals and the organization to these environmental challenges. A central characteristic of projects is their predetermined temporal nature, which presents a number of phenomena constructed differently from that found in traditional organizational systems e.g. specificity of focus on project objectives, micro-political dynamics, internal and external relationships dynamics, learning requirements, information coordination, and, there is the development of individuals and the organization's ability to contribute to the future competitive ability of the whole organization. With the ongoing development of individual and organizational learning being an increasingly central source of sustainability and competitiveness, it is important to develop a better understanding of the learning phenomena associated with projects. Numerous publications and practitioners confirm that a winning combination of project work and learning from experiences is hard to find. As Karen Ayas states, "learning does not happen naturally, it is a complex process that needs to be managed. It requires deliberate attention, commitment and continuous investment of resources " (Ayas 1998). Despite this opportunity, members of project teams do not actively recognize and engage a deliberate 'learning focus' within or across the management of their project activities. As such, they tend to not establish systems or frameworks to actively facilitate and optimize their learning within or between projects. The goal of this paper is to introduce and compare two frames for project learning. The frames explored illuminate learning within projects (Intra-Project Learning) and learning between projects (InterProject Learning). The comparison of the frames leads to a conclusion that in spite of the different focus, both frames ought to be considered and managed in a conjoined manner. Nevertheless, the distinction between the two frames enables an organization to identify ways to progressively generate, share and imbed new knowledge, for the benefit of both the projects and the permanent organization. The empirical case study research supporting this paper has been conducted in industrial organizations in both Australia and Sweden.


Do your salespeople feel under extreme pressure to retain accounts or gain new business at any cost? If so, you may be leaving big money on the table. Consider the integrated-circuit supplier representative who lost $500,000 of potential profit on a single transaction, just to "win" a deal that he would have closed anyway at the higher price. Do not make price concessions. Become a value merchant instead. In this authoritative book, James Anderson, Nirmalya Kumar, and James Narus explain how companies in business markets can use customer value management techniques to estimate the value of your market offerings, create value propositions that resonate with your customers, and maximize the return you will get on the superior value that you deliver. Drawing on extensive research and detailed case studies of companies like Sonoco, Tata Steel, and Quaker Chemical, Value Merchants will change the mindset and behavior of your executives, sales management, representatives, and marketers--as well as your customers.


In previous research we concluded that a personality profile, based on the Five Factor Model, can be constructed from observations of a player's behavior in a module that we designed for Neverwinter Nights (Lankveld et al. 2011a). In the present research, we investigate whether we can do the same thing in an actual modern commercial video game, in this case the game Fallout 3. We stored automatic observations on 36 participants who played the introductory stages of Fallout 3. We then correlated these observations with the participants' personality profiles, expressed by values for five personality traits as measured by the standard NEO-FFI questionnaire. Our analysis shows correlations between all five personality traits and the game observations. These results validate and generalize the results from our previous research (Lankveld et al. 2011a). We may conclude that Fallout 3, and by extension other modern video games, allows players to express their personality, and can therefore be used to create personality profiles.


To support Integrated Science learning, an integrated learning resource is needed, so that harmony between learning models and learning resources is created, namely the Integrated Science module. Based on this, it was tried to apply the module on Integrated Science learning with the hypothesis that students 'learning achievements taught with Integrated Science modules with integrated learning models with high initial abilities were better than students' learning achievements taught without Integrated Science modules with high initial abilities and also vice versa. The purpose of applying this module is to find out the differences in student achievement. The research method used is a quantitative approach with a type of quasi-experimental research with different treatments in both samples. The class used is 7A as an experiment and 7B as a control class. For the experimental class learning activities are accompanied by modules with integration learning models, while the control class is without modules. Then to test the hypothesis used ANOVA AB Statistical Test followed by Scheffe Test. Students' abilities are distinguished from the class average, if above the class average is called high ability and vice versa. From the results of the two post test classes, the average experimental class = 65.11> 51.44 (control class). While the ANOVA Statistics results obtained thitung = 5.002> 2.01575 (t45; .05) which means that student learning achievement taught with Integrated Science module with integrated learning models with high initial abilities is better than students' learning achievement taught without modules Integrated Science with high initial ability with experimental class average = 66.38> 54.29 (control class). Whereas for students with low initial abilities, the results of tcount = 6.34> 2.0231 (t39; .05) means that students 'learning achievements taught with Integrated Science modules with integration learning models with low initial abilities are better than students' learning achievements. taught without an Integrated Science module with a low initial ability with an experimental class average = 63.9> 47.54 (control class). It can be said that the module is suitable for students with high initial abilities as well as students with low initial abilities.


ABSTRACT Tunisia is located at a key position in the Mediterranean Sea where it constitutes a transitional area between the eastern and western basins benefitting from rich habitat diversity. The most recent inventory of marine macrophytes dated back to 1987 with an update in 1995, however these inventories were performed with identification based on morphological observations, which can be misleading for many seaweed species. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of the Tunisian macroalgal flora using DNA barcoding methods. Our target was to carry out a survey of macroalgae, to reveal cryptic species and allochthonous introductions, and to identify taxa with problematic taxonomy. COI-5P sequence analysis resolved 26 genetic species, including two new reports and three alien species. Of the remaining taxa, several displayed cryptic diversity relative to species reported from the Mediterranean versus from other geographical regions with taxonomic and nomenclature updates provided where possible. The aim of the present paper was to provide a DNA barcode-assisted floristic list of florideophycean algae collected along the Tunisian coast.


By the use of flow cytometric techniques, this prospective, randomized crossover study was designed to analyze intradialytic granulocyte reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation in whole blood with complement-activating and noncomplement-activating hollow fiber membranes. Dialysis with a complement-activating membrane resulted in a 6.5-fold increase in granulocyte hydrogen peroxide production 15 min after dialysis initiation and remained significantly elevated (P < 0.01) through the first 30 min with this membrane in comparison to both predialysis values and simultaneous values with a noncomplement-activating membrane. Further studies demonstrated that blood obtained at 15 min with a complement-activating membrane generated significantly less granulocyte ROS production in response to Staphylococcus aureus incubation than blood obtained either predialysis or at the same time in dialysis with a noncomplement-activating membrane. Both complement-activating and noncomplement-activating dialysis membranes caused slightly decreased granulocyte responsiveness to phorbol myristate acetate. It was concluded that hemodialysis with complement-activating membranes results in increased granulocyte ROS production and decreased responsiveness to S. aureus challenge during the dialysis procedure. These results document the potential role of ROS in hemodialysis-associated pathology and susceptibility to infection.


Companies in a variety of sectors are increasingly managing customer churn proactively, generally by detecting customers at the highest risk of churning and targeting retention efforts towards them. While there is a vast literature on developing churn prediction models that identify customers at the highest risk of churning, no research has investigated whether it is indeed optimal to target those individuals. Combining two field experiments with machine learning techniques, the author demonstrates that customers identified as having the highest risk of churning are not necessarily the best targets for proactive churn programs. This finding is not only contrary to commonwisdom but also suggests that retention programs are sometimes futile not because firms offer the wrong incentives but because they do not apply the right targeting rules. Accordingly, firms should focus their modeling efforts on identifying the observed heterogeneity in response to the intervention and to target customers on the basis of their sensitivity to the intervention, regardlessof their risk of churning. This approach is empirically demonstrated to be significantly more effective than the standard practice of targeting customers with the highest risk of churning. More broadly, the author encourages firms and researchers using randomized trials (or A/B tests) to look beyond the average effect of interventions and leverage the observed heterogeneity in customers' response to select customer targets.


A new flexible pump source, the optically-pumped semiconductor disk laser (SDL), for the Cr(2+):ZnSe laser is reported. The SDL provides up to 6W output power at a free running central wavelength of 1.98 microm. The Cr(2+):ZnSe laser operated at an output power of 1.8W and a slope efficiency of approximately 50% with respect to absorbed pump power whilst maintaining a low output intensity noise figure of <0.14% RMS. The system required no optical isolation even under the situation of significant optical feedback.


Climate scientists project a rise in both average temperatures and the frequency of temperature extremes. We study how extreme temperatures affect companies' earnings. We combine granular daily data on temperatures across the continental U.S. with locations of public companies' establishments to build a panel of quarterly firm-level temperature exposures (1990-2015). Extreme temperatures significantly impact earnings in over 40% of industries. Some industries are harmed by temperature shocks while others benefit. Analysts and investors do not immediately react to observable intra-quarter temperature shocks, but earnings forecasts account for temperature effects by quarter-end in many, though not all, industries.


Purpose: Over the past several months, the coronavirus has infected more than six million Americans and killed nearly 200,000. Governors have issued stay-at-home orders, and prosecutors have filed criminal charges against individuals for defying those orders. And yet many Americans have still refused to keep their distance from their fellow citizens, even if they had symptoms of infection. The authors explore the underlying causes for those who intend to defy these norms. Methods: Using national-level data from a March 2020 survey of 989 Americans, the authors explore intentions to defy social distancing norms by testing an interactionist theory of foundation-based moral behavior in combination with faith in President Trump during the coronavirus pandemic. The analysis controls for a range of variables, including measures of low self-control and deterrence. Results: Low self-control is the strongest predictor of defiance intentions. Consistent with interactionist theory, defiance intentions are significantly higher for those holding specific faith in Trump and those endorsing binding foundations. Furthermore, the interaction of these two variables is significant and in the predicted direction. The results hold for two different measures of faith in Trump. Conclusions: Even with a strong effect for low self-control, faith in President Trump is a strong predictor of refusal to social-distance, and its effect is largest among individuals high in binding foundations.


Youth Mental Health First Aid USA (YMHFA) is a manualized training program designed to educate members of the public on common emotional problems and psychological disorders among youth and to provide trainees with tools anyone can use to assist young people in psychological distress. The present study used a pre versus post design to assess the ability of social service employees to generate appropriate strategies to use in hypothetical situations featuring a young person in distress, before versus after participation in the 8-hr YMHFA training. Trainee responses demonstrated significant overall improvement (M = 1.32, SD = 0.80 pretraining vs. M = 1.87, SD = 1.1 posttraining, t = 6.6, p < .001) by including four of the five central YMHFA strategies significantly more often after training. Increased confidence in, likelihood of, and comfort with helping a young person in emotional distress or crisis were also reported posttraining compared to pretraining (all p ≤ .001). Results suggest that individuals participating in YMHFA training are better informed regarding when to assess for risk of suicide, listen nonjudgmentally, encourage appropriate professional help, and encourage self-help strategies with young people in psychological distress. (PsycINFO Database Record


Discussions of criminal punishment tend to focus on sentencing as the unique moment when punishment is affixed. Yet two punishment decisions are made in the course of establishing a criminal defendant's liability. The first occurs at conviction, where the range of available punishments is narrowed to that defined by the conviction offense's statutory grade. The second occurs at sentencing, when a more refined decision is made as to a punishment within that range. At present, the first punishment decision involves no explicit judgment by the decisionmaker (the jury, in a jury trial) as to what constitutes a proper punishment, even in broad terms. Instead, the jury makes a set of factual findings and votes to convict of an offense, without knowing its grade or the punishment range attaching to that grade. The first cut punishment level determined by the offense's statutory grade is then imposed administratively, by operation of law. This Article argues that the first punishment decision, the one made at conviction, should not be made while blind as to its consequences, as is currently done in jury trials (though, significantly, not in bench trials). The jury should have both a greater, and more explicit, role in assigning punishment - not only (or, perhaps, even at all) by taking on a greater role with respect to the second, sentencing decision, which is the focus of most current attention, but also by wielding more (and more informed) power with respect to the punishment consequences of the initial decision to convict. In short, the Article proposes that we instruct criminal juries not only about the elements of the offenses with which a defendant is charged, but also about the offense grades and overall sentencing ranges that correspond to each of those offenses. Such a reform would acknowledge and affirm the jury's role as a finder of fault, not merely a finder of facts.


The EUROCERT English Proficiency Certification Program is jomtly developed and sponsored by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and the Dutch Institute for Educational Measurement (Cito), and will be administered throughout Europe by Cito. It measures English proficiency - specifically listening, reading, writing and speaking, and utilizes the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the Test of Written English (TWE) and the Test of Spoken English (TSE). There are two levels of certification: Certified and Certified with Honors.EUROCERT measures proficiency at an advanced level. The different components of EUROCERT, i.e. the three-part TOEFL, the compound TSE and the essay-type TWE are discussed. Evaluation of language proficiency seems to be possible firstly by observing authentic language behaviour and secondly by an examination of the tacit knowledge that underlies language behaviour. It is not possible to make a choice between the two approaches on mere theoretical grounds. Generally, it is recommended to incorporate different techniques of measurement in a test in order to avoid method effects. The EUROCERT battery tries to meet this requirement.


Counts of migrating raptors at Batumi, Georgia, revealed the eastern Black Sea coast to form one of the most important bottlenecks for raptor migration during autumn in the Eurasian-African migration system. Totals for 10 species (European Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus, Steppe Buzzard Buteo buteo vulpinus, Black Kite Milvus migrans, Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes, Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus, Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus, Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina, Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga, Booted Eagle Aquila pennata) exceeded 1% of their estimated world population. We compare the observed abundance of each species to estimates of the presumed source populations in European Russia. Counts of most species involved only a limited subset of these source populations, except for European Honey-buzzard and Lesser Spotted Eagle, which were more numerous than predicted. This could be due to inaccurate population estimates or because birds from NE Europe or W Asia are also using this migration route.


Extinct mid-ocean ridges record past plate boundary reorganizations, and identifying their locations is crucial to developing a better understanding of the drivers of plate tectonics and oceanic crustal accretion. Frequently, extinct ridges cannot be easily identified within existing geophysical data sets, and there are many controversial examples that are poorly constrained. We analyze the axial morphology and gravity signal of 29 well-constrained, global, large-scale extinct ridges that are digitized from global data sets, to describe their key characteristics. Additionally, the characteristics of a representative collection of active spreading centers are analyzed to review the present-day variation in the bathymetry and gravity signal of ridges in different tectonic settings such as backarc basin ridges, microplate ridges, and large-scale plate boundaries with varied spreading rates. Uncertain extinct ridge-like structures are evaluated in comparison with the signals of well-defined extinct ridges, and we assess whether their morphology and gravity signals are within the range seen at extinct (or active) ridges. There is significant variability in extinct ridge morphology; yet we find that the majority of well-defined extinct ridges have a trough form and a negative free-air gravity anomaly. We compile available data on the spreading characteristics of extinct ridges prior to cessation, such as their spreading rates and duration of spreading, and find significant differences between ridge subtypes and between oceans. Large-scale extinct mid-ocean ridges persist much longer than extinct microplate spreading ridges and extinct backarc basin spreading ridges before cessation. Extinct fragmented plate and microplate spreading centers have the highest pre-extinction spreading rates, and they have greater median relief at their axial segments, suggesting that different crustal accretion styles could lead to different morphology after spreading cessation. Backarc basin ridges have more pronounced relief when they have been active for longer before cessation, which supports theories of reduced magmatic supply as the basin width increases. Extinct ridges in the Atlantic Ocean have the lowest spreading rates prior to cessation and tend to persist for twice as long as those in the Pacific before extinction. There are a larger number of extinct ridges preserved within marginal basins than expected for their combined area; these ridges may relate to the complexity of the plate boundaries in these regions. Our review of a large number of controversial extinct ridge locations offers some insight into which proposed locations are more likely to have been former spreading centers, and our analysis further leads to the discovery of several previously unidentified structures in the south of the West Philippine Basin that likely represent extinct ridges and a possible extinct ridge in the western South Atlantic. We make available our global compilation of data and analyses of individual ridges in a global extinct ridge data set at the GPlates Portal webpage.


This paper interrogates industrial development in Kenya. It presents a discourse in support of modernizing local technologies and focusing on small manufacturing enterprises (Jua Kali) to anchor sustainable industrial development in Less Developed Countries. The trend in production and performance in Wood Industry in Kenya is used to demonstrate that relying on modern technology brought in by foreign Direct Investment does not always lead to sustainable development. The paper is informed by a longitudinal survey of the performance of manufacturing and Wood Industries in Kenya.


The prevalence of HIV in Rakai district is estimated at 12.7%, which is approximately double the national prevalence. It is well established that HIV and AIDS affect nutritional status and food security of populations. The aim of this study was to assess the food and nutrition security of people living with HIV (PLHIV) and the potential of banana nutrient enhancement to improve nutrient intake. A total of 173 PLHIV registered with Rakai Health Science Project were chosen and interviewed using structured questionnaires to determine the current contribution of banana to the household food security. Nutrient intake data were collected using Gibson�s 24-hour recall method and food frequency questionnaires. Key informants� interviews with agricultural extension staff and focus group discussions with PLHIV and support group personnel were used to collect qualitative and quantitative information. Experiments were conducted to determine the suitability of banana as a food vehicle to boost the energy and nutrient intake of PLHIV. A product was made by blending banana flour with soybean flour and multi-nutrient fortificant premix. The formulation was reached using the Pearson�s square method, with a target protein content of 15%. To pilot test the product, the nutrient-enhanced banana powder was distributed to15 PLHIV and data on acceptability and the contribution of the product to nutrient intake were assessed. It was found that the majority of PLHIV (88%) in Rakai district consumed banana at least 3 times a week. The baseline daily intake was found to be 1676.2 kcal, 0.8mg, 0.8 mg, 249.6 mcg, 259.4 mg and 12.9 mg for energy, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, folate, calcium and iron respectively, which was below the recommended daily allowances (RDA) for PLHIV. The formulated banana product was found to supply 459.7 kcal and contained 15% protein. The product was well accepted by the PLHIV and its average level of consumption was 67 g per day. At this intake level of the product, study households intake of energy, vitamin B2, folate and calcium increased to 1732.89kcal, 1.09mg, 277.8mcg and 300.79mg respectively while iron and vitamin B1 intakes were not significantly different from the baseline values. It can be concluded that supplementation of diet of PLHIV in Rakai with nutrient-enhanced flour can raise nutrient intake of PLHIV to recommended levels for improved nutritional and health status.


Sacral insufficiency fracture is a painful injury, for which no effective treatment currently exists. The objective of this study was to report on the clinical outcomes and technical aspects of balloon kyphoplasty, which was used in three patients with this injury. Three elderly women with intractable pain from sacral insufficiency fractures were treated with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) injections into the sacrum by using a modified balloon kyphoplasty procedure. The visual analog scale pain score improved by four points in each case. Functional status was improved and analgesic medication requirements were decreased in all three patients. There were no complications associated with the procedure. Because of the unique anatomy of the sacrum, it was difficult to monitor instrument placement and PMMA injection by using conventional fluoroscopy. BrainLAB image guidance was used in one case, and was helpful in guiding instrument placement and assuring accurate PMMA deposition at the fracture site. Balloon kyphoplasty may be a treatment alternative in selected patients with sacral insufficiency fractures. BrainLAB image guidance may offer some advantages over conventional fluoroscopy with regard to the monitoring of instrument placement and PMMA injection.


This paper presents a ventilated solar collector with energy storage of fins containing Phase Change Material (PCM) in the air cavity and investigates its thermal performance. The idea is to use PCM in combination with ventilation as a thermal controller of indoor environment and to consequently decrease the building energy consumption both in summer and winter time. The main parts of the solar collector are plate fins with small thickness containing PCM fitted into the ventilation cavity, which is a good way to compensate the low thermal conductivity of PCM. The solar collector can absorb large amount of solar energy because of the high latent capacity of PCM. The energy is supplied into the indoor environment by means of ventilation. The system can be integrated into the building envelopes such as windows for low-energy building. This study starts with examining the discharge process of PCM fins by numerically investigating 9 cases of PCM fins in different fin thickness and air gap thickness in a transient 2D model. Then the charge process of PCM fins in consideration of solar radiation is studied in a time-dependent 3D model. The results show that for discharge process, a larger fin thickness and a smaller air gap thickness are good for the increase of total heat exchange amount of PCM fins during discharge process. However, when continuing to increase the fin thickness and keeping the air gap thickness fixed at 5 mm, the total heat exchange amount does not continue the increase trend. The fin thickness of 20 mm has the largest heat exchange amount and the largest utilization percentage. Mechanical ventilation is needed only in cases with air gap thickness as 5mm. The system has the potential to completely or partly substitute the air-conditioning and heating system and a big energy saving potential.


In the process of selecting Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) products, goals may be used to define the selection criteria. Goals can range from high-level strategic objectives to low-level technical objectives. During the process of defining these goals, high-level objectives are decomposed into more refined objectives at lower levels. However, it is important not only to define the decomposition links, but also to define how different technical goals interact. Defining such interaction is important to avoid unexpected system behaviour when a negative interaction scenario occurs between two goals. Moreover, defining these interactions at an early stage will prevent high repair costs at later stages. In this paper, we describe the application of an approach called IRIS to identify interactions among goals during COTS selection. As a proof of concept, we present an example of an e-commerce system to illustrate the proposed work.


Thermal losses from hot to cold ends of a Stirling cycle regenerator as a result of streamwise conduction and thermal dispersion in the matrix significantly degrade performance. Cross-stream conduction and thermal dispersion aids in reducing inlet flow and temperature nonuniformities. Thus, quantification of conduction and thermal dispersion is important for design. Thermal dispersion can be divided into a flow-driven eddy dispersion component, and, in the flow direction, a flow-driven advection dispersion component. Because regenerator design choices affect the components differently, it is advantageous to evaluate them separately. The focus of this paper is the measurement of the eddy component of dispersion. This component is caused by mixing within the pores by eddies created by flow separation off the solid-phase elements. Because of poor access to void spaces within a porous medium, no direct measurements have been made, and eddy dispersion models have been derived indirectly. In the current program, a large-scale porous matrix consisting of stacked wire screens with a porosity of 90% is installed in a flow rig, which is operated at an engine-representative Reynolds number. Measurements are made of eddy transport of momentum normal to the flow direction at the exit plane of the matrix using multiple hot-film sensors. The relationship of such a turbulent transport term to cross-stream and streamwise eddy thermal dispersion in the volumetric-averaged energy equation for the regenerator matrix is developed. An eddy dispersion model based upon a coefficient from the measurements and the functional form of the Prandtl mixing length model is proposed. This correlation agrees with several in the literature. Such agreement supports this measurement method.


Summary. Changes in community composition of terrestrial gymnamoebae were analyzed in laboratory microcosms established with thoroughly mixed soil from a northeastern U. S. A. site taken during the onset of winter 2002-2003, when the soil temperature was 5°C. The temperature of one of the microcosms, maintained in constant temperature chambers, was increased from 5°C to 25°C at 5 intervals of two weeks each for a period of 10 weeks. Another microcosm was maintained for the 10 weeks at 5°C to serve as a control for the lapse of time and to assess the effects of prolonged treatment at 5°C simulating winter conditions. Small subsamples (0.01 g) of the microcosm soil were taken using a modified 1 cm 3 syringe with the tip cut off to make a cylindrical corer. Based on a culture enrichment technique, the morphospecies richness, heterogeneity of distribution within the samples (morphospecies uniqueness) and community patchiness were determined by microscopic observation of the morphospecies that grew out in the cultures of each 0.01 g sample. The data showed that with increasing temperatures up to 20°C, the richness and patchiness of morphospecies increased while the uniqueness did not change within statistical significance. Two-weeks treatment at 25°C simulating summer conditions, produced a marked decline in richness of morphospecies and a substantial increase in the percent that were encysted suggesting less favorable conditions for growth, perhaps resulting from thermal stress and depletion of nutrients and other resources. Overall, the evidence from this study indicated that release from cold stress during the transition from winter to spring produced increased richness of morphospecies and greater patchiness of the gymnamoeba communities. This "bloom," however, was followed by a period of less productivity and retrenchment with increasing numbers of encysted gymnamoebae as the temperature was increased above 20°C.


This book contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between migration, vulnerability, resilience and social justice associated with flooding across diverse environmental, social and policy contexts in Southeast Asia. It is the output of an international collaborative project funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. The book challenges simple analyses of flooding as a singular driver of migration, and instead considers the ways in which floods figure in migration-based livelihoods and amongst already mobile populations. The book develops a conceptual framework based on a 'mobile political ecology' in which particular attention is paid to the multidimensionality, temporalities and geographies of vulnerability. Rather than simply emphasising the capacities (or lack thereof) of individuals and households, the focus is on identifying factors that instigate, manage and perpetuate vulnerable populations and places: these include the sociopolitical dynamics of floods, flood hazards and risky environments, migration and migrant-based livelihoods and the policy environments through which all of these take shape. The book is organised around a series of eight empirical urban and rural case studies from countries in Southeast Asia, where lives are marked by mobility and by floods associated with the region's monsoonal climate. The concluding chapter synthesises the insights of the case studies, and suggests future policy directions. Together, the chapters highlight critical policy questions around the governance of migration, institutionalised disaster response strategies and broader development agendas.


The aim of this research programme was to investigate the use of an asymmetric intramolecular Nicholas reaction in the synthesis of novel, optically pure and biologically active benzopyran derivatives from optically active precursors. The novel compounds were designed for medicinal and pharmaceutical applications. A series of benzopyran derivatives was synthesised and screened for biological activity. The synthetic route involved the preparation of enantiopure and enantioenriched propargyl alcohols as cyclisation precursors. These alcohols were then subjected to the Nicholas reaction characterised by complexation-cyclisation-decomplexation steps.
This thesis is divided in to three main chapters. Chapter one covers three different but interrelated sections. The first section discusses the properties of organocobalt complexes and the Nicholas reaction while the second one examines the different approaches to asymmetric synthesis of propargyl alcohols. The third section elaborates on the synthetic route to cromakalim, the prototype of benzopyran derivatives.
Chapter two, details the result achieved during our investigations into the synthesis of a new family of benzopyran derivatives via intramolecular Nicholas cyclisation reactions from enantiopure and enriched chiral propargyl alcohols. During the course of this investigation, a mild and inexpensive literature methodology was improved upon for the synthesis of enantiopure chiral propargyl alcohols, enhancing the yield of the reaction. Moreover, it was found that the enantioselectivity depended upon the substitution pattern on the aromatic ring. The C-2 substituent plays an important role in terms of enantioselectivity. Thus, the presence of electron-donating groups decreased the enantioselectivity while electron-withdrawing groups enhanced the enantiomeric excesses. The absolute configuration of the synthesised chiral propargyl alcohols was found to be dependent on the chiral ligand used. This was confirmed by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis.
The outcome of the cyclisation reaction using the enantiopure and enriched alcohols was rather surprising. Single isomers and optically active cyclised products were obtained regardless of the degree of enantiopurity of the cyclisation precursors, the propargyl alcohols. Furthermore, the main feature of this cyclisation was the rapidity of the reaction, providing clean and high yielding benzopyran derivatives that consistently displayed cis-relative stereochemistry at the two newly formed stereogenic centres. The stereochemistry was based on [sup]1H NMR spectroscopy, NOE experiments and the chemical shift of the [sup]13C NMR of the two chiral carbons centres (C*). Moreover, high quality [sup]1H and [sup]13C NMR spectra were obtained for the cobalt complexed compounds for the first time during this study.
Interesting results were obtained from the biological screening. The testing was conducted on Mouse Thoracic Aorta (MTA) tissue using cromakalim as a benchmark. The novel benzopyran derivatives exerted vasorelaxant activity. Most importantly, these agents seem to relax the tissue via a different mechanism to cromakalim i.e. not involving K[sup]+ channel activation.
Chapter three conclude these investigations by describing the experimental procedures for both chiral non-racemic propargyl alcohols based on salicylaldehydes and benzaldehydes as well as the racemic propargyl alcohols and the stepwise cyclisation reaction.


The Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein kinase Rim15 was identified previously as a component of the Ras/cAMP pathway acting immediately downstream of cAMP‐dependent protein kinase (cAPK) to control a broad range of adaptations in response to nutrient limitation. Here, we show that the zinc finger protein Gis1 acts as a dosage‐dependent suppressor of the rim15Δ defect in nutrient limitation‐induced transcriptional derepression of SSA3. Loss of Gis1 results in a defect in transcriptional derepression upon nutrient limitation of various genes that are negatively regulated by the Ras/cAMP pathway (e.g. SSA3, HSP12 and HSP26). Tests of epistasis as well as transcriptional analyses of Gis1‐dependent expression indicate that Gis1 acts in this pathway downstream of Rim15 to mediate transcription from the previously identified post‐diauxic shift (PDS) element. Accordingly, deletion of GIS1 partially suppresses, and overexpression of GIS1 exacerbates the growth defect of mutant cells that are compromised for cAPK activity. Moreover, PDS element‐driven expression, which is negatively regulated by the Ras/cAMP pathway and which is induced upon nutrient limitation, is almost entirely dependent on the presence of Gis1.


In this study, we objectively determined whether the ReSTOR as a multifocal IOL (intraocular lens) has a multifocal function compared to the IQ as a monofocal IOL in vivo by OQAS (Optical Quality Analysis System). Eighteen patients who had cataract surgery with implantation of ReSTOR (27 eyes) and 15 patients with IQ (21 eyes), were included inthis study. Uncorrected distance visual acuity (UCDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), uncorrected near visual acuity (UCNVA)and distance corrected near visual acuity (DCNVA) were measured. After setting the artificial pupil size to 3 mm, we performed 'Optical quality'. We inputted defocus diopters of (objective spherical refraction)(far), (objective spherical refraction-1.25 D)(intermediate),(objective spherical refraction-2.5 D)(near), and (objective spherical refraction-3.5 D)(very near) into 'selected spherical refraction' simulating the optical quality at far, intermediate, and near distance. We changed the pupil size to 5 mm and repeated the same measurements. The UCDVA and CDVA did not show significant differences between the 2 groups. But, the UCNVA and DCNVA of the ReSTOR group were better than those of the IQ group (p=0.000, p=0.000). For 3 mm pupil, at far distance, modulation transfer function (MTF) cut off and point spread function (PSF) width at 50% of ReSTOR were worse than those of IQ (p=0.039, p=0.020). At intermediate distance, MTF cut off, Strehl ratio and PSF width at 50% of ReSTOR were worse than those of IQ (p=0.001, p=0.001, p=0.000). At near distance, MTF cut off of ReSTOR was worse than that of IQ (p=0.033). At very near distance, MTF cut off and Strehl ratio of ReSTOR were worse than those of IQ (p=0.002, p=0.002), but PSF width at 50% of ReSTOR was better than that of IQ. For 5 mm pupil, most parameters at each distance, there was no significant difference between the 2 groups. Only PSF width at 50% of ReSTOR were worse than those of IQ at intermediate distance (p=0.013). It was impossible to show the multifocal function of ReSTOR compared to the IQ byOQAS.


Measure transport underpins several recent algorithms for posterior approximation in the Bayesian context, wherein a transport map is sought to minimise the Kullback--Leibler divergence (KLD) from the posterior to the approximation. The KLD is a strong mode of convergence, requiring absolute continuity of measures and placing restrictions on which transport maps can be permitted. Here we propose to minimise a kernel Stein discrepancy (KSD) instead, requiring only that the set of transport maps is dense in an $L^2$ sense and demonstrating how this condition can be validated. The consistency of the associated posterior approximation is established and empirical results suggest that KSD is competitive and more flexible alternative to KLD for measure transport.


Background Regarding adolescence developmental psychopathology and the psychological correlates associated with the onset of severe and enduring mental health in adolescence, this thesis proposes that early attachment related experiences underlie the successful ability to regulate emotions, negotiate interpersonal interactions, assess and utilise social support and develop the necessary mentalizing skills for organizing and understanding both the self and others. Insecure attachment and poor reflective function appear to be linked to clinical samples yet the underlying mechanisms for how these constructs affect adolescent psychopathology and subsequent psychological adaptation have still to be examined. Objectives A quantitative cross sectional design was utilised to investigate the following research questions; 1) Is attachment and reflective function directly and indirectly associated with psychological adaptation to mental health difficulties in adolescence? 2) Do emotion regulation, interpersonal difficulties and social support mediate the effect of attachment and reflective function? Methods 75 participants were recruited from three Tier IV Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Edinburgh. They were asked to complete questionnaires measuring the variables of mood, interpersonal difficulties, emotion regulation and social support. The Adult Attachment Interview was administered and coded to ascertain the individual"s attachment classification and was scored to measure their levels of reflective function when considering their childhood experiences. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse the data. Results The emergent clinical picture of this sample was one of adolescents with interpersonal difficulties, moderate distress and poor psychological adaptation. The dominant attachment classification was insecure/ dismissing. The observed level of reflective function indicated that participants could refer to mental states but that these references were not made explicit and their understanding of the intentions of others was likely to be general or superficial. SEM analysis demonstrated that reflective function significantly and directly predicted psychological adaptation but not low mood. In contrast attachment demonstrated a significant indirect path to adaptation, being fully mediated by internally dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies. These maladaptive emotion regulation strategies directly predicted low mood and indirectly predicted psychological adaptation. In terms of the social support construct, the discrepancy between the support desired and the support received directly predicted adaption and partially mediated the relationship between reflective function and and psychological adaptation. Discussion The theoretical implications of the results centred on the importance of investigating the underlying mechanisms of attachment and mentalization in the psychological adaptation of adolescents with severe and enduring mental health difficulties. Emotion regulation, interpersonal difficulties and social support were found to play a significant role in low mood and adaptation thus enhancing the current understanding of psychological distress and chronic difficulties for this population. Further clinical implications were discussed concerning the recommendation of promoting and utilizing a mentalization based approach when working with clinical adolescent populations.


For a successful and efficient communication in mobile ad hoc network, routing protocols play a vital role. Among those proposed in literature, location based routing protocols show their superiority over others by exhibiting low communication overhead, higher scalability and better adaptability in scenarios where node mobility is high; especially high scalability makes them attractive for large-scale deployment of ad hoc network. As the name indicates, location based routing protocols greatly rely on the precise knowledge of the mobile devices' location, which is provided by a location service. Huge research efforts have been dedicated in developing location services where the researchers have emphasized on making the services scalable but little consideration was given on their applicability in real-world environment as most services have been designed assuming an ideal deployment environment that fails to represent the impact of the real-world on node mobility and signal propagation. A location service most suitable in a realistic environment must consider the impact of environmental contexts (obstacles, pathways, etc.), making the mobility model a vital factor through which the environmental impact is reflected in simulation. This study develops a novel mobility model which emulates realistic node mobility more accurately by considering various environmental contexts. Non-uniform node distribution caused by environmental contexts impacts the performance of the existing location services drastically. This demands a pressing need for a location service that can adopt itself while ensuring seamless service. In this study non-uniform node distribution arising from natural phenomena is considered while designing a novel location service protocol that adapts itself to the presence and nature of the environmental context. As the location service utilizes the underlying location based routing protocol for transferring service related messages, signal attenuation experienced due to environmental contexts is also taken into account in the routing protocol for finding routable paths, which in turn further enhances the performance of the proposed location service significantly. The proposed location service shows a superior ability to provide location information while maintaining scalability. A detailed mathematical model of the scalability is also presented. Exhaustive simulation has been conducted using a real-world map, which demonstrates the significant superiority of the proposed scheme over other competitive location service protocols (e.g., HLS (Hierarchical Location Service) and GLS (Grid Location Service)) for both uniformly and non-uniformly distributed nodes, and establishes its greater applicability to real-world environments.


On occasion, criminal defendants hope to convince a jury that the state has not met its burden of proving them guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by offering evidence that someone else (a third party) committed the crime. Currently, state and federal courts assess the admissibility of evidence of third-party guilt using a variety of standards. In general, however, there are two basic approaches. Many state courts require a defendant to proffer evidence of some sort of direct link or connection between a specific third-party and the crime. A second group of state courts, as well as federal courts, admit evidence of third-party guilt if it is relevant under Federal Rule of Evidence 401, or its state equivalent, and not excluded by other rules of evidence, such as 403. While some scholars have lauded the 401/403 approach as the better test, in practice the two tests operate in much the same way and the evidentiary bottom line is that the defendant's evidence is frequently deemed inadmissible. Courts have offered two justifications for the strict restrictions on third-party guilt evidence: (1) to prevent juror confusion; and, (2) to guard against fabricated statements by third parties. We explain why these fears are unfounded, and then turn to the focus of this article: the importance of narrative relevance. Existing evidentiary restrictions fail to consider the role third party guilt evidence plays in shaping the narrative, or story, that the defendant will present to the jury in his defense. Empirical studies have shown that - more than legal standards, definitions or instructions - narrative plays a key role in the juror decision-making process. Without a thorough understanding and consideration of the narrative relevance of third party guilt evidence, restrictions on its use cannot be and are not being appropriately applied because they fail to account for the way in which jurors actually think and process information at trial. After discussing the importance of narrative relevance, we propose a new test which is more consistent with a defendant's constitutional rights to a fair trial and to present a complete defense. First, the threshold test for admissibility should be probable cause. If the evidence proffered by the defendant would permit the state to proceed with a criminal prosecution against the third party, then the defendant must be permitted to tell the story of third party guilt. A story for the goose is a story for the gander. Once, the threshold test is satisfied, we propose that, with one significant exception, a defendant should be permitted to admit third-party guilt evidence if that same evidence would be admissible against the third party were he the defendant. The exception is propensity evidence. There is no need to balance the probative value of the third-party guilt evidence against the danger of unfair prejudice because the third-party suffers no prejudice by the admission of the evidence at a trial in which he is not the accused. Thus, admission of propensity (or other character) evidence concerning a third party should not be precluded.


Drawing on an impressive roster of experts in the field, Fundamentals of Computer Graphics, Fourth Edition offers an ideal resource for computer course curricula as well as a user-friendly personal or professional reference. Focusing on geometric intuition, the book gives the necessary information for understanding how images get onto the screen by using the complementary approaches of ray tracing and rasterization. It covers topics common to an introductory course, such as sampling theory, texture mapping, spatial data structure, and splines. It also includes a number of contributed chapters from authors known for their expertise and clear way of explaining concepts. Highlights of the Fourth Edition Include: Updated coverage of existing topics Major updates and improvements to several chapters, including texture mapping, graphics hardware, signal processing, and data structures A text now printed entirely in four-color to enhance illustrative figures of concepts The fourth edition of Fundamentals of Computer Graphics continues to provide an outstanding and comprehensive introduction to basic computer graphic technology and theory. It retains an informal and intuitive style while improving precision, consistency, and completeness of material, allowing aspiring and experienced graphics programmers to better understand and apply foundational principles to the development of efficient code in creating film, game, or web designs.


This article points out the benefits of employing a performance based analysis approach for ascertaining the likelihood that travelling fires in an office building could induce a localized failure that might trigger its collapse. The case study chosen is Building 7 of the World Trade Center complex. Based on the parametric study undertaken, our findings were that the fire-protected steel floor beam, identified as the initiator of the cascade of events that followed, could not have done so, virtually under any circumstance. Supplementary Sources: Clip from "9-11 in the Academic Community"


First year PharmD students at the Faculty of Pharmacy completed the laboratory skills final examination for the academic year 2018/2019. The exam was conducted using the Objective Structured Practical Exam (OSPE) method. It is worth mentioning that the Faculty of Pharmacy at the Libyan International Medical University is the first in Libya to adopt the PharmD program. The Faculty adopts interactive learning strategies in the delivery of this program including: Problem-based learning and Team-based learning methods. The Faculty of Pharmacy is the first to develop and use the OSPE method to test the laboratory skills of its students. Noting that the Faculty of Pharmacy always seeks to update the methods of assessments in addition to relying on the continuous evaluation of students as an effective method of evaluation


This text offers an introduction to binary logistic regression, a confirmatory technique for statistically modelling the effect of one or several predictors on a binary response variable. It is explained why logistic regression is exceptionally well suited for the comparison of near synonyms in corpus data; the technique allows the researcher to identify the different factors that have an impact on the choice between near synonyms, and to tease apart their respective effects. Moreover, the technique is well suited to deal with the type of unbalanced data sets that are typical of corpus linguistics. First, we describe in which contexts logistic regression is applicable and we give examples of the types of research questions for which it is an appropriate tool. Next, we explain why and how logistic regression analysis is different from linear regression analysis and we illustrate how the output of logistic regression analysis can be interpreted, using the study of an alternation pattern in Dutch as our example. The R code used in the case study is explained in detail and an URL is given from which R code and data sets can be downloaded. Finally, suggestions for further reading are given.


A haunted childhood, lived out in two dimensions. One is legendary: the Sun-fort of Grianan, home of the warrior Fianna; the Field of the Disappeared, over which no gulls fly; the house in Donegal where children are stolen away by demonic forces. The other is actual: the city of Derry in the Northern Ireland of the 40s and 50s; a place that is also haunted by political enmities, family secrets, lethal intrigue. The boy narrator of READING IN THE DARK grows up enclosed in these two worlds, sensing that they are intertwined in some mysterious ways that he both wants and does not want to discover. Through the silence that surrounds him, he feels the truth spreading like a stain until it engulfs him and his family. Claustrophobic but lyrically charged, breathtakingly sad but vibrant and unforgettable, READING IN THE DARK is one of the finest books about growing up - in Ireland or anywhere - that has every been written.


Despite potential applications to educational contexts, the working alliance concept has largely been confined to psychotherapy intervention research. Some have explored theoretically related concepts (e.g., immediacy, rapport), but no measure currently exists of the working alliance between a teacher and student within an academic course. The aim of this study was to develop such a measure. Results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses led to the creation of the Learning Alliance Inventory (LAI), which contained three factors (Collaborative Bond, Teacher Competency, and Student Investment). Reliability and validity analyses indicated that the LAI has temporal stability, distinguishes between instructors, and correlates with numerical course grades when controlling for GPA. As a result, the LAI provides a psychometrically sound instrument for measuring aspects of student-teacher interactions pertaining to their collaborative, purposive work. As such, the LAI may prove helpful in furthering our understanding of student learning and teaching effectiveness.


This paper presents a video-based explorative case study of therapeutic challenges in mentalization-based group therapy (MBT-G) for patients with borderline-type problems. Employing qualitative methodology, we explored a MBT group as part of routine psychiatric care at a Psychiatric District Centre (naturalistic study). Several phenomena emerged as important in understanding the therapists' struggle to construe the group in a manner that foster mentalization. First and foremost, the main challenge seemed to be that the therapists did not succeed in establishing the authority needed to break through a strong pseudo-mentalizing group culture, alternating with more chaotic displays of psychic equivalence. This may be understood as a consequence of a misconstrued attempt by the therapists to take on a not-knowing stance, a central principle in MBT. Supposedly, the not-knowing stance towards the inner psyche of the patients interfused with a not-knowing stance towards the therapeutic process as a whole, undermining the authority of the therapists. The seemingly contradicting demands inherent in the MBT-G treatment manual, both being authoritative and taking a not-knowing stance, have not previously been highlighted in the literature. The results point towards the complicated process of transferring scientifically validated treatments to routine clinical practice.


The objective of this study was to infer soil moisture variability from a combination of passive microwave and infrared satellite observations. The proposed approach is mainly based on the concept of apparent thermal inertia (ATI) and makes use of the daily gradient in brightness temperature from MODIS AQUA to infer soil moisture at moderate spatial resolution. Soil moisture retrievals from optical polar orbiting satellites are affected by discontinuities due to the presence of clouds and spurious fluctuations because of low temporal sampling, which is not sufficient for a reliable daily cycle sampling. To mitigate these limitations, we propose using soil moisture temporal trend derived from passive microwave based product, namely the NASA AMSR-E soil moisture product, to filter estimates from MODIS observations. Passive microwave-based soil moisture products exhibit less fluctuation because of their coarse resolution and lower sensitivity to atmosphere. They can therefore be considered as natural "low pass filters" thus reducing the effect of noise in the infrared based estimates. A sensitivity test was conducted to identify to determine the contribution of various factors to the inferred soil moisture from ATI and the error that they may introduce in the estimates. The ATI-based approach was then applied to qualitatively describe the spatial distribution of soil moisture. The algorithm was validated over two different test areas in Italy and France where reference measurements are available. For the test site in Italy, the obtained ATI values were clustered around four different values corresponding to different levels of wetness. The determined four classes of soil moisture (low, medium, medium-high, and high) were compared to available in situ observations. An agreement with in situ observations of 81% was obtained. In densely vegetated areas, only three classes of soil moisture were instead distinguishable. The obtained agreement between observed and inferred soil moisture values was 88%. Also, in the second study area in France, where vegetation is more dominant, only three classes of soil moisture were determined with a lower agreement of 73%. In addition, the ATI trends are in agreement with thermal inertia values determined from physics-based formulation. This study showed that a combination of infrared and passive microwave observation may lead to a better mapping of soil moisture at the regional scale.


It has already been proved that air leakage causes a great impact in the energy performance of buildings in cold climates. In recent years, many studies have been carried out in northern Europe, US and Canada. Regulations in these countries establish maximum air leakage rates for the construction of new dwellings and the refurbishment of the existing ones. However, there is a lack of knowledge relating to the housing stock in Spain. In temperate climate countries, air leakage has traditionally been part of natural ventilation. On the one hand, current Spanish building regulations (CTE) establish controlled ventilation in dwellings to ensure indoor air quality (IAQ). On the other hand, air leakage is only considered concerning windows characteristics. Ventilation rates are calculated based on ideal airtight envelopes. Therefore, problems of over-ventilation, uncontrolled air flows, poor indoor air quality and energy consumption are caused. A national research is being accomplished within INFILES project (2016-2018), where nine Universities on different locations are participating with coordinated field measurement campaigns. The dwellings to be tested were chosen by establishing a nonprobability statistical sampling method. With the aim of representing the major characteristics of the Spanish housing stock in the most reliable way, a proportional quota sampling scheme was designed: as a consequence, 411 tests are being carried out in order to characterize the airtightness of the construction system of the envelope and to determine typical air leakage paths in dwellings. Stratification was performed with real data by taking into account different variables which have been proved to be relevant concerning airtightness: climate zone, year of construction and typology (single-family houses or multi-family buildings). The air leakage rate is being determined using a standardized building pressurization technique, in accordance with UNE-EN 13829 and ISO 9972:2006 regulations. Typical air leakage paths are determined using infrared image technique. A specific software has been developed to retain dwellings characterization data: location, year of construction, typology, size, height, construction technology, property developer, retrofitting state, window area, energy systems, and others, up to a total of 140 parameters. The aim of the project is to develop a wide database with representative samples of residential buildings in Spain. In this way, it will be possible to relate the main factors that have an impact on airtightness. The main objective is to know ventilation rates due to air leakage and its energy impact in order to design guidelines with real data, which is obtained from the tests. A subsequent control regulation proposal for the envelope airtightness will be developed. Consequently, Spanish regulations will be consistent with European directives.


We study the problem of learning a sparse linear regression vector under additional conditions on the structure of its sparsity pattern. We present a family of convex penalty functions, which encode this prior knowledge by means of a set of constraints on the absolute values of the regression coefficients. This family subsumes the li norm and is flexible enough to include different models of sparsity patterns, which are of practical and theoretical importance. We establish some important properties of these functions and discuss some examples where they can be computed explicitly. Moreover, we present a convergent optimization algorithm for solving regularized least squares with these penalty functions. Numerical simulations highlight the benefit of structured sparsity and the advantage offered by our approach over the Lasso and other related methods.


BACKGROUND
Although traumatic fistula is frequently encountered, high-output heart failure due to fistula is a very rare condition. Despite an indefinitive history of trauma, arteriovenous (AV) fistula may develop insidiously, and therefore identification of a shunt is highly important for treatment.

CASE REPORT
Here we report a 46-year-old male patient with heart failure due to traumatic femoral arteriovenous fistula developed following a penetrating stab injury 17 years ago.

CONCLUSION
Traumatic AV fistula is a curable cause of heart failure. Also, careful examination of the patient is as significant as radiological imaging methods.


This article considers how far one can describe al-Qaida's experiences in Syria as a success. A common line of analysis has been that al-Qaida has been playing a more successful long-term game in Syria as opposed to its more aggressive rival, the Islamic State. This article examines that argument more closely through exploring the nature of the relationship between al-Qaida and Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, the latest successor initiative to the original Syrian al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra. The author considers the viability of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham's project and the future of al-Qaida in Syria, reaching a negative long-term prognosis.


The narrative as well as the analysis of global imbalances in the existing literature are incomplete without the part of the story that relates to the surge in capital flows experienced by the emerging economies. Such analysis disregards the implications of capital flows on their domestic economies, especially in terms of the "impossibility" of following a monetary policy that benefits domestic growth. It also fails to recognize the significance of uncertainty and changes in expectation as factors in the (precautionary) buildup of large official reserves. The consequences are many, and affect the fabric of growth and distribution in these economies. The recent experiences of China and India, with their deregulated financial sectors, bear this out. Financial integration and free capital mobility, which are supposed to generate growth with stability (according to the "efficient markets" hypothesis), have not only failed to achieve their promises (especially in the advanced economies) but also forced the high-growth developing economies like India and China into a state of compliance, where domestic goals of stability and development are sacrificed in order to attain the globally sanctioned norm of free capital flows. With the global financial crisis and the specter of recession haunting most advanced economies, the high-growth economies in Asia have drawn much less attention than they deserve. This oversight leaves the analysis incomplete, not only by missing an important link in the prevailing network of global trade and finance, but also by ignoring the structural changes in these developing economies--many of which are related to the pattern of financialization and turbulence in the advanced economies.


Loss of PTEN and activation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase are commonly observed in advanced prostate cancer. Inhibition of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a downstream target of phosphoinositide 3-kinase signaling, results in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in multiple in vitro and in vivo models of prostate cancer. However, single-agent use of mTOR inhibition has limited clinical success, and the identification of molecular events mitigating tumor response to mTOR inhibition remains a critical question. Here, using genetically engineered human prostate epithelial cells (PrEC), we show that MYC, a frequent target of genetic gain in prostate cancers, abrogates sensitivity to rapamycin by decreasing rapamycin-induced cytostasis and autophagy. Analysis of MYC and the mTOR pathway in human prostate tumors and PrEC showed selective increased expression of eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4EBP1) with gain in MYC copy number or forced MYC expression, respectively. We have also found that MYC binds to regulatory regions of the 4EBP1 gene. Suppression of 4EBP1 expression resulted in resensitization of MYC-expressing PrEC to rapamycin and increased autophagy. Taken together, our findings suggest that MYC expression abrogates sensitivity to rapamycin through increased expression of 4EBP1 and reduced autophagy.


Stress during tassel formation can reduce tassel size and cause insufficient pollen production in seed production. When stresses affect plant development, component compensation for grain yield is known to occur in some crops. Tassel component compensation for pollen production has not been previously reported. Chilling was imposed on two dent maize (Zea mays L.) inbreds (103 and 113 relative maturity [RM]) at the initiation of tassel formation, a critical period for maximizing pollen production. The 103 RM inbred showed limited response to chilling stress. The 113 RM inbred produced 60% fewer branches resulting in 45% fewer spikelets and 43% fewer pollen grains per tassel when chilling was applied during branch meristem initiation. For the same inbred, 42% fewer spikelets and 29% fewer pollen grains per tassel were produced when chilling was applied during spikelet meristem initiation. Chilling stress during meiosis of microsporogenesis did not decrease pollen production per anther. A decrease in the percentage of starch-filled pollen grains was found only in the lower florets on the lowest branch. The effect of decreased branch or spikelet production on total pollen production was not compensated by subsequent production of spikelets, florets, anthers, or pollen grains per anther. Susceptibility of pollen production to chilling stress during tassel formation varies among modern dent inbreds, although plasticity in the tassel for pollen yield was not observed.


An on-farm study was conducted to evaluate plant growth, tuber yield and stability of orange fleshed sweet potato (OFSP) genotypes in three agro-ecological zones of Malawi. The study sites were Maseya in Chikhwawa District representing low altitude areas with hot climate; Bunda in Lilongwe District representing medium altitude with warm climate and Bembeke in Dedza District representing high altitude areas with cool climate. Genotypes LU06/0527, LU06/0252, LU06/0428, LU06/0299, LU06/0258, BV/009, Kenya and Zondeni were evaluated in the trials. At each location, three farmers conducted the trials laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design with three replicates on each farmer's field. Analysis of variance on the main effects of genotypes and environments as well as Interaction Principal Component Analysis (IPCA) for the residual multiplication interaction between genotypes and environments were conducted. Results revealed significant differences in vine length, leaf area and tuber yield among the genotypes evaluated as well as across the trial sites. Genotype LU06/0428 produced the highest leaf area of 130.9 cm2 followed by BV/009 with 97.7 cm2. LU06/0527 was the highest tuber yielding genotype with 20.7 t/ha. Stability analysis found that Zondeni was the most stable variety across the sites. Bunda was the highest tuber yielding and unstable site while Maseya was the lowest yielding and unstable site